Karen Edwards and her husband, Shaun, have visited an impressive 63 countries to date with their daughter Esmé, 11 and their son, Quinn, eight, as well as their two-year-old twins, Fionn and Fern
A mum who took her young children to countries with high terrorism alerts claimed that the risky countries felt ‘more child-friendly’ than the UK – and here’s why.
Karen Edwards and her spouse, Shaun, describe themselves as wandering nomads. The couple, both in their early forties, have explored an remarkable 63 nations alongside their daughter Esmé, 11, and son Quinn, eight.
They’ve also brought two-year-old twins Fionn and Fern, who have already set foot in more than 20 countries, along for the ride – including to nations with warnings issued by the UK government.
They’ve recently conquered the Middle East – despite worries from others regarding the children’s wellbeing. The family have been on trips to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, all neighbouring Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
“I don’t know how but we’ve managed to keep the travel up with four kids,” the Karen, who posts under Travel Mad Mum, revealed to Luxury Travel Daily. “To be honest, it’s utter chaos every day. When we are on the go, however, they are much better.
“They go stir crazy, so it’s a great way to keep them entertained. People ask if they [the countries we visited in the Middle East] are safe but honestly, they are some of the safest countries in the world.
“I’ve never had any concerns. There are also some very modern cities throughout the region that people are often not aware of.
“We saw military on borders and some have even given us a lift into town.
“There’s often people in uniform coming and going to work – but they’re not really heavily militarised places at all. I’d say there’s more of a police presence than anything.
“The cost of living has been great for our budget. These countries are all so much more child-friendly than the UK.
“For example, it’s the norm to have a kids’ space in restaurants; you just don’t get that at home.”
During their adventures in these nations, the family soared across waterfall canyons on zip lines, crafted enormous sheets of traditional Armenian bread, and frolicked in a massive play area that was once a historic site in Uzbekistan, plus shared lifts with two eagles and two strangers from Kyrgyzstan.
Karen and Shaun embarked on their globetrotting journey after welcoming their daughter into the world.
The couple chose to make the most of Karen’s NHS nursing maternity leave by renting out their London home and departing without a fixed itinerary.
Their first stop was New Zealand, then they backpacked through South East Asia before heading back to Britain.
However, they quickly pulled up roots once more, utilising Karen’s second maternity leave when Quinn arrived to tackle the pan American highway stretching from Canada to Argentina.
The pair’s twins were delivered in Abu Dhabi, and the family now calls Sri Lanka home. Their passport stamps also include destinations such as the Maldives, South Korea, and India.
Even though they’ve encountered some bumps in the road, the parents have zero intention of abandoning their nomadic lifestyle.
Money-wise, the couple manages to stay afloat by sticking religiously to their strict spending limits, a discipline they maintain whether at home or abroad. This comprises income from two rental properties totalling £1,600, plus Karen’s business which generates approximately £2,600 monthly.
Their upcoming ambition rests with Esmé, who aspires to become the youngest individual to visit every nation on Earth – a record presently held by a 36 year old.
China features next on their itinerary, with the family departing on 12 October. She continued: “Every single day, multiple times a day, locals count the kids as they walk by and always ask if they’re all ours.
“It’s a very common mixture of ‘I don’t know how you do it’ and ‘Well done’. Most of the time, it’s people closer to home that might make the odd comment about them missing school.
“But they’re learning so much more with what we’re doing. We have gotten less negativity as time has gone on, as people are just used to our lifestyle at this stage.
“You kind of become non-shocked by anything that happens as a parent-of-four, so any little accidents become part of daily life.
“I’m pretty good at not going too crazy, too.”
To access more information about safety and security risks while travelling abroad, you can access the official UK Government Foreign Travel Advice here.
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