Running Wild Together

We left home, sold our routines, and set off on a year of slow travel with our kids. Here's the complete, honest guide to planning your own family gap year. The money, the schooling, the logistics, and the parts nobody tells you about.

Six days in London wasn't part of our original plan. After six weeks in Morocco, it became the cultural reset our family desperately needed. Familiar language, iconic landmarks, and a chance to simply breathe before the next chapter of our worldschooling adventure.

We arrived in Morocco expecting one of the highlights of our family gap year. Seven weeks later, we'd ridden camels in the Sahara, surfed the Atlantic coast, discovered a culture unlike anywhere we'd experienced, and learnt that Morocco is both more challenging and more rewarding than we'd imagined.

Vietnam was the first country on our family gap year, but it became much more than that. It was where the chaos, uncertainty and pressure of leaving home slowly gave way to routines, confidence and a completely different way of living. Somewhere between the scooters, morning coffees and slower days, this journey finally started to feel real.

People see the highlights of long-term travel first. The sunsets, the adventures and the freedom. What they don’t often see are the hard parts. The constant decision making, the exhaustion, the uncertainty and the emotional weight of living life on the move as a family of four. This is the honest side of travelling the world full-time with kids.

What is long-term family travel actually like for kids? From emotional days and worldschooling struggles to scooter rides, skiing, surfing and making friends around the world, this is the honest reality of how our children have experienced travelling full-time as a family.

From the quiet streets of Marrakech at sunrise to camel rides across the Sahara under a full moon, our three-day journey to Merzouga was exhausting, fascinating and unforgettable. We crossed the Atlas Mountains, explored ancient movie sets at Ait Benhaddou, stayed in a hotel overlooking the Valley of Roses and rode camels through the dunes as a family to watch the sun disappear behind the desert mountains.

Marrakesh was one of the most intense places we’ve visited so far. Chaotic souks, endless colour, crowded alleyways, roaming cats and sensory overload around every corner. We didn’t love it, but we’re really glad we experienced it.

Lake Garda wasn't just our favourite place in Italy. It was the first destination on our family worldschooling journey where we could genuinely imagine living. Here's why this region completely changed how we felt about Italy.

Puglia quickly became one of our favourite regions in Italy. From the historic streets of Bari and Lecce to slow coastal life in San Foca and day trips to Alberobello, southern Italy gave us a glimpse into a lifestyle centred around food, family, community, and slowing down.

What worldschooling actually looks like day-to-day. A simple, relaxed routine, how we fit learning in, and what life is like travelling full-time with our kids.

Italy hasn’t been what we expected. From chaotic driving in Sicily to quiet, off-season coastal towns, this part of the trip has felt very different to the version of Italy we remembered. Travelling with kids has changed everything, and so has the reality of being here outside peak season.

Austria was the first place we truly stopped. After months of constantly moving, four weeks in one small village taught us that slow travel with kids isn't about doing less, it's about building routines, finding rhythm, and creating a temporary life in a place that slowly starts to feel like home.