I turn 40 next July.

Technically since turning 39 I am in my 40^th year already.  I haven’t decided how I feel about that.  I expect all those turning 40 emotions will come, but right now I’m feeling like it’s certainly time to embrace life.  So to help me with that, I’ve set a goal for myself.  Something that I hope is just the right amount of aspiration yet attainable.

Before my 40th birthday I aim to spend 40 nights away from home.

40 nights of travel, near, far, wherever but 40 nights.

As an expat, travel has long been a priority for me. Over the past few years  kids/house buy-ing/life put travel to the back burner  – and I’ve missed it.

Not only me –  the idea of spending more time travelling has been a hot topic in our house lately.

Recently the kids have become obsessed inspired from watching The Bucket List Family on YouTube.  We’ve had several family discussions on why we are deciding to NOT sell the house and travel around the world.  Nevertheless, The Bucket List Family  travel videos are a family favourite.  The kids love the adventures they go on and we can 100% get behind the commitment to culture and service they stand for. If you want check them out go here.

(Just so you know- we have in no way benefited from recommending The Bucket List Family – they don’t even know us –  except for that one time they reposted our IG story – my kids most definitely thinks we’re all besties now though! )

While we’re not selling up anytime soon to travel the world we are trying to re-prioritize  and save to travel more.

During the past few trips I’ve noticed how easy it is to travel with ThisIrishGirl and ThisIrishBoy.  They are at a great age (5 and 7) and are travel pros. Seriously, they cope way better thanThisIrishDad and I do when travel doesn’t go as planned.  (I win the family award for hangriest when travelling.)

ThisIrishGirl has been in more countries before here 8^th birthday than I had been in on my 25^th.

ThisIrishBoy took his first international flight before he was 10 weeks old.

Travelling has been a part of their lives from the beginning and there so many reasons why we love to travel –

• Interacting with people of differing culture leads to learning to be more open-minded and tolerant. We definitely want to raise open-minded and tolerant kids.
• Travelling pushes you outside your comfort zone. What better way is there to teach bravery to us all?
• Quality family time – Being an expat means travel is required for family time.  If we want to see half the family  someone has to get on a plane. While it’s a different kind of travel going to visit family it in some ways is the best kind of travel.
• Travel encourages the kids to grow together in their own relationships with each other. When we were in Lapland last year I found myself consciously aware of the need to nurture the relationship between ThisIrishBoy and ThisIrishGirl.  It is so important that  their relationship has a strong foundation before they become adults.  When we travel together they are have more unique shared experiences to help build that foundation.  They encourage each other to try new things and lean on each other during the unpredictable travel mishaps.  They are each other’s best friend.
• Travelling teaches me about me.  I’ve discovered that learning how I react to new experiences and trying new things has taught me a lot about myself.  Sometimes I honestly think most of what I know about myself I learned when travelling.  Travel allows me to take a  break from ‘the business of life.’  I always find myself re-evaluating and reflecting when travelling whether it’s a car journey or a long haul flight away.

For all those reasons above and countless more I’m committing to traveling more in the final year of my 30s.

While we would certainly love to sell up and travel around the world that isn’t our goal; some of our travel may be small road trips and hopefully we’ll be lucky enough to include longer excursions, but for 40 nights this year I will be lying in bed away from home no doubt learning, reflecting, making memories and nourishing relationships.

Stay tuned and follow along over the next year.