Nice to Meet You!
We are the von Berg family- Cynthia, Waker, and our two daughters S, and E.
We know all about the ups and downs of family travel, from lost loveys to lost teeth. We have traveled together as a family to more than 35 countries on every continent except Antarctica.
Leaving the Grind
When the pandemic hit, we found ourselves confined, like the rest of the world, largely to our own home. School closed. Playgrounds closed. My business closed. We bought a canoe. We brainstormed treasure hunts we could create in our backyard.
We started dreaming of a different life where we could continue to spend more time together as a family. We brainstormed a “Plan B” that involved a year of full-time travel, sometimes called a “family year out”, or “family gap year”. Slowly Plan B became Plan A and Sharing the Wander was born.
Full Time Travel
When our girls were 6 and almost 4, we sold our house in the USA and started our Family Gap Year with a 60+ day road trip across the United States.
You can check out our full cross-country itinerary including stops at 9 National Parks, 3 National Monuments, (and 1 National Memorial).
We spent months road-tripping around the USA and Canada-exploring together and learning as we traveled.
Then went international! We started with six weeks in Mexico, and slowly made our way East across the globe. We spent at least a month in each country, visiting Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil.
Then we flew to Europe and spent time in England, Wales, France, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, and Portugal.
After a quick stop in Spain, we took the ferry to Morocco and then headed to the Middle East. We explored Jordan, Israel, and even Palestine. We road tripped around Turkey, then headed to Vienna, Austria for the Christmas holidays.
After One Year
After a year of full-time international travel, we hadn’t even made it to Asia. We weren’t ready to stop traveling- so we didn’t!
For the next part of our adventures we focused on Asia: after some time in the United Arab Emirates, we visited Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam (twice), South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysian Borneo, Cambodia, and Japan.
Full-time travel allowed us to have amazing experiences together, including visiting 6 of the 7 New Wonders of the World (Great Wall of China, we’re still coming for you!).
Our kids followed an online school curriculum as we traveled, and we joined worldschool hubs or added in-person schools when we could.
Settling Down
In 2024 we settled in Porto, Portugal. While the kids are in a more traditional school now, we still travel as often as possible. We love to make memories and spend quality time together as a family.
We want our kids to value experiences over things, and we want to help other families do the same. You can follow our expat life and travels in Portugal at Porto Por Favor.
Planning your own travel? We can help!
Want to know more? Check out Why I Travel- A Love Letter
Looking to work with us? Details and qualifications are on our Contact page.
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