“Success occurs when preparation and opportunity meet” – Zig Ziglar

Team Lilla is heading out on an adventure! We have decided to travel to Germany for 6 weeks this summer with our four children ages 5, 7, 9, 11. As we prepare for this epic journey we have had many people ask “Why?” Here I attempt to answer that loaded question!

Last year Erik and I visited Berlin Germany as part of a business convention. During our walk we found a street filled with embassies from around the world. Kenya next to Canada next to India next to Australia and on it went. Country after country all existed in one street block. We then turned a corner and there was a playground with a few children running around. It struck a cord with me that there are so many experiences around the world I want to share with my children.

A few months later Erik said “I think we should take a year off and travel around the world.” At first I laughed and then stopped myself realizing that if we really truly wanted to we could. What an experience! What an adventure! We spent the next couple of months tossing the idea around, the kids joined in “How about Africa? I want to see an elephant” “I want to go to Sweden to eat fish!” “Let’s go to China and see that big wall”

It was fun to dream, to envision the adventure of all adventures! In fact there is a study from 2010 in Applied Research in Quality of Life (yes that is a real thing!) that says people get MORE pleasure out of planning a vacation than actually experiencing it. So we continued to dream and brainstorm. Until one day we realized that Charlie (5) would hardly remember a journey around the world while Katie (11) might have a life changing experience. So instead we decided to create an awesome extended adventure each year between 6-8 weeks. This enables the kids to stay in school with their peers and provides me with the stable base of home.

Once that was decided we needed to look at where we would start this quest. All the same countries from above were thrown back into the ring…..South Africa! Sweden! China! We ultimately decided on Germany because it is enough out of our comfort zone (different language, different food, long plane ride) to challenge us but yet familiar enough (family friendly, wurst=hotdogs, many people speak English). In addition we have some family to visit (here we come Klaus Peter, Katja, Dieter & Karen!) and Erik speaks German pretty well!

So that brings us to the preparation! Six weeks seems long when you are trying to find lodging in each city and renting a car. Six weeks seems short when you find all the amazing things to do! We started with a map and plotted out the areas we wanted to see: Munich, the Black Forest, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Trier, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden (and we’re taking a day trip to Prague!). So many places and adventures to be had!

After plotting our course we printed a calendar to figure out where we would be and when. Then on to accommodations! We are using HomeAway for most of the vacation with a couple of hotel stays and of course we can’t forget the hospitality of our family! However, we found out right away we have too many kids! Finding accommodations for 6 in Germany is not easy. This limited our options but we have found some fabulous places that we are excited to experience! Of course the kids were pushing for a pool at every stop but that doesn’t seem too available in Germany! We have a garden level apartment in Munich, a farm stay in the Black Forest, an urban apartment next to the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin, and a hotel in Prague. Our goal is to “live” in these places, going grocery shopping and playing at the park with local children.

Erik has taken care of all of the travel arrangements including plane tickets, car rentals, and train tickets. He is so good at logistics! I just hope I can learn to read the train, bus, and other transportation schedules!

We took a family vote to decide on this trip. We explained to the kids we would be making some sacrifices missing things like soccer tryouts and swimming at the Gretna Pool with our friends. We also explained it wouldn’t be vacation everyday – mom and dad are still going to need to spend time on work. The world doesn’t stop because the Lillas go to Germany! They were all in!

In the spirit of adventure each child has chosen a project: Katie – create a video of the trip, Juliette – make a scrapbook of adventures, Sam – write a story about each city we visit, Charlie – conduct a very scientific review of each playground we encounter.

And so this adventure begins. We will use this blog to share our ups and downs as we travel. We hope to share our journey with friends, family, and anyone interested in Team Lilla!