We enjoyed hanging out in Pisac and while we didn't explore the ruins which the town is famed for, we did spend time wandering the markets, enjoying local coffee and food, going swimming and preparing ourselves for the next leg of our adventure.

Our recommendations:

Ulrike's Garden Cafe:  If you are looking for a place which serves a great breakfast, lunch and dinner then Ulrike's is the place, especially if you have kids as they have a playroom of sorts which helps occupy them while you eat.

The best of the rest:  Definitely spend some time checking out other eateries, the kids also loved the Blue Llama for its colourful decor and banana bread.  Hit the markets to get those last minute souvenirs and just wander around the town to get a feel for what Pisac has to offer.

Well I must admit we have had a lovely time hanging out in Pisac especially as we had the pleasure of staying at Percy's Family Home while we were here.

February was a pretty busy month for us as we ended our 12 month lease on the hostel and moved out of our apartment in Cusco, all within a couple of weeks of each other.  So all I can say is thank goodness for Percy and his hideaway accommodation.  I am not sure how well I would've handled all of it otherwise.

Percy's Family Home accommodation is set off from the street - actually if you didn't know where it was, you wouldn't even know it was there.  It is a small complex, which at the centre, lies an immaculate garden space - a perfect place to sit and while away the afternoon.

Percy's Family Home is just that - a space for families, couples and individuals to relax and unwind and it's not too large so we aren't so fearful of disturbing anyone with our "noise".  Percy's Family Home currently has 3 rooms available at present, although Percy is looking to add two more later this month to bring the grand total to 5.  Currently on offer are a family room for 4, a double room and a single room.

And in terms of location, it doesn't get much better.  Percy's Family Home is just a hop, skip and a jump from the central Plaza, the markets and the restaurants.  And of course we can't forget the swimming pool which is only a 2 sole mototaxi ride away; I think we have been 4 times in the past week and are planning on going back tomorrow for an early morning swim before we pack the van and head off to our next destination.

So if you are heading to Pisac, contact Percy to check on availability.  While the kitchen and bathroom areas are shared by those in the complex, the clean and spacious rooms more than make up for it.

For more information visit Percys website, www.percysfamilyhome.com or their Facebook page.

The Meeting Place is a cafe in San Blas, Cusco which is well known for its waffles and milkshakes but for many locals and visitors it is much more than that.

The Meeting Place Cafe exists to reach out to the community of Cusco by giving all of their profits from the business to a handful of specific projects including Altivas Canas.  The purpose of the project is to provide a place for children of single mothers to come and be supervised in a loving and wholesome environment, which allows the mothers to be able to go out and work. This helps the mothers to be able to provide for their children and household needs.

They house volunteers and missions in their guesthouse upstairs, they open their doors to a local writer's group who meet and share their journeys and jottings each week, they hold Sunday evening discussions and they operate a mini book store in their back room (you can essentially do a swap or direct purchase).

The atmosphere is friendly, the setup cozy and the food delicious.  If you wander to The Meeting Place often enough you will start to recognise familiar faces and be taken into the fold of a very friendly local and expat community.

Or if it's just a great coffee you are seeking, then you have come to the right place.

You can learn more about The Meeting Place Cafe on their Facebook page or website.

We have been busy of late and the clock is ticking...fast.  With just one week to go in Cusco, we are trying to tie up the loose ends before we set off on our journey.

Next week we head to Pisac to stay at Percy's Family Home and we can't wait...

So what have we been up to recently?

Well we finalised our lease with Casa Emilia and said goodbye to the hostel we have called home for the last 12 months.  And we have managed to sell the majority of things we had purchased when we set it up.

My husband and I have been trying to finalise our dental appointments so we don't have to concern ourselves with any major dental surgery on the road - I am told Bolivian dentists aren't the best so we should wait until Chile or Argentina until we do any more work.

We have been sourcing new sponsors for the big journey ahead - Twitter has been especially helpful for that.

We have been shedding our stuff bit by bit so we can eventually fit all of our belongings into the van and saying goodbye to friends.

Cusco has been a great opportunity for us all as a family - we have learnt a lot and achieved a lot but now it's time to move on....

After having lived in Cusco for over a year and a half, we can definitely conclude that Cusco is a great place to visit.

There is so much to see and do for all ages.  Whether you have young kids or those more of the teen age, Cusco has much to offer.

