We Are Back Home - Final Post

We’re finally back home after about 10 and a half months. Or 321 days, if you want to be precise.

We’re pretty excited to see friends again in Ottawa. Overall, this whole thing was an incredibly positive experience. Before leaving, I was pretty stressed about the trip (we love travelling but we never left home for that long). Then someone asked me: “When you’re 80, are you going to regret doing it, or regret not doing it?” That flipped a switch. And yeah… this is 100% one of those “glad we did it” life decisions.

Here’s a quick recap.

Some fun (slightly ridiculous) statistics

• We visited 15 countries… yes, that includes our own. We’re counting it. It’s our list.
• We slept in 84 different beds, which basically means we unpacked and repacked our suitcases 84 times. That feels illegal. Especially considering we spent 6 whole weeks in the same motorhome in New Zealand. Make it make sense.
• We took 44 boats. Forty-four. For context: I don’t even like boats. 
• Photos taken: 99 532. Yes, that is a good amount of pictures (with both our phones, one action camera and two other cameras). 
• We boarded 35 flights with zero cancellations, zero missed flights, and zero lost luggage. Honestly, we were starting to think we were travel gods…

…until, of course, our final flight from Calgary! 

The day started suspiciously well.

We returned the rental without issues (already a miracle), made it to the airport in perfect time, and even managed to enjoy a peaceful breakfast at the lounge like the seasoned, put-together travelers we had clearly become.

Then we headed to the gate and waited. And… kept waiting.

Boarding time came and went with absolutely no movement, always a great sign. Eventually, the gate agent announced there was a small mechanical issue and we’d be delayed “just a few minutes.” Ah yes, the famous “few minutes.” Then came the first text: delayed by one hour.

Then another: delayed further. At this point, things were getting… less “few minutes” and more “let’s emotionally prepare.”

After changing gates twice (because why not add some cardio), we realized they had switched planes. Suddenly, hope returned. A new plane! A fresh start! This was it!

We boarded, late, but on board. Spirits lifted. Maybe, just maybe, we’d still get out of here without too much drama. We pushed back. We taxied. This was happening.

And then…

The captain came on. They had “heard some noises.” Never the words you want to hear mid-taxi.

So instead of taking off, we turned right back around and headed to the gate. But don’t worry, we’d be staying on the plane while a mechanic came to check things out.

Because nothing says comfort like sitting on a plane, not going anywhere, for an undefined amount of time.

So we waited. And waited.

By that point, the delays just kept stacking up, and so did our doubts. Every new update felt less like information and more like a gentle way of saying, “you’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

But then, almost five hours later, something magical happened: We took off. Right before takeoff, the plane did a sudden swerve that felt like the pilot was dodging a pothole. 

But we actually took off. 

By then, we were supposed to already be home, probably halfway through telling our stories, with friends and family waiting for us. Instead, we were finally in the air, slightly delirious, very tired, and oddly proud that this, of all things, was the chaos that broke our perfect flight streak.

Honestly, it felt like a fitting ending. Because what’s a one-year trip without at least one “you won’t believe what happened on the way home” story?

And really had time to reflect on how we almost made it through 35 flights without a story like this.

Almost. WestJet sucks.

Highlights & Lowlights

Here is a super quick summary of the 16 places we visited. 

Yukon

Absolutely incredible. The mountains don’t even look real, and Whitehorse was way nicer than expected. Flying over Kluane National Park might’ve been the highlight of the entire trip. Would go back in a heartbeat.

Alaska

Also stunning. The glacier views from the cruise were unreal. Anchorage, however… let’s just say it didn’t make the highlight reel.

Vancouver Island

Victoria was great. Reminded us of Ottawa, but with a pulse. Tofino? Beautiful, but a bit overhyped. Ucluelet and Parksville ended up being the real winners for us.

Mexico City

Hard to judge fairly since I was sick the entire time. The kids loved the pyramids and lucha libre. I’m told by the rest of the family that the food was great. I’ll have to take their words for it.

Peru

Cusco was a great base with tons to do. Machu Picchu absolutely lives up to the hype, even if getting there feels like a quest. Next time, I’d focus more on hiking in the Andes. Rainbow Mountain was a hit for the girls… though Emma nearly didn’t make it. It turns out 5,000m altitude is no joke.

