The wandering is over ... we wandered back home.

All good things come to an end. Our adventure of 2014 has ended and we've wandered home.

We are all happy to be home again and to be in familiar surroundings.

During the year, we've visited 5 countries; had 16 plane flights; lost no passports, bags or wallets; experienced temperatures ranging from -30 to 35 degree celsius; travelled on most forms of transport, including car, train, plane, ferry, snow shoes, cross country skis, canal boat, skidoo; bus, bikes and a motor home; slept in countless different beds; climbed many towers to get awesome views of the world; eaten a whole variety of food to challenge our routines and our tastebuds.

We are truly blessed by being able to undertake this experience. I'm sure the benefits will continue to show for many years to come, but so far, we can see how much the children have grown emotionally; how relaxed they are when talking to others, especially adults; how close we've become as a family and how well they play with each other as siblings. Their general knowledge of the world is impressive and Lach especially loves remembering as many facts as possible. The children have developed great understandings of planning their day and the importance of being flexible, especially when relying on public transport!

Highlights are many and different memories will surface at different times. The skiing in Quebec was fantastic; spending a day with Isobel and Pascale was so fun. We say that the weather in Montreal was our biggest challenge but also our biggest highlight - to say that we survived it!

From our wanderings, we've had so many 'wow' moments, as we've seen natural and man-made wonders across North America and Europe. Our highlights include our trip to Disneyland (it truly is the happiest place on earth); lunch in a cafe in Richmond, Virginia where we experienced true southern hospitality from the two very kind ladies; our time in Sweden, renewing friendships; experiencing life in rural France - it made us slow down and live simply for a few weeks. Paris was a beautiful city - much more so than Tony and I both remembered from our separate trips there in past years. We climbed the Eiffel Tower as the very last thing we did before departing for the airport in Paris - a great way to end our year of awesome adventures. We loved meeting people and both Tony and I will stop and chat to anyone and love hearing others stories and travel adventures. Our children seemed to be picking up on this also; they had a great conversation with an American couple while sitting in a restaurant in Paris!

It hasn't all been bright and happy times. There has been homesickness; frustration at systems in various countries; exasperation, especially when you are on the go for weeks on end; constantly working on understanding and accepting differences between cultures; constantly starting anew and arriving in a new city and wondering where to start. But I hate to dwell on negatives and I don't want them to sound like whinges. These are the true experiences: these are the things that have made us stronger and tougher; more resilient and more accepting. We are so proud of how the children have embraced these challenges. School was a big challenge for the children but their resilient and acceptance shone through.

We left Australia with 96 kilos of luggage, three naive children and many dreams. We return nine months later with less luggage (lets not talk about how much we sent home!) and owing more money to the bank, but richer in so many ways: three children who have a much broader understanding of the world; Tony and I have spent more time together than ever before; and our family unit is so tight. We've done more than many people can ever dream of; we truly recognise that we are so lucky to have been able to have this time out together. Our memories are forever. Team Wilson have successfully wandered the world!