ABOUT US

The Schofield Family at the Hopewell Rocks

Welcome to 100 Days Away Travel Blog. I’m Andrew (Dad), who is the voice behind this blog, along with Susie (Mum), Jessica and Evelyn (our two daughters) and Ellie (our golden retriever pup).

We are originally from the UK, but have moved around with work. We spent 2 years living in the Middle East (Kuwait) before moving to Calgary, Alberta in 2012, where our girls were born.

We don’t travel full time, and we aren’t digital nomads. We are like most normal families. We have normal 9-5 jobs and spend most evenings driving our girls to various after school activities. But we LOVE to travel, explore and spend time as a family.

We decided that we wanted to do more than just a 2 week summer vacation.

In October 2025 we have made the decision to take career sabbaticals and embark on a family trip of a lifetime; travelling through Asia, Australia and New Zealand for 3-4 months.

The goal for this blog is to share our experiences from our travels and help inspire you to take the leap to go on your very own adventure through our itineraries and travel guides.

A little more about our
100 Day Family Sabbatical

Welcome to our travel blog! We’re thrilled to share our incredible journey with you, as we embark on the trip of a lifetime.

After much deliberation, we made the bold decision to take career sabbaticals and set off on an epic family adventure across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. For 3-4 months, we’re immersing ourselves in new cultures, exploring breathtaking landscapes, and creating unforgettable memories. Learn all about why we made this life changing decision here.

This journey has been a dream in the making. The toughest part wasn’t deciding to go - it was figuring out where to go! We started by having a family brainstorming session to decide on our destinations:

Evelyn is our resident koala enthusiast, so Australia was a must-see to finally meet a koala up close and in person.
Jessica wanted to see her uncle who lives in New Zealand.
Susie was keen to spend time travelling through Thailand and introducing the girls to the delicious food in Thailand.
Andrew was drawn to Vietnam, a country that we missed during our travels through Asia back in 2006 as Susie got sick (not that I ever held it against her lol). Eating sushi in Japan was also right up there.

And so, our Asia/Australia/New Zealand 100 day itinerary was born!

Join us as we navigate new adventures, share travel tips, and capture the essence of each destination. We hope our experiences inspire you to follow your own travel dreams.

Japan - 11 Nights

Includes Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara

China - 5 Nights

Includes Hong Kong & Lantau Island

Vietnam - 13 Nights

Includes Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City

Cambodia - 7 Nights

Includes Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Angkor Wat

Laos - 7 Nights

Includes Vientiane & Luang Prabang

Thailand - 13 Nights

Includes Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Islands

Indonesia - 5 Nights

Includes Bali

Australia - 5 Nights

Includes Brisbane

New Zealand - 28 Nights

Includes Wellington, Auckland, South Island

Can we just have this weather all the time?

Such an amazing day yesterday and Jess climbed her first ever mountain! Ha Ling peak is about 800m elevation gain which is some going at 10 years old! We actually used our mountain bike towee and attached one end to me and one to her so it helped pull her up some of the steeper parts (plus gave me a bit more of a work out)! We got lots of comments from people saying “what a great idea” or “I could do with one of those” 😂

It was a little icy at the top and a bit slushy on the way back down near the bottom but almost perfect conditions.

I can’t stress enough though about wearing ice cleats on any hike in the Rockies right now. I saw so many people slipping and sliding all over the place wearing their Nike Air Max’s!

Getting out into the mountains on a weekend like this really lifts the mood. That combination of sun and snow really hits the spot!

#halingpeak #canmore #hikingwithkids #daddydaughterday #firstsummit #canadianrockies🇨🇦

Gorgeous morning by the river in okotoks with Ellie 🐾

#haling #halingpeak #canmore #hikingwithkids

Great drinks tonight at @cold_garden in #inglewood.

Love the fact that you can take dogs into the bar area. The dog in the photo isn’t mine, just a cute dog at the bar next to me while I was ordering!!!

I almost always order a flight when at a local brewery as like to sample as much as can!

