I was talking over my dream of a family gap year with my best friend the other day, and she made an interesting point. However meticulously we plan things, as much as we want then to happen, the reality is that it may never come to pass.

My dream of travelling might be completely quashed at the last minute by any number of complications… Illness in the family, financial issues, unexpected opportunities – who knows?

But that’s not the point exactly… It still needs to be a dream nurtured. I want us to be the sort of family that feels able to ask for what they need, even if the request later can’t be fulfilled. I want to be the sort of person who can say to my husband, “I know you might find the idea of travelling overwhelming right now, but this is important to me, so I’m asking you to consider and look into it with me.”

I find it so easy to dismiss what I really want because I don’t want to appear demanding or selfish, but the reality is that someone has to choose how we live and what we do, and if I don’t come up with suggestions of my own then we’ll just end up doing what somebody else wants as a default position.

After all, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

I miss travelling.

I used to be quite the globe-trotter when I was younger – not just holidays abroad, but studying abroad, backpacking, working, living.

But then I got married, and as lovely as he is, my husband would question moving to a different county, let alone a different country! We settled down into UK life, and I went back to getting my travel fix from just holidays.

But then last year, we had our first child, a beautiful and happily anticipated daughter. And having her changed things for me… I think about my own childhood as the daughter of immigrant parents, and how much I gained from the time spent in my parents’ home country – the immersion in a different language and culture, the chance to view life from another point of view. I want to give her just as rich a life experience.

We’re not wildly wealthy, and we both work, but lately I’ve been looking into the concept of a family gap year – taking your kids on an extended period of travel. It’s bold, surprisingly controversial, and increasingly popular.

My daughter is still far too young to benefit from any such adventure, but while I’ve been here on maternity leave, it’s become a fantasy of mine. Where would we go? What would we do? What would the practical implications be and how would we prepare? It might take years… But maybe then she’ll be old enough. And in any case, it might take years to convince my home-loving husband to go anyway!