I am finding that traveling for a long time can be quite lonely. It is difficult to make friends due to the language and cultural differences. We all get a bit irritable being with one another 24/7 and need social contacts outside of our family. Facebook has saved me as we are able to meet with other traveling families who throw me a lifeline when I feel alone. It is hard to feel miserable and evoke sympathy when one is supposed be having a “trip of a life time.” Social media only shows the highs of traveling, no one wants to read posts about the lows so these moments are absent. Meeting and sharing with other families who also are traveling for months or years grants us an opportunity to share and support each other. Plus the kids get that crucial time to play and be silly.
Through Our Tribe Travels FB group we met Vicki, Mike and their daughters Amy and Izzy. After meeting we continued to meet daily and have adventures together, movies, swimming, playing in the park and eating many meals. We all connected beautifully and it was really nice. It felt good to laugh and relax. We hope to cross paths again in Cambodia, maybe volunteer together in a village near Siem Reap.
We also had a fun coincidence of meeting our friend Joana who we meet nearly three months ago on Tioman island in Malaysia. She is from Lisbon, working in Norway as a Sushi chef, and has been traveling in Vietnam and Cambodia since we parted ways. It was so wonderful to see her again and share travel stories.
Bochner Family Adventure 
Travelling can have it’s peaks and valleys and it’s hard to be away from home for a long time. Especially hard when someone’s not feeling good. You guys hang in and have fun. You’re not missing anything here. It’s all trump all the time. Sometimes I’d like to go to another planet with no internet newspapers tv etc.
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Suki, your blog is so good. You don’t sugarcoat things and that makes it really interesting. Also, it ain’t a marathon and you don’t have to prove anything – so come on home whenever you want to. I’m sure in many ways traveling makes you appreciate having a home and the freedom that brings. Also, the adventures and experiences are invaluable, it’s a great education for the kids to see the world outside of America. You’ll have to tell me about traveling with kids, cuz that seems to be another whole topic of conversation – their level of enthusiasm, their level of frustration, comfort, etc. All I know is, it IS an adventure. And sometimes more than an adventure, when somebody gets sick, then all bets are off. SO glad Cork is feeling better, that is the main thing. Here in America we’re working on a deal where Trump and all his supporters can have Alabama and we’ll take the rest of the country. We’re gonna make all the Trump supporters walk to Alabama, kind of like the old Trail of Tears Andrew Jackson devised for Native Americans going to their reservations out west, back in the day. It’ll be good for us to have all these people in one place, and good for them to move around a little; the ones who survive the trek will be in much better physical shape than when they started. Other than that, like Mike says, it’s all Trump all the time, with a little Southern-fried pedophilia thrown in to keep the story line interesting.
Big hugs to Jack and Addie! You guys are troopers!
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Loneliness is such a part of the human condition. I’m exploring some depths of it too and I’m loathe to do so. I’m glad you are finding connection along the way. It’s all we can do.
Much love to you!!!!
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