COUPLE SELL UP TO TRAVEL WORLD WITH CHILDREN
ACOUPLE have sold their home and given up successful careers to travel the world with their children. Andrea and Ben Williams from Cardiff Bay are leaving the UK next week to start the trip of a lifetime with their two boys Ethan, seven, and Alex, five.
So far they have managed to squeeze in trips to France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Mexico and the Caribbean around commitments in Wales.
But now they have decided to sell up and use the money for a variety of trips before eventually resettling in Australia.
Andrea, 36, said: “People think we are mad.
“Friends have said: ‘But you have a lovely life, lovely friends and family, you’re doing really well, have good jobs, a lovely place to live – why would you want to move?’
“But this is about finding time to be together as a family and getting use of the years when they are young.
“It’s all about timing. My husband was looking for a new challenge and we wanted to move house anyway so we thought ‘Shall we give it a go?’
“This is the right time. If we want time as a family then we thought let’s give this a go.”
They’ve already ticked off several trips across Europe, been to several music festivals – including Glastonbury – and been swimming with turtles and stingrays.
Now they’ve made the decision to leave Wales behind altogether as they head to Dubai, South Africa, Sydney and the Gold Coast before settling Down Under.
Andrea, who was born in Africa, travelled a lot with her parents as a child.
The family moved back k to the UK when she was eight before emigrating to Australia in 1997.
She later moved back to Wales to start a family with Ben in Cardiff.
She said the couple made a promise to each other h to never have any regrets and ultimately decided to commit to travelling the world as a way to spend more time with their children.
Ben was a sales director at GDS Group and was commuting two hours a day to work before he decided to take a break for the big trip.
Andrea, who advocated on behalf of families with deaf children in Wales, said: “Of course we are nervous. It’s a massive decision to make. It’s huge but so far we are all OK.
“The boys are older now and I want them to think about the world. I travelled a lot when I was a kid and it didn’t do me any harm.
“When you have kids everything in your life is routine and we are breaking that routine. You never know what is going to happen but it’s about taking the opportunity and make sure you have no regrets.”
The family will travel for the next few months before their children start school in Australia in January.
But Andrea said they won’t forget where they come from.
“Wales will always be in our hearts,” she said.
Ben, who is a Cardiff City fan, has pledged to go to every Wales rugby international game he can.
Andrea has set up a blog to share tips with parents wanting to travel with kids.
Read it at www.facebook.com/ Littlefootstepsbigadventures