As we travelled north alongside the immense Pacific Ocean and through the majestic Andes Mountains, a relatively important decision loomed larger and larger in the background. It was something we had discussed both prior to beginning this family adventure and along the way at various stages. But as time and kilometres ticked by, this was something that we would need to come to a conclusion on.
Should we continue travelling after a year or should we return home?
When we initially dreamt up this adventure, we had many different destinations in mind, many different routes and many different timelines. Yet travel plans are just that. Excel makes it very easy to simply insert another country into the mix, extend the date tab, and admire the picture the screen now portrays. The reality will always be very different.
This year, travelling in a camper van with our family, has brought us all a Grand Canyon full of emotions and experiences. We have had incredible days filled with fun, laughed uncontrollably, met the most amazing people, eaten food of such quality you would not believe, and witnessed natural beauty I thought was not possible. We have seen our children grow in every imaginable way, from gaining the confidence to ask another child in the playground to be their friend, to solving everyday maths problems as if it was completely normal.
We have also had many challenging moments and situations. We initially struggled to find the balance between travelling as tourists and simply living life on the road. We wrestled with the desire to travel “quickly” or simply move at the pace that was right for us all. As a family, we all found it challenging letting the others know what our individual needs were, and then raising this in a constructive way when they were not being met.
The trip has of course not been a garden of roses 100% of the time. But we have all learned from each of these situations, we have all made personal changes for the better for ourselves and for the good of others. And we have all gained a better appreciation and understanding of what works for our family and what does not.
Before we began the trip, we removed our children from their school and creche, something that was extremely difficult for us to do and for them to process. We knew the fun they had there, the friends they had made and the teachers they were so fond of. Yet we were confident that by putting ourselves in the right situations, our children would meet new kids, make great friends, learn about them and their cultures, and gain a new appreciation for the wider world around them.
We also removed both ourselves and our children from those around us that we love the most. Parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and friends, all gone from our day-to-day physical life in the blink of an eye. Undoubtedly this was, and still is, the hardest part of living life on the road. But we have been invigorated and have taken huge inspiration from the visits of our parents who have gone to huge personal effort to share this amazing adventure with us in person. We also hugely value every phone call, voice message and text that we have received from people thinking of us while we are not there.
From a logistical and economical perspective, there is an additional constraint to consider before being able to continue northwards on our adventure…
For those of you who are not intimately familiar with the geography of the Darién Gap which separates Colombia and Panama (I will assume that this is all of you!), there is actually no road linking the two countries together. Consisting of a large watershed, dense rainforest and mountains, it is known for its remoteness, difficult terrain, and extreme environment, with a reputation as one of the most inhospitable regions in the world. Owing to its isolation and harsh geography, the Darién Gap is largely undeveloped, with widespread criminal enterprises such as human and drug trafficking.
This results in a rather significant logistical and financial barrier. Luckily for the enthusiastic overland traveller, the enterprising people at Cartagena port have developed a rather effective oligopoly, whereby they facilitate the shipping of vehicles such as ours from Colombia to Panama. For the privilege of doing this, they will charge you something close to the sum of cash reserves in the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve combined. Hard to stomach for a one-day sailing totalling less than 300 nautical miles…
So where does this leave us in terms of our pressing decision?
To make such a decision, we felt it was best to discuss it as a family of four, with each individual opinion being duly listened to, considered and counted equally. Following this, we came to a unanimous decision. This was one that we were all very happy with, one that we felt was right for us as individuals and as a family, and one that we thought would be the right one when we looked back on our trip in years to come. And that was…
We will continue our family adventure in Central America!
We absolutely love sharing our experiences via our website and Instagram pages, and hope that you will continue to join us as we travel in Central America from wherever you are in the world!
Click here to read the “Fun At The Port…” blog post
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