Travel blogger tales from Jenny at TraveLynn Family

A huge welcome to Jenny from TraveLynn family – we are so excited to here about her favourite travels!

 

Travelynn Family

 

Please introduce yourself and where you blog

My name is Jenny and my blog is www.travelynnfamily.com. Lynn is our surname, so the blog name is a play on words of Lynn / travelling. Our family is made up of myself, Dad, and our two boys, Arthur (aged 5) and Ezra (aged 3). We are on a mission to dispel the myth that adventure needs to wait until the kids are older. My boys have already hiked across the Himalayas, ridden sleeper trains across India, meditated with monks in Thailand, and most recently, traversed sub-Saharan Africa in a Land Rover with roof tents.

 

Where was your favourite ever  trip?

It has to be out 101 days overlanding Africa in a Land Rover. Our boys were just 2 and 4 years old at the time and we had no 4×4 experience whatsoever.  This adventure took us from South Africa, up to Tanzania and round to Namibia. A total of 15000 kilometres and 5 border crossings. We dealt with corrupt officials, impassable roads, once-in-a-generation weather events, and of course the usual toddler tantrums along the way. But all that pales into insignificance when I think of the seemingly endless nights camping under the African stars, the incredible wildlife experiences, the warm welcome from villages we passed, and the tighter bond we formed as a family. Africa stole our hearts and we will be forever changed by the experience.

 

 

What made you choose to go there and who did you go with?

Africa has always held a special place in my heart. Kenya was my first true travel adventure when I finished school at 18. I spent a summer working in the slums with street kids, climbed Mt Kenya, and travelled around making friends with like-minded people and opening my eyes to a whole different world. Then in 2000 when hubby and I met at Hull University, we spent our first summer together camping around Malawi. It was this trip together that bonded us as life-long travel buddies. We’ve been travelling ever since and have course been back to Africa in that time.

Our boys had been to Morocco a couple of times, but this adventure took us to the heart of Africa. We travelled just the four of us independently, no tours. We hired a Land Rover from friends living in South Africa, and camped in roof tents ever night under the African stars.

 

 

What made it so special?

We loved the beaches of Mozambique, the warm welcomes from Malawi, the epic wildlife encounters of Tanzania, the rush of energy from Victoria Falls in Zambia, and the uniqueness of Namibia. This was the ultimate adventure with kids and it felt so special getting off the beaten track on this well trodden planet. However, my favourite memory is huddling around the campfire each night, sharing stories of the past days travels, and planning the next around the campfire.

I have put together a big Africa with kids FAQ post on my website, which details our itinerary and answers questions on safety, vaccinations, malaria, 4×4 hire, routing, and what the boys thought of it all.

But what made it truly special was time. This was long-term travel which gave us the time to be on our own schedule, time not distracted by other commitments, time to just simply share day-by-day experiences together.

 

Where was your least favourite trip and why?

We honestly have never travelled anywhere that we’ve disliked and would not return to again. Travel with kids always has its challenges, but I really cannot think of a ‘least favourite’.

What destination is on your Bukit list ?

Antartica. A place that holds such a magical allure and is extremely difficult to get to. We’ve never been, but it is at the top of our list. But the sheer cost of getting there has meant it hasn’t yet happened. One day…

 

 

Thankyou so much Jenny for you travel tales and I do hope you get to Antartica!

 

Further reading

Travel blogger tales with Amanda Cottingham

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