‚3Kids - 3 Months - 3 Continents‘

The adventure '3Kids - 3 Months - 3 Continents' was a great success and now we return as a strengthened family to our everyday life. Unfortunately, three months have passed. It was an intense time that brought us closer as a family. Seeing and 'tolerating' each other constantly for three months can be a 'big risk', even in the most wonderful places in the world. However, little privacy, tight spaces, and lack of routine did not bother us most of the time. We had a great time with our little globetrotters and hope to draw on this time and the wonderful memories in our everyday life. We have been home for three weeks now and life has returned to normal. While we were spared from illnesses during the trip (except for Fa's foot fracture), the wave of illnesses has caught up with us at home. Despite this, we are adjusting well and celebrating emotional reunions with our families and friends. There is a lot to talk about. Questions like these come up again and again:

Was it a good idea to make such an exhausting long-distance trip with three kids?

YES. We did not find it particularly exhausting. Moving our life to such wonderful places with the three kids was exactly our thing.

Would we do anything differently in hindsight?

Not really. Maybe pack less. You actually need very little if you want to.

Did we miss anything?

Definitely. Otherwise, there would be too few reasons to return home. We missed our families and great friends the most. Our home. Our own bed. German bread and all the delicious treats from German bakeries. Cold cuts. Cheese. Our apples from Fa, which were not always available. You stand with her in front of the most amazing fruit stand with the most exotic fruits imaginable and she wants an apple. And our five-year-old Ma definitely missed perler beads. During the trip, he became very sad and cried about halfway through. When we asked him what was wrong, he said he wanted to go home. To make perler beads. And when he comes home from kindergarten on the very first day after the trip, he tells me with joy that he made perler beads;-) But other than that, it is clear to say: our kids did not really miss toys.

Where was the most beautiful place?

It's not easy to answer that. There were individual experiences in the nine countries that were our highlights. For example, the herds of elephants in Addo NP in South Africa. The South Seas feeling in the Seychelles. The impressive mosque in Abu Dhabi. The dolphins in Bunbury, Australia. The return to Auckland, where we got married. The skyscraper landscape in Hong Kong. Island hopping in Thailand with my personal dream island Koh Lipe. The rooftop bars in Kuala Lumpur. And so on and so forth...

What was unnecessary?

Our daughter Fa's foot fracture in Australia. It didn't have to happen, but it wasn't a disaster either. After two weeks with a cast and splint, it was over and ultimately only slowed us down in terms of travel speed, so we drove fewer kilometers with the camper than originally planned. She handled it great and made the best of the situation.

What/who was our most loyal companion?

Our stroller, the Babyjogger Quinny Speedy, which has been faithfully accompanying us for more than seven years. It has actually survived three world trips with a lot of flights, three kids, sometimes two at once, and even our plaster girl Fa. It was more than worth its money!

Did everything work out?

For the most part, yes. We were never robbed or in dangerous situations. The only time was in South Africa, where a small riot broke out in the slums. We were able to take all 10 flights and our suitcases didn't get lost. This was the biggest risk in my opinion, as all our tickets would have expired if we had not been able to take one of the flights. And with three kids who can get sick, that is quite risky. And our suitcase with the 'white gold' for Baby Le arrived intact on the baggage carousel at every airport.

How many photos did we take?

We took just over 5,000 photos in the three months. And about 4-5 hours of video footage. Both still need to be reviewed and processed.

Anything else to mention?

Never think about taking the stairs in Asian skyscrapers. It happened to us in Malaysia. Fabi and I decide to walk down the stairs from the 37th floor. Unfortunately, it ends on the 7th floor, and the door there cannot be opened and we are stuck in a dead end. So we turn back and go back up. On one of the higher floors, we find an open floor door and take the elevator down. When I ask the security guard how we could have walked down, they simply do not understand my question. And it's not because of the language. We are probably the first crazy Europeans who did not take the elevator. Taking the stairs is simply not intended.

Lastly, my intuition to write the blog was to primarily capture our memories and experiences for my kids, so that they can read it themselves later on. That's why I'm even more pleased that so many people have accompanied us 'here', have 'traveled along' with us, and have given me such positive feedback time and time again. Thank you. It was a lot of fun for me.