Galápagos Islands/Ecuador

Wildlife is unbelievable. Landscapes were solid, but not mind-blowing. For the price, I’m on the fence, but the family loved it, so I’m outvoted.

Panama City

Nice city, and being able to go from skyline to jungle (and monkeys) in no time is a big plus.

French Polynesia

Moorea was stunning. Snorkeling with whales, sharks, turtles, rays, basically a live nature documentary. Tahiti was just okay. Next time, we island-hop smarter (when we have more money). 

Fiji

Main island is fine, but the smaller islands are where it shines. Remote, peaceful, great snorkeling, unreal sunsets.

New Zealand

Our favourite country of the trip (for all of us). Both islands are amazing in totally different ways. Feels like a smaller, more dramatic version of Canada. Mountains, fjords, volcanoes, coastlines. I could live there.

Bali / East Java, Indonesia

Bali was my least favourite: crowded, hot, and messy. We wouldn't go back. East Java, though, seeing active volcanoes (actual lava!) and Mount Bromo was very cool.

Malaysia

Loved Kuala Lumpur: modern, vibrant, great food. George Town had a lot of character. Tried durian… will not be trying that again.

Singapore

Fantastic city: clean, efficient, and very easy to travel with kids. The heat was intense, but A/C saved us. Surprisingly festive for Christmas… they even found a place to skate.

Thailand

A bit underwhelming overall, mostly because I’m not a huge “sit on a beach” person which is kind of Thailand’s thing in the south. That said, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Khao Sok were great. 

Vietnam

Loved it. Hoi An and northern Vietnam were standouts. The Ha Giang Loop was easily a top experience. Would go back but in the fall when the air is a bit clearer.

Japan

Second favourite destination. Clean, safe, efficient, and somehow calm despite the crowds. Incredible food, culture, and overall vibe. We’ll definitely be back.

Planning: what worked (and what didn’t)

Before leaving, we spent 4–5 months planning and booked almost all our accommodations for the year, plus a bunch of flights for the first half.

We weren’t sure if that would feel too restrictive, so we only booked places with free cancellation. That turned out to be one of the best decisions we made.

Not having to constantly figure out where we were sleeping next was a huge relief. Yeah, it was a ton of work upfront, but it paid off. Especially when you’re trying to plan something on terrible Wi-Fi somewhere in the world.

Future us was very grateful for past us.

Now… where things didn’t go quite as smoothly: the budget.

We had a rough estimate for flights and accommodations, and we’d been saving for years. On paper, everything looked great. Very responsible. Very “we’ve got this.”

The small detail we didn’t fully think through? A large part of that money was sitting inside Mylène’s corporation. And yes, we knew taxes were a thing.

We just… didn’t really think about them.

So for most of the trip, we operated under the impression that we had plenty of money. Turns out… we did not.

We basically ran out near the end. A fun little plot twist. 

If we had realized earlier, we probably would’ve adjusted a few things, maybe slowed down, skipped a few splurges, made some slightly more “budget-conscious” decisions.

But honestly? No regrets.

You only live once and apparently, we chose to live it with questionable financial planning.

What would we do differently?

Honestly? I’m really happy with our itinerary.

But if someone else were planning a similar trip, here are a few things I’d probably do differently (or at least think twice about):

First (controversial take), I probably wouldn’t go back to the Galápagos Islands.

It was amazing. Truly. But… it wouldn’t crack my personal top 10. And it cost almost 15% of our entire budget… for one week.

Am I glad we did it? Yes. Am I 100% convinced it was worth it? …still debating.

That said, Mylène absolutely loved the wildlife, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trip for her so that box is now checked.

Next: I’d probably spend less time in Southeast Asia.

There were definitely highlights, but overall it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. And surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as cheap as I had imagined. We were paying about the same for meals in Japan as we were in Thailand, which was… not what I had budgeted for.

