My name is Tom Russell, I’m 42 years old and I’m an independent bar operator from Bournemouth in Dorset. I am married to the beautiful Kate who turned 37 this year, and we have two children – Hunter and Bam. We are the Russells.

We’re pretty tight as families go, obviously we have our disagreements just like any other family. That said, we all seem pretty happy to live in each others company for the majority of the time. Which is lucky really, because we are about to embark on a trip that will see us living in each others pockets for the best part of a year!

Seeing the world as a family has been a dream for us for some time now, spurred on in no small part by the recent coronavirus pandemic, and we have now come to the conclusion that it is now or never. Hunter turns 8 this year, and Bam isn’t far behind at 6, and it wont be too long before hanging out with Mum and Dad in a van wont seem so appealing to them anymore. That, coupled with the fact that their education will be taking a step up soon means that its either now as a family, or as a couple after they’ve fled the nest. And you know what, I actually quite like my family, and I cant think of anything I’d rather do than see the world with them. Plus, the pandemic has taught a lot of us that educating small children isn’t actually too hard, but I’m not sure I fancy teaching GCSE level anytime soon!

There’s obviously a lot to think about with a trip like this. It’s not like I’m young and care-free anymore, I’m a middle aged man with commitments. I have businesses and employees to think about, and the education and welfare of my kids to consider, blah blah blah. And I was gonna blog about the hows and whys of what we’re doing, but actually I think Im just gonna focus on it being more of a travel diary.

So who exactly is this blog for? Well, when I first thought about writing a blog I had grand ideas of monetizing it, and getting sponsorship etc. I also thought maybe my experiences could help others if they were considering a similar idea. But, to be honest, I’m really just writing this as a record for myself and my family, and to stay in touch with the few people who might miss us (there might be a couple of them I hope), and if it helps or entertains anyone along the way then that’s a bonus.

Anyway, that’s enough intro from me, hopefully I’ll be back soon with some blog posts about where we are in the world…

xx