The biggest factors to consider when leaving for an extended period of time that we found for us were;
What was the Kids understanding of leaving behind their friends and grandparents.
How as an adult, we would miss our family and closest friends, and
How difficult it would be to leave behind the new friends we’d meet along the way.
Having time to say goodbye you would think would be easy. But throw in emptying a house, selling everything you own and don’t need, wrapping up school and work, cleaning a rental house plus cleaning your own house ready to sell, sorting out the investment properties with the agent, packing endless boxes, all the while still doing those regular daily tasks and juggling a baby with allergies (including all those last minute specialist appointments).....
One thing we found was that before we left on our gigantic adventure we had so much to accomplish and that departure date just kept getting closer and closer. We never got around to that Bon Voyage party we had always planned.
As terribly upsetting as this was for me, we take the positives where we can and we had an awesome amount of incidental goodbyes that helped us feel like we didn’t miss out.
In those final weeks, we had so many gorgeous friends regularly popping in to help baby sit whilst we packed, we had people dropping in with coffees and cookies to keep us going, we had the grandparent take the boys so we could do those last minute pre-booked pre-trip mummy daddy evenings, family-friends taking the boys so we could do those final clear outs also allowing the boys to have those ever important final play dates with mates, we had invites for home-cooked meals, take out dinners at home with the besties, my Arbonne farewell coffees and cakes night out, little Wade mans 1st Birthday Party and family catch up, dinner at the club and then those ever so precious last morning goodbyes in our incredible send off.
Although we still missed seeing so many amazing friends and family, we concerntrate on the enormity of those who we did get to see before we left.
As a way to minimise the sadness of missing family and friends, here are Trekking Downunder’s- Top 3 ways to ease the hear ache and keep in touch.
There are so many ways to stay in touch while on the road nowadays.
*The post
We are a family that love the idea of the old traditional handwritten sentiment. Letters and post cards- i mean who doesnt love getting surprise snail mail in this day and age of the internet. Plus yay “Bonus points!”
The boys continue to practice their handwriting plus also learn how to address an envelope correctly and what a postage stamp is and where it goes, a dying art.
Through Aust Post we can do a thing called ‘parcel collect’ which means not only can we send things to family and friends but they now can send back to us too, even with our ever changing location.....
Reception can suck in a lot of places, so that’s where postal options can make it easier and hey with kids, a whole lot more fun too.
*Social media
By harnessing the quick connection of the advancing technology- using facebook, instagram, messenger and email we can connect directly with individuals or with the wider net of family and friends in an instant. Sharing photos, videos, funny stories and our daily adventures (when in reception). It has been a great source of content and information to use for our website and expanding brand too, a great bonus.
Utilising social media becomes an extra appealing option to, with being able to keep in touch with the new amazing families we have been meeting along the way plus reaching out and being able to share and inspire new families/ couples through our SM reach and our Website. Social Media has extra perks of not only being able to share adventures with old friends and new, but also getting to follow their journey to.
For me, running an online business I also love the connection I have to my team through Zoom training calls and fb messenger, plus I can keep in touch with my clients through facebook, instagram, email and phone.
*Phone calls (and test messages)
All though we are not very good at remembering to phone people or answer text messages at this stage of our trip- we you do hear from us, its quite a novelty and it earns us loads of brownie points haha (just ask our parents and my closest girlfriends). Sometimes the quickest and easiest way to keep in touch is a phone call. Granted reception needs to be available and you need to have the time to call (as we all know there is no such thing as a ‘quick’ call when you haven’t seen someone for ages- or if its a call to your loving parents hehe)...... But Phone calls are the quickest way to connect with those you love and to get you off the hook for not keeping in regular touch. Text messages are a quick way to shoot off a ‘hello I’m thinking of you’ message, or a random question or that quick answer- but be wary as these can sometimes turn long and time consuming, so a phone call could be better..... One thing did was invested in a satellite ,In Reach Explorer’ communication device which has a tracking function as well as an SOS beacon, sms and email capabilities. We can reach family and friends whilst out of reception but they too can get in touch with us if needed, via the devices registered phone number much like a mobile phone, just minus voice calls.
But which ever form of communication type you use- be sure to use one...... Family and friends want to know your ok and that you still think of them whilst your out having the trip of a lifetime, just as much as they think of you not being there with them.
Sam Smith says it well in his song about how you can become way to good at goodbyes..... For us Trekkers we are adapting well, but we believe it’s because it’s not so much goodbye- but more See you soon.
Thanks for following along and a huge shout out to all those people who we miss and love dearly- you know who you are and just how incredibly much you mean to us.
This Blog is dedicated to you.
