A must-read for any parent pondering extended family travel, Following the Sun offers a refreshingly honest account of one American family’s decision to uproot their conventional life and embark on a year-long adventure around the world with two small children.
After having an epiphany (the world is big and our time is short), working parents Margaret and Teddy Sullivan make the drastic decision to quit their jobs, give up their New York City apartment, pull their two kids (four and six) out of school, and leave the U.S. with nothing more than carry-on bags to travel for a year to twenty-nine countries spanning six continents.
Following the Sun transports readers along their ambitious itinerary through vivid descriptions—cloud forests in Peru, horse races in Mongolia, sunsets in Zimbabwe—and in the process, answers commonly asked questions: What did they pack? Where did they go? How did they stay sane with their kids around all the time? It also answers plenty of questions no one asks, ever. Like what to do when your five-year-old projectile vomits on a crowded Saigon bus, or what not to do, under any circumstances, when piranha fishing in the Amazon.
More than a travelogue, Following the Sun reveals practical hacks and hard-won wisdom—about travel, about the world, and about being parents. Most important, it offers a glimpse into what can happen when a family steps off the treadmill of daily life to experience adventure together while they still have the chance.