ABOUT US
Hello there! Learn a little more about us and what inspired us to take our kids to travel the world for a year.
Q: Who are you?
My name is Song and my husband’s name is Leo. Together, we have 4 kids – 2 boys and 2 girls (12B, 10G, 7B, 4G). We have been living in China (Beijing and Shanghai) for nearly 20 years.
I am first and foremost, a mother. I am an ABC (American born Chinese) and have an undergraduate degree from Cornell and an MBA from Harvard. I am an entrepreneur (owned a bakery in Shanghai) and an educator (licensed teacher and taught in a top international school in Shanghai). My hobbies include learning, traveling, reading, cooking and baking, and being with children.
Leo was raised in both Taiwan and the US and has spent the last 20+ years in Asia and Greater China. He earned his bachelor degree from Cornell’s Hotel School and MBA from MIT. He has worked in consulting, finance and the real estate side of the hospitality industry for most of his professional career, after serving two years in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. He loves travelling, cooking, working with his hands and just about anything to do with the outdoors.
Q: What kind of trip are you taking?
We quit our respective jobs, gave away most of our things and are taking our kids on a trip around the world. Our target duration is 12 months and we plan to travel to approximately one country per month. We will be homeschooling/worldschooling along the way.
Q: What inspired you to take this trip?
We first came across this idea about 20 years ago when we met a father and son on a slow boat on the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar. The dad had quit his job and decided to take his two sons on a trip around the world. We only got to meet his older son because his younger son had gotten homesick about half-way through and went home to his mom. The two were traveling with just small backpacks which was only large enough to hold a few t-shirts, shorts, underwear and a toothbrush. At the time, this was just another interesting encounter, among many, that we had during our travels. Since we weren’t married and didn’t have children, it wasn’t relevant to us, so it just remained data in the back of our minds. Over the years as we grew our family, this memory began inching its way into our conversations and consciousness. We talked about it many times and hoped for the courage to do it, but we didn’t know how or when we could turn it into reality.
The catalyst that helped to make it happen for us was Covid. Covid was a tragedy for the world and for China, where we were living. But it also provided tremendous learning and gave us the opportunity to make observations outside of the normal routines of life. During Covid, we realized a few things:
– Stability and security are just an illusion because anything can happen at any moment to change everything.
– Watching children adapt to the changes that Covid demanded and living through e-learning and lockdowns, we learned that children are extremely resilient and adaptable, even more so if they have strong support from their families.
– During lockdown, we spent much more time together as a family than we had in years, initially not by choice but due to travel restrictions that prevented Leo from traveling for work. The time spent together, without schedule or limit – preparing meals, enjoying those meals, watching movies and playing games, laughing, talking and reading, reminded us that life is short, kids grow up fast and we need to treasure the years that we have together.
– As a teacher adapting to e-learning and online classes during Covid, I saw kids able to thrive while learning outside of the classroom. I experimented with different online resources and ways of teaching and discovered the richness of the teaching and learning materials available online, many of them free or very inexpensive. Observing my own kids during e-learning also gave me confidence that with motivation, curiosity, the internet and a little guidance, children can learn well in any environment.
Q: What do you think will be the biggest challenges on this trip and how are you preparing for them?
After health and safety, the greatest challenge during the trip will be to maintain our sense of purpose and complete the full year. I imagine there will be many instances when we are tired, spirits are low and we miss home. We might wonder what we are doing wandering around the world aimlessly. In anticipation of this, every member of the family must be a stakeholder and have a hand in planning the trip. We have created a vision and mission statement for the trip, as well as values, so during moments when we feel lost, we can refer to these to remind us why we are doing this. I will create a blog post to provide more details on this.
Q: How do you think this trip will change you?
I believe we will be stronger as a family having experienced this unique adventure together. This trip will open our minds and create a deep and lasting impression that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Seeing different places, experiencing unfamiliar ways of life and meeting new people of all different backgrounds will chart a different course in the way that we look at the world, understand ourselves and our place in the world. We anticipate to have ample opportunities to practice:
– facing challenges
– seeing possibilities and opportunities
– choosing positivity and joy
– looking past the surface
– cultivating understanding, empathy and gratitude
– showing and receiving kindness
I will get to these questions soon…
Q: How will you teach your kids during the trip?
Q: How much will it cost to travel for a year?