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A while ago Matthew Morrison reached out to
us as he and his family were doing an extraordinary thing, they were traveling
around Europe during the COVID pandemic. Naturally, we wanted to hear their
story.
We will be posting a multi-part series of
their adventures, we hope their stories give everyone some happy vibes during
this time of global aviation meltdown.
Introduction
Brooke
and I had traveled most of our lives, long before we had known each other. We
both grew up in adventurous families who loved the outdoors and travel. We
traveled a lot before our kids were born and have tried to give them that
adventure for travel from an early age.
As
an airline pilot, I travel weekly for work, which I love. Additionally, when
I’m not working, I always look forward to planning our next trip with our
family and experiencing new adventures. Our kids have grown up traveling and
often ask, “Dad, when is our next trip?”
We
often travel on long weekends or during the summer or whenever we can. I have
my go-to places like Hawaii and California, but Brooke is always making our
family broaden our horizons with new worldly places.
Traveling
during the pandemic is filled with mixed emotions. First, there is obviously
the risk of covid and getting sick while on the road and in a different country
far away from home. That is in the back of my mind because I would be fully
responsible for anything happening to anyone of us.
Throughout
my military career and as a pilot, I have gotten used to making educated
decisions and weighing risk versus reward. I carry that mentality with
decisions I make in my life now, and Brooke and I make joint decisions together
on that basis.
Over
the last several months, since the pandemic has begun, we have listened to the
media, been through lockdowns, homeschooled our kids, and have been through all
the emotions of what is right and wrong, like most Americans. With all that in
mind, when the opportunity to “escape our bubble” and travel came along, it was
a silver lining.
Brooke
and I both made educated decisions and agreed that the adventure outweighed the
risk. We were ready to escape the bubble! We did not want to be cooped up at
home any longer. If our kids had to sacrifice their schooling while sitting in
front of a computer for several hours a day, we might as well allow them to
experience and learn about the world firsthand!
That
was the risk we were willing to take!
Planning the trip
As
we planned our trip, we researched as many contingencies as possible, mostly
from my military background. Wherever we travel, we have a contingency plan. We
know where the authorities are and how to contact them. We have the US embassy
info. We have registered with the US embassy STEP plan.
We
know where doctors and pharmacies are and try to prepare ourselves as much as
possible with the local environment. Fortunately, we never have to use these
resources, but we have them if we need them.
There
is honestly a hint of anxiety and nervousness when we travel to a new country
for us as parents.
Traveling
is the most challenging part. How we are getting somewhere, customs, and the
possibility of getting covid are on our minds somewhat. However, I guess that
is our job to worry, think about the worst-case scenario, and plan for the
contingencies – all the while to keep the experience lighthearted and fun for
the kids.
Fortunately,
we have been prepared for everywhere we have traveled, and things have gone
smoothly thus far. Once we have arrived at every destination, our apartment
hosts, the local people, and our experiences have been overwhelmingly positive
and welcoming! As for living in a new country during a pandemic, it’s actually
been quite pleasant.
Croatia
was covid aware, but people were living their lives as normal as possible. That
was a pleasant change for us. No anger or shaming or politics involved. People
complied with the rules and restrictions and went on with their day. If you
were outside and without a mask, no one yelled at you or criticized you. They
respected your choice and decision and minded their own business.
Our Story so far
We
have been traveling and world schooling our kids for 6 weeks now, and it has
been a work in progress, but we have gotten into a good routine. Our typical
day starts with waking up while our friends and family back home are retiring
to bed. Brooke and I enjoy an espresso, then breakfast for the kids.
And
then world schooling begins. It took a while for our kids to get into a routine
on the road and understand that school was still the priority. We typically
plan for a full morning of school, lunch, and an hour or two more of study.
Then we let loose and explore the town we are in, go to the beach, explore a
museum, or just get an early dinner in town.
We
plan ahead for our travel days and try to get the kids to work ahead of their
timeline as much as possible; that way, if there is a day when school can’t be
done, like when we are traveling on the ferry, they are already ahead and don’t
miss any work.
