Back to reality

Wow, I just can’t believe we have been gone for 1 year...times flies when you have fun. This has been such a great year for our family. People ask us all the time how we could be with each other around the clock for so long, but truth is... it felt to short!  We just got into the travel groove and just kept to our routines wherever we were. It is also a mindset, if you think that a year is too long to be away and always think of your home and friends and family it can get to you. But if you instead just think, this is just 1 year of our life, it is a really short time so you better enjoy that year, then its really easy to be happy and seize the moments. We split up the task (homeschooling for Pat 3 hours every day and I did all the planning of the trip and what to do in each country) and the kids just had each other to play with so they became really tight, and that is really nice to see as a parents.

If I would do it again (and I would in a heart beat!)

, no rush hours, no traffic to the airport ,fewer people at the airport and no long lines at check in desk!

you only need bare minimum and you can always buy fun clothes cheap, and you really don’t have to look that fancy when you are on the road :)

: One person is responsible for the tickets and passports ALL the time and one is responsible for the valuables, cameras etc. ALL the time. Then you KNOW and you never have to ask over and over again -Did you empty the safe? -Where is the passports? and -Do you have the camera?

once you have them you know that you can’t travel with 2 kids and an not so organized husband without these color coordinated travel bags:)

even though spontaneous hotel discoveries can be fun its is tiring and you miss so much else to see and do just looking for a good hotel deal.

which is a great alternative to hotel to get more  space for families  and to feel home away from home. To have your own laundry machine in the apartment helps a lot when you travel :)

, it to much hassle to pack you bags up and down all the time and you barely have time to see the place before you have to leave if you just stay 1 night.

the best site to find hotel, things to do, by other travelers like ourselves.

it never failed me, while the VISA card never worked, as soon as we switched to another country it was blocked...

this is my only regret, I should have done this!! It would have been nice to have one special thing from each country...and you can always mail things by boat for cheap! but since Pat HATES shopping we did not do much of that...

Now I am going to enjoy our time in Sweden before we go back to reality in France...and the question is still what shall we to next ?..

Enjoy the ride....you never know when it ends...