Inspirational Stories Online
Inspiring families to live adventurously, promoting independent family adventure


There are lots of family adventure stories already out there on the world wide web. We've put together this page of links to help you find them. Follow the links and start exploring.

We welcome suggestions for other stories to list here. Please report any broken links.


Links to published feature pieces about family adventure in newspapers, magazines available online.
Links to websites and blogs written by adventuring families about their past, present or future adventures.

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The Family Adventure Project is not responsible for the content of linked sites.
The appearance of a link here does not imply any form of recommendation.


Articles and features

Go wild in the country See your feature here
If you fancy a real taste of the great outdoors - away from the mini suburbia of campsites - try wild camping, says Dixe Wills in this UK Guardian piece. The views are much better and it won't cost you a penny: You genuinely feel part of the countryside, not once removed from it. If you have suggestion for a feature you think we should link to, please get in touch and let us know. It can be something you have written or something you have read that has inspired you to do something adventurous with your family.
No set route, no return date Holidaying on the cheap
The Weller family decided they wanted more out of life before it was too late and the kids all left home, so they sold everything, moved into a 1973 double-decker bus and set off on a journey across Europe. In this UK Guardian feature, Chris Broughton meets the Wellers and talks with them about their new lifestyle. You can read about the family's adventures and how it all ended on their blog, www.usonthebus.com

It doesn't have to cost the earth to adventure as a family, even for extended periods of time. If you know how, you can take a long break with your kids and end up spending less than you would at home. In this feature from the UK Guardian, Kate Shipp explains how she managed to spend five months taking her family around Spain, Portugal, Morocco, France and Italy for £3,000. And Sally Hamilton offers some more money saving tips on family holidays here.
Finding manenomes The longest ride of your life
One of the challenges of family adventure is choosing activities and itineraries that will meet the needs of the whole family. In this feature Paula Holmes Eber, a long time family adventurer, reflects on what she's learnt about adventuring with her children by bike as they've grown up and offers a few tips on how to select a route your kids will love. Well family adventures don't get much bigger than cycling around the world. And if you want some advice about how to do it then you'd better ask someone who's done it. Here, Paul Eber Holmes shares hard won wisdom from her family's three years planning and fifteen months riding around the world. Given the right preparation, anything is possible.
Have Kids - Will Adventure Adventure in the desert - children will love it
2007 UK Sunday Times piece by Miles Barker on taking his kids (age 6 and 8) on an adventure holiday in Vietnam. Miles tells of some of the drama, pleasures and tension of travelling in unfamiliar cultures with younger children, especially when you're on your own. 2005 UK Independent piece by Adrian Mourby about taking took his family to Morroco to introduce them to another culture. "They didn't like everything they saw but they didn't like everything at Disney either. At least here they were broadening their horizons rather than just shaking hands with Goofy."
Where do we go from here? The Times A family affair - why spouses stay behind
UK Times piece by Rachel Tims, written nine months into a family gap year, about how spending time with the family is not as easy as it sounds, especially when used to the stimulus of work and career, on the challenge of 24/7 parenting with no school or school holidays, and some of the many dilemmas raised about the biggest question of all, what will you do when it's all over? Also online, The rats can race without us, Journey of our lives, Goodbye City, So Long Identity Born Free in Africa If you're struggling to persuade a family member to sign up to your family adventure dream, then this piece by Paula Holmes-Eber may help. Having biked 10000 miles around the world with her husband and teenage daughters she knows a thing or two about the intricacies of getting everyone on board. This is a piece not just about why spouses stay behind - but more importantly, how to change their minds.
Kalahari with kids: The Sunday Times Family Adventures in Laos & Vietnam
UK Sunday Times piece by William Gray about taking his five year old twins to stay with the bushmen of the Kalahari. Read just how different things can be on a family holiday. UK Sunday Times piece by Mary Ann Sieghart on travelling with teenage daughters to cook, sail, shop and elephant trek in Indo-China.
Yipee no school for a year: The Guardian Family Adventures: The Sunday Times
UK Guardian piece on Andrew Nelson and his wife who took their three sons out of school for a round the world trip of a lifetime. Get an idea of how much it costs with budget figures and some practical tips on making it easier to travel RTW with kids. UK Sunday Times piece on Family Adventures: 'Just because you're a family doesn't mean you have to settle for the beach. Simon Spilsbury takes Kiah, 7, and Imogen, 5, off to the wilds of Thailand, while Jeremy Lazell chooses ten more adventures to thrill you and yours.'
Our Big Adventure: The Times
One Hull of a School: Education Telegraph

UK The Times piece by Mary Ann Sieghart about what prompted her and her husband to leave the rat race for four months, and about the chaos that ensues when you try to put your 'normal' life on hold to follow a dream for a while. With a few interesting insight into some of the practicalities that need taking care of when planning a family adventure.

