so, every handful of years, steve (potentially) gets a sabbatical. i mean, i say potentially because he has to have a big plan – like a project he’ll complete – in mind, complete with a fancy proposal. they’re not just giving away vacations here, people! last time, he got a book published. vacation, it was not. i think i saw less of him while on it then i do when he’s teaching normal hours. the next one is still a few years away. but you can bet that i’m dreaming up ideas for it all the time. we talk about it – the logistics, the finances, the where-to-go’s and the how-long-we’ll-stay’s – from time to time. it’s hard putting too many eggs in that sabbatical basket though because it’s a few years into the future and, who knows what will happen. we’ve talked greece, we’ve talked road trip. i’d love to do both but now i’m just gettin’ greedy.
do we rent our house? do we look into a home exchange? do we do an RV – used or new? is it worth it to buy one and then turn around and sell it when we’re done instead of hotels for months on end (this seems like a big, fat ‘yes’ though i’m sure they’re seriously pricey… and then, gas to make it go of course. still, i can’t imagine living from hotel to hotel for months)? what would homeschooling william and lindsey on the road look like (they’ve been homeschooled before as well as their older brothers, so this one is do-able)? where should we go? would greece be way more affordable in the long run and way more awesome?
and most importantly, do they sell seventh generation diapers in greece?
(any input? bring it.)
I mean, you know you can always come live in our basement.
Really though. I could show you the sights! Cow pastures! Cow patties! Cow tipping! Ivie's grocery store!
obviously alabama would be on the itinerary.
Don't do the house swap thing! my parents lost a TON of money!
If you do Greece can I come visit? I'll babysit! I need to get back there something fierce.
This sounds like the making of something totally epic. you already said epic, so i feel unoriginal, but at any rate this would be something (no matter how you go) that your kids will tell their kids. Sounds awesome, and I am so jealous!
Laura
love it! Have you ever heard that great marriages are always building something?- In your case, building sabbatical plans ;). The RV trip sounds exciting- but so does Greece.
Long time lurker, here. Weird…
Had to comment though, because you NEED to rent/buy an RV and go. Just go! I mean, seriously, Yellowstone, Pacific Northwest, Northern Californian Redwoods, New Orlean… Oh man, that life, definitely sounds amazing.
You would be the coolest parents EVER!
I'm overwhelmed/excited/wanting to start helping you save already:)! Sounds wonderful. I immediately thought of my friends RV trip, which she blogged about (more like raved about) here…
http://batemanbuzz.blogspot.com/search?q=rv
But, I know you've always wanted to do Greece too (I see all those Pinterest picks:) An RV would be an AWESOME way to see America though!!
I say combine the vacations and RV across Greece?
Or ride across the US to an international airport and then fly to Greece.
I know, I'm a little crazy.
I say both. I think the RV sounds good for Sabbatical…maybe Greece as a side dish? literally.
Oh god, now you have me wanting to travel SO much
my husband is a professor too, and his sabbatical isn't for another 6 years but we are dreaming too! our current dream: bolivia. it is crazy cheap – i'm talking $150/month for rent, and a 5 course meal for $1. it is way less touristed than the other s.a. countries, but close enough to check them all out if we have time/money. just a thought. 🙂
That's definitely something fun to dream about. I'd probably go abroad… and never come back haha.
At least you have your priorities (diapers) in order.
Seattle…if im still here is really the only place.worth road tripping to.
a few years ago, when living in nz, I've met a couple from bavaria/germany. usually they own a farm, but every three to five years, they will rent it out and go on a twelve months trip. when meeting them it was the first with their little daughter, who was two by then. twelve months traveling the pacific with a little one and a farm rented out. since that day, I believe when it comes to traveling: everthing is possible. just do it!
Greece is literally the most amazing country I have been to. I am obsessed. My dream family trip is a boat trip for a month or more in the Greek Islands/Croatia. GO TO GREECE! Haha!
Greece is literally the most amazing country I have been to. I am obsessed. My dream family trip is a boat trip for a month or more in the Greek Islands/Croatia. GO TO GREECE! Haha!
How long would he be able to leave for…that makes a big difference! Go Greece, you can get diapers shipped 🙂
@annton beate schmidt, i swear! those europeans know how to live. i love that!
@sam morgan, it'd be like 6 months!
This is awesome!! and ironic because I was just thinking about a trip to Greece!! We are currently planning our "big vacation" for the year and GREECE was my #1 pick.. we'll see though! haha if we went it'd only be for a couple weeks tops, I bet you'd have the most amazing time staying for months… or heck, travel through more of Europe too!!!
Check out http://www.airbnb.com for places to stay. I used it for my honeymoon and it was awesome staying in real peoples homes/apartments. It was also cheaper than renting a hotel room.
I say keep on dreaming, researching your options, writing pro/con lists, and have fun with it! I think the daydreaming and choosing where to go, what to do, etc. is seriously the best part because sometimes a vacation in your imagination is better than the reality that happens! lol 😉
I love the idea of the road trip! Sounds like an amazing homeschooling opportunity.
Rent/buy a boat, and instead of road trip, sail. Or yacht 🙂 Then you can see all of the Mediterranean, or Caribbean, or Scandinavia… and I'm already insanely jealous!
oh gosh, this is an opportunity you're so lucky to have. it's a tough decision.
i feel like greece would be BEAUTIFUL. to live in paradise for 6 months would be just the best thing. but you also have to think about how different it is to live in another country, across the ocean. i lived in france for 2 months last summer and that was enough for me. you want the comforts of home. but at least with this, you'd be in one place for the whole time. it'd be a second home. another thought for this is maybe you'd want to save it for a vacay for just you and steve? a little anniversary trip or something maybe. it'd be so much more romantic without the kids (obviously).
road-tripping would be pretty kick-ass, i have to admit. with 6 months, you'd get to see the whole dang country. it'd be such an adventure. but you'd all be stuck in such close confines. no space to spread out really. and you'd have no distinct home for half of a year. but it'd be nice to be in America at least. and it has the chance to be historically educational for the kids (and cool for the nerdy side of you two 🙂
so there's the longest comment ever. pros and cons. either way, it's gonna be awesome. you lucky duck.
p.s. what does steve teach? i feel like that's a factor.
We do airbnb all the time and love it! We rent out our place in Boston whenever we go away for the weekend (a la Passover/Easter weekend) and have had some really nice people come stay. It's kind of fun to buy flowers and leave guidebooks and treat our place like a real B and B.
We are headed to Israel for seven weeks next week (belated parental leave from work) and have rented our our place for the whole time. We've gotten a place over there from a super nice fam who splits their time between Amherst and Jerusalem and the whole housing thing is totally neutral. Actually, we might be coming out a little bit ahead, which is good because airfare is ridonk.
Anyway, I am psyched to be somewhere long enough to start to feel like a local! Have fun day dreaming! And check out airbnb's site because it's great food for day dreams!
I'm headed to Greece in June with my new Greek boyfriend…I'll scope out the family-friendly travel/diaper situation and let you know what I think! 😉
@wildchild, i like your line of thinking! and he teaches religion (ancient stuff). so greece would be kinda perfect…
GREECE!!! And that is all.
Greece. done!