The
time difference does make it challenging at times, but we make it work. We have
had some Zoom meetings with teachers while the kids were eating dinner, and
Brooke and I may have been drinking vino in the background, haha, but it gets
the job done.
This
has been the longest that our family has been away from the US and home.
Brooke
and I savor and appreciate the experience and opportunity immensely. We have
two kids who are mostly teens (13&11) who appreciate the daily experience,
adventure, and fun but miss their daily lives back home and friends. Brooke and
I understand that and empathize with them. However, we are extremely proud of
our kids; they are very open-minded, understand and appreciate different
cultures and customs without judgment, are apt to try new foods, and have been
extraordinarily resilient in our travel fluidity. Whether they realize it or
not, world schooling during the pandemic has been a success so far.
Both
kids have learned about the Roman Empire, Middle Ages, and currently, we are
experiencing the Renaissance era from its birthplace in Florence, Italy. We
have walked ancient streets and palaces in Croatia, visited the War Museum in
Dubrovnik, stood in the Roman Colosseum, walked the Roman Forum, been blessed
by Pope Francis on a rainy Sunday in Vatican City, have seen the works of
Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, his statue of David, stood in front of
Rembrandt’s and Leonardo Da Vinci’s, and walked in awe through 13th-century
basilicas.
Parker
can explain Yugoslavia’s fall, the history and hardships of Croatia since 1991,
and describe the monuments of the Roman Forum in detail. My sweet McKenzie can
speak a few phrases in Croatian and now Italiano!
Of
course, there must be some message we are trying to deliver?! Brooke and I
relish our journey every day and are thankful for what our family is able to
experience.
Our
adventure and timing are not right for everyone, but right now, it is right for
us. We have learned that in life, you can’t live under the heavy blanket of
those trying to influence you, but that you must live your life under the
influence of your own choices. The pandemic has been bittersweet – economic
hardship, loss of jobs, sickness, lack of schooling, emotional stress, etc. In
some weird way, we have been able to take advantage of all the negative and
turn it into a positive for our family.
I
don’t know what is waiting for us back home, with my job uncertainty, our kids’
schooling, or the economic forecast, but in the meantime, we are enjoying
living our lives abroad, world schooling our kids, and taking advantage of the
positivity the world has to offer!
About us
Matthew
– 45 years old. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii. My father was in the Air Force, so we
moved around quite a bit when growing up. We lived mostly around the US, but we
also lived for 3 years in Australia. I was used to traveling from an early age
and have continued to enjoy traveling throughout my life. I went to college in
Arizona, where I met Brooke one summer. Post-college, I entered the Air Force
and went to flight school. I was a fighter pilot in the Air Force and flew
F-16’s for 20 years. I served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the early
2000s. In the last 10 years in the military, I was in the reserves where I
worked part-time as an F-16 instructor pilot. I retired from the military
reserves in 2018. While in the military reserves, I got hired on to a major
U.S. airline in 2007. I’ve been with the airline for 13 years and am currently
a Captain. Our industry has been crushed by the pandemic, and many of my peers
at other airlines are being furloughed and without jobs. I have enjoyed
traveling my whole life since I was a child and throughout my military and
commercial pilot career. I am very grateful for this opportunity in such
unprecedented times!
Brooke
– 40 years old. Grew up in Prescott, Arizona. She took many trips as a child
and has always loved to travel as well. She went to college in Arizona, and post-college
worked as an event planner until our son was born. Today, she enjoys
volunteering at school and raising our two kids as a full-time mother. We have
traveled together around the US, Korea, Thailand, New Zealand, France, and
Costa Rica. We take frequent trips back to Hawaii to visit my family. Brooke
loves adventure and experiencing new places also. Brooke is an avid kayaker and
skier.
Parker
– 13 years old. Born in Phoenix. Loves the outdoors, biking, camping, theatre,
and playing video games with friends. He has recently developed a growing
interest in history.
McKenzie
– 11 years old. Born in Phoenix. Loves dance, theatre, gymnastics, and acting.
Also looks forward to outdoor activities such as camping and kayaking. A
complete lover of dogs, cats, and all animals!
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