Comfort Zones Don’t Pack Well: Why Sharing Our Family Travel Life Is the Hardest Part of This Year Abroad

If I’m being honest, this might be the hardest part of all of it.
Not the packing. Not traveling internationally with four little kids. Not even moving our
family to another country for a few months.
It’s this. Putting myself out there.

I’m Not Naturally a Sharer 

I’ve always been a pretty private person. I’m not someone who naturally shares a lot online, and I don’t love being on social media. The idea of opening up our life, even just a small part of it, feels uncomfortable in a way I didn’t fully anticipate when we started planning this year. 

The internet can be a genuinely great place. But it can also be a really hard one. And stepping into it willingly has taken more mental energy than I expected. 

There’s a level of vulnerability here that’s new for me. Sharing our family, our choices, our day-to-day, it brings up all the normal things. Doubt. Second-guessing. Wondering what people will think. 

And still. I keep coming back to why we’re doing this in the first place. 

What This Year Is Actually About 

This season of life for us is about leaning in. Saying yes to things that feel a little scary. Getting uncomfortable in the best possible way. 

That’s what the travel is about. And it turns out, it’s also what the sharing is about. 

It’s not just about seeing new places. It’s about living differently. Being more present. Showing our kids what it looks like to take chances and build a life that feels really aligned with what matters to you. 

A lot of families do this and never talk about it. They just quietly live it. And there’s something beautiful about that. But I’ve followed so many women over the years, especially other boy moms and families who travel slowly with kids, and they’ve shaped the way I think about all of this. Not in a “do it exactly like them” way. More of a “maybe there’s more than one way to live a really full life” kind of way. 

They gave me perspective. And a little bit of courage. 

So, this is me, trying to do the same thing in a way that feels true to us. 

What We’re Actually Trying to Do Here 

Not perfectly. Not all the time. But intentionally. 

The goal isn’t to share everything. It’s to share enough. Our experiences, what we’re learning, what’s working and what’s not just in case it helps someone else figure out their own version of this. 

Or even just gives someone permission to do something that’s been sitting on their heart for a while. 

Because if this season has taught me anything, it’s that waiting for the perfect time usually just means waiting. 

And life moves quickly. 

For Anyone Thinking About Slow Travel with Kids 

Because the questions we get most often are pretty practical, here’s what we’d actually tell someone who’s thinking about doing a version of this: 

You don’t have to have it all figured out first. We didn’t. We still don’t. The families who inspired us weren’t doing it perfectly either, they were just doing it. The journey is the destination after all. 

“Slow travel” with kids is different from a vacation. It’s not about hitting every landmark. It’s about finding a rhythm in a new place, letting your kids get bored and then get curious, and actually feeling the place you’re in instead of just passing through. 

The logistics are hard but not impossible. Schooling, healthcare, housing, managing life from another country, all of it has solutions. Most of them are more accessible than you’d think if you’re willing to research and ask (more on this in future posts, promise). 

The discomfort is the point. For us and for our kids. That’s not a sales pitch, it’s genuinely what we keep coming back to when things feel hard. 

Yes, It’s Still Scary 

So yes, this feels uncomfortable. And yes, it’s a little scary. 

Sharing included. 

But it also feels like growth. And right now; in this season, with these kids, at this age — that feels worth it. 

Because the families who showed up in my feed a few years ago and made me think “wait, is that actually possible for us?”, they were just regular people being honest about their lives online. 

Maybe that’s all this needs to be too. 

If you’re thinking about slow travel with your family, or even just trying to figure out what a different kind of year could look like, we’d love to hear where you are in that. Drop it in the comments.