How/when did the journey “bug” begin?
(Ricardo) The journey “bug” dates again to my youth after I determined to be a tourism entrepreneur after leaving the College of Coimbra, with the purpose of with the ability to journey the world, assembly different peoples and cultures and venturing into – roads much less traveled. It was not a straightforward purpose to realize, it took 15 years to satisfy this teenage dream of mine.
Since 2015, I’ve had the chance and happiness to journey the world fairly often, each alone and with Slobodanka. With the puppies, nothing has modified travel-wise, we simply have slightly extra baggage and a great dose of logistics administration. At 7 weeks, the primary pet, Sara, had her first journey, flying from Portugal to Serbia for her great-grandmother’s eightieth birthday. At 6 months I already had 24 flights and 6 nations explored. The pandemic naturally got here to cease all of that, but it surely gave us the chance to cease and develop this concept of touring the world as a household. That is one thing we’d have completed anyway, however via this venture we’ve the wonderful alternative to encourage different households and different dad and mom to journey with our concepts, ideas, options and above all sharing our expertise with the little ones.
Once we journey, we spend 24 hours a day with our household, one thing that by no means occurs in our every day life at dwelling, daycare/college – work – dwelling – sleep. That is an incredible alternative to create stronger bonds between dad and mom and kids and spend high quality household time. That is why increasingly more households are betting the place holidays aren’t nearly “resting” (if that exists in pet journey, heheheh) but in addition about discovery, opening horizons, new adventures and experiences that may come to mark the reminiscences and the event of our kids.
The household venture Little Vacationers was born naturally in a home the place discovering the unknown has at all times been the motto of life. Touring has at all times been a vital a part of our lives. So typically we hear that after having youngsters, life ends. We could not disagree extra. We now have climbed mountains, walked on glaciers, swum in lakes and oceans. We explored the world by airplane, helicopter, boat, practice and bike!
Moreover touring, they wish to…
Being in nature. In case you ask me or Slobodanka right now if we wish to go to the Caribbean or some mountain on this planet, the reply is fast and unequivocal: “mountain”. Whether or not in Portugal or anyplace on this planet, we’re at all times searching for nature locations. And train.
Atlas, Morocco
credit: Household of Little Vacationers
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What number of nations have you ever visited?
Earlier than beginning a household, alone or as a pair, we visited about 50 nations. As a household we’ve to this point explored 11 nations, the pandemic halted our discovery of the world, which we’ve now resumed.
Most memorable journeys and why?
It’s not very straightforward to decide on. On our travels as a pair we selected Tanzania the place we climbed Kilimanjaro on an 8 day expedition. We then did a safari and ended the journey in Zanzibar and Pemba. Brazil in lesser recognized locations like Bonito, passing via Rio de Janeiro the place we climbed Sugarloaf Mountain and the Amazon. Right here we had maybe the best journey of our lives, spending one evening sleeping proper within the Amazon jungle. We explored glaciers in Iceland, slept in Atlas tents in Morocco, honeymooned in Crete, and Sardinia was the place we received married, on a tiny strip of sand on an island with a abandoned seaside.
When it comes to household journey, the journey we simply took to the Dominican Republic, to the off-the-beaten-path a part of the Southwest, and naturally a month spent discovering Cuba, have been among the most memorable experiences we had.
A vacation spot you wish to return to and why?
Iceland, we actually wish to return there and get the puppies. Thailand, the place I have been (Ricardo) 3 times, is a vacation spot we wish to discover quickly. And when the puppies are sufficiently old for mountain adventures, we return to Kilimanjaro, this time with them. Once we went in 2017, we noticed a mom along with her 14-year-old son going upstairs. At this level we knew we needed to do the identical with our puppies. It needs to be an incredible expertise.
Subsequent locations and expectations?
We nonetheless have an open agenda for the yr to discover what we will do. Undoubtedly a winter mountain vacation spot for Sarah to go snowboarding for the second time, proceed her research. And different locations around the globe, at all times searching for much less traveled paths and extraordinary experiences.
Jahorina mountain, Bosnia
credit: Household of Little Vacationers
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Most beneficial journey recommendation you can provide?
The very first thing is to arrange the logistics and have good journey insurance coverage.
Simply yesterday we talked about this and Slobodanka mentioned that essentially the most useful recommendation for a profitable household journey is for fogeys to be calm and consciously use the time with their youngsters to offer them every little thing that’s not doable in on a regular basis life. Inform many tales in a row, draw a guide collectively, stick stickers, play, speak, leap, take pleasure in.
Oxcart experience in Viñales, Cuba
credit: Household of Little Vacationers
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Take slightly danger. This could be essentially the most useful tip we all know. Making room for discovery and the unknown permits for development and self-development as a person and as a household. “Publicity” is the important thing phrase to totally different conditions, experiences, cultures. The exhibition should be accompanied by consolation and security. And freedom, to discover your limits. We imagine that this can form the way forward for youngsters and higher put together them for the challenges of an more and more globalized world! And on journeys, we’ve the unbelievable alternative to have this totally different publicity each day with dad and mom current to make sure consolation and security. A tip that we contemplate necessary, particularly with young children, is to inform them earlier than the journey what they’ll see, what is going to occur. Put together them for the image of what they’ll anticipate. This may assist them present higher consolation and extra space for a managed and extra relaxed discovery for all.
What normally makes every little thing extra sophisticated and tough are our fears, the dad and mom. So put together the journey very effectively, calm down after which take pleasure in.
Favourite place in Portugal?
I do not assume there’s a place that we will say is our favourite. There are numerous who left us with good reminiscences and experiences. Comporta and Troy, the place I proposed to Slobodanka in a really particular setting. Douro, the place we walked via the vineyards of farms, the place we picked the crops and took a ship journey. Our Alentejo in rural accommodations with sundown picnics. And our lovely coast, out of season, nearly with out anybody.