Voyaging with Kids — Crazy or Brilliant?

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Thinking about ditching the school runs and soccer practices for a life afloat?

Wondering if that’s actually just a bit TOO crazy because how could you POSSIBLY turn your life upside down and pack your kids into a small floating home, let alone afford such a wild dream? Imagine the logistics alone...and what your family would say…but still…what if it was the best decision ever?

You need this book.

Book Review: Voyaging with Kids — A guide to family life afloat

Written by Behan Gifford, Sara Dawn Johnson, and Michael Robertson Voyaging with Kids is basically your permission slip, and how-to-guide to make it happen.

Aka your sailing with kids BIBLE.

This book is like having three wise (and slightly salty) cruising families sitting around your table, telling you everything you need to know about sailing with squidnuggets newborns through to young adults — covering the delightful (squealing at dolphins off the bow), the maddening (“Mom I’m bored!”), and the hilarious. It’s packed with practical advice on boat selection, safety, education, provisioning, and when your too-cool-for-school tween needs to wear a life jacket (which they will inevitably roll their eyes at). But what makes Voyaging with Kids really standout is being so comprehensive and relatable. They cover EVERYTHING you’d want to know, in a very honest, informative, and encouraging way, and there’s a lot of trust built from that.

They don’t sugarcoat the tricky parts (sex onboard, seasickness, reluctant teens, doing normal household chores in cramped spaces), but they also remind you why it’s all worth it — the wide-open oceans, the dolphins off the bow (yes I’ve mentioned this twice because it really is that cool of an experience), the chance to actually LIVE your days together as a family. And the benefits for kids — like travel and growing up onboard into less discriminating, more forgiving and accepting humans — which BY GOLLY we need more of in this world.

This was a favourite reference chapter in our family

If you’re serious about family cruising or even just daydreaming about it while you hide under your duvet listening to your offspring scrap over Cartoon Network — Voyaging with Kids is the compass you need. It doesn’t just show you how to sail with kids, it shows you how to thrive.

Sounds brilliant to me.

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