If you know our family, you know we don’t do things the easy way! This summer, we’re tackling a brutal 9-day expedition in Peru with ten separate passes over 5,000 meters. High altitude changes all the rules for nutrition, so we’ve spent weeks dialing in our ultimate hydration strategy. We are keeping it strictly caffeine-free to protect our boys, utilizing a Water-to-Go bottle for clean filtration on the move, and balancing our budget by mixing Tailwind for morning energy with SiS GO Hydro for afternoon salts. Here is exactly how we’ve prepped our kit to stay safe, energized, and ready for the Andes!
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The Ultimate Family adventure Survival Guide. Long-Haul Flights with Kids: From Toddlers to Teens
The content shares practical tips for families traveling on long-haul flights. It emphasizes preparation, such as contacting airlines for assistance and managing seating arrangements. With advice tailored for children of all ages, it covers distractions and organization strategies to enhance the travel experience. Ultimately, it reminds families to stay calm and enjoy their adventures together.
13 Weeks of Travel a Year – How We Actually Afford It
“I don’t know how you can afford it… do you have a secret money tree or something?”
It’s a question we get asked a lot. On paper, our travels sound expensive and exclusive — 13 weeks a year exploring places like the Maldives, Egypt, the Alps, Central America, and beyond. The reality is far less glamorous and far more honest. We don’t earn huge salaries, we live in one of the most expensive parts of the UK, and we have two active boys who cost a small fortune just to keep fed and clothed.
So how do we do it? Not through luck, inheritance, or a magic bank account — but through deliberate choices, careful planning, and a lifestyle built around experiences rather than things. This is the real story of how our family makes long-term, budget-friendly travel work — and why it isn’t for everyone, but works perfectly for us.
Family Travel vs World Schooling: Why Our Way Works for Us
We all dream of travel and seeing the world. If you didn’t, it’s unlikely you’d be reading a family travel blog. For many parents, that dream began in our backpacking years – a time when life fitted into an 80‑litre rucksack, plans were loose, and responsibilities were light. I was one of those backpackers. IContinue reading “Family Travel vs World Schooling: Why Our Way Works for Us”
The 14 Basecamps Challenge: What it is and why we’re doing it
The 14 Basecamps Challenge | Our Family Adventure Begins – The Russell-Smith family has begun the 14 Basecamps Challenge — trekking to every 8,000 m base camp to inspire family adventure and support education.
14 Basecamps the Family edition
Please follow us on Instagram or facebook where we will be posting regular updates on our big new adventure (as well as here as always). Our family of four are about to embark on our own exhilarating journey of a lifetime! We are embarking on the journey of a lifetime to the bottom of theContinue reading “14 Basecamps the Family edition”
When the day job takes you to the beach.
Fieldtrips to the beach!
Planning 2021….whilst still in the middle of a pandemic :-)
What trips have you guys got in mind for 2021? So 2020 is on its way out! It wasn’t what was planned but that’s OK we still got in some travel in France and Scotland over the summer as well as Skiing at the beginning of the year (John was also “lucky” to get oneContinue reading “Planning 2021….whilst still in the middle of a pandemic :-)”
Half term holidays in Covid times – Visiting a classic on the south coast of the UK – Lulworth cove and Durdle Door.
Our visit to Lulworth Cove
Sustainable travel – finding a way to travel to day and into the distant future without harming the natural and cultural environments.
I found myself having a vigorous debate the other week on twitter after responding to a tweet from @Simoncalder about how Qatar were giving away free flights to teachers. After responding to say that I would be applying, another responder commented that teachers should be leading by example and NOT FLYING and should be aContinue reading “Sustainable travel – finding a way to travel to day and into the distant future without harming the natural and cultural environments.”