I am the co-founder of Curious plan, chief photographer and co-writer. In charge of bookings for the trip you’ll always find me sniffing out a hot hotel deal or trawling the net for the best flight offer. Through my posts I’ll share with you some ideas and tips that have worked for us along the way. My motivation for this trip has been to spend more time with my family and find some head space to look for what next. Like most full time parents, working long hours prevented me from playing an active role in the lives of my children during the week and I didn’t want to be just a storytime Dad. Coupled with the desire to seek a new direction in our lives, we embarked on dreaming about, then planning, to finally booking our ‘family gap year’. Can barely spell, fear avoid, wife writes all my important emails. Eloquence not my strong point. One of the things I want to get out of this blog is to learn a new skill - thank goodness for spell check… I arrived in the UK from Melbourne in 2001 with a 75l backpack and never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be leaving 13 years later with a wife, two daughters and two (yes two) different types of baby high chairs in tow. It is very difficult to define exactly what it is about travelling that I love; I’m not even sure there will ever be any one answer. Like so many people, I was born with the adventurous spirit and an enthusiasm for seeing the world; a bug I haven’t yet been able to shake. I was determined that having a family wouldn’t stop Catherine and I from travelling, and it hasn’t. Being in education blessed me with 14 weeks holiday every year; before becoming a Dad I made the most of it squeezing trips into every available opportunity. I’ve travelled nearly half the globe, backpacking my way through some spectacular, scenic and perilous destinations. Whilst I have had to compromise on the 12 bed dorm, overnight bus journeys and dodgy street food; travelling with the two little explorers in tow is an unforgettable, life enriching experience. It isn’t for everyone and certainly isn’t all beaches, coconut trees and beers… it isn’t perfectly behaved children and our pictures are not always taken on the first go, or the second or the third… for me its about spending more time with my family.