UK Education Telegraph feature by Richard Tracey in which he describes what it's like to teach your own kids while travelling. Find our what a broad syllabus travel can provide and get a little insight into the options, mechanics, joys and trials of homeschooling on the road or, in this case, when all at sea.
Songs of the South
Package deal or do it yourself?

UK Guardian feature about campervanning with a toddler in New Zealand. Jimmy Leach gives a taste of what it's like to tour the wide open spaces of New Zealand in a confined space with a little one.

UK Guardian feature in which family travel columnist Dea Birkett weighs up the pro's and con's of packaged deals and independent adventures. Six families explain their preferred itinerary, hopes, fears and budgets, giving a few ideas for packaged and independent adventure destinations.
Story Book Setting for a Family Adventure
South Africa; A Big Country for Little People
UK Guardian feature about Jeannette Hyde's experience of taking her four-year-old daughter to Geilo, Norway for her first ski trip. A family friendly resort with lots of extras to keep little ones entertained, like husky rides, sleigh rides, ski-dooing, ice-skating, wolf farms, wild elk and reindeer spotting and even a chance to visit Santa. UK Sunday Times piece by William Gray about a two week self drive family adventure around South Africa's Cape, 'a civilised first timer's adventure.' Details about itineraries and attractions around the Cape. This kind of experience is a good way to build the confidence you may need to plan your own more intrepid adventures.
Perfect kombi nation
How to find freedom with a campervan

UK Guardian feature by Jane White. When Jane told friends she was taking her three-year-old on a tour of New Zealand in an old camper van they said she was mad. Well, was she? A good insight into the trials and tribulations of campervanning with little ones and the joys of New Zealand.

UK The Times feature by William Gray about his experience campervanning with toddler twins in New Zealand. For him 'there’s no better way to explore than by camper van — and there’s no better place to do it than in New Zealand.' If campervanning interests you, read this and the feature perfect kombi nation also on this page before you commit!
Far flung but for the kids Reserved for your online feature?
UK Times feature by Janice Turner about travelling a little further afield with young kids. More adventurous destinations are possible with kids and bring their own rewards as well as challenges. Find out how Janice Turner’s turned her two small boys into travellers in Sri Lanka If you've got a feature piece online about your family adventures and you'd like to see it featured here, then get in touch, let us have the details, and let us take a look. We're always on the lookout for high quality features that give other adventurous families ideas, advice or inspiration to get out adventuring together.

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Websites and blogs of adventurous families

Laural Ringler, Family Adventure Mentor Reserved for your website ?

Laural Ringler and her intrepid husband have bicycled, backpacked and kayaked thousands of miles in Europe and North America both with and without their adventuresome two kids. So we know Laural can write with some authority about adventuring as a family. She's a regular contributor to Adventures Northwest Magazine, has published over fifty articles and is an adventure mentor for families, teens, individuals and groups. And now she's sharing her experience through her Family Adventure blog. She's also generously contributed a feature on planning family adventures to our site.

If you've got a blog or website about your family adventures and you'd like to see it featured here, then get in touch, let us have the details, and let us take a look. We're happy to link to sites that give other adventurous families ideas, advice or inspiration to get out there.
Six in the World Soul Travellers Three

Sixintheworld is the site of a RTW family of six, age 4 to 38 who took on on an 11-month global adventure in August 2006. Their website and blog tracks their preparation, travels, and return to the US. You can even find out how much it all cost. A great example of a normal family taking 365 days out of their everyday lives to circumnavigate the world, explore interesting places, make new friends, and learn a little more about themselves and the world we all inhabit.

