10 steps for single parents who want to travel with their kids Family Travel Exploramum & Explorason Oct 12, 2015 All photos provided by ©Copyright – Exploramum and Explorason . 1 Make the decision. Talk with your children and make the decision to travel together. Involve them, as it is their lives too. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason 2 Write a list, and make a dream board. Take some time to think about where you want to travel; for how long; and what you need to do to achieve this, and write a detailed list. My son and I also cut out pictures from magazines and made a 'Dream board', so even the kids can be involved, right from the start. Break your list down into step-by-step tasks. It might take you years, but work out how, and what needs to be done. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason 3 Keep your decision private. Everyone has an opinion on how you should live your life. The last thing you want is to hear why you can’t or shouldn’t do what you have decided you can and will do. ‘Loose lips sink ships’, and it is your dream. A dream you do not want ‘sailing down the drain hole’, because of others giving you all the reasons why in their opinion it isn’t right for you. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason Intermission Entertainment Why does ‘yellow filter’ keep popping up in American movies? News Finland just equalized family leave, with 7 months for each parent Travel 7 minimalist resorts that will allow you to fully decompress 4 Keep positive! Place encouraging slogans, photos, notes and quotes around your house to keep you motivated. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason 5 Read travel blogs and social media. Read positive travel blogs of single parents and families who travel, and constantly inspire yourself. Ours is exploramum.com, and we share many tips and tricks on how to survive travel long-term in my articles, and also on our facebook page too.We also share about all the wonderful places we travel to, and how we educate with world schooling. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason 6 Daily tasks Once we had my list of how we were going to change our lives to reach our dream of travel, we decided that every day we had to perform at least one task that took us a step closer to our goal. Even my son was assigned tasks. Sorting what you no longer need, and de-cluttering is a great way to start. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason 7 Start selling. You need all the finances you can get your hands on to travel long-term with children. So be smart, and ensure you sell every single item you can, rather than giving things away. Sites like eBay are a great way to do this, and I also found a local Facebook page that acted like a Garage Sale, and I could list items on that to sell. Slowly items all started to disappear and the house emptied, and the bank account grew. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason Intermission Food + Drink It’s time to embrace the Finnish tradition of drinking in your underwear Travel 7 minimalist resorts that will allow you to fully decompress Sponsored Whales, seabirds, and icebergs: How to see the Newfoundland and Labrador “Big 3” 8 Start a little business. I started selling items on-line. Things we no longer needed. I found antiques and designer clothes at charity, thrift stores and garage sales, and then put them on-line for sale. ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, and I made quite a lot of extra money this way. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason 9 Eliminate debt. Cut up the credit cards, or freeze them. I completely stopped using a credit card except to ‘cycle funds’. It was hard at first, but if the finances were not in the bank, then we didn’t purchase it. Cycling funds simply means the money is already in your bank account; you pay for it on your credit card, and then move the funds straight over from the bank account to pay off the credit card. You accumulate points or money to spend etc., and it all working towards your long-term goal of saving to travel. Photo ©Copyright - Exploramum and Explorason 10 Spend less! Now is the time to change your spending habits. Start buying generic brands. Eat in, or go on picnics instead of going to restaurants, and take your lunch to work. These are a few ways to start saving. Start collecting and using discount vouchers too. You really need very few possessions in life, and the less you own, the less that will break down and need repairs. Soon you will be adding freedom to your life by owning less. Remember; you want to be living out of a suitcase soon, so there are few items you really need. 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