Whether you family is up for hiking in the hills, exploring caves, visiting a llama farm or just heading to the park for a chill-out day, it is all possible.

And one of the best things, is that once you get to Cusco, the cost of staying here is relatively cheap. There are accommodation options to suit all budgets and food is relatively inexpensive.

So all in all, if you are looking for an interesting destination to bring your family - I highly recommend Cusco.  And even better it is just a hop, skip and a jump from the amazing Machu Picchu (a must see tourist destination while you are here) and other wonderful small towns in the Sacred Valley area including Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero - all of which we recommend.

The shopping is great, the food is delicious, the people are friendly and there is such a variety of things to do, that in reality you may be struggling to find some downtime.  So whether you come for a week, a month or stay for an extensive period like we did, I don't think you will regret it.

One of the questions which is asked often in many long term travel forums and world schooling groups is, “How on Earth are you able to afford long term travel?”

And there is no one answer. Every family or individual has a different approach to their budget and logistics and of course each set of circumstances is different.

Saying that, I thought I would share some of the common responses to ease the minds of those who are sitting there wishing they too could afford to get out there and see the world with their family. What works for some won’t necessarily work for others, but this list is definitely a great place to start.

1.  Savings

Having a nest egg to fall back on is always helpful and many families literally tighten the purse strings and save, save, save. They then sit down and work out a budget, calculating how far $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000 will get them, and take it from there. Some take years to save, but with hard work and dedication it is possible.

2.  Sell your assets or business

As scary as it sounds, many families literally sell their homes, business or cars and set off to see the world. Of course for many this may not work as there is no security to come back when (if) you eventually do return; however for others returning to their previous lifestyle is not all it is cracked up to be.

3.  Teaching English abroad

I have personally done this one and can vouch for it as a method to stay abroad for a lengthy period of time. If you Google TEFL or TESOL courses in your local area, there will be no shortage of suppliers. Sit the course and then apply for suitable posts in the country of your choice. The wage of course may not be on par with what you may earn back in the USA or Australia (or wherever you may happen to hail from), but it should enable you to live well enough in whatever country you end up in. Or at the very least supplement some of your stay or travels.

4.  Volunteer abroad

While many volunteer programs these days charge for you to volunteer, sites like www.helpx.net and www.wwoof.net are making it easier to find suitable farm and hostel stays in exchange for your services. It is certainly worth having a browse and seeing what is available. Many will not accept children so check first before you apply.

5.  Housesitting

Websites like www.trustedhousesitters.com, www.aussiehousesitters.com.au, www.mindmyhouse.com and www.housecarers.com, as well as others, are paving the way forward for free house-sit and pet-sit opportunities. Search your destination, check your availability and apply. Accommodation can be one of the more expensive aspects of travel, so if you can score free housing, even just for part of the trip, you can save a small fortune. 

6.  Couch surfing

Couch surfing of course is another option whereby the accommodation is free – again search your destination and see who is hosting in that area. Websites like www.couchsurfing.com and www.bewelcome.com are helpful in this area. Again this can enable you to save quite a bit of money especially in those destinations where accommodation does not come cheap and the locals may be able to help you cut corners on those travel bills as well.

7.  Renting out the family home

For those who don’t wish to sell their home or property, renting it out is also another great option. Provided the money is not all going on paying off a mortgage, you may find that the money can help sustain quite a large portion of your travel.

8.  House swap

Doing a house swap is of course another consideration – you can look to swap with another family for a designated period of time and set out to explore a new national or international destination.

9.  Blogging

Many travellers are bloggers and earn some form of income from their blogs or travelogues. Don’t expect however just to start a blog and earn a substantial income immediately. There are many income streams which can be sourced from a blog or website such as through the sale of e-books, advertising, travel articles, affiliate links through companies such as Amazon, etc.

10.  Photography, writing, graphic design, website design or computing

Photography, writing (in any form), graphic design, website design or jobs in the computing industry are great mobile careers which can be done from anywhere. There are many options in these five careers alone. You can take photographs and sell them either through your own personal website or through stock websites. You can write for yourself (see blogging) or for clients. I personally am a ghostwriter and e-book publisher and usually can cover a few bills as we go. Graphic design, website design and computing work can usually be done remotely from the office and you can choose whether you wish to operate on a freelance basis or for one centrally located organisation. These careers in particular are very popular for those who wish to work on the road and earn an income.

