“I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth.  Then I ask myself the same question.”  I didn’t come up with that saying, but thought it was worthy of repeating.

It’s not necessary for you to cross oceans, or ride a UK Hover Bus, the China Express in Ecuador, or the Maglev Train in Shanghai – although we would recommend at least a couple of those trips.

This blog was meant to inspire you and your family to step out of the front door of your house, and wander.

Wherever I go, I get questions.  Concerns.  Curiosities.  So I decided to start a little piece in my blogs called: “Dear Dawn.” I know.  It’s been done before and at this point I am glad my name isn’t “Anne or Abby.”

And to be perfectly honest, I hope not to be challenged to help the lovelorn or those who have deeply rooted psychological problems, though I will be happy to divert you to those who can help.   But I do have a few ideas when it comes to family travel and adventures and certainly planning a large family adventure on a budget.    I also have answers as to why a mother who has lost a child would take a chance with her other three sons, in foreign territories,  with the threat of terror and disease.   Irony or insanity?

Life is about taking healthy chances.  Raising boys into men, or girls into women for that matter, is a huge risk. And when you look back you realize you had little control from the get-go.   From swaddling them, to bouncing them on your knees, to putting them on that school bus, each new experience is a deposit in their courage bank.  So send me your thoughts, your questions about family travel, safety, health, cost of living, where to stay, where to eat, how to cut corners, traveling light, schooling kids on the road and in foreign classrooms, life after loss, grief, or keeping a marriage together after tragedy. I’ll share what I’ve got.  Trust me, my advice is not vetted through Harvard or Stanford but through some rather daring experiences with my husband and our four sons.

Life is either hard or a delusion. It’s my hope to help you, to encourage you to take a step out of your comfort zone.   To run instead of walking.  To fly instead of running.  To hop on the bullet train to adventure.  Your family is the beneficiary.

Dawn

Send your questions to dawnhirn@gmail.com or hit me up on Facebook!