Planning for 2 years of Travelling

With just 215 days to go until we set off, I thought it was the perfect time to start sharing our plans and everything we’ve achieved so far to get to this exciting point in our journey.

The last time we were in Thailand

Taking the first step:

For months, we went back and forth debating: should we travel long-term or just stick to taking several holidays a year? The decision wasn’t easy, but the turning point came when the government in England changed the rules around school attendance for children. The idea that missing school could lead to criminal prosecution was a huge factor in our choice to take Jax out of school and explore a new way of living. We also had to navigate work agreements for our time off. At that point, we didn’t know how long we wanted to travel for, but at least we’d taken the first big step towards making this life-changing decision.

Getting our sabbatical agreed:

We thought this would be the hardest part of our plan, but it actually turned out to be the easiest! Since we still weren’t sure how long we wanted to travel, we decided to go all in and request the maximum time off allowed under our work benefits – a full two years. We figured they might meet us halfway and offer a year instead, but to our surprise, both of our requests were approved for the full two years! On top of that, we were given the flexibility to return after one year if we decided to cut the trip short. Unfortunately, our jobs don’t allow for remote or nomadic working, so we can’t rely on them for income while we’re away, but securing this time off has been a huge relief.

When should we leave:

This decision was a bit tricky because, like most big changes, it’s hard to know when the “right” time is. Initially, we planned to leave in April 2025, but after some reflection, we realised that wouldn’t give us enough time to save or organise everything we needed.

After lots of long conversations, we decided it made more sense to let Jax finish Year 3, enjoy his summer holidays, and then start our journey at the beginning of September. This way, he still gets his summer break, and we can dive straight into world schooling as soon as we set off on our travels.

Where do we want to go first:

This part of our plan was actually an easy decision. After falling in love with Asia on our last two trips to Thailand and the Philippines, we were desperate to slow travel through the region. But we’d always dreamed of taking our van to Morocco and spending several weeks exploring its stunning cities, so it felt like the perfect place to start our journey before heading to Asia. I spent weeks researching the cities we wanted to visit and figuring out how much time we’d need to truly soak it all in. In the end, we decided six weeks would be the perfect amount of time to explore Morocco at a slower, more relaxed pace and starting and ending in Tangier means we can do a full loop of Morocco.

Once we decided on six weeks in Morocco, the next step was figuring out where to begin our full-time slow travel adventure. For us, Bangkok was the obvious choice. We fell in love with the city during our trip in 2023, and there’s still so much we want to see and do there. It felt like the perfect place to start.

Since this is such a huge shift in our lives, we wanted to take our time adjusting. So, we decided to spend the first two months in Bangkok. This gives us the chance to settle into our new rhythm—no alarms, no school runs, no work deadlines. It’s about regrouping as a family, finding our “new normal,” and easing into this exciting new chapter at a comfortable pace. We’ve found a stunning high-rise condo across the river in Bangkok, and it’s absolutely perfect for what we need. It comes with a swimming pool, gym, sauna, and a communal collaborative space, ticking all the boxes for comfort and convenience. It’s also close enough to the main attractions for easy exploring, but far enough out of the hustle and bustle to give us the peace and relaxation we’re looking for as we settle into our new chapter.

Booking our flights:

Once we had our dates sorted, I used Skyscanner to track flights and snag the best deals. The first step was booking our one-way tickets to Bangkok—Emirates popped up with a great price, so we jumped on it. A few weeks later, I booked our round-trip flights from London to Tangier.

Here’s how it all looks:

• London Gatwick to Tangier: 2nd September – 14th October

• London Gatwick to Bangkok: 15th October

Since drones aren’t allowed in Morocco, we’ll need to make a quick stop back in London after our Morocco trip to collect ours before heading to Thailand. It’s a bit of a detour, but we didn’t want to start our big adventure without it!

Creating our travel budget:

We don’t have a specific budget or savings target in mind; our goal is simply to save as much as we possibly can. Oli and I have a really healthy dynamic when it comes to money—we each know our role. Oli handles the bills, and I focus on saving, and for us, it works perfectly.

Over the past few months, we’ve tightened our belts and cut back on non-essentials, while also starting to sell some easy-to-list items on Vinted. These efforts have allowed us to save a good amount of money a month, which should put us in a good position ready for when we leave in September.

Our plan is to keep decluttering the house, list more items on Vinted, and spend the spring and summer doing car boot sales to clear out everything else. Every penny we make is going straight into the savings fund. This is, without a doubt, the most focused and determined we’ve ever been when it comes to saving.

What next:

Since we can only stay in Thailand visa-free for 60 days, we’ll need an onward ticket. Our current plan is to head to Taiwan for 10–12 days in December, then spend three weeks in Japan over Christmas and New Year before continuing on to South Korea. Over the next few weeks and months, we’ll be keeping a close eye on flights for both Taiwan and Japan to snag the best deals.

At the same time, we’ll also be looking for a buyer for our beloved VW T6 Camper Van. As much as we’ll miss her, selling the van is a necessary step, and we’re hoping to find the right new owner as soon as possible.

Watch this space and keep checking back as I update you as we get closer to September.