Our Recipe

The recipe to go around the world is a simple one; it doesn't require many ingredients, but it needs time.

The key element is the decision. Without this, you don't get anywhere. We have the desire to travel, the desire for change, the desire for new things, but until we asked ourselves how important this was for us, when we could do it, what it requires, we couldn't make a decision.

It is nice to have a partner who'll support your plans, or shares the same idea. He/she will help you through your moments of doubt, assure you you're not crazy, bring you back to Earth when you dream with your eyes open, keep you on track, remind you why you're doing what you're doing, hold you in his/her arms when everything seems to go wrong, be there for you and your accomplishments.

After that you need a plan. You can establish how much money you can save a month and find your leaving date, or go the other way: decide when you're leaving, and do everything in your power and much more to make it happen. We looked at how much we're earning, how much debt we have, and where we can make cuts.
We renounced restaurants and started cooking those fancy dinners at home
                         television (we weren't that interested in the programs and the advertising was horrible)
                         movies (we subscribed to Netflix)
                         fashionable clothes and shoes
                         gifts (we knew way ahead what we where going to get)
                         hairdresser; I'm the only one who's spoiled this way (since we moved to the States, I am the barber/ hairdresser of the entire family) and I still go for a haircut, but I dye my hair at home.
                         vacations. This is the third year that we're doing school over the summer so we will be able to finish lots of subjects and leave with as little school as possible (math and science)

The positive side is: we ate healthy, the kids were implicated in the process, and it made them open to new foods
                                we read more; many books were about the places we are going to see
                                we watched documentaries
                                we had time to understand what kind of shoes and clothes we need in this trip
                                the children became more mature; they learned to keep their eyes on the prize, to scrutinize their reasons, to express their wishes, to listen till the end the explanations of the answer NO and accept it, and to put things in perspective
                               we became a tightly-knit family

Another important thing is to be consistent, and this is the most difficult part. In time, there are many temptations and excuses for not being able to put aside that sum of money, because today you want that shirt, because you want to get out for a nice dinner that somebody else cooked, because this life of deprivation drives you crazy. I will answer your question: yes, we've strayed from time to time, but started again, convinced that it is worth it.

On top of everything else comes the patience as you're inching your way toward D-day, the effort to live your life in the present, to participate, to find happiness and satisfaction in a smile, or a hug, in things that money can't buy (for everything else, there's MasterCard).

Decision, Partner, Plan, Consistency, Patience, Time.
Now you need to put a title to your recipe; ours is called "Recipe for Going Around the World."