You're probably right, Jane! Kids don't necessarily need to tie you down. In fact, I know there are vagabond families bouncing around the world full-time with their little kids. Although you probably can't do it as dirt cheap as your son, or we, did. And you might need a location independent income.

The other option might be to take long vacations. That's what my parents did and how I caught the travel bug in the first place.

Back when I was a kid, my parents decided to show my little brother and me the world. So, every year, during school holidays (which are about three months here in Spain), we traveled. One year we visited the US, the next South Africa, then Australia, and then Thailand. Those are some of my best childhood memories and I'm eternally grateful to my parents for having introduced me to world travel. So when I do have kids, I definitely want to pass on that gift!