Testimonial: “We traveled the world with our family”

A challenge that made sense

Before becoming these backpacking parents, there were two lovers who used to roam around in a campervan during the holidays. “We like this type of vacation. Leave with the minimum. Jérôme also lived two years abroad. He loves to travel. It was a “logical” challenge for us, a continuity. Our parents are in good shape, they don’t need us. The children were still small, we could afford to make them miss school. In short, it was the right time, ”says Estelle. It was therefore only necessary to ask for availability at work and to rent the house for a year …

“Our employers readily accepted our request. In the end, this world tour even had a positive impact on our image. It shows that we are able to go to the end of a project… And concerning the house, we found perfect tenants who needed housing in a short period of time. They left us everything in impeccable condition, ”says Estelle.

The motorhome is simpler than a house

On the vehicle side, Estelle had set her conditions. She wanted a minimum of comfort and privacy. That is to say four beds (the two children slept in an alcove above the driving position) and a small bathroom with “a door that closes”. “Jérôme works in the automotive industry, on the mechanical side, it’s reassuring. For the rest, life in a motorhome is sometimes easier than in a house. We have little to manage because we have little business with us. One laundry machine per month (compared to four per week in normal times!), No garden, no time constraints, no school (except for an hour of work for the eldest from time to time) … To eat, we went to restaurants quite often. In Asia, we eat for a few euros… ”, explains Estelle.

What about life together in a small space? “We are lucky to have children who sleep well. Apart from the first few weeks because Amaël had trouble falling asleep at night, we had our evenings for both of us. For the rest, we were very organized, we tidied our things. The hardest part is always having water, food and gasoline. Sometimes it takes up the whole day! As for the family atmosphere, what simplifies things is to live outside a lot. We followed the sun and therefore spent a year “in summer”, ”recalls Estelle.

A journey through the eyes of a child

Apart from all these material considerations, Estelle recounts moments out of time, breathtaking landscapes. “Jérôme and I are mainly looking for the great outdoors. What we liked the most was Mongolia, we felt alone in the world. We also “made the tourists” in the big cities or to see the monuments or famous places. Amaël, for example, celebrated his 2 years on the Chinese wall! But he was especially interested in a caterpillar that he observed for half an hour … In one of the most beautiful places in the world! Children have this vision, we have to accept it… No need to take them very far for them to be happy. So sometimes you have to adapt to their pace, be flexible about the organization and the goals that you set for yourself. They may not have many memories, especially the little one, but I’m sure this kind of experience will leave its mark in another way. “

Hard times

Despite the discoveries and the freedom to live, the family experienced moments of blues. “After six months, we were a little knocked out, the benchmarks were missing. Then, when Timéo’s school, who followed the trip a lot, sent us a video, he was very moved. At one point, we felt the need to “take a vacation”, we spent two weeks in a hotel in Thailand. Our families also came to see us. One in Cambodia. The other in Australia. Even though we had great encounters (people are so benevolent everywhere), it’s good to see famous faces, ”admits Estelle.

She also explains that the adventure was not a long quiet river. “We were extra vigilant with the children on safety and hygiene, we cannot heckle everywhere and we must wash our hands thoroughly before eating. Timéo still had a giant urticaria attack in the depths of Laos, right in the country where we had been warned about the few possibilities of medical treatment. Ultimately, it was an NGO that treated Timéo. Nothing mean. On the other hand, the lack of means in the dispensary upset us. “

Come back with other ideas

The return to normal life takes place with a lot of hindsight. “I measured our chance to live in France, but also the importance of spending quality time all four, of not running all the time. To be in the letting go… A kid with black fingernails, that doesn’t really change anything! “

New habits are also appearing. “When we realize the extent of the environmental problem, open dumps all over the world, it influences our way of life, we are far from zero waste, but we pay more attention”, summarizes Estelle. Amaël had a hard time getting home. “He didn’t remember it, so it took a while for him to find his bearings. As for the education of children, adventurous parents are sometimes disappointed not to be able to apply the methods they used on the road. “We only had a laptop and two bags of toys! Children were even made to believe that there was no Internet in the United States and they did not suffer from the absence of cartoons once! We each had a backpack, that’s all. And today, when we go for the weekend, it is difficult to close the trunk of the Laguna! “