11.  Sales roles or other online business opportunities

Sales positions can generally be done from anywhere provided you have a telephone and/or the internet. As long as the work is done, it doesn’t really matter where in the world you are permanently located.

12.  Travel on the pension

Many people choose to use their pension for international travel particularly as a little can go a long way in many countries these days depending on whether you wish to cut corners or budget as you go.

13.  Fundraising or crowdfunding

Depending on what you are doing, you might find a crowdfunding or fundraising campaign helpful, particularly if you are looking to invest in a certain project or are heading off to volunteer, and you think people will be particularly supportive of your plans. At the very least, you don’t know until you try.

14.  Create a business

Would you consider starting a business in your destination of choice to help supplement an income? We did this with a B&B in Cusco, Peru for a period of 12 months and have known others to do the same.  Of course don't limit yourself to accommodation, there are many other choices including travel, retail, teaching, computing, etc.

15.  Mission work

Members of churches and missions can get support from their parish or group to help fundraise their trip to go abroad and help local communities in a variety of ways.

16.  All or any of the above

A combination of the items listed above – many people use multiple streams of income to support their travel, choosing to not rely on purely one income opportunity.

Note there is no right or wrong way, just whatever works for you.

If you have any more to add to the list, let me know, and I will look to make this as helpful a resource as possible.

In February 2014 we took the plunge and signed up for the ultimate living abroad experience, running a hostel with the help and support of our friends and family.  Although it was a hostel prior to us taking over, it felt more like we started from scratch, as we painted, renovated, purchased furniture and re-branded the building into our very own Casa Emilia (named after our daughter).  

Yes it was a lot of hard work but we had some fun along the way - the best part was being able to meet the variety of amazing people who came to our door.  From single travellers, backpackers, couples and families - many who will remain in our hearts and memories for a long time to come.

And while we started way down the TripAdvisor list at number one hundred and something, we persevered and got all the way to number 13 on the top B&B list in Cusco.  Not bad going for the new kid on the block.

And although we haven't been living there for the last two months of the lease, instead opting to rent it out to a wonderful family from Florida, we will miss it when we can no longer call it our own.  We might not miss the sleepless nights or the hard work that it entailed to set it up in the first instance, but we will miss the people we met and the great experience the hostel offered us.

So with one month remaining on our lease, here is our hostel journey in pictures...

and some more...

Casa Emilia - definitely our favourite place to stay in Cusco!

To go from a 10 bedroom B&B to a van travelling across the Americas didn't seem right - so we set a plan in motion a few months back to try to downscale and prepare in a so-called transition phase.  This phase has us today huddled together in a one bedroom apartment playing musical beds and trying to work out where everyone fits the best.  And so far it is working well.

The relocation saw us discard a lot of stuff we had and enabled me to sort through and donate a couple of bags to charity.  That helped a lot, although the move itself highlighted the fact that we still have too much stuff and will have to pare down considerably before we leave in March.  

We came to Cusco 16 months ago with 4 suitcases and one small bag each (and a laptop) - now we have considerably more and an extra laptop to boot.  I wonder how we will go trying to get it down to 2 suitcases and one small bag each (the two laptops will of course continue on the journey provided they last the distance).  

So at this stage, all I can say is so far so good.  Maybe the two kids will have a huge growth spurt over the next couple of months saving me the hassle of working out what stays and what goes.   

Our sponsors and supporters need to understand us, know a little about us and get why we are doing what we are doing in order to want to support our cause.  And no one knows this better than Lainie and Miro from the global education website RaisingMiro.com.  Not only are they personal friends of ours, but both Lainie and Miro know and have experienced firsthand, the fact that education is not limited to the inside of a classroom.

"On their sixth year of travel, 14 countries and many personal changes later, Lainie & Miro continue to slow travel, living an inspired possession-free-lifestyle, volunteering and learning naturally from the world. They are following their interests on the road, as the planet has been transformed into their classroom. Often you will hear Lainie say “we are blessed to be accidental unschoolers” and has become and an advocate for “life learning” at any age. Lainie & Miro describe their greatest accomplishment as the ability to participate in the world without fear." - RaisingMiro.com

Currently in Ecuador, working on Project World School, they are paving the way for home schoolers, world schoolers and unschoolers by creating immersive world learning experiences designed for homeschoolers, unschoolers and democratic learners across the globe.

Thanks for your support!