Family return to Bath from a great year travelling the world

They say there's no place like home.

And travel writer Lindsay Hawdon would agree after returning to the Bath area at the end of a year-long odyssey with her two young sons.

Lindsay, 41, who has spent the past year travelling thousands of miles through the Far East to Australia and Fiji, said: "Bath is like a candy store of culture. It is somewhere that feels like home in my heart and it is a lovely place to bring up a family."

Although she grew up in the city, single mother Lindsay was living in Sussex when she decided to take her two boys, Dow, nine, and Orly, six, on the international adventure.

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The family enjoyed living with native tribes and working in elephant sanctuaries during their travels before the boys settled into school in Australia for six months.

Lindsay - who has also worked as a TV reporter and researcher - said she had loved seeing them embrace the entire experience.

"Being able to share travelling – something I love – with my children was wonderful. The closeness of all of us is my fondest memory of the trip."

Lindsay, who had written the An Englishwoman Abroad column for seven years in The Sunday Telegraph, blogged about her trip for The Sunday Times.

She said: "I never felt threatened. The hardest part was just the logistics. Some days you would get off a dusty bus with two very tired children not knowing where to go. There was no reasoning with them then."

The family flew from London to Bangkok in October last year and from there travelled to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Fiji on their way to Australia.

They are now staying with Lindsay's parents in Warleigh near Bathford and looking forward to a quiet Christmas.

Lindsay said: "I'm looking forward to spending time with family and not rushing about. We're having elves and Santa and enjoying the magic of Christmas."

As for 2013, the family have not yet made any travel plans, with the boys just as happy to find adventures on home soil.

Lindsay said: "They have always loved going to the woods, being outdoorsy, roasting marshmallows over the fire. Just because you're at home doesn't mean that you can't do amazing things."

She added: "Sometimes it's lovely not travelling. I love England and being in the countryside with that white light of winter around. Travelling a lot only heightens how much you love home."