Why mother who travels the world with daughter won't return home

Evie Farrell, 43, from Sydney, packed up her life last February and set off travelling around the world with her daughter. Photo / Mumpacktravel Instagram

This time last year, Evie Farrell couldn't have even dreamed where she is now.

But after the 43-year-old from Sydney lost a close friend and decided to pack up her life and A$30,000 ($31,000) in savings last February, she and her daughter, Emmie, set off on the adventure of a lifetime travelling around the world.

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Snorkel time! And in the sun ☀️☀️☀️ So happy it came out for our last day here in Coron. We snorkelled over coral gardens and two shipwrecks, ate fish and crab on the beach and swam in a sun shower. This tour had a lot of motoring between stops so Emmie and I sat on the front of the banka and she snoozed and I just stared at the amazing islands all around us. Another fabbo day 💕🌴☀️ . . . . . . . . #cebupacificair #soulofthephilippines #philippines #coron #lovecoron #gopro #snorkelaroundtheworld #travelph #choosephilippines #thefunnylion #travelwithkids #traveldiaries #jetsetkids #tinytravels #holidaywithkids #luxurytravel #travelstoke #palawan #philippinesphotocontest #visitphilippines #bestairline #traveldiaries #mysomewhere #escapesnaps #wearetravelmums #cebtravels #loveph #traveltheworld #traveldeeper #mysmilesnap

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Oct 22, 2016 at 6:40am PDT

Here, Farrell speaks to Femail about their first year away from home, what they've learned - and why after one year the pair still have no plans to come home, Daily Mail reports.

Originally, Farrell said her intention was just to travel for a year, but as their year comes to its completion, she said they have decided to go on for at least another six months:

"This year has flown by, we're not ready to come home yet," she said.

"We're about to go back to Vietnam and Emmie will go to school for a few months while I work and try to earn some money to keep us going.

"My savings have all but gone, but we're lucky as we still have rent coming in from our home in Australia, so that's keeping our heads just above water."

The mum of one is a firm believer in the idea that travelling is easier than many might think.

She said that not only is it cheaper than living in Sydney, but it's also rewarding.

"I've learned this year that if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen," she said.

"There's more to life than sitting at a desk every day to earn money to buy stuff. We've travelled for a whole year with one backpack and there's no way I'm going back to my old way of life now."

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Disneyland Paris, what a day! I'll write a post on it soon cause there's lots to share. There are some average things: rides breaking down, lots of construction, everything is very very slow and lacks the efficiency of other parks - and their timings are all wrong, a board will say it's a 10 minute wait but you queue for an hour. Annoying. But also so much great stuff: omg French people crack me up, they are so much fun at Disneyland. Making jokes - especially when the rides broke down, clapping along to ALL music, singing songs - our whole boat was clapping and singing to Its A Small World for most of the ride. That's never happened before, it was so much fun! And we went on rides we've never seen before, there's a strange Aerosmith rollercoaster collab and it's AWESOME! One of my all time faves. And the staff are just lovely and calm and chilled. We spent 13 hours in the park, walked 18km and we are knackered! Night night 💙💙💙 . . . . . . #loveparis #disneyland #disneylove #disneylandparis #weloveparis #visitparis #parislove #eurodisney #eminparis #photoftheday #lovedisney #parisfrance #parisjetaime #pariswithkids #openmyworld #ditchingsuburbia #seeparis #happydays #greatday #bestday #weloveyouparis #beautifulparis #castle #disneylandlove #lovedisneyland #disneylandparc #parisdisneyland

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Jul 29, 2016 at 2:55pm PDT

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Laying in bed at our hostel and can hear an old traveling man playing a ukulele in the common area. Sound relaxing? Well it's not haha!! 😂 Luckily the rain is really heavy and is kind of drowning it out!! No new pics from us today but here is three-year-old Emmie on her third trip to the awesome USA and second visit to Disneyland! It was my birthday so we stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel for a few days with my sister and we drank champagne, went to fancy restaurants and star-watched. Emmie had our second encounter with one of our faves, Joel Madden, [the first was when he offered to help with our bags at Sydney airport after a flight in from LA when Em was little] and we saw lots of fancy people. I had my birthday breakfast at the Polo Lounge and dinner at Goofy's Pizza Kitchen 😂😂😂. It was a well rounded celebration! 💕💕💕 . . . . . . . #hollywood #disney #disneyland #losAngeles #beverlyhills #disneylandcalifornia #disneygram #bhh #california #lalife #lovela #lovehollywood #disneychristmas #disneylandresort #visitcalifornia #travelkid #la #america #waltdisney #americanholiday #startours #babyem #disneymum #toddlertime #disneyphoto

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Nov 2, 2016 at 7:03am PDT

While travelling Taiwan, Malaysian Borneo, Bali, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, London, Paris and China - where they spent Christmas and the New Year - Farrell has been teaching Emmie, via theNSW Distance Education primary school programme.