Here's a family of three creating their own family odyssey. The mission? To see the world, know it more deeply, connect deeper with ourselves, as a family and with others, experience freedom, bliss and peace in new and profound ways. They're on an open-ended, years long slow trip RTW as a family adventure, unschool, spiritual journey and lifestyle, with time spent travelling interspersed with time living in different places on an itinerary across Europe, Russia, Africa, South America, Far East, Australia and New Zealand.
Pilgrim's Progress: a BIG family hits the road The Aiken/Widom Family Year Off

If you think it's a challenge travelling with one, two or three kids you've just got to look at this. A kiwi family with eight kids on a pilgrimage from Singapore to London and beyond, travelling overland all the way. Oh and with grandpa along too that makes 11. And still they find time for prolific thought provoking blogging giving an up to the minute insight into what it's like to live and learn as a family on the road. With info on practical issues like why, how, financing, packing, it's well worth a look. Now that's what I call a BIG family adventure.

The Aiken/Widom clan love to travel. They've been travelling with kids since their youngest was born and now have over fourteen years of adventuring experience so can speak with experience of travelling with their kids at every age. Sailing, diving, trekking, cycling, overland, you name it they've done it. Since 2007 they've been blogging too so now you can share some of their experience and wisdom. Get an idea of what's possible with a look at their travelog of their recent 2007/2008 14 month long globe spanning adventure.
Dreirad: Three Wheels on the Panamerican 360 degrees longitude (Armageddon Pills)
In late 2001, Swiss couple Rebekka and Florian left for a classic cycling journey to explore the American Continent. After one year, the arrival of baby Chan stopped them in their tracks in Vancouver. But a short while later they hit the road again, still determined to reach the Southern tip of Argentina. Chan, now 4 is part of the team and joins wholeheartedly in their quest for adventure. You can read journals and see extraordinary photos from their amazing journey with a growing toddler on their online journal, Dreirad. Never let it be said it can't be done with kids. Truly inspirational.

The Higham family shared a lifetime of adventures in a year long RTW trip, visiting 28 countries, traveling by cargo ship to the southern tip of South America, hiking the Inca Trail, trekking in the jungles of northern Thailand, cycling in Europe. Find out what it took to plan for a year on the road, how they home-schooled their kids and what they learned along the way. Their new site 360 Degrees Longitude (formerly Armageddon Pills) chronicles their family adventure, offers useful advice on costing and planning a trip and promotes their forthcoming book "360 Degrees Longitude"

Joe Kurmaskie, alias Metal Cowboy Us On The Bus: The Weller Family

Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie is Adventure Dad and author of cycle adventure books, Metal Cowboy, and Riding outside the Lines. In his latest book, "Momentum is your Friend," Joe chronicles a Grand Adventure he shared with his two sons Quinn and Enzo (ages 7 and 5) on a Cross Country 4000 mile ride. With 14' of bicycle rig and over 250lbs of kids and gear, it's an inspiring and heart warming adventure. And there's more, now Joe's on the road with wife and three, blogging a trans Canadian family adventure for a new book. Lots of inspiration here, if you dare. This guy thinks and lives BIG.

Late 2007 and the Weller family finally set off on a 1973 Leyland bus for their family adventure, a let's just see where we get to tour of Europe. Realising their wasn;t much time left before the kids were all grown up, Brian and Dawn sold up their business and their house to make their dream come true. Having bought and fitted out a bus, Brian, Dawn, Amy (15) ,Alex (12) and Sam (9) have signed up for the school of the road. You can follow their travels and the pre-trip dramas of buying and fitting out the bus on their blog, at www.usonthebus.com

The Vogel Family, a Family on Bikes See the World with Your Kids
The Vogel family believe in the power of bicycling! For them it's an incredible way to get to know a country and people. And with children it's even more rewarding, seeing the world through children's eyes, and experiencing things in a fresh, uninhibited manner once more. In 2006/7 the Vogels completed a fourteen month bike tour of the USA and Canada. In June 2008 they're heading off to conquer the Pan American Highway in a world record attempt with their twin boys. You can visit their homepage or read their blog online.

