Life-changing experiences, unforgettable memories, and beautiful photos—these are what come to mind when one thinks of a year-long family trip.
But Margaret Bensfield Sullivan, recalling the year she spent abroad with her husband and two children, said there were mistakes behind the adventure.
From encountering piranhas in Brazil to being stranded at an airport in Mozambique, the Sullivans experienced many unexpected challenges during their trip to 29 countries.
unexpected beginning
“I think people are very surprised that we do this because we don’t fit the profile of what you would imagine a family to do,” Sullivan said. “We have a great life. We settle in and make our way — two Great kids, a great career, an apartment, a dog.”
Pictured here are the Sullivans in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia during a year-long travel adventure that visited 29 countries on six continents.
Margaret Bensfield Sullivan
But that changed in 2017 after Sullivan, who had been a partner at a brand marketing agency in New York, returned from a business trip to Tanzania, which she called an “eye-opening event.”
The trip made her realize that the world was a big place and her life was just a small part of it.
I realized our family needed a shake-up. We need to get out and see what’s going on.
Margaret Bensfield Sullivan
“So I had to ask myself: ‘What am I missing out on because I’m busy at work or busy with the daily tasks of life?'” she said. “I realized our family needed a shake-up. We needed to get out there and see what was going on.”
Additionally, Sullivan said she wants to spend time with her family while she still has the chance.
“I worry that one day I’ll wake up and ask myself, ‘Where did the time go?'” she said. “Taking a year off like this is a way to prevent future regrets.”
planning
Before leaving, Sullivan and her entrepreneur husband, Teddy, spent months preparing to study abroad.She said they had all reached the natural end of their careers, so they Decided now would be a good time to take a year off.
The Sullivan family on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Margaret Bensfield Sullivan
“The best part: canceling all the bills. Without a single bill, we hit the road…our home is now our suitcase,” she said.
A year’s budget is an important consideration, she said.
“The thing that keeps us sane is — it’s finite,” she said. “It has an end date, which is very reassuring.”
Sullivan said she and her husband decided to opt for a warm-weather itinerary, or “follow the sun,” which became The title of a book she published about their year abroad
“We bought a huge white wall map and put it on the wall of our apartment. We looked at it every day and dreamed about where we wanted to go,” she said.
Eventually, the Sullivans hired a travel agent to help with planning.
“This was not an ‘improvised adventure,'” she said, adding that by the time they left, they had been planning for three months.
In January 2019, the Sullivans left New York and traveled first to South America, then to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and finally to Asia and Oceania before returning home.
misfortune
During their travels, the Sullivans experienced “terrible” stomach bugs in Beijing, altitude sickness in Peru and a lice infestation in Berlin.
The Sullivan family in Machu Picchu, Peru encountered some unexpected situations during the year.
Source: Margaret Bensfield Sullivan
“We had packed every medication we could think of and I never thought we would encounter lice,” she said. “In New York, there are various services available to rid children of lice. That doesn’t exist in Germany.”
There is also a story in the Sullivan family that is now known as the “Piranha Story”, which happened while fishing in the Amazon rainforest.
Sullivan, who is afraid of fish, said someone on the boat threw a live piranha into her lap.
“I screamed bloody murder, pitched backwards, hit the bottom of the boat, and brought my daughter back with a live piranha writhing between us. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever experienced,” she said.
“We ate the piranha that night and its jaw is now mounted in our house.”
mistake
In addition to these misfortunes, Sullivan said her family also made many mistakes, including following a travel agent’s advice to visit an orphanage in Vietnam.
“We immediately realized we shouldn’t be there. We felt terrible about it,” she said. “I cannot say strongly enough that this type of tourist destination is completely irresponsible and no one should visit an orphanage.”
Watching the sunset in the Amazon rainforest with her children, Margaret Bensfield Sullivan said the family doesn’t argue or blame each other when things go wrong. “We’re just going with the flow.”
Margaret Bensfield Sullivan
In Cambodia, the Sullivans saw a sign near the airport that read: “Children are not a tourist destination. Do not visit orphanages.”
“Wealthy tourists come to a place and feel like they want to contribute or do good. So they… hand out school supplies in schools, which doesn’t help the community,” she added. “It’s harmful and potentially exploitative.”
“Visiting a country with respect, respect and curiosity, like visiting France or Japan, is the right thing to do,” she said.
wrong assumption
While abroad, the Sullivans also reflected on the gap between their expectations and reality during their year-long journey.
“We thought we would have a lot of free time,” she recalled. “I thought: ‘This is it, this is my big year,’ and sat down and worked on all the creative projects I wanted to do and (watched) all the shows I wanted to watch.”
“But we had two little kids and no free time,” she said of her children, who were four and six at the time.
The Sullivans reluctantly left home with just their carry-on luggage, but were surprised to find their luggage was only half-packed.
“You just don’t need as much as you think,” she mused.
The couple also found themselves surprised by their energy levels during the long trip.
“We basically go to bed at 8:30 every night in our room. It’s proven that rest and de-stressing can energize you,” she points out.
Family differences between adults and children disappear when they venture into unfamiliar territory, Sullivan said.
“My husband and I were clumsy, clueless, nonverbal, fragile… We didn’t know everything. We quickly shed our parents’ façade of invincibility,” she admits. “At the same time, our kids are proving themselves to be very funny, very brave, very curious.”
more good than bad
Amid all the challenges, Sullivan revealed that the biggest lesson for the family was learning how to visit places without judgment.
“We just learn to go to a blank place,” she said. “Embrace it and just ask questions because we all have assumptions about the rest of the world.”
After traveling to six continents, Sullivan said she’s learned that people just want to help each other in life.
Sullivan, who was seen in Egypt after a year abroad, said her family’s bond has grown stronger since they returned home.
Margaret Bensfield Sullivan
“Across the world, the common language is indeed kindness,” she said. “We went home that year thinking there were more good people than bad people in the world, and most people just wanted to help.”
When asked if she had any advice for others, she said pick a date and stick to it.
“Once it’s on the calendar, you can work backwards,” she said. “It makes it more real.”
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