11 Jun 2012 3 Comments
The alarm goes off at 2.30am. We finish packing and peel the sleepy and none too pleased kids from their beds! Jose. Our friendly taxi driver is waiting outside for us at 3am and takes us back across the border to Tabatinga, where it is instantly 4am – an added complication for these twin towns, divided by a timezone as well as language and currency! Thanks to Francisco for explaining we needed to leave at 3am not 4am or we’d have missed the boat altogether!
08 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Family Gap Year, Preparations, Tech & Kit, Travelling Tags: Africa, Gap year, kitchen sink, South America, Wolfram Alpha
Another popular question about our family gap year is how are we going to carry all our stuff? Are we taking a lorry or four wheel drive overland? I am guessing that this is the sort of thing that people have in mind:
Go anywhere transport (Credit kumaka.com)
Perfect for the wilds of Africa where anything else just won’t cut it. More
05 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
After a lovely couple of days in Suffolk visiting my Mum’s cousin and enjoying an afternoon of medieval jousting at an ancient castle in the rain, our jubilee celebrations today wth friends, for which the heavens opened and did not let up at all, watching some of the fantastic celebrations through the weekend in London, it’s certainly a time to enjoy our Britishness and make the most of being ‘at home’ with our lovely friends and families… More
05 Jun 2012 2 Comments
in Family Gap Year, Preparations Tags: budget, Credit card, Gap year, helicopter, iguassu falls
in happier times
I thought I would try and answer some of the top questions we are asked about our family gap year starting with our budget.
When I was younger the budget for travelling consisted of More
04 Jun 2012 3 Comments
in Family Gap Year, Preparations Tags: Email
The height of innovation
With the lack of progress in gap year preparations I thought I would tackle some easy wins, what could be easier than my ‘Out Of Office’ or ‘OOO’ if you live on TLAs.
I started my business before email, in those days the telephone on my desk had a dial and wonder of wonders More
03 Jun 2012 1 Comment
in Family Gap Year, Foodie Central, Tips Tags: Brazil, Gap year, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
Not being the sort of organised parents that have their darlings tucked in bed nice and early (or fed) we went out to dinner. Lara managed her fish and chips but didn’t make it to pudding (lucky Ben).
When a girl just has to sleep
Should prove a useful skill on our family gap year! Talking of which we still only have flights to Rio in just over one month time although Mo has found some apartments near Ipanema which look lovely, if not there is always the airport floor.
22 May 2012 2 Comments
in Adventure, Family Gap Year Tags: Ben, Camps, Lara, Zoe
In Urban Jungle Exploring Ben and Zoe built a camp in the garden using whatever they could lay their hands on. But what use is a camp if you can’t sleep in it? How could Dad resist when they asked so nicely and as Mo was out I couldn’t get a second opinion so I said yes until Mum comes home:
Luxury
22 May 2012 2 Comments
in Education & Schooling, Family Gap Year, Preparations, Travelling Tags: digital nomad, Gap year
Nomad transport?
Our lovely kids have come to call our family gap year a ‘holiday’ and rather than dent their enthusiasm we have not shattered the illusion just yet (lucky they don’t read the blog every day, Horrid Henry is more interesting!).
So will life on the road be much of a holiday? More
17 May 2012 3 Comments
in Adventure, Family Gap Year, Photos Tags: Camps, Climbing, Education, Gap year, Urban Jungle
Who needs a family gap year for a bit of adventure when you can explore the Urban Jungle? Mum was out so the mice could play.
As usual they waved goodbye as Mum drove off to her girlie night out and I thought they would soon be back inside. Not hearing anything for a few minutes I glanced out of the window…
Spot the children? (there are 3)
Luckily Lara is quite the climber
15 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Family Gap Year, Preparations Tags: Arundel, Camping, Ecuador, Groupon, Spanish language, Travel
This weekend, we had friends to stay, peeled Martin away from his computer, put packing, paperwork and planning to one side and went out for a beautiful day in the sunshine to Arundel. It was a lovely reminder of what we are looking forward to most from our trip, hanging out together and enjoying life! We had a lot of fun on the boating lake and surprisingly no-one fell in – it was idyllic!
Back to rain, computers, school ,work and preparation today! Its only 58 days before we fly – more scarily, its 43 days before we move out of our home. More
Ben
Lara
Martin Clark
Mo
Zoe
The Clark Family's Amazing Adventures 