This was no ordinary vacation; instead what we called our “Cosmos” (around the world) journey with our kids was a lifestyle change that lasted over four months, from September 2003 to January 2004. During that time we visited 12 countries, comprised of England, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, India, Australia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia and France, plus a prelude stop in New York City to begin the journey. What also made this vacation of sorts extraordinary was the fact that we brought our then 13 and 10 year old daughters on this trip, home schooling them in the process.

The video above provides an overview of what it was like to travel through five continents, combining the sights of the trip along with studying on the road.

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One of the purposes of the trip was to be an educational experience, combining history, archeology and nature into the itinerary. Care was also taken to choose destinations that were safe, fit within our budget (about $400 a day) and still contained elements of the original culture. Preparation for the trip took over three years and was focused on two fronts: the actual travel details and the schooling. To plan the itinerary, we spent countless hours reading guidebooks and travel magazines and surfing the Internet to determine the best places to visit, taking into account what to see, the climate and culture. Everyone, including the girls, had a list of ‘must sees’ that were taken into account. All of this was entered into a master schedule and budget. As much of the trip was pre-booked as possible, but reservations for the last month were secured on the road, when the lead times were shorter. We worked closely with our daughters’ school principal and teachers to plan the lesson curriculum, including determining the needed books, project materials and testing strategy. To save weight we purchased the books and then cut them up, dividing them into an initial portion to take with us and placing the other set into a box that would arrive halfway into the trip while in Australia. Tests were administered on the road and the results were emailed back to the teachers.

Destinations included such famous sights as the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, Ayers Rock, Victoria Falls and Angkor Wat. Mixed in were two safaris, in Botswana and Namibia, as well as a multiple day trek in the Sikkim (India) region of the Himalayas. Cultural experiences included visiting villages and families in Zambia, Thailand and India. Plane travel was minimized and over 2,000 miles on the ground were each covered in Africa and Australia. A big part of this included train travel in Africa, India, Australia and Thailand, where seven nights overall were spent sleeping on en route.

What we accomplished was to gain a real feel for a variety of the world’s people, customs, food, religions, natural wonders and historically significant sights. Integrating our childrens’ education into this experience also gave them a real world view of what they were studying as we moved from country to country and a real appreciation for how much of the world lives. We also got to know our daughters at an important time in their lives and created a bond between all of us that still exists to this day.

21 - 24 September 2003

Our first stop in New York City was Ground Zero, which was a sobering experience for all of us. We spent three days seeing the major attractions, including Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Staten Island Ferry, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Times Square and the Empire State Building. We ate dinner in Little Italy, Chinatown and Greenwich Village. One of the highlights of our visit was seeing The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

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25 - 30 September 2003

One of the big splurges on our trip was a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Elizabeth II. The ship made its last regularly scheduled crossings across the Atlantic Ocean in 2003, which made the cruise even more special. We enjoyed the wonderful food, shows, lectures and relaxation on deck as we made our six day crossing to England. The girls especially liked their first cruising experience.

“Mind the Gap” on the London Underground

1 - 5 October 2003

We landed in Southampton and took a short train trip to London. We spent four days there and visited Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, the Cabinet War Rooms, Imperial War Museum, British Museum and the town of Greenwich. One of our first stops was the real Reform Club, where the fictitious Phileas Fogg set out on his Around the World in 80 Days trip. We also took a walking tour of Sherlock Holmes’s London along the Strand. In Greenwich, we visited the Royal Observatory and stood on the prime meridian line, marking 0 degrees longitude. We also toured the Cutty Sark ship.

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Performers on the Cape Peninsula

6 - 9 October 2003

After an all-night flight from London, we first arrived in Johannesburg and then took a short flight to Cape Town. We spent one entire day touring the Cape Peninsula, seeing penguins and visiting the Cape of Good Hope. It is the most south-western point of Africa. We also visited Table Mountain, which overlooks the city, and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. From there we took a sunset cruise on a sailing ship.

To watch an overview of our time in Africa, click Africa Video.

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10 - 14 October 2003

We reached Windhoek, Namibia, the capital city, via a 21 hour bus ride from Cape Town. Our major activity in Namibia was a four day visit to Etosha National Park, in the northern part of the country. We rented a 4×4 truck with a shell and stayed at lodges inside the park. We were able to self drive around the park from sunrise to sunset and visit various natural and man made watering holes to observe many different kinds of animals.

To watch an overview of our time in Africa, click Africa Video.

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Music played by our driver as we drove from Windhoek to Audi Camp:

15 - 22 October 2003

We were driven about 800 kilometers from Windhoek, Namibia, through the Kalahari Desert, to a place called Audi Camp, just outside of the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park. After a mokoro boat day trip down the delta, we joined a five day camping safari through the Moremi Reserve and Chobe National Park. Here we saw a wide variety of animals. Our last night in Botswana was spent at a resort in the town of Kasane.

To watch an overview of our time in Africa, click Africa Video.

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23 - 28 October 2003

To get to Zambia, we crossed the Zambezi River by public ferry and walked across the border. After securing transportation to Livingstone, we spent two days there seeing Victoria Falls, visiting a village and a museum. We took a bus to Lusaka, the capital city, on Sunday (26 October). We then made our way, via another bus, north to catch a 40 hour train from Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, spending two nights in our train compartment.

To watch an overview of our time in Africa, click Africa Video.

The train moving along the tracks from Zambia to Tanzania:

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The dance troupe on the beach in Zanzibar:

29 October - 3 November 2003

After two days on the train from Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia to Tanzania, we finally arrived in Dar Es Salaam. We splurged and stayed one night in a very nice Holiday Inn. The next day we took a 2 1/2 hour ferry trip to Zanzibar, where we spent the next three nights. We enjoyed our bungalow on the beach and spending time in Stone Town walking around the narrow alleyways and famous doors. We also sailed on a dhow at sunset and watched a dance troupe on the beach as we ate dinner, with the kids being asked to join in the fun. It was a fitting end to our time in Africa.

To watch an overview of our time in Africa, click Africa Video.

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Mumbai taxi on the city streets:

Our hosts’ Hindu service:

4 - 7 November 2003

We arrived in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) at 3:30am. We stayed with a family that consisted of a couple with a four year old boy. They had a flat in a nice area of town. We saw many of the major sights in our three days in Mumbai, including the Gateway to India, the Queen’s Necklace, Gandhi’s house, a popular beach and the Hanging Gardens. We also visited our hosts’ Hindu temple and watched a service.

To watch an overview of our time in India, click India Video.

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