E8⎮TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012 ON ON0

>>LIFE

Q: How do you make sure yourchildren will be safe on the nine-week trek?

A: Before we went to South Africaand Lesotho (Harper travelledthere with her family in 2007) wemade sure to get all the right shots:hepatitis and typhoid. We ate ma-laria pills everyday. And, I’m justnot a worrier. If we worried toomuch about what might happen wewould never leave the house.

Q: What are the benefits of show-ing your child a world that isn’t,well, as pristine as Disneyland?

A: Kids can handle a lot more thanyou think. Showing them the worldinstills a sense of gratitude for whatthey have and empathy for kids whodon’t have the same things. Whenthey grow up, they won’t rememberspecifics about what they’ve seen,but they’ll have a great foundationfor becoming empathetic adults.

Q: Your daughters are in Grade 7and 8. What happens with school-work?

A: Geography, history, they’lldrink in that stuff on the road. Thegirls are already working ahead ontheir math. They both love to readand will keep a journal. When theyget back they’ll make a presenta-tion to their class.

Q: This trip will cost about$20,000, you say. How do you affordthis?

A: About 10 years ago we bought alittle house and it’s now rented out.We’re borrowing off that equity. It’sa calculated risk. I’m a writer andhubby’s a handyman and farmer.We live super frugally day to day. Idon’t have nice clothes. We live in ahouse full of second-hand every-thing. We found a family to rent ourfarm for two months. They’ll takecare of the rabbits and chickens. Itworked out great for them. They’llbe paying the mortgage.

Q: And it’s worth it?A: There’s a difference between

want you want all the time and sav-

ing for that one thing you reallywant. That’s what we do. It’s allabout your priorities in life.

Q: Do you plan a trip like this? Orfly by the seat of your pants?

A: I plan and I really like planning.

We’ve booked about two-thirds ofthe accommodations. The rest is upin the air so we have some flexibil-ity.

Q: Any destinations you’re reallyexcited about?

A: Nicaragua. We’re staying in atree house near the San Juan River.No electricity. I researched it andhave done everything to prepare.We know how we’re getting there.I’ve talked to the person who ownsit several times. We’ve got our shots,bug spray to ward off Malaria. We’reprepared and we’re going to go forit.

Q: Do the girls pack their ownbags?

A: Of course! I gave them packingguidelines: five T-shirts, three pairsof shorts, a couple bathing suits, atowel.

Q: Camera? A: They each have a small digital

camera. Q: Your girls have been to Singa-

pore, Malaysia, Lesotho, Australia,New Zealand, the United States andparts of the Caribbean. After Cen-tral America, where to next?

A: South America

Nancy Harper, with daughters Molly, 12, Annie, 13, and husband Doog Farquhar, hike on their farm in Elora ahead of their two-month exploration of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.GLENN LOWSON PHOTOS FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Pacific Ocean

Gulf ofMexico

U.S.

ONTARIOToronto

New YorkWashington

Miami

PANAMA

DETAIL MAP

AtlanticOcean

400 km

PanamaCanal

Pacific Ocean

Caribbean Sea

COLOMBIA

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

COSTA RICA

PANAMA

Bocas del Toro

Monteverde

Fortuna

Osa Peninsula

NicoyaPeninsula

San Juan River district

PearlIslands

Tegucigalpa

Managua

Panama

San José

200 km

TORONTO STAR GRAPHIC

The family has racked up a lot of stamps on their passports and will pick up a few more with this adventure.

á Via train: Toronto to New YorkCity, Washington D.C. and Miami.(10 days) á Fly: Miami to Panama City á By public bus and ferry across Pa-nama: Pearl Islands, the Canal,central and western Panama, theHighlands and Bocas del Toro á Crossing into Costa Rica by publicbus. Then Osa Peninsula, San Jose,Nicoya Peninsula, Monteverde,Fortuna á Nicaragua: San Juan river regioná Fly: San Jose to Toronto

INTINERARY

á Start small, especially if you’re notsure what your kids can handle. Ifyou long to go to Europe, for ex-ample, but the thought of a longflight with kids is too overwhelming,why not try substituting QuebecCity for Paris? Or if you’re afraid thekids would be a nightmare on a longcar or camping trip, test them outwith something shorter and closerto home. á Give your kid some credit: Theycan almost certainly handle some-thing a bit more interesting than aplayground or amusement parká Don’t expect them to care aboutthe sceneryá Keep your sense of humour handy á Be flexible even if you have a planá Let them pick out and pack theirown luggageá By plane: Got a baby? Reserve oneof the bassinet seats. Toddlers andolder kids? Let ’em watch as muchTV as they want!á By train: Reserve a sleeping car ifpossible. Kids love the sense ofadventure and discovery as much asyou do.á By car: See as much of the U.S.and Canada as you can. Drive only afew hours day if possible and givethem plenty to get excited about atthe next destination.

TRAVELLING WITHCHILDREN

Gratitude, empathy benefits of travel TRAVELLING from E1