I didn’t start out thinking of this round-the-world trip as a gift to our children. It seems likely that the kids don’t think so either. But plenty of people have said that ‘I hope your children appreciate what you are doing for them’ including friends, family, REI associates, excursion buddies and other near strangers. I credit Kristin with taking the lead to ensure that this trip suits the kids' academic needs and provides the right learning environment for homeschooling. As school begins in earnest, my contribution will be focused on the marvels of the physical world as well as real world math contextualized within the framework of financial literacy - something missing in most schools today.