We have often dreamed of traveling around the world as a family. Over the past several years, we've spoken frequently about what a wonderful and educational experience this could be. Finally, in 2002 everything came together. Steve left the business world after 20 years in the consulting industry. Paula decided to put her geriatric nursing consulting business on hold. David (13) and Katie (11) decided that this opportunity was worth leaving their schools, friends and activities behind for a year. In September, 2002, we formally decided to take a one-year adventure around the world, starting in June 2003 and ending in July 2004.
We decided to split our travels into two separate trips (first to Europe and North Africa, and then Oceania, Asia, South America and Africa). This enabled us to be back home during the holidays, and to catch up with friends and family.
We planned our adventure with a heavy emphasis on education for the entire family. For David and Katie, we created a "traveling home school program" which is designed to both enhance their existing skills, and to provide an exceptional learning opportunity into the culture and history of countries around the world. Our educational program requires significant discipline - we are spending substantial time reading and studying about - not just visiting - the places we're traveling to.
We are very focused on maximizing the cultural content of our travels. We plan to spend time visiting homes, schools and hospitals, especially in the less-developed countries that we'll be traveling to. We anticipate that our most impactful memories will come not from museums and palaces, but from encounters with people who are living their normal lives. We also have several exciting wildlife components built into our plans, including safaris in Africa, a week-long stay on the Great Barrier Reef and a cruise in the Galapagos Islands.
The intent of this site is to record our experiences and reflections as we travel. We hope you find this interesting and perhaps entertaining. While we're gone, we can be reached through e-mail at spkoppel@comcast.net - we welcome correspondence from friends and family!