Our initial goal was to live in Germany for a year or two.  Then we scaled that back to slow-travel New Zealand first (so we might be able to adjust more easily to a different lifestyle, and work on developing a patchwork of income).

After several years, that wasn't happening so we came full circle and threw everything into a once-in-a-lifetime O.E. (overseas experience) starting and ending in Germany and aiming to see a few other European countries in between, drawing on all of our life savings to do so.

Initially we thought we'd document in a diary-like form what activities we did as we travelled and include our own helpful family advice, but incredibly limited mobile data put paid to that idea.  So now we are in the middle of overhauling our website to offer more on the 'bigger picture' of travelling in Europe on a budget and with family.

It has certainly been an experience and an adventure; at times a seemingly insurmountable challenge but with a few special bits in between.  Sadly the 17-month European tour is now over and we are settling into life in New Zealand again.