The first few weeks of long-term family travel rarely look like the Instagram version. In this article, Ben and Claire share what their first month abroad was really like and why slowing down at the start was one of the best decisions they made.

One of the best decisions we made before leaving the UK was deciding not to travel much at all.

Why We Stayed In One Place For The First Month

We spent our first month, deliberately, in one place: Spain. Not because we’d run out of momentum, but because we’d decided in advance that we wanted it that way. If you’re planning something similar, we’d genuinely recommend the same, give yourself a stretch of stillness before the travelling really begins. It’s not what the photos of families like ours usually show, but it might be the most useful thing we did.

What that month was actually like

We’d planned the first ten to twelve weeks in some detail before we left, where we’d be, roughly what it would cost, what areas we’d be staying in. That planning gave Claire, in particular, something to hold onto; she’s always been the more structured, organising one of the two of us, and knowing the shape of what was coming mattered to her in a way it didn’t for Ben, who’s naturally more free-spirited.

But the month itself wasn’t what either of us expected. Within the first week, Ben noticed something in Claire he hadn’t anticipated, a visible shift in her demeanour. Less stress. A kind of sigh of relief that seemed to sit on her face that wasn’t there before. It wasn’t something she necessarily said out loud. It was just there, and he noticed it.

Alongside that relief, Claire’s body went the other way for a while. She became unwell, nothing serious, but cold and flu-like symptoms that lingered for a couple of weeks. Our best understanding is that it was simply her body adjusting: after years of running on adrenaline most days, stopping that abruptly doesn’t happen without some kind of physical reckoning. It wasn’t dramatic. It was just real, and it’s the sort of detail that never makes it into a highlight reel. Ben had his own version of this later in the trip too, when vertigo landed him in hospital in Madrid.

Why we think the “settle first” month matters

If we’d moved straight into fast travel from day one, we don’t think either of us would have had the space to actually process what we’d done. The first month gave us room to relax, to think, and, in Claire’s case, to get sick and recover before the real movement started. We’d say to anyone considering this: build in the pause. Let your body and your mind catch up with the decision you’ve already made.

What came after the pause

Once that first month ended, we started moving more often, and quickly discovered that the careful planning we’d done in advance didn’t survive contact with reality. We’ve cancelled flights, changed bookings, and made repeated adjustments as we’ve gone. A week we’d pre-booked in Montenegro turned out not to suit us, the location didn’t align with what we’d normally choose, and if we hadn’t already committed to it, we’d have moved on far sooner. That’s shaped how we plan now: loosely, and often only as far ahead as the next stop.

The ordinary difficulty underneath it all

Seven weeks in, nothing has gone majorly wrong. We want to be honest about that too, rather than manufacture drama that isn’t there. What we have found is that the difficulty is smaller and more constant than dramatic: having the children with us all day, every day; the tiredness of moving locations; the small friction of something as ordinary as finding somewhere to do laundry. Having our parents with us in Croatia for a week has genuinely alleviated some of that pressure, a reminder that this life, like any other, still benefits from other hands.

What we’d do again

If we were starting this journey again tomorrow, we’d still spend our first month in one place. It gave us time to settle, recover from the pace we’d left behind and become comfortable with our new rhythm before adding the complexity of frequent travel.

What else is possible, when you stop expecting the story to be either perfect or a disaster, and let it just be true?

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you travel constantly from the start?

In our experience, no. Spending our first month in one place gave us time to adjust physically and mentally before moving more frequently.

Is long-term family travel relaxing?

Not immediately. We found the first few weeks were more about adjusting than relaxing, even though we’d chosen this life.

How far ahead should you plan?

We started by planning several weeks in advance, but quickly found ourselves becoming much more flexible as our travels unfolded.

What’s the hardest part of the first few weeks?

For us, it wasn’t one dramatic event. It was the accumulation of small things like moving accommodation, travelling with children and managing everyday life in unfamiliar places.

Does travelling full-time ever feel ordinary?

Yes. Alongside the incredible moments are plenty of everyday tasks like shopping, laundry and making dinner. That’s part of what makes this feel like real life rather than a holiday.

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Related reading: The Cost of Different: What We Actually Gave Up · Why We Stopped Planning Ahead · The Stranger Who Helped Us Buy a Car in Albania