This looks awesome and something to aspire to. Would love to hear more details of the logistics of setting something like this up.

Anyone done anything remotely similar?

What looks awesome? Or is the only detail in the title? If so, as long as it wasn’t a VW van, then it would be great as I’d need a bit of space at times in that 4 years.

FFS sorry! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-41225652/verwood-family-takes-four-year-world-tour-in-a-truck

Did 10 years with a rucsac if that counts.

Bumped into the very same truck on a tight single track road in the north west of Scotland not two weeks ago. It’s HUGE, and not exactly the best kind of roaming transport for those kind of roads!

@Marin yes it does and Chapeau

Only 4 years… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-40978859/family-still-loving-17-year-world-tour

17 years with 4 kids born along the way

Logistically speaking these epic trips don’t take loads of panning because you can’t plan it all. Lots of changing plans on the fly, meeting random people who can help you or point you in a new direction. Occasionally heading back where you cane from when you realise your well thought out plan isn’t possible.

https://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/16/german-man-drives-mercedes-g-wagen-on-557k-mile-26-year-road-tr/

Amateurs the lot of them for this you need the Germans

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2014/newsspec_8703/index.html

Singles and couples don’t count – too easy! 🙂

Like – ace, definitely, but does that have an effect on their kids? Do they even know how to make friends? Kevin McCloud did a series about ultimate get-away-from-it-all houses, tropical islands and suchlike, and whilst I’d love to do something like that or this trip, I’d be tempted to wait until the kids are old enough to fly the nest so they can choose whether or not to come and when to go.

but does that have an effect on their kids? Do they even know how to make friends?

I only did 6 months, and know a family that did it for 12, but it has an immeasurably positive effect on kids and their ability to do almost anything – especially make friends.

If sticking to paved roads I would go with something like a family on YouTube from NZ have. A converted coach. Buslife NZ or similar.

Do they even know how to make friends? Kevin McCloud did a series about ultimate get-away-from-it-all houses

Probably depends on whether they are interacting with new people every day or in some isolated spot with no other humans

A converted coach

How about a trip to Athens on a converted double decker bus? We could all go on a summer holiday 🙂

I have the time and the money and no inclination. A few weeks on the road is enough for me. After five weeks cycle camping with junior when he was 7, he asked to go home, so we did. When we did Compostelle with him at 17 he caught the bus back home to see his mates after 500km. We lived in a T2 for a year in 90/91 when you could park almost anywhere, I haven’t been a great fan of van living since.

I only did 6 months, and know a family that did it for 12, but it has an immeasurably positive effect on kids and their ability to do almost anything – especially make friends.

Well, fair play then. 🙂

Probably depends on whether they are interacting with new people every day or in some isolated spot with no other humans

They were “build a house on an island no-one’s ever set foot on before”, “45 minute boat-ride to the neighbours” sort of things. Given a big enough supply of books, I’d have loved them but I might have been a bit bored if me mum and dad had packed us off there as kids.

Love a MAN truck, must get round to buying the Lego one…

Seems a bit selfish of the parents to me

Seems a bit selfish of the parents to me

How so? For not conforming to the norm? They must be minted to afford to do it. But they’ve given their kids more good experiences than 4 years sat at home on their iphones with pots of cash would have done.

Are these people just minted or do they work remotely on the road ?

Suppose years ago it could have been travelling from one place to another bouncing between casual / seasonal work

Must be minted. I don’t think you can really do much more than earn pocket money on the road. Truck most be very expensive too.

In the 6 months I was on the road I earned 4k (cost of trip – including costs incurred at home – was 12k).

I could easily have earned more (doing the same job as I’ve done for 12 years now), but that wasn’t the point of the trip.

So it is probably doable. But in a lot of these cases, I think they are just minted 🙂

i work with a lad who worked till he was 30 . sold the house and spent 3 years touring europe in an old sierra wit his wife.

made me wonder how long i could spend on the road with my savings while cycling 😀

Decided i couldnt face coming back to nothing.

As for planning.

Ive done a couple of longish trips up to 6 months

I always find that if you plan too much its too easy to get disenheartened by failure to meet your own expectations either by your own doing or external forces….

Ive been following these guys on Facebook nearly 3years Argentina to Alaska.
https://en-gb.facebook.com/Pandilea/

Must be minted

possibly in the op but the zapp family I linked to aren’t. My dad did a few year+ trips with his partner. They paid for it by renting their house out. Not a fortune but enough to pay for fuel, visas, park fees and the occasional hotel.

Friend of mine did about 4yrs sailing round the world with young family with four kids, home schooling the works, back on solid ground she now loves the fact that in the morning her kitchen is exactly where she left it the night before.
A more extreme example, argentinian couple been on the road 17yrs & kids were born en route…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-40978859/family-still-loving-17-year-world-tour

I reckon I lived on about 6 grand a year from 96 to 06 whilst travelling. It’s more of a mind set and attitude to life than worrying about if you can afford it. It’s easy to find work on the road if you just need to earn money. I had no regular vehicle or kids though. I think kids would make it more difficult but be amazing for them. I had some of my best times and worst times on the road. If you are a personality type that needs meticulous planning and control I’d say probably not for you.

We’ve got something similar planned. An epic 4 weeks camping trip in France next summer holidays- cant wait 😉

Ford Focus with a roof box likely transport- as I said EPIC!

I think earning enough to support yourself is easy but not a family and big expensive lorry.

Finally managed to watch the link and as they spent 18 years planning that’s plenty of time to save up. Hurray for them.

My best man used to bugger off either on foot or on his bike for 3 or 4 months at a time after University. He then worked hard, managed to buy his modest house, but he wasn’t married, so sold everything, left a well paid job, and then rented his house out. He now travels the world on his Thorn tourer (26″ wheels and Marathon Tour Plus tyres) with Shimano XT and has lived off the rental income. He has been just about everywhere, and isn’t in a rush. He keeps bumping into other folk that are doing similar, but bumps into them months later in remote parts of the world.

The bike has been massively reliable, and hasn’t suffered the damage my commute bike did riding in bloody Manchester every day.

If he needs parts, he will stop over for a few days and order from Wiggle/CRC etc as shipping is fast. He was even ordering parts from the UK when he was staying local to Shimano factories.

Sounds amazing.