The Plan

Introduction to our adventure

2017 was not an easy year.
Our son went to Grade 4, which meant that there was no longer one loving teacher who got to know each little person in her class and build a relationship with them.. instead there were MANY different teachers and new subjects and ...EXAMS!! All of a sudden he was forced into growing up a little faster and learning about hard work and doing things because you HAVE to and not because you WANT to.

This was challenging.

Mr Cloete turned 40.
I am not saying that there were any signs of a mid-life crisis... I am just saying it was as if something 

was different. Frustrations grew from little nothings into mountains.

Also a challenge.

My little girl started school (Grade R) and she quickly became aware of a bigger badder world out there and that was also challenging.

I started feeling a little less excited about my job (my own business - we do payroll - check out our website here). Having done the same work for over 12 years started wearing me down. And to cheer myself up, and do my work with a smile became increasingly difficult.

And somewhere inside all four of us, we knew something was missing. Something that would connect the dots again and put the spark back in our hearts.

An adventure, perhaps?

So one ordinary visit to our neighbours across the road from us, Mr Cloete nonchalantly said: "let's take a year off and do a massive road trip through South Africa."

Oooooh YES :-)

Planning it all:

How on earth would we do this?
South Africa is such a vast country with so much to experience and see and learn.

So the first thing we did was to buy a massive map of South Africa at Mapstudio.

We then drew 12 circles - each with a radius of about 200km. The rough plan is to spend approximately a month in a circle with our base somewhere where we can still do our work (payrolls etc.) and school and then do short trips in the area that we are in.

Each circle has a number and there is a corresponding A4 page next to the map with notes on places to see, books to read and parks to visit (according to the parks listed on the SANParks website).

We would have to buy a 4x4 vehicle as well as a caravan, but we do not want to sell our house as we love the neighbourhood we live in as well as the school our kids go to.

So far, we disagree about a few key things:

1. I am not really a caravan-type of person. I quite like sleeping in a tent, the kind that sets up seamlessly. I think we can "wing"it in tents and if the African weather becomes nasty, we can try out an airbnb here and there. Mr Cloete says we absolutely have to buy a caravan.
2. Mr Cloete wants the kids to sleep in their own "add-a-room" so that we can still have the privacy of our own bedroom (wink-wink, nudge-nudge). I think they are going to be terrified sleeping outside the caravan...
3. I really love road trips. And I like doing them slooooowly. Mr Cloete wants us to pack up and go, reach our destination and set up camp and cover the places we are interested in without the caravan in tow.

Unfortunately for me, the 13 years of marriage have proven too many times that Mr Cloete is indeed the more practical one among us. He is very kind to listen to all my ideas nonetheless...

So that is where we are thus far with the planning, and there is still a lot of things to work out.

We now really need someone to rent our house, and we need a vehicle and a caravan.

Then we need to sell or store our stuff and we need to inform the school of our plans and get a homeschooling curriculum.

Anyway, what are some of YOUR favourite places in South Africa?

Please share so that we can make our notes!