Also, after a while, travel fatigue is real. By about week 7 in Thailand, I was pretty done. If Japan hadn’t been our next stop, there’s a very real chance I would’ve started googling “how to go home early without admitting defeat.” Which brings me to another realization:

Next time, we’d probably do 6 months instead of a full year.

And finally… Bali. I know this might upset some people, but we would all agree to skip it.

Packing

Packing for a full year and staying under 20 kg per suitcase is… ambitious.

We bought these great Osprey roller suitcases with shoulder straps so we could carry them if needed.

We used the straps exactly zero times. Not once. Not even for dramatic effect.

The kids had backpacks which they often complained about (mainly Teddy). In hindsight, small carry-on suitcases would’ve been a much better idea (for them and for our sanity).

I also made a strategic decision to bring a 15L daypack because it could attach to my suitcase and I figured: smaller bag = less stuff. This was flawed logic.

Two issues:

• I attached it to my suitcase exactly zero times
• It was way too small

Getting my laptop in and out was a daily struggle, and I was constantly running out of space. Definitely should’ve gone 5–8L bigger.

We also brought… let’s call it “optimistic equipment.”

The action cam? Great for underwater shot, solid choice. The gimbal? Used it once. Once. We eventually shipped it home after unsuccessfully trying to sell it on Marketplace (turns out, no one urgently needs a lightly-used travel gimbal from someone giving up on it).

We carried some water filter throughout the year for nothing (yes, you can buy water everywhere), mosquito net, and random other items. 

We also got GPS tracking watches for the kids. Not cheap, but it felt like a smart, responsible parenting move.

And to be fair, they worked perfectly. Mostly because the kids never got lost. Except for the one time they did: on our last day in Banff when, of course, they weren’t wearing the watches.

Obviously.

Homeschooling

Not gonna sugarcoat it: Homeschooling sucked.

We followed the curriculum (went through it all three or four times), stayed on track, checked all the boxes. The kids learned what they needed to learn and honestly, they probably learned way more from the trip itself than from anything we tried to teach them.

But getting them to sit down and focus? That was… character building. For me. Actually maybe it was character destroying.

It tested my patience more times than I can count, and there were definitely moments where I thought Pink Floyd had the right idea: “we don’t need no education”.

Very, very happy to be done with that.

Advice if you’re thinking about doing this

Plan. I know some people like to wing it, but having a plan and changing it is way easier than scrambling when you’re already tired.

Try to prioritize direct flights. Almost all of ours were direct, and I’m convinced that’s a big reason we never lost luggage or missed connections.

If you’re going to Southeast Asia, budget more than you think. Yes, it can be cheap, but unless you’re eating the absolute cheapest food all the time, it’s not that cheap. Don’t expect $3 meals and $40 hotel rooms.

If you’re homeschooling your kids… yeah, I’ve got nothing. It sucks.

Make sure you can carry all your luggage in one go. We each had one suitcase and one backpack (kids just backpacks), and it made moving around way easier.

Get a Wealthsimple chequing account and debit card. They reimburse 100% of ATM fees and don’t charge FX fees. I only got ours near the end and saved a bunch of money pulling cash. Would’ve saved hundreds if I had it from the start. Let me know if you want my referral code 😉

And finally…

Don’t go to Bali. Unless you enjoy seeing garbage everywhere.

I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things. If you’re planning a long trip like this and want to chat, feel free to reach out.

Thanks

Huge thank you to our neighbours Jonny and Kat. They took care of the house, checked in regularly, shoveled, handled packages, and basically made sure nothing fell apart while we were on the other side of the planet. Way above and beyond. We’re incredibly grateful.

Also, a big thank you to our kids’ friends and their parents for helping them stay connected while we were away. It made a real difference for Emma and Teddy (and probably helped prevent at least a few dramatic “we’ve been gone forever” moments). 

Thank you to Vero, Martin, Madrid and Enki for coming to meet us at the airport in Ottawa for our arrival, even though it was very late. It was really special.

Thank you to all our family who joined us along the way and made this adventure even more memorable. We loved sharing parts of it with you.

And finally, thank you to all of you who followed along. This blog started as a way to document the trip for ourselves, but it also helped us stay connected with all of you, which meant a lot.

On that note, goodbye for now, and see you all soon in person!