John Tregembo sold his house, left his job and took his family on an unforgettable trip on the other side of the World. We caught up with him to ask how his Gap Year has changed him.
What have you have learnt from your trip away?
John (Dad): There is a big difference between hearsay and the reality of a country and it's people and culture. Personally, I love my place of birth (Cornwall), and I have not yet found anywhere else i wish to be, apart from Cornwall. Having said that, I now have a far better understanding of other countries and have learnt that travelling for so long is both tiring and stressful, especially when we have not had any itinery and things dont always run like clockwork. An example of this was our pre-booked hotel in Bangkok which just happened to be in the middle of the riots, we had to very quickly re-route as we had already booked flights in. This involved quick internet searches to find a way out of Bangkok sharpish.
Michael (15): I have learnt that you can never know what a place or people are like until you've been there, or talked to them. The world from television and travel programmes is a different thing entirerly to what is out there.
Nicki (Mum): I think that it doesn't matter where you travel the thing that makes a place special is the people you meet. So in some ways, you need to travel to meet a variety of people and learn about them and their country. Also I don't think that we realised how tiring it would be and that you would miss the boring things from home like a sunday roast and an afternoon sat watching films! The saying 'the grass is always greener' is very true as we expected to find that there would be somewhere more interesting to live but Cornwall is hard to beat.
Emmaline (13): I have learnt not to expect too much from each country because it's never how you expect it to be. If your hopes are too high, then you only end up being dissapointed.
Any hard times on the trip? Any arguments?
John: We have had plenty of arguments. Mainly due to the close proximity of other family members for so long and the stress of organising last minute itineraries. Personally, I've felt like packing it in and going home on a couple of occasions. My worst moment so far was when I collided with a filling station roof in the campervan in Australia.
Michael: yeah there have been hard times but that will happen where ever you are, beit in the living room at home or the Australian Outback. And arguments, well I am fifteen and my sister is thirteen, there have been arguments! But the worst time was when there were a lot of arguments in Australia. Being in the same confined noisey space together for about two months really grates on your nerves.
Nicki: the hard times are often when we arrive somewhere new and are trying to find somewhere to stay. We are all irritable and often can't agree on where to go especially if the accommodation is expensive and of poor quality! Generally, arguments are the type we would have had at home with two teenagers.
Em: Well it's not any worse than at home. Michael and I seem to get on relatively well considering our ages, but as we get more and more tired we all start arguing more. But nothing has really stood out as a bad point on my whole experience.
Have you found it a bonding experience?
John: Well we have always been quite a close family so perhaps the one thing I have noticed is we all seem to make decisions together more now, and the kids are pretty confident in most situations.
Michael: I think that bonding would be the wrong word. We can talk about things better and agree on things we would argue about before.
Nicki: We have always been close but being together all the time makes you more aware and that sometimes we make more of an effort to get along as there is nowhere else to go!
Em: I don't think we have bonded any more than we already were but it has sort of shown us different sides of eacother: good and bad. But now we seem to make ourselves work together when we know we have to, whereas before, we probably have got more stressy.
How did you go about organising the trip?
John: We planned the trip over a 2 week period after we had vacated our house. We all had a certain amount of input. Nothing was done in detail, we just quickly decided which way around to go and which countries we would like to visit, then bought the plane tickets.
Nicki: We basically decided between us which counries to visit and decided that 3 months in each area would allow us to be able to travel around and do a variety of things. We all agreed that we didn't want a fixed itinery.What was it like being away from school and friends?
Michael: Being away from friends has been the worst part, but it hasn't been a bad as I thought. I thought I would miss my friends a lot more, I miss them but I will see them again. So it doesn't bother me.
Em: Well I couldn't wait to leave at first and for the first 4(ish) months I hardly ever thought of it. But after spending so much time with the parents and having to be grown up, I have started to miss my friends more and more throughout the year. I also think it's because of how much internet I have had in the last few months compared to the beginnning, because now I can talk to them I do a lot more.
