Slow Travel: The Constraints

Post 2 · The System

The Constraint System That Will Pick Our Next Places

In Post 1 I laid out the mission: slow travel the world with my two youngest kids when I retire in about seven years.

This post is how we'll decide where we go next—without turning travel into a constant argument, a constant scramble, or a constant money leak.

We're building a constraint system. Not an itinerary. A filter.

So when we ask:

"Give us 20 places that fit our family from May 1 to August 1."

…we don't get fantasy answers. We get places that actually work.

How It's Structured

Each constraint category is its own short document. That keeps everything modular and adjustable.

Every constraint has:

• —Dealbreakers (hard filters that remove a place entirely)
• —Preferences (what we'd like, if we can get it)
• —Modes when needed (overseas base vs. North America camping/road)
• —Overrides for special trips or once-in-a-lifetime opportunities

The constraints are dials, not commandments. If they're too strict, we loosen them. If they're too loose, we tighten them. The system is designed to be tuned.

The Core Constraints (Already Drafted)

These five cover the lived experience. Each one will get its own detailed post.

1. Weather — Temperature and season bands where we can live well, plus rain, air quality, and extreme-heat limits. Separate profiles for base living vs. camping.

2. Safety & Family Fit — Physical safety, girl safety, kid independence by ~age 11, healthcare access, and whether a place feels normal for families.

3. Pacing & Movement Rules — Our anti-burnout system. Minimum base stays, move-day limits, micro-moves, and how to recognize when the pace isn't working.

4. Housing & Neighborhood — What "good enough" looks like for rentals and campsites. Kitchen, laundry, walkability, noise tolerance, and the red flags that rule a place out.

5. Connectivity & Tech — Internet stable enough for video calls, a backup connection plan, power reliability, and the device stack that keeps schooling and safety running.

What Makes the Results Real

To go from "interesting list" to "places we can actually live," we need a second layer:

6. Visa & Legal — Entry rules, stay limits, and registration requirements (including Schengen math where it applies). Kid documentation gets its own sub-section.

7. Budget & Cost-of-Living Tiers — Simple bands (cheap / moderate / stretch) so we can filter fast. Detailed finances live in a separate project.

8. Education & Learning Environment — What a place needs to support the kids' learning: activities, libraries, sports, social opportunities, and routine stability. Tracked through LifeEducation.org.

9. Transport & Logistics — Flight hubs, overland friction, local transit, and whether quarter-to-quarter moves are realistic.

10. Language & Cultural Access — How much non-English friction we'll accept, immersion goals, and what the kids need to navigate on their own.

11. Social & Community — Isolation tolerance, access to other families, and whether we target slow-travel hubs or go off the beaten path.

Later, when hardware and health decisions are real, we'll add documents/admin, health logistics, and camping/rig systems. But this list is enough to start producing serious shortlists.

Help Us Build It

If you've traveled long-term—especially with kids—and you see a blind spot, tell me.

• —What constraint category are we missing?
• —What rule would have saved you pain if you'd had it earlier?

Leave a comment or reach out through the contact link on the site.

Build the system. Test it. Tune it. Keep the record.