In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Talon and Tigger, the father-son team behind, 1Dad1Kid.com.  Talon’s a single dad taking his son to see the world while he’s still young. They recently hit their 6 month mark on the road and have been traveling through Mexico and Central America. For all you parents who want to go travel, but don’t think you can, you will definitely want to read our interview and then check out their site.

1. So, where in the world are you answering these questions?
We are currently in Utila, Honduras, and have been here for 4 months so far.

2. The name of your site is 1Dad1Kid reflects your trip perfectly. Why take Tigger to see the world now and not wait until he’s just a bit older?
I think 9 is a perfect age to begin doing traveling.  They’re old enough to be able to remember experiences and young enough to be interested in almost anything that’s new. Also they haven’t hit the adolescent mindset of “my world is my friends” so it makes easier to keep moving around.

3. You’ve been public that Tigger has some special needs. Tell me what it’s like traveling with him and if it’s been easier or harder than you expected.
I’ve been absolutely amazed.  He has grown so much intellectually, emotionally, and of course physically. Much more than I had even hoped.  While attending public school he required 2 different medicines to help him cope with all the stressors, and he is off all meds now and doing PHENOMENAL. It’s been fun to watch his thirst for knowledge as well as to see how excited he is about sharing knowledge. Anyone who visits us gets several mini lessons on local marine ecology. It’s quite cute.

4. This one’s for Tigger. What’s the best part of traveling with your dad around the world?
Diving! Diving and seeing new things.

5. You’ve spent a tremendous time diving and working in dive shops. Did you do this because you love to dive. Or, was it a strategy to help fund your trip?
Mostly because I love to dive, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to be able to get paid to do something I love. However, it also does help to continue to fund our lifestyle, especially since we do enjoy getting to slow travel and spend a lot of time somewhere, feeling like we’re part of the community.

6. Here’s another one for Tigger. What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen while diving?
Maybe probably a balloon fish. And I like the lobsters that stick their antennae out from the coral.

7. Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your trips?
I think nomadic adventure would fit the best. We don’t see this as a trip since it’s indefinite, has no itinerary or schedule, etc. This is how we live now. However, we do travel in a minimalist fashion.

8. What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know?  
The biggest one is this:  It is a LOT cheaper to travel than most people think.

9. What was your first ¨We’re not in Kansas anymore¨ moment?
Coming from a landlocked state in the US, our first sight of Cozumel’s turquoise waters took our breath away.

10. What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?
We have lots of them, but the one that sticks out the most in my mind was when Tigger was trying to find me one day and popped his head into the local bakery to ask “Have you seen my dad?” She knew exactly who he was talking about.  Tigger is practically a celebrity on the island. Everywhere we go there are people calling out hello to him.

11. What has been your most embarrassing moment?
I haven’t had any major ones concerning travel per se. But today I was leading a small group of divers, including Tigger, and the strong current took us past my landmark and we ended up doing a drift dive unintentionally.  We were so far away from our boat, we had to get another boat to give us a lift to ours.

12. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?
Go slow!  We take our time whenever possible and like to stay in an area long enough to really get a feel for the culture, etc.  Also spontaneity is HUGE.  While in Mexico we decided to make an impromptu visit to another Caribbean country, and we ended up having an amazing experience there.

13. Finally, our lightening round.

• Best dish you’ve found so far: Me: Lion fish ceviche. Tigger: That’s a tough question. I’ve mostly liked everything I’ve tried.
• Most exotic food eaten: Me:  Lion fish ceviche. Tigger:  Lion fish
• Most breathtaking moment: Me:  Seeing a manta (devil ray) and a reef shark during a dive. Tigger:  Jumping off a cliff [at Cenote Zacia in Valladolid, Mexico)
• Biggest disappointment: Me:  Having to leave Cuba after a week and only being able to see Havana. Tigger:  When I found out I wouldn’t be able to do a shark dive.
• Most memorable place: Me:  Flores, Guatemala. Tigger:  Cozumel, Mexico
• Most memorable person: Me: Erica & Shaun from OverYonderlust.com. They stayed with us for about a month and became like family. Before our journey would be Nancy Vogel from FamilyOnBikes.org. Without some chats we had, we wouldn’t have begun this journey. Tigger: Tina from Cozumel. [She became like family, too.]
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride: Me:  Patience. Tigger:  A [Nintendo] DS.
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride: Me: Lack of bathroom facilities. Tigger: No DS or a picture book with only 1 page
• Best thing you packed. Me: My laptop. Not only has it enabled us to continue making an income while traveling, but it has kept me connected with friends, family, and great people. Tigger: Pookie [his teddy bear]
• Dumbest thing you packed: Me:  A pair of jeans when going to Central America. Tigger:  My jeans because we’re going to a lot of hot places.
• Funniest travel habit you have. Me: I can’t really think of any travel habits I have.. Tigger: I don’t have a habit. (He initially said “forgetting things,” but I don’t find it funny.)
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer: Me: Cuba. Tigger:  Cozumel

You can follow Talon and Tigger online at 1Dad1Kid, on Facebook and on Twitter @1Dad1Kid.

Every week, Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world.

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

Tags: Who´s Out There Now

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 at 7:00 am and is filed under Home Page Show Updates, Who's out there now?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.