Emmie has also been sporadically receiving formal education, such as when the pair were in Hoi An.

"The challenges of being away on a trip like this are mostly the same as the ones we have at home - schoolwork, manners, bedtimes and eating meals - we just deal with them in incredible locations," Farrell said.

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When the only one looking at the camera is a naughty little alien 😂 It seems so strange that only a couple of days ago we were in Cambodia visiting ancient temples and lazing on tropical, isolated beaches and now here we are at Disneyland Shanghai. 💙 It was raining today and there was hardly anyone in the park and we basically walked straight onto every ride - amazing! While rainy Disneyland's generally lack the Disney magic vibe, the 2pm parade cranked up the spirit - the cast and characters really interact with the crowds at this parade with lots of high fives, hand shakes and smiles 💕 Another day in the park tomorrow and then we are off to visit Hangzhou on our way to Wuxi. We can't wait - we 💙 China! . . . . . . . #china #disneylandshanghai #shanghaidisneyland #shanghai #visitchina #disneyland #disney #welovedisneyland #travelwithkids #disneylandresorts #disneylove #happiestplaceonearth #disneygram #disneyphoto #disneydays #familytravel #disneypics #disneymom #disneyfan #lovedisney #disneyaddict #instadisneyland #disneyparks #waltdisney #instadisney #disneythemepark #disneylife #lovedisneyland #disneymagic

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Dec 13, 2016 at 4:30am PST

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A couple of people asked about Emmie sitting on this buffalo and why I feel it's different to riding elephants - which we are strongly against! It's a good question and I'd be interested to know what you think. To me there is a world of difference. This buffalo is a working animal that is traditionally used in the rice paddies around Hoi An, often growing up with a young boy who cares for it during its life. We see them all around the town, just wallowing in rice paddies with their mates and a bunch of geese. That's the life of a working buffalo - work in the fields and then hang out when the work is done. This buffalo was clearly well cared for - they are also really valuable (around US$1000 each which is a huge amount of money here) and regardless of its owners commitment to animal welfare, financially it makes sense to care for the buffalo. In contrast, elephants are taken from their natural habitat, their spirit is cruelly broken through force and isolation and they are kept in awful conditions in elephant camps. These poor elephants are used for the amusement of tourists who watch them do 'tricks', jump all over them for selfies and ride in heavy metal cages on the elephants back as they climb steep hills in pain with the cage digging into their back. They are often chained in patches of dirt and kept 'obedient' with sharp bull-hooks that dig into their skin. It's heartbreaking to see, as they are such beautiful animals and so gentle. Their sole purpose is to earn money from the tourist trade - it's unnatural and cruel. And people still do it! 🐘 When we saw this buffalo in a field, its owner was laying on its back and it looked so amazing we went to take a look and Emmie asked if she could sit on the buffalo too and have a photo. The buffalo was placid and didn't seem to mind - his owner just gently plonked the her up there and she gave the buffalo a big hug - and that was it. I didn't have a problem with it at all - what do you think? Evie xo

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Oct 2, 2016 at 8:20pm PDT

"We've met other traveling families along the way and seeing Emmie have a great time with kids from all over the world helps me feel okay about her being away from her friends at home.

"She has made so many new friends and had wonderful experiences in all the countries we've been to."

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We had such a lovely morning here in Paris 🇫🇷 💙 We found our way on the metro from the airport, dropped our bags at the hotel and after a quick wet ones bath and a change of clothes in the WC we set off for a morning exploring while we waited for our room. We are in Marais so everything is beautiful - buildings, doors, footpaths, rooftops. We strolled along the Seine and when Em saw a small group of people playing bocce she ran over and asked if she could join in! And they let us play! It was so much fun playing with locals and we stayed for at least an hour. Kids bring so much to traveling - if I'd been my myself I would have walked by, or maybe liked to have join but not said anything. I can't imagine anything better for our first morning together in Paris than bocce by the Seine. We then walked to Notre Dame - oh my gosh it was so crowded, and a huge line for mass and to go inside! When I was here years ago I just walked right in for mass...so we will try again another day. Then a huge falafel salad plate for me and chips, blueberries and carrots for Em and off we went home to our room where we collapsed and have been sleeping for 12 hours. I'm going back to sleep now so I'm full of beans for a big day tomorrow! 💙💙💙 . . . . . . . . . #loveparis #visitparis #seine #bridges #visitparis #parislove #eminparis #potd #photoftheday #picoftheday #parisfrance #parisjetaime #pariswithkids

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Jul 26, 2016 at 4:56pm PDT

Next, Farrell and her daughter will return to Vietnam, before crossing into Cambodia to visit an elephant sanctuary and celebrate their one-year anniversary of being away from home:

"It was funny being away from home for Christmas and celebrating it in China," she said.

