It hasn’t really hit me yet, even now as I write, what this will mean and just how close the trip is. I’m not really sure why it hasn’t dawned on me, I mean it’s not like we bought another house in another state that’s a total fixer-upper. Oh wait that’s exactly what we did… but, haha, no that’s not it!  Well I mean it kind of is because that’s all we’ve been working on for the past few months, but I think it’s just that I’d rather not think about it too much.

There’s a joke in our family that I’m always five steps behind everyone else. Never knowing what’s happening; and, I admit that that’s true. And because I’m so oblivious (well I don’t think I am but…) I kind of get used to not being in the loop that it starts to become the norm. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d rather not know every single detail. Well actually no, haha ok how do I say this?

I want to know about the the trip and all of the plans because I’m extremely excited, yet sad to leave my home, friends, school, and dogs. I just think it’s fun to go with the flow, not have any worries; just live without the anticipation of the future and the yearning of the past because life is a wild roller coaster and this trip is like a crazy loop-dee-loop with a corkscrew attached. I’m nervous; scared almost to leave and so hyped up with anticipation because I can see the loop-dee-loop right in front of me and so… I just don’t think.

I don’t close my eyes though, because I want to be there watching as the world stays the same while I spin and turn in the air. I’ll let the ride take me where it’ll take me and I know I’m going to have the time of my life.

“Wow, that’s awesome!” “What a great idea.” “You’re so lucky.”

Followed by:

“How many kids do you have?” “Are you taking ALL of them?” “What’s happening to your house while you’re gone?” “What a bummer for your dogs…”

Completed with:

“I could never do that!” “You people are insane…” “I’m so glad I’m not doing that!”

Well, recently, we met a family that didn’t have any of those comments or questions! Through the connected world we live in, a friend in New York e-introduced us to a family in Seattle who has 4 children of similar ages, and departing for a trip around the world for a year at the end of July! So much for being original… But, even better, what suitcases did they choose?!

Seriously, what are the odds? We’ve already begun comparing notes, concerns and itineraries; and the families are getting together in a couple of weeks for a BBQ. There are lots of people and families that have embarked on this kind of adventure before us, but it’s still not really mainstream. To find another family on a similar program and at pre-trip stage is really cool, and I think a very good omen for us all!

A dinner at a friend’s house, or a week-long family vacation is one thing… but a year of taking the traveling circus on the road is a whole different problem to solve for. Since this is a gap year and not a vacation – such an obvious distinction that I am not even going to go into the differences – we need to figure out how “home” goes mobile. There are so many flavors of vacation rentals, homes, homestays and inns to choose from. We’re heavy vacation rental travelers, primarily because we don’t need to pack as many “no wake” buoys, but also because we love to cook, hang out and have space to spread out. Each country has it’s set of options, typical accommodations and opportunities to connect to the culture in a different way. So, as we go through the discovery process and start booking our homes away from home, we’ll review the various travel tools, accommodations and resources we come in contact with. And, if you have any favorites of your own, PLEASE let us know!

Our first pass on finding homes away from home was, of course, HomeAway. There are some GREAT options around the world, but we had to start with the rock that the rest of the trip has been built around – Bali! Not the first destination, but the longest stay, our house choice had to be awesome. We found this Balinese villa in Ubud, the cultural heart of this legendary island, to explore, create art and feed monkeys:

We love the way owners engage with you right from the inquiry form on HomeAway, helping you with questions, suggestions and the booking process. It’s also helpful to explain who we are and make sure there is not some huge collection of glass art or priceless antiques, both of which would attract my boys like moths to a flame. This particular property is maintained by caretakers who sound even better than the actual structure, so we’re very excited about our first official HomeAway from home. Reserving the property after a delightful chat and a check on reviews was easy and painless. I’m already dreaming of the memories we’ll rack up in our Balinese home…

After doing a huge amount of research, getting quotes from a few travel agents and AWT companies, reading AWT newsletters and talking to lots of others who have globe trotted before us, we settled on AirTreks as our booking agent. Justin out of South Africa has been a joy to work with, and put up with several months of inquiries, estimates, itinerary-what-ifs and lots of questions.

Scary and exhilarating all at the same time, this particular step (and precipitous drop in our bank account) makes it all very much more real!

“A gap year is a structured period of time when students take a break from formal education to increase self-awareness, challenge comfort zones, and experiment with possible careers.”

Traditionally a time when students, often between high school and college, take a year to find focus, mature, ready themselves to maximize the opportunity of higher learning, and go abroad to legally drink, the concept has grown in popularity and acceptance. A gap year typically involves traveling, with the goals of expanding one’s world, learning new cultures and connecting students with possible routes to life-long passions.

So our question, jealously asked by my wife Lisa and I, is: why do the kids get to have all the fun?! We’re all students of life, right? We  all could use a dose of self-awareness. Our comfort zones have become pretty entrenched in the routine, the couch and our electronic devices. As entrepreneurs, we’re perpetually in search of our careers. We deserve a gap year, and in fact, so do our kids at an even earlier age than is typically average.

With that, we conceived our gap year, which borrowed the concept so brilliantly created by folks in the United Kingdom in the 1970s as a way to fill the 7 to 8 month gap between final exams and the beginning of University. In our version, however, we expanded upon and added elements to suit our prejudiced needs. I do truly believe that part of a successful, happy life is to never stop being a student; so that part of the expansion of the concept was easy. Discovering wonderful wines and culturally relevant shots like ouzo is merely a bonus. Certainly self-discovery and reflection are also components of any great adventure, as is challenging comfort zones – so we could still be, if not a member, at least a distant faction of the AGA.

What’s missing from the textbook description for us, however, is the notion of connection. This is a central part of our mission in life and core value as a family. Whether it is seeking great connection with each other, new cultures, diverse peoples, new experiences, broader perspectives or the world at large, we really think connection is one of the greatest gifts we can imprint on our children and on each other. Yes, of course the danger of over-connection is high, and when we’re holed up in a cramped room in Yangshuo with weary, cranky kids that never leave on the magical schoolbus for several hours each day, I will most likely downplay the connection theme… But in general, connections feel like they are slipping away, even in a world with more digital connectedness than ever.

There’s also the “slow it down” underlying message a gap year transmits that is equally appealing to us. For students, the message is not to necessarily rush into college or university life automatically, robotically following a pre-determined path of lecture halls, dorm pranks and fraternity mixers. For us, the message is to recognize the speed in which the years fly by in the form of soccer games, homework assignments, dinner parties, work trips, home improvement projects and folding laundry is only increasing; and soon our very, very full nest will be drafty and quiet. So we need to take a breadth. We yearn to slow it down. We want to enjoy each other’s company. We want a break from the routine. We hope to turn off the distractions.

We need a gap year.