Sheila Scarborough blogs regularly and eclectically on all kinds of Family Travel experiences. With blogs on big city visits in Tokyo, London and Hong Kong, family travel in Asia, Europe, USA and family travel philosophy, her site is a wide ranging mix of personal experience, anecdotes and links to other resources on the web. Full of ideas, inspiration and contacts. You can read her blog online. Sheila blogs on Bootsnall, another useful resource for Independent travellers.

Hollowtop Outdoor Primitive School The Fleming Family Travel Tales
Thomas J Elpel at the Hollowtop Outdoor Primitive School has a few stories to tell about journeys that take children and families back to basics. You can find some of his journalled stories online at his school's homepage. He also has a wealth of wisdom to share in other publications about primitive living skills. The Fleming family gave up their 'nice' lifestyle at home, rented out the house, gave up careers and took their two children (age 3 and 7) on a years backpacking trip around the world. Their website chronicles their experience and offers useful advice for others thinking of being so foolish.

The Eber family and Bike for Breath The Shulz family: All at Sea

The Eber family biked their way around the world to raise money for asthma research. On their website you can read more about the family, their charity and their amazing experiences pedalling 15,000 km through 25 countries around the globe.

The Shulz family have taken the plunge, sold their house, put their possessions into storage and set off to sail the seas on their family boat Regina. Their website chronicles their current Blue Water Adventure experience, shows how they've built up to their biggest adventure yet and gives a good insight into educating on board. Informative, funny and philosophical.
Curious Kids The Cleminson Family

A site put together by five kids who travelled 100000 miles across 20 countries with their parents on a world tour in 1999. The kids were 7,9,11,14 and 17 at the time of the trip and you can get a great insight into what kids get curious about when they travel from online extracts from their travel journals.

The Cleminsons live in Africa and enjoy a special relationship with their 4WD vehicle Lily. She's as much a part of their family adventures as their two young children. On their site you can read about their travels on and off the road over the years. Beautiful photography brings to life the pleasures of adventuring as a family and the spectacular places you can explore in this part of the world.
The Orme Family: Family adventures by boat
The FuhKaui Family
Eric Orme and his family have one five month sailing trip under their belt in 2003/4. Now they're planning a year long voyage down East Coast Canada/USA to the Carribean, starting April 2006. Read about their last trip when the kids were young and follow their progress on their latest adventure sailing, painting and exploring as the kids grow up aboard their yacht Tabitha. The FuhKaui family have been on the road for years unschooling three kids. They hit the road to find a better life and have came to realise it was the only life for them. As they put it in their blog "Have you ever woke up in the morning and wondered where you are? It happens all too often around here....Follow our unconventional travels as we enter our ninth year of Life on the Road."
The Activated Storytellers - Goza Family Cycling Europe with a baby
The Goza family are The Activated Storytellers. Being on the road is more than just a vacation for them; it's a fundamental part of their work, life and existence. They've been on the road since 1988 and raised and educated their son on the road. They are notorious nomads - rarely staying in one place for more than two days, touring year-round combining work with new experiences. You can read more about their work, life and travels on their site.

The Knoll Millers took to the road in 2006 with a baby and a bike, cycling 1,300 kilometres and spending 68 nights in a tent. If you want to know about the realities of touring with a baby then Shelley's diary gives an insight into the daily adventures of biking with baby. The site has lots of great photos too and some useful information about the practicalities of what you need to make a bike and the road your home. The Knoll Millers were sponsored by Burley.

Pedal to Paradise Reserved for your website ?

Inspired by a bunch of chickens escaping from a chicken farm, the Goehring's took off with their daughter and her friend on a summerlong journey across America on bicycles in 2001. Over 4500 miles later they still believe, "You've got to keep pedaling if you want to get to Paradise." In extensive online journals you can read how the trip came about, the practicalities of making it happen and the dramas and delights of life on a classic TransAmerican biking route.

If you've got a blog or website about your family adventures and you'd like to see it featured here, then get in touch, let us have the details, and let us take a look. We're happy to link to sites that give other adventurous families ideas, advice or inspiration to get out there.

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Stories and articles families have written for us about their adventure experiences, in their own words, reproduced here with permission.

Family adventure stories

Details of published books about family adventure. With links to Amazon to read the reviews and buy. Your purchases support our work.

Published stories

Our own stories from the road, written while on tour before children and as the family has grown.


 




 

 


 

 

 

     
 


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