We’ll be back in the summer and hopefully will bring Ellie (our golden retriever) with us too

📣 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

We are finally ready to announce our 100 day travel itinerary happening in October 2025 🎉

This has been in the works for a long time and most flights and hotels are now booked 😊 The rough itinerary is here:

🇯🇵 Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka (11 nights)
🇨🇳 Hong Kong (5 nights)
🇻🇳 Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, HCMC (17 nights)
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh, Siem Reap (7 nights)
🇱🇦 Luang Prabang, slow boat (8 nights)
🇹🇭 Chiang Rai & Mai, Bangkok, Ko Lanta (18 nights)
🇮🇩 Bali (Ubud) (5 nights)
🇦🇺 Brisbane, and koalas for Evelyn! (5 nights)
🇳🇿 Queenstown, lake Tekapo, Greymouth, Abel Tasman, Nelson, Wellington, Taupo, Waiheke Island, Auckland (25 nights)

To say we are excited is an understatement. But to quote Armageddon “98% excited, 2% scared, or it could be 98% scared, 2% excited - but that’s what makes it so intense” 😂

We feel there is so much the kids can learn from travelling. History, culture, food, religion, geography, and not to mention “real life” skills like map reading, budgeting, languages, safety awareness, etc.

We’d love to hear from anyone that has any advice for navigating home schooling while we are away, or for any specific tips for the places we are visiting.

We’ll be writing about our travels at our blog 100daysaway.com (link in bio).

If you happen to be visiting the Canadian Rockies any time soon check out the site as well as we have lots of travel guides, itineraries for Alberta and BC.

Bring on October!!! 💪

#traveltheworld #familytravelblog #familytravelblogger #familytravels #traveltheworldwithkids #travelasia #travelnewzealand #homeschool #worldschooling #excitedandscared

SO MUCH FUN!!!

We absolutely loved @activategames today!

I wish I knew exactly what it was though - I’ll wear shorts next time! Was a great work out!

#activatecalgary

A fun afternoon watching the Calgary Hitmen at the Saddledome today. The first time Evelyn has been to a hockey game!

The Hitmen unfortunately lost 8-4 but was fun all the same. It was a really kid friendly atmosphere with free face painting too.

#calgaryhitmen

Monster mini golf! #monsterminigolf

Fun game if food followed by a huge waste of money in the arcades! lol. Kids will be kids though!

#thingstodoincalgary #thingstodoinyyc #yycwithkids

We attempted to hike to the Green Monster today in Kananaskis, but we didn’t make it past the “chain section” and had to turn back. We still had a wonderful hike (10km in total) and the sun was beaming down (it was 10C+), but I learned a lot today about what I’m prepared for the girls to do, especially when it comes to exposure.

Its the first hike we’ve had to turn back on, but I’m glad we did. I just wasn’t comfortable with the situation as the consequences of a slip would be not even worth thinking about. I’m surprised more isn’t said about how risky that section of the hike is, especially for young kids. Photos really don’t do it justice - it’s probably a 100ft drop straight down into the gorge!

Do I think that the girls could have done it? Almost certainly, and probably 99.9% of the time there would be no issues. But I just didn’t feel comfortable that I could keep them safe, so aired on the side of caution and took the safe approach. It was the right call (as much as I wanted to@see the ice falls).

We should follow the advice of @mountainmomyyc and always try a hike by yourself first before taking the kids along! Lesson learned.

However we still had a great day and are celebrating our “failure” with a nice sushi takeout tonight, so all is good!

#greenmonster #kananaskiscountry #kananaskisalberta #hikingwithkids #hikingsafety

Unfortunately, a pretty nasty stomach bug for Evelyn curtailed our Kananaskis hike plans today, but we at least got out to do a few things we’d been wanting to do for a while:

⭐️ bought spices from @silkroadspices in Inglewood

⭐️ visited the @eskerfoundation art gallery - also some great views of downtown

⭐️ went to @cochuchocolate and tried the @yychotchocolatefest special. It was a liquid melted chocolate with whipped cream and a sponge toffee (which tasted like crunchie bar). It went before I could take a photo!

⭐️ called at sunterra to buy some 🇨🇦 strawberries (who knew?!)

⭐️ picked up some ice creams at @villageicecream the melted chocolate flavour is out of this world.

