Single mum takes kids around the world for just $100 a day

After being diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis at 41, Aussie single mum Lara Flanagan to decided life was too short.

She packed her bags, sold her car and business, and decided to take her nine-year-old twins on an around the world adventure.

That was nine months ago, and the family of three and have been travelling through the US, Costa Rica and Italy surviving on a tight budget of just $100 a day.

“Being diagnosed with MS at just 41 was a real shocker,” says Lara, who hails from the rural NSW town of Tenterfield.

“I’d not long been single and was busy trying to start a new life for me and the kids. To not be well physically and told I might end up in a wheelchair, was devastating.”

After gaining control of the condition, which had left her with debilitating fatigue and nerve pain, through a special wholefood diet, Lara decided ‘life was too short’ and used her $6K savings to book the spur of the moment trip.

“I’d travelled overseas when I was younger and I knew that experience was what I wanted more of for us,” Lara says.

“Still, I never imagined we’d end up backpacking around the world. I’d been on the phone to a travel agent discussing a short holiday, when she mentioned there was a sale on round the world tickets.

“I booked them on a complete whim and didn’t sleep for two days after.”

Lara went on to sell all her belongings – including her cake making business – to fund their backpacking adventures.

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Since departing in July last year, Lara has been trying to give twins Archie and Larissa a genuine experience of each country they visit while also keeping to a strict budget.

“We’re living off just $100 a day, which when I think about, is amazing,” she says.

“Back in Australia, you’d struggle to survive on that but we’re managing fine, even with my special dietary needs.

“Now everything we own fits into our backpacks and we find ways to live cheaply such as house sitting. It’s been really liberating. ”

Despite loving the traveller life, Lara is the first to admit that the kids initially struggled with it.

“I don’t think they really understood the enormity of what we were doing,” she explains.

“Our first day, our flight was diverted to Washington instead of landing in Dallas, and we ended up spending the night in a train station.

“Larissa was in tears, asking me what I’d done. Thankfully, things have picked up since then and we’ve found our rhythm.”

While they’ve been gallivanting, the kids have been enrolled in a distance learning program, but will eventually have to return to school.

“I’ll be really sad when our adventure comes to an end, but I know they’ll have a lifetime of memories,” Lara says.

“They’ve learnt so much about life at such a young age because of what we’ve been doing this last year.

“I think they’ll be stronger, well rounded kids because of this experience as they’ve been exposed to so many challenges and cultures.

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“We’re heading to Thailand and Cambodia soon and then we have to head back to Australia.”

But it looks unlikely that will be the end of their travels.

“Larissa and Archie are already trying to convince me to buy a campervan once we’re home so we can travel Australia.

“I’ve spent $32,000 on our globetrotting adventures so far, but I think it’s been worth every cent.

“We’re so much happier living life like this.”

Here’s a breakdown of their travels to date:

July 16 – Providence Rhode Island, where they went to baseball and visited Narragansett Bay.
Aug 16 - House sat in New York, visited Statue of Liberty, got lost in Central Park, and explored Highline and Greenwich Village.
Sep 16 – Stayed with friends in Princeton, New Jersey and Washington D.C.
Mid September – Travelled to San Jose, Costa Rica. Stayed in Monkey Beach cabins in Cabuya where they lived very simply and visited the isle of the dead.
October to December – Stayed in Atenas, where they volunteered at a local community centre teaching English to young kids.
December 16 – Went back to the US for winter where highlights included a trip to NYC to go ice-skating and seeing Christmas decorations and experiencing snow.
January 21 – They took part in the International Women's March.
Jan 23 – They went to Rome where they visited the Colosseum, Roman Steps, St Peter's and ate pizza and pasta.
Feb – Visited Naples, Matera, Lecce, Gallipoli, exploring Lecce old town, Amalfi Coast and Florence.
March to now – They went to Tuscany, Italy, where they are doing a WorkExchange, working with a family to teach English conversation practice for the kids.

- With additional reporting by Caters News

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