A midwife is making the most of her maternity leave by travelling the world with her five-month-old baby.
Esther Draycott from Nottingham gave birth to Reuben in June.
Last month, the 31-year-old mum and her husband Daniel, packed a few bags, grabbed their toddler and headed for Vietnam – the first location of many during a six-month-long journey across the globe.
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The couple were also joined by Esther’s daughter Bella, 13, taking her out of school and educating her on the road.
They are using their savings and inheritance money to fund the adventure.
“We were on honeymoon in Thailand [and] fell in love with South East Asia and realised that we hadn’t seen enough of life and the world,” Esther, from Nottingham, told Luxury Travel Daily.
“We wanted to do some travelling ourselves but it felt impossible.
“I saw a post online about another NHS worker who was travelling during maternity leave.
“We didn’t book the flights until Reuben was born and we knew we were both healthy enough to travel.
“A lot of people thought our plans were crazy.
“I don’t think they believed we were going ahead with it until we booked the fights.
“The grandparents were upset that they would miss out on so much of Reuben’s first year but they were supportive because they know it’s an amazing opportunity for us all.
“My biggest fear was our health while we’re away but I was treated for a sinus infection and the private healthcare out here is outstanding and I made sure we took out a very comprehensive travel insurance in case we needed it.
“I’m also breastfeeding Reuben so I know he’s getting lots of antibodies and I don’t have to worry about making up or sterilising bottles.”
The family of four are currently in Cambodia.
They plan to cram in up to 11 countries including Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa and the Maldives, before they go back to the UK in April.
Esther describes the experience as “amazing” for Reuben’s development.
Bella also helps take care of her little brother.
Esther said: “There’s baby sensory everywhere we go with all the different sights, smells and sounds.
“He happily sleeps in his carrier and loves all the attention he gets from locals.
“He’s such a happy and relaxed baby.
“We plan our activities to avoid the midday heat and we book our accommodation a day or two in advance which gives us the flexibility to stay put and rest if we feel the need.
“We know he won’t remember the trip but we feel so lucky that we get to spend every day together as a family when he is growing so fast.
“It’s been much easier than we were anticipating.
“There are some grumpy days or nights where he wakes up a lot but being away doesn’t make it any more difficult.
“The school agreed with us that it would be educational for Bella as she will learn so much about history, geography, culture and religion.
“We plan to take her to the genocide museums in Cambodia and to teach her about the apartheid in South Africa.”
The couple had been carefully planning the trip for almost two years.
Engineer Daniel is on sabbatical and will head straight back to work when they return.
Esther and Daniel decided to travel light with just one check-in bag, a collapsible stroller and three hand luggage bags.
They also prepared for Reuben’s growth by packing three to six months of clothing as well as six to nine months.
Esther said: “We planned so carefully what we would pack but we didn’t need most of it or could have bought it out here.
“We would have packed less if we’d known.”
Esther documents the travels on her Instagram account Draycott Family Backpackers to encourage other families to follow in their footsteps.
Esther said: “When I was looking for advice and trying to research travelling with a baby, I couldn’t find much.
“I built up the confidence by watching another woman on social media and blogs who is doing the same thing.
“It would be great if sharing our experience could help families to travel.
“We’re having an amazing time and taking it all as it comes.
“We don’t even know what country we’ll be in at Christmas.”