Sometimes it’s fun to just do a few things around town!

#yychotchocolatefest #inglewoodyyc #cochu #sunterra #esker #eskerfoundation #yycwithkids

What a gorgeous day!

Evelyn wasn’t feeling too well today, so it was just me, Jess and Evelyn that went for a walk in #fishcreekpark

Did you know that there are some ‘ice falls’ that are just a 5 minute walk from the #bowvalleyrancherestaurant? It’s not a waterfall in the summer, but in the winter it turns into a bit of a weeping ice falls. Pretty cool! There are also some small caves where there are some ice mounds from where water has dropped to the floor and frozen. Im sure there is a word for that but I don’t know what it is!

We ended up walking around the back of the falls and coming down the fairly steep paths behind the falls so we could get right up to the falls. The river was a little slushy as it was 5C today so didn’t risk crossing.

Jess is loving her photography at the minute - she keeps stealing my camera off me!

#icefalls #fishcreekpark #fishcreek #fishcreekprovincialpark #hikingwithkids #hikingwithdogs #yyc #yycparks

A great evening at the @jubilee_ab watching the @calgaryphil perform #harrypotter and the order of the phoenix.

Was amazing to watch the orchestra perform and the audience was booing and cheering along to their favourite / most hated characters! The kids really got into it!

#calgarylife #orderofthephoenix #calgaryphilharmonicorchestra #harrypotter

Today we went to Studio Bell National Music Centre @nmc_canada for #familyday. Unfortunately Susie was in the UK so it was just the three of us today.

As it was family day it was free entry, which of course is great for the wallet, but it was extremely busy. The kids still enjoyed it, but last time we went the queues to try out instruments were much, much smaller. We didn’t get to go in the ‘on air’ booth this time as the queues were too long.

Still, they really enjoyed trying out guitars (both regular and electric) and listening to all different types of music through headphones. There was some live music too which was a fun way to end the day.

On the way home we called at Bulk Barn to get some snacks for a movie night. Hope you all had a wonderful family day! 🇨🇦

#studiobell #nationalmusiccentre #backyardbettys #familyday #familydaycanada #familyday🍁

Today was a fun one! 🦘

We braved the cold and headed up to the BMO centre for the #wildlifefestival which is put on every year by @cobbsexoticanimalrescue as a way to raise money to support their animals (they are a non profit).

There was plenty of animals to see including reptiles, snakes, porcupines, capybaras, sloths and anteaters. It was fun to see the animals from a distance, but they also offers different experiences where you can get up close with the animals too (for an extra fee). We did the kangaroo experience which meant the girls could hold a baby kangaroo! They both loved it and Evelyn especially as we all know she loves Australian animals!

It was also interesting to know that these animals all live here in Calgary at @cobbsadventurepark and come from all over Canada but usually they have taken them in as their owners could no longer look after them. I think they said they have around 500 animals across 3 properties now.

It’s still on tomorrow if you are looking for something a little different to do on family day. If you are planning on going, book in advance as it’s cheaper than the door price.

@thewildlifefest #thewildlifefest #cobbsexoticanimalrescue #babykangaroo #familydayfun

We had a really fun afternoon at the @youthlinkyyc (Youthlink Police Interpretive Centre). This place is seriously under rated as a place to visit in Calgary! It was fun for the kids but also really interesting for the adults

Some of the exhibits included:

👮 try on police equipment
👆 take your fingerprints in the fingerprint lab
🔫 look through a sniper rifle scope
🕵️‍♂️ Visit the forensics room
🚁 See real life footage from helicopter chases
🚔 Sit in a real police car and turn on the lights, and….
🚨 Get locked up in jail!

There is also a fun scavenger hunt for the kids with some fun prizes at the end, including a sheriff badge!

It’s only open on Friday and Saturday’s, but you can book your slot online weeks ahead, plus it’s completely FREE (although donations are appreciated)

#youthlink #youthlinkyyc #yycpolice #funwithkids #thingstodoinyyc #familydayfun @youthlinkyyc

Kids Backpacks ✅

Last weekend we spent Sunday ‘backpack shopping’ for the girls, so that that they could try on some backpacks ready for our 100 day trip in September.

