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In 2009 my wife and I sold our house in Winnipeg, Manitoba so we could spend a year traveling around the world with our kids. When we returned to Canada, we relocated to Vancouver Island and moved into a community house with another family and a few university students. (12 in total) We’re currently in our third year.I wrote a book called Four Homeless Millionaires, about our odyssey of adventure, to inspire other families to invest in their wildest, craziest dreams at all stages of life.
CURIOUS? Inspired? There’s more:
In the throes of a global recession, as economists advised the population to batten down the hatches and weather the stormy seas with fierce fiscal restraint, Rik and Zara Leaf sold their home in Winnipeg, MB, to spend a year traveling around the world with their son Zion and daughter Riel. As the economists zigged, the Leaf’s zagged, and invested their life savings in the adventure of a lifetime.They filmed family horror movies as they traveled across Canada, got caught sneaking onto a Hollywood set in Hawaii, ate mafia-made pizza in Germany, survived a feral dog attack in Malaysia and dorsal fins emerging from the surf as they swam off the coast of Australia. It was an odyssey of adventure and discovery.
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Over the course of the year Rik produced a video series called, “Where in the World are Zion & Riel?” that allowed friends, fans and family to share the family’s journey through social media. QR codes to these videos are included throughout the book, providing an innovative and interactive reading experience.
Story resonates with individuals in the intermediate stages of family and career, who value risk-taking and pursuing exploration and discovery on their own terms. They are the type of people who search for experiences just off the beaten path.
You can watch a trailer for the book below:
If you want to know about this wayfaring family, Rik has been diligently blogging many of their travels on his website. Dig in!
They had me at “daughter Riel”. Riel! What a great Manitoban name!
Ha, ha…best comment ever!
If you like the topic I highly recommend participating in the worldschoolers group on facebook. It has tons of stories of people that travel around full time, part time, sailing, hitch-hiking, by bus, car, camper, RV… you name it! It is also very inspiring!