Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Susan Whitehead from Wanderlust Families all about the benefits of long term family travel. Check out the podcast or watch our conversation below.

Who is Susan Whitehead and what are Wanderlust Families?

Susan is a married mother of six whose wanderlust (or strong desire to travel) grows with every family adventure. Alongside her family, they have lived in three different countries long term and taken a three-month road trip through Europe! I don’t know about you but I was dying to know how she did it….now the secret is out!

If you want ALL her amazing secrets in one place, check out Susan’s book Wanderlust Realized. (This is an Amazon affiliate link, see full affiliate disclosure here. No worries, I would never promote a product that isn’t amazing.)

How the adventure began:

Susan grew up in a bicultural family (Costa Rican and American). With parents who valued travel, frequent travel was Susan’s normal.

Susan’s parents allowed her to travel whenever the opportunity arose, and the budget allowed because they knew it would be a good experience.

With her own children, Susan and her husband made travel an intentional priority.

Even though money was tight, they decided to pursue their dreams, Susan and her husband sold everything to move their family to Costa Rica for six months. Before taking the leap, they considered a few important details:

Things to consider before embarking on long term family travel:

• Cost
• Ability to get home quickly
• Goals for their family (ie they chose Costa Rica because they wanted their kids to improve their Spanish skills and learn about their Grandmother’s culture)

Since that first trip to Costa Rica, they’ve lived in Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and taken a three-month road trip to England, Wales, France, and Spain. Looking back on their numerous trips together, Susan can see many ways long term travel has benefited her children.

The Benefits of Long Term Family Travel for Children

• They learned to be skeptical of what they see in the news and draw their own conclusions about people.
• To overcome obstacles
• Confidence
• Being comfortable being uncomfortable
• Travel sparked interest in other areas of the world

If you are interested in learning more about Susan’s story or embarking on your own long term family travel adventure, check out Susan’s website, podcast, and family travel course.

If a long term trip isn’t quite your cup of tea, how about adding a bit of diversity to your life each day instead? Check out 14 simple ideas to embrace diversity with your kids each day.