I was pretty shocked at how few options there were in physical stores. I’ve heard the same in other cities and countries too. Atmosphere didn’t really have any kids backpacks in store, and while MEC had a few, the largest they had in store was a 22l which was only really suitable for Evelyn. Still, both girls tried some on and we got a sense of what might fit and what didn’t.

We took a few things into consideration:
- a large enough size without being too much for them
- that the straps fit on their shoulders without any gaps
- that there was a waist support strap
- the option to add a hydration device in it
- comfortable looking straps
- easy clips and fasteners for little fingers
- how easy I could carry it along with my own if they get tired!

In the end, we bought the Deuter Climber 22 for Evelyn from MEC (in store) but had to buy the Deuter Fox 30 for Jess online (also from MEC but they just have been out of stock in store).

What backpacks have your little ones used for extended travel? Would love to hear from anyone whose kids have used either of these backpacks and what their experiences were!

#kidsbackpack #backpackingkids #travelwithkids #deuter #backpacks #mec #familytravel

Spent a few hours researching and trying on backpacks for our Asia travels this afternoon at MEC. They do a free ‘try climbing’ session between 1-4pm@on Sunday’s, so the girls both had a few goes climbing the wall. It was Evelyn’s first time (she did great but got tired), and Jess managed to get to the top (she’s recently tried bouldering and really enjoyed it).

#mec #mecclimbing #climbing

A great early dinner out at @cactusclubcafe on Macleod trail. Nice it didn’t cost us anything as used a gift card from my parents (Xmas present).

Girls are on a cheesecake high now! #cactusclub

A great day yesterday visiting Jura Creek for a quick stop on the way to Canmore with Susie’s brother.

Not too much snow so it was fairly easy to make our way up the canyon. Still found some fun ice slides for the kids to play on 🧊 🛝

#juracreek #juracreekcanyon #kananaskis #canmore #winterfun

The beautiful #peacebridge in Calgary! So gorgeous at night!

#peacebridgeyyc #calgary #yyc #downtowncalgary

It’s been a while since we were in downtown at night, but tonight we went for an early (ish) dinner at @yycpointsushi and then gave Susie’s brother (who is visiting us) a bit of a tour of downtown.

The Calgary tower looked great all lit up in holiday colours and the sculpture at the Bow building looks so much better at night!

#yycatnight #downtowncalgary #yyc #bowbuilding #calgarytower

What a gorgeous day!

We were a little late getting going today so had to do something close by. Decided to do the White Buddha trail via Powderface and was great!

The first part of the walk was very ice (we all had cleats on so was fine) and then about half way up everything melted and the sun came out. Looking through the pictures it almost looks like 2 separate hikes!

The views at the top were great and well worth the effort!

On the way back we also stopped off at #elbowfalls as I don’t think I’ve been for maybe 10 years!

#whitebuddha #elbowfalls #kananaskiscountry #hikingwithdogs #hikingwithkids

It’s been a few years since I watched the @calgaryflames play! Was a great night, just a shame they lost in OT

Well, winter has definitely arrived in Alberta now! We had a massive dump about a week ago and there is still TONS of snow out in Kananaskis!

We went for our annual Christmas tree hunt today, followed by some fun by a fire. Was a fun day! #christmastreehunting

📍 Blackshale Suspension Bridge, Kananaskis

A nice (easy) hike in Kananaskis and was fun to cross over the suspension bridge. The kids also enjoyed trying out their ice cleats for the first time - made a MASSIVE difference and they had so much confidence the were running up and down the ice covered trails. Can’t believe this is the first year we got them!

#blackshalesuspensionbridge #kananaskis #kananaskiscountry

📍 The Kananaskis Mountain Lodge

Every year we like to try and get away for a night or two up to the beautiful @kananaskislodge. It’s only an hour away for us but really does feel like a bit of a holiday.

The kids absolutely love staying there and I’m pretty sure they would play in the pool all day if we let them. Unfortunately the hot tub was closed on this stay but the hotel has plans to build a new outdoor pool to go along with the hot tub, so sure it will be worth the wait!

