We wanted to announce that in less than 70 days we are off to backpack Italy with 2 children! Crazy? Yes! Excited? Yes! A little nervous? Yes! Can we fit everything? Who knows!

Here are some common questions we have been asked and thought they would be a nice intro for our blog:

1. Are you taking your children with you?
   It has surprised us how many people have actually asked us this question. I think to many people, the thought of traveling with young children is overwhelming. Thoughts of safety, personal time, the unknown, behavioral challenges, and simply potty training can intimidate us all. These are real concerns and we know that we won’t always get it right, but we don’t see them as unstoppable obstacles, just part of the journey. Realistically we would be tackling these same challenges whether home or abroad. International travel just ads a different twist.This leads us to say… yes, of course we are taking our children with us. We realize that traveling with children will present its own unique obstacles, but we are excited to navigate the ups and downs of international travel with children. Traveling is an education in and of itself, and we can’t wait to do it with them.
2. What exactly are you doing and why?
   We are following a dream. We have learned first hand that life is too short and can be taken in an instant. We don’t want to come upon our later years and have regret, or think “what if…We have a love for all things food. Not just eating it, but where it comes from (farm to table), its history and place in culture, the craft and love that goes into creating artisan products, and the simple fact that it brings people together. For these reasons we are going to explore working farms and agriturismos throughout all of Italy to learn, volunteer and grow!

   Our time on each farm will range from two weeks to months, with us choosing specific farms based around a wide variety of agriculture, viticulture, salumi and cheese making, tourism and so much more. We’ll be getting our hands dirty and spending some great time with people who have devoted themselves to slow food and sustainable living. I guess you could call us granola!

3. Where exactly are you going?
   Our first month in Italy we will be in Campobasso finalizing our Dual Italian Citizenship with Italy Mondo and working on transitioning ourselves into the Italian culture. Then it is off to the farms we go.The first farm is a 2000 acre farm and agriturismo in Tuscany near Empoli and the next farm is outside of Bolzano in northern Italy. Our plans take us to through the month of June. The rest of the planning will happen on the road, staying flexible and adapting as we go!

As we continue with our final stages of preparation, we’ll share with you all we learn along the way. Together we hope to grow as people, enjoy God’s creation, be a blessing to everyone we meet, to experience adventure, show our children the world, inspire people to think outside the box, to live simple, and to understand all things food.

Join the conversation and send us your questions and comments.

Come travel with us!