A single mum has revealed how she travelled the world with her two young daughters and then found herself pregnant halfway there, with a baby bump making its way into photos from the trip.
Birdie Wood, 30, sold all her belongings and embarked on an epic seven-month trip with her two daughters, Fifer, six, and Mavie, four, in February.
The family traveled to Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, Indonesia and Egypt, spending about a month in each country.
In April, while in Morocco, Birdie discovered she was pregnant after a brief relationship with a friend.
She continued traveling with her two daughters and returned to the U.S. in August after completing the seven-month trip.
Birdie Wood, 30, sold all her belongings and embarked on an epic seven-month trip with her two daughters, Fifer, six, and Mavie, four, in February.
The family traveled to Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, Indonesia and Egypt, spending about a month in each country.
She is now preparing to give birth in December 2024 and will stay where she is and set up a “home base.”
Birdie, a content creator originally from Eureka, California, said: ‘It’s been an incredible journey, it’s allowed me to find a new confidence in motherhood.
‘This trip will be something my daughters and I will never forget.
‘We’ve had the most epic adventures – it’s been an incredible blessing.
“We have created memories to last a lifetime – spending that special moment with the girls before delivering the baby was magical.”
Birdie decided she wanted to take her two daughters on an adventure and explore different cultures.
She decided to sell her three-bedroom family home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and all her belongings to embark on a seven-month backpacking trip around the world.
In April, while in Morocco, Birdie discovered she was pregnant after a brief relationship with a friend.
She continued traveling with her two daughters and returned to the U.S. in August after completing the seven-month trip.
She is now preparing to give birth in December 2024 and will stay and set up a “home base.”
Birdie said: ‘One of the reasons we decided to go was that we realised the house wasn’t for us.
‘This was draining my savings and it became a headache trying to keep the house.
‘We loved the property but it had a lot of problems so we sold it.
‘Fifer is homeschooled, so Mavie continued and practiced child-led homeschooling.’
The first place the trio headed to was Barcelona, Spain, where they spent a month.
Birdie said it was her favorite part of the trip and that everyone made them feel welcome.
She said: ‘I noticed a big difference in how welcoming everything seemed.
‘In America, if your kids act like kids, it’s considered a nuisance; even if they laugh, they’ll look at you weird.
Birdie, a content creator originally from Eureka, California, said: “It’s been an incredible journey and has allowed me to find a new confidence in motherhood.”
Birdie decided she wanted to take her two daughters on an adventure and explore different cultures.
She decided to sell her three-bedroom family home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and all her belongings to embark on a seven-month backpacking trip around the world.
‘We felt really welcome and comfortable there.
“We were there to explore different things and it was easy and convenient to get around.”
After a month in Spain, the family headed to Portugal, Italy, Indonesia and Morocco, before ending their trip in France.
While in Morocco, Birdie discovered she was pregnant after a brief relationship with an old friend.
She said: ‘I suddenly became pregnant and it was a shock.
‘The hardest part was during the first few months, during which time we spent a lot of time in the apartment and just relaxed.
‘During my first trimester, traveling from Morocco to Indonesia was quite a challenge.
“It was an extremely long flight and there weren’t many opportunities to sleep.”
Instead of returning home to the United States, Birdie wanted to continue the journey with her two daughters.
Birdie said Fifer and Mavie loved the trip and the only problem they had was deciding who would get the window seat.
After a month in Spain, the family headed to Portugal, Italy, Indonesia and Morocco, before ending their travels in France.
While in Morocco, Birdie discovered she was pregnant after a brief relationship with an old friend.
After seven months of backpacking around the world, Birdie and her two daughters returned to the U.S. in August.
She said: ‘The girls loved it, they travelled very well.
‘They like adventure and they love to travel by plane.
‘One of the challenges was that they argued over who got the window seat.
‘Another difficulty was meeting the girls’ dietary needs.
‘They both have to eat gluten-free, which isn’t easy when you don’t speak the language.’
After seven months of backpacking around the world, Birdie and her two daughters returned to the U.S. in August.
Birdie says she’s grateful for “the adventure of a lifetime,” but is happy to have the comforts of home again.
She said: ‘We’ll be staying with family while we get some things together.
‘I have to update the homeschooling record, buy a car and find us a place to live.
‘I think being pregnant I missed out on certain comforts.
‘When you’re pregnant you always crave the food you grew up with that wasn’t available abroad.
“There is an extra level of comfort in the United States compared to other countries; the hardest thing for me has been the drastic change of scenery.”