As me and Susie are both holders of the #marriottbonvoy Amex credit card, we both get an annual 1 night free voucher to use at any Marriott hotel as long as it’s not over 50k points. On weekends and peak times this hotel is often over 50k points, but thankfully last weekend was available and within the budget, which was surprising as it was a long weekend.

Some of our favourite things we have done over our last few stays here:

🥾 many hikes nearby, including #trollfalls, larch hikes and the #blackshalesuspensionbridge

💧fun paddle boarding at nearby Barrier Lake

⛷️ skiing at Nakiska slopes (next door)

🚲 fat biking in the winter on the nearby trails

We are back there again in February too using Susie’s voucher (another long weekend), so looking forward to it already!

#kanscavengerhunt #kananaskis #kananaskismountainlodge

📍 Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta

Is there a more iconic photo in Banff than the #banffspringshotel? I’ve never stayed at the hotel (far too expensive) but have had a coffee there before and it is seriously impressive!

This photo was taken from Suprise Corner which is just a few minute drive away from the centre of Banff. Check it out on google maps. It was fairly easy to park in November, but in the summer…. Good luck!

#suprisecornerviewpoint #banff #banffnationalpark #banffsprings #banffspringshotel

A fun day at @millarvillemarket Christmas market. Thought it would feel strange going so early but it was actually really fun. The kids got their face painted at Santa’s workshop (of course Evelyn requested a koala).

The highlight was the ‘Kids Only Shoppe’ which is amazing volunteer run store where kids shop by themselves and buy presents (up to a value specified by the parents). The kids went in with $10 each and came out with about 4 presents for their friends! All of the gifts in the store are donated or locally made and the proceeds go to local schools - so an amazing cause as well!

Also a shout out to @grizzledbearinc - first time I’ve come across their clothes but bought some today and they amazingly well made and comfortable clothes! Not cheap, but nice to support a local Calgary company and the quality is fantastic. Not an ad or anything, just genuinely really impressed!

📍 Grotto Canyon (part 2)

After the waterfalls we continued on to the small cave further up the canyon. The canyon opens up and turns into more of a wide river bed, a little bit like Jura Creek does (a hike we did a few months back).

It’s quite steep to climb up and on a few occasions rocks went tumbling down so definitely a bit sketchy. But try telling 4 kids they can’t climb up 🤷‍♂️

Was nice to head into Canmore after the hike and grab a 🍻 at @canmorebrewing #grottocanyon

📍 Grotto Canyon in Exshaw

The Grotto Canyon trail is definitely one of the more popular canyon walks in the Rockies, but we were one of only 3 cars when we arrived…. so off season is definitely the way to go!

The hike is fairly easy, not too long, and perfect for families. The canyon walls are really impressive and the pictographs (although quite faded) were interesting to see. The waterfalls are definitely more impressive in the winter, but worth seeing all the same!

Part 2 to follow…..

#grottocanyon #grottocanyontrail #canyon #albertahikes #exshaw #hikingwithkids

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@schofield_family_travels

ABOUT US

We are originally from the UK, but have moved around with work. We spent 2 years living in the Middle East (Kuwait) before moving to Calgary, Alberta in 2012, where our girls were born.

​

​We don’t travel full time, and we aren’t digital nomads. We are like most normal families. We have normal 9-5 jobs and spend most evenings driving our girls to various after school activities. ​​But we LOVE to travel, explore and spend time as a family. ​

​

We decided that we wanted to do more than just a 2 week summer vacation.

​

In October 2025 we have made the decision to take career sabbaticals and embark on a family trip of a lifetime; travelling through Asia, Australia and New Zealand for 3-4 months.

​​​​​​

The goal for this blog is to share our experiences from our travels and help inspire you to take the leap to go on your very own adventure through our itineraries and travel guides.

A little more about our 100 Day Family Sabbatical

​

Follow us on Instagram

​

Follow us on Instagram

We don’t travel full time, and we aren’t digital nomads. We are like most normal families. We have normal 9-5 jobs and spend most evenings driving our girls to various after school activities. But we LOVE to travel, explore and spend time as a family.

A little more about our
100 Day Family Sabbatical