Hi,

I've been planning to do a solo RTW trip on my KTM 640 at the end of the year, my wife has just suggested that I change my plans and get a landrover so she and my 10 year old daughter can come along, she thinks it will be very educational for my daughter to travel the world for a few years ....

Is this a sensible idea??
Has anyone here traveled with a child?

Chris Burt and Kirsten Latimer had a baby while en route RTW on two Triumph's, stopped in NZ to have the baby - and rig a sidecar on one of the bikes. They are now travelling again, taking turns with the sidecar rig. Their site is on the links page, and we have a picture in the ezine two issues back I think.

Others have travelled with wife and child in the rig. Works well, and much cheaper than 4 wheels. Lots of families have travelled with 4 wheels. One is listed on the links page I think, Geoff Kingsmill, Australia. He's in the Cairns Community.

Absolutely go for it, one way or another - it will be the best experience ever for all of you.

Keep us posted!



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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Thanks Grant, I'll restart my planning..:-)

I know this is an old thread but i only just read it

You ask wether it would be educational to take your child travelling????????? are you kidding...... we have kids in the UK spending twelve years in the education system and leaving school at 16 yo unable to read or write properly. If you take this child with you it will be better than any education system in the land, your child won't recieve just an academic education but a balanced education making them a more rounded person.

Stuff the manafactured education system designed to make people fit into jobs offices and remain unhappy for the rest of there lives, i learnt more outside of school than in it, and i hated every minute i was in the education sysem. They could not teach me because i was different, i could answer back and think independantly, my greatest passion is to travel and i have done a bit, but the irony of it all is, i was expelled from my geography class at age thirteen for talking during class.

i worked my nuts off in factories and as a cab driver, i invested in property, now i rent my properties to 'educated graduates'

I shall be embarking on a degree course, just to say i can do it, and i won't be a poor student, though i will have to listen to bloody students prattling on about there loans and overdrafts.

I am not suggesting that you don't put your child in school, i am just saying don't worry to much about missing a year of there academic education, i am sure this experience with you will do the child more good that harm, and an academic education does not have to be completed in the persons first twenty three years of life.

Cheers

When I was in New Delhi staying in the (now defunct) Tourist Camp I met a Scottish family travelling in their red-brown bus. It was some old city bus with a half-cab. They had converted it to a house on wheels and had come through Saudi, UAE, Pakistan, etc.

They told me they had been travelling on and off for 10 years, having most of their 4 or 5 children with them. One or the other stayed behind in boarding school, but they tought the others themselves, arranging for an exam every six months at a UK embassy on route.

They had leased out their island in the Orkney islands to another farmer and seemed very happy with their life.

Although it's not relevant to the question it's a good story, so I'll tell it here: 2 or 3 years later we were back in NZ. While visiting a 'Gypsi Fair' in our town (no real Gypsies in NZ) I noticed a big old green bus that had painted on its side all the countries it had been through. When I spoke to the people they said "Oh, was that you with the motorbike and trailer in New Delhi?" Turns out they had rebuilt and repainted their bus in Oz, so I didn't recognise it.

Sometimes the world seems such a small place...

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Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

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Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

Depends the age of the kid, a kid needs to have stability and meet the same mates for a few years.
It depends how long youre going to be out, speaking about education, they will sure have wider mind than those staying at home sleeping in classes.
But maybe they'll miss other important stuff.
I guess a kid can adapt, now being a build up adult wanting to see the world is not the same as being a kid who is going to build him up to become adult.
I think my life would be easier if my parents would have moved less when I was in very young years, though who want it easy anymore..?
Many friends of mine feel exactly the same, I'd say a natural difficulty to live like normal people.
Think twice and do what you think is the best.

Good luck,

Matt