Category Archives: Carlson / James Family Travel

Kenya and Tanzania

Why Africa?

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October 2018

This year, we’re going to Kenya and Tanzania, including Zanizibar and Mafia.

Why Africa? Before we did the RTW trip in 2001/2002, we asked the kids what they wanted to see:

  • Mark wanted to dive on the great barrier reef.          √
  • Chloe wanted to see a rain forest.                                      √
  • Heather wanted to go to Africa.                                           X

We never made it to Africa.

So for 17 years, there has been some pressure to go to Africa from some members of the family.  After being indecisive about where we were going this year at Christmas, Mark announced that he and Kirsten were going to Africa because they had found cheap flights. Sarah said “We’re going too” and here we are. Unfortunately Chloe is working over Christmas and can’t join us – her nose is only slightly out of joint, and  she has already created the ‘Didn’t go to Africa’ whatsapp family chat group.

And that’s the long version of why we re-started the family travel web site for a trip to Africa.

You’re welcome to leave comments on any of the posts. Please note that I’ve had to moderate them because of the robot spam we get,  so any comment you write may take some time to appear.  Have faith. You’re also welcome to sign up for email notification whenever we add new posts to the web site: Look for the signup in the left hand menu.

If you want to read about our trip in date order, then go off to Kenya!

If you want to see a list of all the posts we wrote so that you can pick and choose what you read, then go to this sitemap. 

If reading sounds like  a lot of work and you just want to look at the safari pictures, then go here.  

And we’ve also travelled other places. See the pick list at the top right to visit other countries with us.

Round the world trip - 2001-2002

The James/ Carlson Family Around the World Trip in 2001-2002

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August 11, 2001 – June 14, 2002

Sarah James & David Carlson and their three kids (aged 13, 10, and 8) took one year off and traveled the world. This web site is a family journal of the trip.

We left on August 11, 2001 and returned on June 14, 2002 – just over ten months of traveling.

Please feel free to read about our adventures. Don’t worry – all the stories have happy endings: No major illnesses, no thefts or accidents.

We’d love to get your feedback and questions too. The links below show our trip in chronological order, but if you just want to hit some of the highlights, try the wildlife in Borneo, volunteer work in India, rock climbing in Thailand, and diving in Bali and Australia. Most of your questions about “how’d it go & how were the kids affected?” are answered in “reflections on the trip” and “after 16 years”  pages.

Read the introduction to our trip. (updated July 31, 2001)
our Japan experience(updated Aug 31,2001);
our China travels (updated October 6, 2001);
our few days in Singapore.(updated October 6, 2001 & November 1 for our second visit);
rain forests and orang-utans in Malaysia(updated November 1, 2001);
our shoeless travels in New Zealand(updated January 11, 2002);
spiders, snakes, and crocs in Australia(updated February 22, 2002);
the beaches in Bali (updated February 24, 2002);
elephants and little gecko’s in Thailand (updated March 27, 2002);
“Horn OK Please” in India (updated May 4, 2002);
Jolly cold England (updated May 4, 2002);
Kilo’s of cholesterol in France (updated June 7, 2002); and
back to England to visit ‘The Aunties’ in York (updated July 1, 2002).
Reflections on the trip after two weeks back home. This includes costs and comments on educating kids while traveling (updated July 1, 2002)
After 16 years!