The wife's side of the story





Leo and Spencer testing the luggage

"Lets start at the very beginning....a very good place to start...."  I don't know why these lyrics pop into my head.  I suppose it's because I'm finally starting to feel all light and floaty because we are leaving soon which reminds me of the Sound of Music.  Our trip is now only 20 days away.  So, the very beginning;   I was 6 months pregnant with our second child when Justin started making noises about resigning from work and taking a year out of the rat race with our kids.  Of course I put it down to a quarter life crisis and tried to ignore it but he persisted and eventually (as all of his crazy ideas do) it started to light a fire under me and I've become quite excited about it.  We have had a mixed response to our announcement that we are taking our family on a world trip.  A lot of friends have said "Amazing, you will love it....we are so jealous....wish we could do that" and others have been a different kind of amazed " OMG - are you crazy?  How?  With two kids?  We don't even have time to go to the movies with two kids - how the hell are you going to manage?".

Leo practising with his first sleeping bag

Why?  Like I said I was a little resistant at first, I mean what pregnant woman wouldn't be?  I was in full nesting mode.  One toddler and another on the way, we had been in our new family home for less than a year and I had PLENTY of plans to paint, knock out walls, landscape, add etc.   So when Justin announced his wish I was a little less than supportive, not resistant but less than supportive.  Which I felt was OK because it was still more supportive than both our parents were haha!  Eventually though when it was obvious that Just had his heart set on it, I was ready to get on board.  There are several reasons for this.  Firstly I love my husband, he really is a star.  Not just on home front but on every front.  He is great at whatever he does and he has been working hard for so long for us.   A full time, high level job in the country's leading telecommunications company, studying towards a university degree full time, looking after 3 properties and managing a young family and a (sometimes) needy wife. No wonder he wants a break.   Secondly, Justin is South African and we met in London in 2000,  one thing went to another and now we are a family in NZ.  Justin made the ultimate sacrifice to let me raise my babies in NZ (rather than dodge bullets in Johannesberg) which means Leo and Spencer only see their Granny and Grandpa on Skype every Sunday night and their Aunty and Uncle and cousins in UK even less.  How could I say no to a trip to see them all together again?  Plus the kids aren't at school yet... I'm still on parental leave...life is for living.....the list goes on.   One person I know that would agree with the last point is my Dad.  My dad lived for holidays, they didn't have to be overseas, just any holidays.  After a fantastic trip to Africa and just when he was able to start planning some great trips elsewhere Dad was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.  The next 3 months were hell and I'd love to say we all got through it but we didn't.  We lost my lovely Dad in August 2009 and I don't think we'll ever recover but we can take a leaf out of his book and keep looking forward and making plans.  Lastly, my own love of travel has kicked in and despite my anxieties about making sure the kids are healthy, safe and happy at all times I think we can do this!



Leo taking a break in one of our packing boxes

 On the home front it has been a HUGE undertaking to get things ready, I've also had to try and think of everything that could affect the kids...timing of vaccinations etc.  Now we are on the home straight to D-day, the DEPARTURE.  In 2 months (since we decided to bring our dates forward by 6 months) we have: spruced our house up for a valuation (for rental), interviewed many families to rent our family home, packed up our lives - and stored it in our garage, sold one car (still one to go), all got new passports, Justin got his NZ citizenship, we have had mole checks and teeth checks, basically got our lives in order and of course we have two other properties that we have had to do LOADS of maintenence on to get to the point we can leave them for a year.

Now we are at mum's house living out of our 3 bags and trying to work out how to let Leo know that he will have to leave many more toys behind.  Despite feeling like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards to get this point I cannot wait to see the family in Sth Africa, I mean that is what it is really all about isn't it.  Seeing our children spend quality time with cousins, and grandparents.  That and the golden coast of Kwa Zulu Natal with it's warm indian ocean.  Sorry but I pick that over the cold pacific any day.  After that the UK beckons, it will be great to check out some of the old haunts and our family adventure really begins in America with the purchase of a car and caravan.  BEST of all is that we get to spend every day together for a year, no work, no daycare just our wee family doing fun stuff because we can.

So this is probably the longest post ever but I thought I would set the scene for you - hopefully you are still reading!

20 days until we leave, any tips for international flights with young kids would be appreciated!