Meet Michael Adamo
This week we had the chance to meet the father of one of Britain's most stylish family: Michael Adamo! This lovely daddy is the father of 4 kids, who one year ago decided, with his amazing wife Courtney Adamo (founder of Babbycino kids), to push pause on their busy lives in London and take a year out to embark on a world tour with their family. They explored South America including Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Peru, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia. They are now continuing their adventure in Europe. Through their blog "www.somewhereslower.com", their Instagram account and their stunning photos, we are allowed to take part on their adventure and they make us dream!
Let's meet Michael!
As the father of four kids, tell us more about your role as a dad?
It goes without saying that it’s my most important role and the one I love the most. Obviously having four kids means it can be all consuming and chaotic at times, but I like that. I am the oldest of seven children so a bit of chaos feels normal to me. And in the moments when it gets hard or overwhelming, I try to remind myself that these days with` young ones are fleeting. I try to appreciate the here and now, good or bad.
The idea behind “www.somewhereslower.com”?
After 12 years of life in London (and Los Angeles and New York before that for me), we felt a yearning for a simpler, slower pace of life. We also sensed time racing by and wanted to press pause and appreciate what is most important to us—our family. Somewhereslower.com is our blog where we have documented this year away. It’s partly for a wide audience and partly a journal for ourselves, so that we never forget the times we’ve had this year.
"Let’s sell the house, sell the car. Sell all of that baby stuff, the garden and kitchen stuff, all that extra stuff. What is all that stuff anyway? Let’s take the kids out of school. Escape the rat race and disappear for a year. I never did do a gap year. Let’s have a gap year with the family!”? The dream came true last year, what was the triggering factor that made you go?
Time. Time was racing by. Easton was turning 10 and our baby was coming up on 3. It felt like only yesterday that Easton was our baby and we wanted to make sure we fulfilled this dream while he and his siblings were still more interested in their family than their friends, school or activities.
You’ve been on the road for a while now, so far what’s the best place you’ve visited? And the one you’d like to settle down with your family?
We’ve loved so many places it’s difficult to pick one. Certainly Brazil is high on our list of favourites. It’s such a colourful country and vibrant culture. We loved how much they value children and family. We all felt very happy in Trancoso and could have easily stayed on for months. We can say much the same for Uruguay. It’s also a wonderful country and is only missing the tropical fruit of Brazil.
Assuming we have to settle down, the place we’d love to call home someday, especially now that we’re all addicted to surfing, is Australia. It has some of the same natural beauty as Brazil, a thoroughly pleasant climate and wonderful communities. We made friends so easily there and felt at home instantly.
As your lovely wife’s Instagram account shows (@courtneyadamo), you have a very devoted and loving fan database. Could you consider your family as an influencer? :)
It’s funny to think of ours family that way. Courtney’s Instagram started as a shared photo album for her family back in the States and we still think of our families first when she posts images there. It’s crazy to think that her audience could now fill Wembley Stadium twice over. If we are even vaguely influential, I hope it’s for the right reasons. We try to prioritise our family time over everything else and if others like that idea too, I think it can only have a positive effect. We’ve definitely enjoyed engaging with her audience during our year of travel. Instagram has made the world a much smaller place and has introduced us to so many interesting and intelligent people in every country we’ve visited.
As a traveller expert, do you have some tips to share on how to travel with kids?
Just go. Don’t pack everything you think you’ll need for every circumstance and every worse case scenario. Pack the bear minimum, grab the kids and hit the road. They are remarkably adaptable little beings and are usually happiest when they are with you. So go exploring. Bring them to places that make you happy and you’ll all be happy there together.
An advice to give to a family who would love to quit everything and travel?
Do whatever you can to make it happen. It may take some sacrifices to get there but I can tell you for certain it was the best decision we’ve ever made. It’s been educational and inspirational for all of us. We’ve all matured during this year and we view the world and our place in it completely differently. We’ve grown even closer as a family and we’ve discovered so many things we enjoy to do together.
Adamo’s family typical journey? What kind of activities do you like to do?
We all love to be outdoors. We’re not crazy sports people, we just like to be out on walks, on bikes, swimming in the sea or better yet, surfing. We love learning about new environments, their insects, animals and plants. We love trying new foods (especially strange tropical fruit) and we love meeting the locals and learning about how they live differently to us. A typical day this year starts with breakfast together, followed by home school and then we make for the beach or the forest or whatever new environment awaits. We’ll pack a lunch and then cook at home or try to sample the local cuisine for dinner.
A special memories you’d like to share?
Ahh, it’s very difficult to pick one. The encounters with wild animals were definitely special--surfing with Hector dolphins in the far south of New Zealand, snorkelling with sea turtles off the coast of Australia or meeting a bull elephant face-to-face on a dark Sri Lankan road. Those instances of exhilaration have made memories that will last a lifetime. And then there were the moments with new friends--making alfajores in Uruguay, eating empanadas on the beaches of Chile, swimming in tea tree lakes in Australia.
What’s next for the Adamo’s family?:)
We’ll wrap up our year of travel in Europe this summer, driving around Italy and France before heading for the waves in Portugal. Beyond September, who knows? We’d like to keep traveling for a bit longer and then see where we land. We love London and will always spend time there, but we have a feeling the allure of the sun and sea will lead us to warmer climes.
THANK YOUR MICHAEL!
TO FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE OF THE ADAMO'S FAMILY
