For anyone curious to hear my voice (or some approximation thereof; does anyone else feel self conscious about hearing their own voice on audio???), I’m on a podcast today!
Earlier this summer, Kathleen Paley invited me to come on her podcast—The Reframe—to talk about our 110-day family adventure in Europe.
To any of her listeners visiting me here in this little corner of the internet for the first time: Welcome. I’m Elisabeth!
Kathleen and I have a lot of overlap in how we think about money, family, travel, and spending according to our values, so this was a very fun conversation.
And we covered a broad range of topics.
We talked about why John and I decided to take our kids to Europe for almost four months in the first place… and why now felt like the right time to do something this big.
We talked about the highs and lows of spending 110 consecutive days together as a family. (Spoiler alert: we still liked each other at the end!)
We talked about money. Specifically, how we managed a trip like this without spending an astronomical amount—where we were frugal, where we happily splurged, and how the whole thing fit into our broader family ethos of saving aggressively in some areas so we can spend freely on the things we value most.
(Here are the travel spending breakdowns I referenced a few times in the podcast episode: Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Portugal.)
There are some important caveats to our total spend, which we discuss in the episode. We used points for a variety of things, and because John continued working while we travelled, some expenses overlapped with legitimate business costs. And, we were awarded nearly $4,000 in flight cancellation compensation. But I was still surprised by how affordable the trip ended up being.
We spent… a lot of money on amusement parks. We rode a gondola in Venice. I paid an objectively ridiculous amount of money for a latte in Copenhagen. We just tried very hard to spend where the ROI was high for us.
Kathleen also asked about homeschooling, and I gave us two grades: a D in traditional schooling and an A in organic schooling.
We did one day of formal math before that particular aspiration collapsed spectacularly. But the kids toured Dachau, saw Roman ruins and Viking ships, visited world-class art museums, navigated public transit in unfamiliar countries, and can now locate every country in Europe on a map.
We also talked about why this trip fit so naturally into what we want for our family.
International travel is something we value as part of our kids’ education. They’re Canadian-Portuguese dual citizens, and we want them to understand that Europe could potentially be part of their future—not just somewhere Dad disappears to for work.
And with our daughter finishing Grade 9, this felt like one of the last easy windows for an adventure of this scale.
More personally, the trip was about choosing the bigger life.
Given the choice, I’m content to stay home with a book, a blanket, and a cup of coffee. Leaving that life for 110 days was way outside my comfort zone.
And…
I am so glad we went on this trip.
You can listen to my full conversation with Kathleen on The Reframe.
And come back this Thursday because we’re switching places! Kathleen will be here answering my questions about what early retirement actually looks like now that she and her husband have officially reached FIRE.
Your turn!
- What’s a trip or experience you’re especially glad you said yes to?
- Are you naturally more of a “choose the bigger life” person, or do you have to talk yourself into it?
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I have been on soooooo many podcasts at this point. No, you never like your own voice. Can’t wait to listen!
This makes me feel better! (And I love your voice, Gillian!)
EXCELLENT!!! I am happy to listen to you on a podcast anytime, but especially when it’s a podcast that I listen to normally. And I super appreciate Kathleen for releasing it on a road trip day with a mutual friend with lots of car time. On the flip side, I can’t wait for Thursday because you know I want to see what you asked Kathleen!!!
I try to be a choose the bigger life person, but I’m also a recovering people pleaser, so sometimes there can be a conflict.
Of course I timed this just for you and said friend (waves virtually to K!)… not really, but I’m very happy it worked out so nicely. Thanks for listening <3
I have never even HEARD of The Reframe, but before I even got past your second paragraph I ran to get my phone to download the episode. I know what I’ll be listening to on my walk this morning! Oh, I am EXCITED to hear your voice again!! I’m so glad you got to talk about your adventure. YES, it really was choosing the bigger life. It’s a big scary thing to take on such an undertaking with the whole family, but you DID IT and wow, I am proud to know you!! xoxoxo
I am happy to say yes to any travel, honestly. Every trip adds a layer to our experiences, even if it seems like a minor thing.
You are too, sweet, Nicole. Happy listening. And you were part of that adventure. A highlight was definitely getting to see blog friends and I’m still giddy we made it work to connect in London.
I agree that travel changes us–sometimes subtly and other times it can be dramatic and life-changing. (I’d say our trip falls somewhere in the middle of that spectrum.)
Ooh! I’ll definitely listen. And, while I believe in the concept wholeheartedly, I’m not naturally a “choose the bigger life” person. My ideal weekend would be if everyone let me alone and I could spend the whole time reading on my couch with the cats. But every time I push myself to do something, I’m SO happy I did.
SAME, Jenny. Well, I’m allergic to cats, but take the felines out of the equation and can I come over and hang out with you and read for the weekend??
That said, YOU RUN INSANELY long races, which definitely feels like choosing the bigger life to me!
Oh how FUN, Elisabeth!!! I will check out the episode for sure!
It was so fun to talk to Kathleen! I hope you enjoy the episode 🙂
Can’t wait to listen!! I love Kathleen! (And you, of course, so this is like, BONUS!) Also, I love how many pictures of yourself you included in this post! I feel like sometimes you shy away from that… 🙂
You first introduced me to Kathleen (a year or two ago now). So a huge thank you for that connection. It was a very fun podcast episode to record!!
Never heard of this podcast, but it sounds fun. My podcast list is full of serious topics, so fun is hard to find in my “library”. I followed it without even listening first. . . looking forward to hearing your voice. (“Um” isn’t as annoying as people who end every other sentence with “right?”!)
Oh no. I’m quite sure I say, “right” and “kind of” and “so” and “like” far more than um. Don’t be too hard on me when you listen, Jana 😉
Enjoy the episode!
I’m a ” talk myself into something” person, then quickly do it so I don’t talk myself out of it. The only adventure we had was a semester away in TN while my husband supervised a student research semester. We did weekend trips to cool places in the very different area.
Now I’m so reluctant to leave home.
I’ll try listening to the podcast later when I’m prepping my classes.
Sometimes I have to act quickly before my brain can catch up with the situation! It’s fun to visit a few place and be able to do and see novel things, so I’m glad you got that opportunity.
Well, thank you. This is definitely one of those areas where we are all our own worst critic.
Elisabeth, I so enjoyed our conversation — and can’t wait to connect with your readers in the comments later this week!
Yay!! It was a lot of fun to chat and I’m excited to “host” you tomorrow.