Family togetherness makes the holidays special. This year, as part of a three-year trip around the world, our family will be spending the holidays in Mexico.
This around the world trip has been our dream since 2014, but only recently became a reality. Our life in Seattle was becoming routine, full of schedules and chores. We weren’t spending enough quality time with our children, Mira and Julian, now aged 8 and 5.
After meeting several traveling families at a conference last year, we decided to put our dream into action. I quit my full-time job as a project administrator for a global health organization to homeschool our kids and focus on writing. My husband shifted to a part-time remote position as a web developer with his company, giving us flexibility and steady income for our travels.
We chose Mexico as our first international destination as it coincided with a conference we were attending. The same conference that inspired us to travel the year before. While we had some uncertainty about visiting Mexico, having never visited before, we are learning so much about its rich culture. We can’t wait to learn more about the country’s holiday traditions!
This experiential learning element of travel has been the biggest bonus of transitioning from traditional schooling to homeschooling. Our kids, being naturally inquisitive, are absorbing this travel experience with much enthusiasm.
The biggest challenge we face is being far from our extended family during the holidays. But despite the distance, we know that we can still stay connected with them. Skype, FaceTime, and WhatsApp all make it easy to keep in touch with family, no matter where we are in the world.
We can’t wait to experience Mexico’s holiday traditions, such as Las Posadas, held on Christmas Eve and commemorating the nativity story. We’ve already experienced Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration in the beginning of November. In the coming years, we hope to visit Indonesia, Italy, France, and Ghana, to name a few. These experiences will certainly shape our family traditions in years to come.
Astrid Vinje is a family travel writer, originally from Seattle, but currently traveling around the world with her family. Astrid writes about family travel on her blog, The Wandering Daughter.
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World-traveling family will enjoy the traditions of Mexico
