A single mom has revealed how she backpacked around the world with her two young daughters only to find herself pregnant half way through – with a burgeoning bump creeping into travel photos.
Birdie Wood, 30, sold all her belongings and set off 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 around a month in each country.
In April, while in Morocco, Birdie discovered she was pregnant after a brief relationship with a friend.
She continued to backpack with her two daughters and returned to the US in August after completing the seven-month trip.
Birdie Wood, 30, sold all her belongings and set off 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 around a month in each country
She is now preparing to give birth in December 2024 and will stay put and establish a ‘home base.’
Birdie, a content creator who is originally from Eureka, California, said: ‘It has been an incredible adventure, it has allowed me to find new confidence in motherhood.
‘This trip will be something my girls and I will never forget.
‘We have had the most epic adventures – it has been a wild blessing.
‘We have made life-long memories – having that special time with the girls before we brought in a 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 their belongings to head out on a seven-month trip backpacking around the world.
In April, while in Morocco, Birdie discovered she was pregnant after a brief relationship with a friend
She continued to backpack with her two daughters and returned to the US in August after completing the seven-month trip
She is now preparing to give birth in December 2024 and will stay put and establish a ‘home base’
Birdie said: ‘One of the reasons we decided to go was we realized that the home was not for us.
‘It was draining my savings and it became a headache trying to maintain the house.
‘We loved the property but it had a lot of issues so we sold it.
‘Fifer is homeschooled so that continued and practiced child led homeschooling with Mavie.’
The first location the trio headed to was Barcelona, Spain, where they spent a month.
Birdie said it was their favorite part of the trip and everyone made them feel welcome.
She said: ‘I noticed a big difference in how welcoming everything felt.
‘In the US, if your children are being children it is seen as an inconvenience – even if they are laughing you will get a funny look.
Birdie, a content creator who is originally from Eureka, California, said: ‘It has been an incredible adventure, it has allowed me to find 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 their belongings to head out on a seven-month trip backpacking around the world
‘We felt really welcome and comfortable there.
‘We were around 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 travels in France.
While they were in Morocco, Birdie found out she was expecting after a brief relationship with an old friend.
She said: ‘I very surprisingly fell pregnant which was a shock.
‘The challenging part was in the very early months, during that time we would stay in the apartment a lot and chill out.
‘During my first trimester getting from Morocco to Indonesia was very challenging.
‘It was an extremely long flight and there was not much opportunity to sleep.’
Instead of heading back home to the US, Birdie wanted to continue the trip with her two daughters.
Birdie said Fifer and Mavie loved the trip and the only trouble 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 they were in Morocco, Birdie found out she was expecting after a brief relationship with an old friend
After seven months of backpacking around the world, Birdie and her two daughters arrived back in the US in August
She said: ‘The girls loved it, they traveled really well.
‘They like adventure and they love going on airplanes.
‘One challenge was they would argue over which one was getting the window seat.
‘Another difficulty was navigating the girls dietary needs.
‘They both have to eat gluten-free which isn’t the easiest when you don’t speak the language.’
After seven months of backpacking around the world, Birdie and her two daughters arrived back in the US in August.
Birdie says she’s grateful for the ‘adventure of a lifetime’ but is happy to be back with home comforts.
She said: ‘We are staying with family while we get stuff together.
‘I have to update the home-schooling registration, buy a car and find us a place to live.
‘I think being pregnant there were certain comforts I was missing.
‘Being pregnant you always crave the food you grew up with and that was unavailable abroad.
‘There is an extra layer of convenience in the US compared to other countries – the hard part for me has been the dramatic change in scenery.’
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