Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand December 2014 / January 2015 | Page 47

Life & Travel

F

lying with kids. (Sigh.) Flying
with kids on a long-haul
flight. (Exasperated sigh.)
Now try to imagine: flying with
your kids on dozens of flights on
a trip around the world for an
entire year. And this is just what
Canadian and Dutch native Rose
and her husband Anthony bravely
accomplished, along with their two
boys, Felix and Emile, aged 9 and
11 years at the time.
With some light planning, open
minds, and even more open hearts,
this family of four flew from Canada
to Europe, from Asia to North
America, and finally ended their
trip in South America, successfully

touring fourteen countries without
going crazy in the process.
Read the following interview
with Rose Swagemakers to learn
what inspired them, how they did it,
and what they would change if they
were to start all over again.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR ONE-YEAR
TRIP AROUND THE WORLD?
WAS IT A DREAM YOU ALWAYS
HAD OR WERE YOU INFLUENCED
BY A CERTAIN PERSON?
My father always told me that
the world is bigger than
Berkel-Enschot, which is where
I was brought up in the Netherlands.

He told me to spread my wings
and learn langauges, as it would
help widen my horizons. So, at age
nineteen, I left the Netherlands for
France where I met my Canadian
husband. We traveled a lot in our
twenties and early thirties; we got
engaged in Thailand and loved
every minute of our travels together.
When we settled down and had kids,
we wanted our children to know that
the world is bigger than Toronto, too.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE
YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND
TO PLAN THE TRIP?
Maybe a week. We just planned
our first two months, and those

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