For Travel + Leisure’s column Traveling As, we’re talking to travelers about what it’s like to explore the world through their unique perspectives. We chatted with TV host and anchor Christianne Klein of FoodFamilyTravel.com, who packed up her life with husband Dan Sattel and then-six-year-old daughter, Livia, and lived aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Explorer for nearly two months, documenting their adventures along the way in their series, “Life Over Seas.” Here’s her story…  

I have been cruising since I was a child, mostly through Mexico and the Caribbean, and I always loved it. My family also took vacations to Europe, so when we learned about the Mona Lisa or Tower of London in school, I already had a touchpoint as I had been to these places before. As a result, it was important to me to have these experiences with our daughter, Livia, too, because I knew it was such a wonderful way to learn.

We had been on cruises as a family before, but the longest one we’d done was about a week. I had heard about people living on board a ship, and I started thinking, my husband and I both work remotely and we homeschool our daughter, so why not extend our time away, move aboard a ship, work on those days at sea, and then explore the world and have amazing adventures when we’re at port?

So, I reached out to Regent Seven Seas Cruises to see if something like that was even possible, and they immediately said yes. We stayed on board for three legs, two that were about two weeks and another that was closer to three. I thought this was a magical, brand-new idea I’d come up with, but between the second and third legs, I was surprised to learn 167 other people were doing the exact same thing.

When you go on a two-week vacation, and you’re traveling halfway around the world, you essentially have six days where you feel functional. But this gave us the chance to be gone for almost two months from start to finish. We started in Sydney, went all around Australia and through New Zealand, including the International Antarctic Centre, where we experienced an Arctic ice storm. We were in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Rotorua. 

Then, we came back and went around Australia again, up to Cooktown and Darwin, where we saw a jumping crocodile. Then, up through Indonesia, including Komodo Island, where we witnessed Komodo dragons walking around in the wild in a place you can’t easily reach. And then Surabaya and Bali, before going to Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, and finally ending in Singapore. 

One of the reasons we wanted to go with Regent was because the excursions were all included, so we could determine what our lesson plan was going to be for our daughter. Many were these eco or animal adventures I knew would appeal to her, as well as cultural experiences. I wanted her to see how people around the world live and how we’re all different, but we’re also all the same.

So, we talked about Antarctica and how dry it’s one of the driest places on Earth, and went through Fiordland National Park, which is all glacier runoff. We walked through rain forests and learned about the different types—an Australian rain forest is significantly different from something in Indonesia, where there’s tropical heat. We experienced everything from extreme cold to extreme heat. It was really a hands-on way of learning that is different than going through a book or tablet. We were able to physically show it to her. 

She is completely obsessed with animals. We had talked about dinosaurs in the past, and she wanted to know if crocodiles were around when dinosaurs were roaming the Earth. We saw cassowaries, these gorgeous birds that look like dinosaurs. She noticed their claws looked like a velociraptor’s. These are just the kinds of things a 6-year-old observes. Once, she suddenly asked about the gestational cycle of penguins, completely catching us all off guard.

What was so special is we were learning along with her. I had not seen a cassowary in real life, either. It was a lot to take in, and the best way for us to digest it all was by taking journaling—not just for our website, but for us, too. Livia absorbed so much in such a short period of time, and I know she’s going to remember a lot of it for the rest of her life.

Of course, I was concerned about her being away from family and friends for that long. But it didn’t become an issue. She immediately made friends on board, and even became best friends with the captain’s son. 

She also FaceTimed with her friends back home. It was so cute watching her friend from ballet, who was asking about all the things she did and animals she saw. She said to Livia, “It’s just not the same without you here.” You have that moment as a parent hearing something like that. But then Livia was telling her friend about being able to see white tigers and clouded leopards. 

At one point, Livia said to her, “You have to try escargot. It’s snails, and you’ll love it!” Of all the things in the world, that was not something I thought we were going to hear from her. But she discovered it on board and had it every single day. It’s her favorite food now. For her birthday, I contacted Regent and the chef was kind enough to share the recipe from the Compass Rose with us, and we made it at home.

The first two weeks of the journey, we felt like we were on vacation. When we first got on board, we completely unpacked, and our daughter filled the space with her toys. It really made the switch in our minds that this is home for now. We live on the Explorer. We became close with the crew and other travelers on board. We were exactly where we’re supposed to be.

One thing I was afraid I was going to miss was cooking, but the food on board was incredible. Plus, I noticed I had so much more time for self-care and work because I wasn’t cooking, doing errands, or taking my daughter to and from any of her activities. You have this extra built-in time for yourself. 

We’d use the time to go to high tea, explore the ship, enjoy music, and get dressed up for dinner. My husband loved hanging out on our balcony and working out in the gym.

We also had time for spontaneous activities. We spent an extra day in Sydney and saw “Jesus Christ Superstar.” We were accidentally in Melbourne during the Australian Open. My husband is a huge fan and we got to see [Novak] Djokovic play—and win.

But every day was a surprise. When we woke up in the morning, we might have known we were going to the Singapore night safari, but we didn’t know we’d be feeding an Indian rhino and kangaroos, having meerkats jump on us, and petting a koala.

Seeing our daughter play with other kids in Sydney outside the Opera House, or in Surabaya, Indonesia, running up and down these tiny streets and having fun together, we realized the importance of travel. It was so cool to see people from around the world all wanting the same thing.

To be a parent, have these experiences, and see the world through my daughter’s eyes—it wasn’t just educational for her, it was also a huge learning experience for us. It was so interesting to see what she picked up on, how she’s changed, the confidence she built. 

On our last night, I had to comfort my daughter until 3 a.m. because she didn’t want to leave. You always wonder about that as a parent. How is my child going to feel when this is all over? It was equal parts heartbreaking and powerful. We’ve established in her a love for travel, seeing the world,  meeting new people, and having these experiences that we were able to create together as a family.

Watch their adventures on FoodFamilyTravel.com, and stay tuned for “Life Over Seas: The Seaquel,” coming soon.