"We celebrated it by going to watch a Christmas show, ice skate and rock climb. We ate local xiaolongbao (Chinese soup dumplings) and caramel-flavoured Tim Tams which we managed to find in a supermarket.

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Rice paddy sunsets 💕💙💕 . . . . . . . . . . . #vietnamtravel #vietnam #vietnamtrip #vietnamwithkids #ilovevietnam #hoian #hoiantravel #lovehoian #hoianwithkids #travelvietnam #ricepaddies #hoianvietnam #hoiancity #vietnamese #wanderlust #funtimes #worldschool #holidayswithkids #happydays #bestdays #escapetravel #holidayswithkids #wearetravelmums #familyjaunts #lovinglife #traveltheworld #sunset #ricepaddy #newfriends

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Sep 15, 2016 at 6:04am PDT

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Seven months of travel today! I can hardly believe it! We've had the most incredible adventures in 10 countries through Asia and Europe, met wonderful people and spent so much amazing time together that I can't wait to get to Hoi An and chuck Em in school for a month! 😂 Thanks for all your support and love and comments, advice and good vibes 💕💕💕We've made some lovely friends here on Instagram and I'm so excited we've inspired other mums and families to travel too. Lots of love from us! 💙💙💙 This pic in en-route to our elephant waterfall wash in Chiang Mai ⭐️🐘💕🌴 . . . . . . . . . . . . . #sevenmomths #bigadventure #thankyou #anniversary #worldschool #wildandfreechildren #roadschool #worldschooling #livelofe #besthotel #lovechiangmai #elephantschiangmai #changeyourlife #happydays #bestdays #fivestarkids #holidayswithkids #wearetravelmums #familyjaunts #luxe #luxuryhotel #luxurychiangmai #thailand #luxethailand #thailandluxe #traveltheworld

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Sep 2, 2016 at 4:41am PDT

"I wouldn't change our experiences for the world, though, and hopefully our life will inspire more mums and dads to go on an adventure with their children.'

With regards to any regrets about packing up her old life in Australia, Farrell said she has none.

"This is precious time and if we weren't travelling, I would be at work every day and Emmie would be at school and being cared for by au pairs. It just makes sense to me to spend time together while she is young.

"It's the best gift I could have given her and the best thing I could have done for myself, too."

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I do love the beautiful memories we are making. Guess I should be checking out Em's face as much as mine when taking a selfie 😂😂😂 AND I left my fave white sunnies behind on the steps 😪 . . . . . . #kolnerdom #cologne #colognecathedral #cathedral #visitcologne #badselfie #kidselfie #lovecologne #germansummer #huffpostau #tinytraveler #bestday #happydays #traveldays #citydays #lovecologne #colognedays

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Aug 22, 2016 at 9:46am PDT

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It's our anniversary! We've been traveling together for SIX MONTHS today!! I can't believe it - where did the time go? It doesn't feel like six months at all. We are so lucky to be here in Paris to celebrate - thank you so much @thaiairways for flying us over. We're having the BEST TIME. Just got back from the Eiffel Tower at night, and we sat on the steps at the Trocadero listening to a French musician and singing along to Beatles songs with the big crowd of people from all over the world, the golden tower sparkling in the background. Had a lump in my throat as I cuddled Emmie on the steps and sung along 💙💙💙 . . . . . . #loveparis #happy #together #sixmonths #weloveparis #visitparis #parislove #eminparis #photoftheday #parisfrance #parisjetaime #pariswithkids #openmyworld #ditchingsuburbia #happydays #greatday #bestday #weloveyouparis #beautifulparis #happyinparis #bestever #trocadero #eiffeltower #anniversary #followyourdream #escapesnaps #huffpostau #funtimes

A post shared by EVIE & EMMIE 💕 (@mumpacktravel) on Aug 1, 2016 at 3:34pm PDT

For anyone thinking of trying long-distance travel, Evie Farrell says you can get in contact with her via her blog, Mum Pack Travel. You can also follow her adventures on Instagram.