Best moments?
John: My best moment was descending on my first dive in open water in Thailand having completed the training necessary. The feeling was wonderful, just looking at an alien world for the first time will stay with me forever. Meeting fellow artist Ian Marr in Sydney and joining him and his friends at his family's place. We were invited to stay in the old shearers quarters on the station, a 35km trip on dirt roads in the outback, no light pollution, wonderful stars, I had a high old time there.
Michael: Diving would be one of the best moments. The first time you hit the sea and look down it's like nothing you have ever seen. I have watched TV programmes about it, but actually doing it is completely different.
Nicki: I would have to agree that learning to dive was the biggest highlight so far. Also driving in the outback, and seeing all the different animals in the wild and the varitey of parrots was great.
Em: Where to start? I think it would be diving: even though I wasn't sure if I would like it, the first thing I remember seeing was the big blue starfish. Another highlight was the roadtrip in Australia. We did argue quite a bit but the stars were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Also the fires in the middle of nowhere with nothing else around and cooking on them was fabulous! Oh and not forgetting staying with the Japanese family, it was a real insight into their culture, even though it was quite embarassing wearing Kimonos!
Worst moments?
John: Probably giving up my dog to new owners before we left. I just didn't think it would have been fair to leave her in kennels for a year.
Michael: Leaving our dog was the worst part because I probably will never see her again. Family will be there when I return, my pet won't.
Nicki: Again I agree, leaving the dog was hard. During the trip itself the overnight flights are really hard as it takes a day or two to get over them, even if there isn't much of a time change. And dressing up in the kimonos was a highlight and a worst moment at the same time especially as we went to the temple in them and hardly anyone else was dressed in them. I felt very uncomfortable as i wasn't Japanese and i was in there special clothes.
Em: Well the dog would be the worst part for me, I can't really think of any time I have really hated it and wished I was back home though. During the trip it all has been pretty alright.
Did you have a desert island disc that reminds you of the trip?
Michael: Not an actual CD but I have certain songs for certain countries that I listened to constantly. i have Fireflies 'Owl City' and Smile 'Uncle Cracker' for Australia and the Outback. Chopin's 'Minute waltz' I listened to in New zealand and Katy Perry's 'Waking Up In Vegas'for America. They instantly remind me of the trip whenever I think of them.
Em: I have 2 songs: firstly, Jack Johnson's 'Better Together'reminds me of the bumpy roads in the campervan in the Outback, and also Smile's 'Uncle Kracker' for Queenstown in New Zealand, because I sat in our window seat and watched the lake and looked up at the snow topped mountains. Also I listened to it excessively whilst skiing, and it actually improved my technique!
Any advice for another family considering embarking on a trip like yours?
John: no not really, the whole point for me was not knowing what to expect or be forewarned of anything.
Michael: I saw a T-shirt in Cambodia that said: 'Losers Plan It,' which in my opinion is true. If you plan too much you don't enjoy it as much because of meeting deadlines. Have some thing's planned so you don't waste time or miss places. But remember to be chilled about it.
Nicki: don't be afraid to do it as there will always be things you wished you had done or didn't do, you don't know until you do it. Just be relaxed and flexible as things don't always go to plan.
Em: I agree with everyone, especially Michael. Being the youngest is good because it isn't so stressful, but if there were children our age I would just probably say be warned of growing up (becoming more mature). Throughout the trip, it sort of just happens because most of the time it's just adults you meet.
What was the one gadget you couldn't have lived without on the trip?
Michael: iPod definitely. When there are arguments, ot there's nothing to do, I'd fade away into music and daydream for a while. Music puts you in moods: it can cheer you up and put you down, music is powerful.
John: A credit card, not really a gadget I know.
Nicki: I don't think there is. But pegs always come in useful for a variety of uses!
Em: iPod, definitely. Especially listening to songs I used to listen to last summer. Those songs have really good memories for me of my mates so they're good for when I'm missing them or feeling down.
