Where are we going? And how did we decide our itinerary?

These are the most common questions we get asked when we tell people about our trip. We are going to: France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Japan, Indonesia and New Zealand.

The why is a bit more complicated. I don’t know specifically why we picked all these countries. Some we have been to before, some our on our bucket list. Some are meaningful or just fit in nicely with our itinerary.

Our initial plan was to pick one place in every country and settle in, live like locals and get to know the area well. Full disclosure, this is the first plan of ours that has gone up in smoke. We have succeeded at this in only one country, the first one, France. Ironically, the plan of one place per country was in order to facilitate homeschooling: less travelling means more time for learning. But once we started researching the places we wanted to go, we couldn’t decide on just one place! So our plans unravelled. And school won’t even be in session when we’re in France. We have made some attempts to spend at least a week in a few places. We’ll see how it all goes! 

France:

I always knew I wanted France to be the first stop on our trip. This is because my kids go to French school, and with all the schooling they’d be missing, I thought this would be a great opportunity to live in a French country and have opportunities to practise the language. It made sense that it be the first stop because it’s (somewhat) close to home and we can fly there direct. Since we made this decision, we actually took our kids on a trip to France in 2022, because of a seat sale and we were itching to get travelling again after COVID. Although it may seem silly to take the kids to the same country a second time (fourth for me, third for Jon), it feels nice to start our trip off with relative familiarity to ease into this new lifestyle. We’re going to spend three days in Paris at the start, and we even booked the same AirBnB as last time.

After Paris, we’ll head somewhere new to all of us: Auray, in Brittany, where we’ll be spending a full four weeks. We spent a lot of time reading about France, trying to find a place that was on or close to the water, where we could surf, take in some sights, and live in a typical French town. Brittany had never been on our radar, but some friends of ours had recently moved back there from Halifax, and it seemed like a really nice fit. I also like the fact that it’s northern and perhaps not the most sought-after destination in France. I’m expecting huge crowds in Europe, and we thought here, we may be able to escape them. We’ll see if that pans out!

Spain/Portugal:

I spent a semester in a small city in northern Spain called Logroño when I was in university. I have been longing to go back and to see more of the region, practise my Spanish, eat authentic tapas and drink some of the best red wine in the world in La Rioja. Northern Spain is less touristy than the south and the major cities. Back when I was there (albeit 20+ years ago!), I was told it’s where the Spaniards go on vacation. Some of the coastal towns are extremely quaint, there is hiking in the Picos de Europa, and the icing on the cake for me is a chance to see Santiago de Compostela, the final stop on the Camino de Santiago, which I’ve always wanted to go to, but never made it. So we’ll make our way along the northern coast of Spain, with stops in a few places, including Santiago de Compostela, San Sebastian, and even a quick dip into Portugal. (Why not? We’ll be right next door!)

Morocco:

We always wanted this trip to include a stop in Africa. Since we took the kids to Cape Town a few years ago, we decided that this time we should explore a different part of the continent. Morocco is easily accessible from Spain, we can speak French there, and we’ll all be exposed to new cultures and ways of life. Not to mention the food, the surf and the chance to ride a camel in the desert!

Japan:

We’re making a big leap from North Africa to Japan. This is probably the country I’m most apprehensive about, but I think it’s good to get out of our comfort zone. Since we chose Japan, we’ve learned that it’s a top destination for a lot of people, so we’re expecting it to be very crowded. While in other countries, we may have elected to get off the beaten path to avoid the crowds, here we’re sticking to touristy places because we don’t speak the language. Japan feels like a must-see for this trip: the different culture, the food, the chance to experience a major city (Tokyo) like none other. Plus, my family has a historical connection with this country, and we’ll head out of the way to learn more about that.

Indonesia:

I once interviewed a young Canadian girl who was sailing around the world with her parents, and she told me Indonesia was her favourite country. Since then, it’s been on the top of my list to take my kids to. We’re planning to see komodo dragons and hopefully other wildlife and sea creatures. I think this will be an incredible, unique place for the kids to explore. Plus, beaches, surf and Bali. Once I started reading about all the islands, I wished we were spending the full five months there.

 

New Zealand:

Why not Australia? I think that after four months of travelling, the idea of going to such a massive country as Australia felt overwhelming. New Zealand is to Australia like Canada is to the U.S., right? Our idea to go there was based on some amazing stories we’ve heard from friends who were there recently, and it just felt more manageable than Australia, which we’re saving for another trip, all on its own, hopefully one day.