Author Description

GRAB THE KIDS & GO: A Practical Guide to Your Family's Gap Year is written specially for parents who long to discover the world with their kids, but are overwhelmed by seemingly insurmountable logistical, financial and emotional obstacles. It offers recommendations, advice and answers to questions, from how to design the ideal itinerary to match your budget, to how to manage fussy kids on the road, to how to have your home and pets cared for in your absence. Peppered throughout this book are anecdotes from the author's personal experiences. You will also find words of wisdom from other well-traveled parents who have made exploring the world an integral feature of their families' lives.Taryn Ash, her husband, Sam and two kids, Declan and Scout, put their comfortable lives in the U.S. on hold for several glorious months, to embark on a life-affirming tour of 12 countries on four continents.Together they camped atop a 4x4 in the Namibian desert, ate spicy cobra in Vietnam, taught English to enthusiastic youngsters in Zimbabwe, and earned blisters on their hands restoring a medieval fortress wall in southern France. They hunted for tropical shells with local children on a remote Philippine island, worked hands-on to rehabilitate monkeys and baboons in South Africa, and collected data on African wildlife for academic research. They splashed their ways through pitch-black tunnels speckled with florescent glow worms in New Zealand, practiced Buddhist chant under the tutelage of a wise monk in rural Laos, and learnt to kite board through the winds of the South China Sea. And that's not all.This book was written with the sole purpose of helping adventure-minded parents to grab the kids and go on their extended family vacation of a lifetime.