Contributor Spotlight: Peter Richardson
Ever want to pick up and travel the world with your family for a year? In this Contributor Spotlight feature, we’ll introduce you to nugget contributor Peter Richardson who is doing just that! Peter, his wife Megan and their two little ones are currently on a year-long adventure around the world and are loving each and every minute of their time exploring together.
SAY HELLO TO...
HE IS A DAD TO...
A three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy.
AND IS FROM...
Wollongong, Australia.
TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR YEAR-LONG ADVENTURE AROUND THE WORLD. WHAT INSPIRED IT?
We are spending 2017 going on the adventure of a lifetime, as we travel the world as a family. Megan and I kind of see this trip as the gap year we never took after school. We’ve always loved traveling and exploring new places and didn’t want to let kids stop us. Instead, we wanted to share it with them. I was also able to get a year-long leave from my position at work, so we jumped at the opportunity to spend such quality time with the family.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR FAMILY'S TRAVEL STYLE?
We are very much budget-friendly travelers who like to do it slowly. We have spent a lot of our time house sitting to save money and generally try to stay in each place for a week at least. We bought a car when we arrived in the UK and have generally enjoyed exploring the country rather than cities.
We’ve always loved traveling and exploring new places, and didn’t want to let kids stop us. Instead, we wanted to share it with them.
HOW ARE YOU DOCUMENTING YOUR FAMILY'S ADVENTURES ACROSS THE WORLD?
We take lots of photos and write stories of our travels on our travel blog. We do this to keep our families and friends up-to-date with what we are up to, and to have something for our family to look back on when our kids get older. We also hope to encourage other families with young children and let them know that travel is still possible.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE THAT YOU'VE HAD WITH YOUR KIDS?
There are so many experiences that we have enjoyed. Some of the highlights have been visiting Warwick Castle, Peppa Pig World, Sissinghurst Gardens, Fairy Pools; but I would say the standout has to be our house sits in general. House sitting with children has been so rewarding. Elena absolutely adores all animals and is always so excited to spend time looking after her new “best friends” at each sit.
WHAT'S STILL ON YOUR FAMILY'S TRAVEL BUCKET LIST?
We would love to see the northern lights in Scandinavia, the lantern festival in Chiang Mai, the Grand Canyon in America and the theme parks in Florida. There are too many things to list, but these are at the top.
Don’t try and plan too much or fit too much in a short space of time. We have found it really helpful to try and keep some routine to our day.
WHAT'S ONE NUGGET OF ADVICE THAT YOU HAVE FOR OTHER PARENTS TRAVELING WITH KIDS?
Take it easy! Don’t try and plan too much or fit too much in a short space of time. We have found it really helpful to try and keep some routine to our day. We always try and go out in the morning and have a couple of hours at home to relax in the afternoon before dinner.
WHY DO YOU TRAVEL WITH YOUR KIDS?
We really love and appreciate our family time and enjoy seeing our kids have new experiences. We’ve wanted to do this gap year for a long time and it’s even better that it worked out that we can share it with our kids.
