Travelling Through Generations: What Preparing for a Year Abroad Is Teaching Us

There is a strange kind of magic that happens in

the space before a big life change.

Suitcases half-packed.

Lists everywhere.

A home slowly shifting from lived-in to let-go.

A toddler sensing something is different, even if

he can't name it.

A grandmother folding clothes with hands that

have raised two generations.

We haven't left yet.

But in so many ways, the journey has already

begun.

People keep asking us the same question:

"A whole year around the world? With a toddler?

With your mum? Why?"

And the truth is layered and simple all at once:

Because time is not guaranteed.

Because childhood fleeting.

Because healing doesn't always happen in the

place you were hurt.

Because adventure is a love language in our

family, passed down through stories and

heartache and bravery.

Because staying the same started to feel heavier

than leaving.

Right now, our days are filled with preparation —

visa forms, packing cubes, travel vaccinations,

route maps, decisions that feel huge and tiny all

at once.

But beneath the logistics, something softer is

happening:

My mum is becoming excited in a way I haven't seen

since I was a child.

Leo is learning new words — "plane", "travel", "ocean",

"adventure".

And I am learning to trust myself again, piece by

piece, moment by moment.

Preparing for a year abroad with three

generations isn't neat or easy.

It's emotional.

Chaotic.

Tender.

A little terrifying.

But it's also extraordinary.

Because every time I fold Leo's tiny clothes into a

suitcase, I'm reminded that I'm packing not just

belongings — but a childhood filled with

memories he'll grow up inside of.

Every time my mum shows me places she'd

love to see, I realise this trip is a chance for her

to finally step into the life she never got the

chance to choose for herself.

And every time I feel doubt, I remind myself:

One day, Leo will ask who raised him and how.

And I want to be able to say:

"With courage. With curiosity. With the world as

our classroom".

We haven't boarded the plane yet.

But this "before" — this preparation, this

anticipation, this hope —

is teaching us that sometimes the biggest

transformation happens before your feet ever

leave the ground.

Soon, the three of us will step into a year that will

shape us forever.

And when we finally close the door behind us and

walk toward the unknown,

we'll know we didn't just choose travel.

We chose life.

Together.