A single mother has spent three years of maternity leave backpacking around 20 countries with her daughter.
Sarah Noack, 27, was working as a flight attendant when she gave birth to her daughter, Luana, now three.
Her generous maternity package with her airline meant she took three years of maternity leave.
Sarah’s second year of paid maternity leave ended in March 2024 and she is currently on one year of unpaid leave.
She wanted to make the most of it and took baby Luana on holiday to Barcelona, Spain, just two weeks old.
Since Sara has taken Luana on constant trips visiting Thailand, Nepal, Hong Kong and Australia.
Sarah said she has no plans to stop anytime soon and will be hosting a group tour in Bali for like-minded mums in April 2025.
She funds her travels through her maternity pay and works as a social media manager.
Sarah, a freelance social media manager from Frankfurt, Germany, said: “The reason I still travel and love it so much is that it continues to show me how big the world is.”
“Something that blows my mind is that I’ve been traveling for so long and there are so many places I haven’t seen yet.”
“For me, it’s the thrill of meeting new people and seeing how different people live in the world.”
“A life well lived is having lots of different experiences and I think that’s so helpful for my daughter.”
In 2021, Sara became pregnant with Luana and gave birth to her in October.
She said: “Flight attendants aren’t allowed to work when they’re pregnant on the airline I was with, so I was still on full pay, but I wasn’t working.
“I have been on parental leave since my daughter was born.
“Until the beginning of this year, I was still on maternity leave.”
“We have a breastfeeding policy where you get your full salary while breastfeeding.”
Sara and Luana’s first trip, just the two of them, came after Sara broke up with Luana’s father and they traveled to Thailand for a month.
Since then, they have traveled to Hong Kong, Cambodia, Bali and Laos.
Sarah said: “When we were in Bali, Luana went to daycare for two months and she loved it.”
“When we were in Thailand, she also did daycare there, which she loved as well.”
“I realized I can’t sustain this lifestyle without spending a few months in one place.”
“What works is when we have times where we move him to a place with access to daycare that is kid-friendly.
“A place we both enjoy mixed with adventure and time to ourselves – that’s the life I imagine for us.”
After three years of traveling with Luana, Sarah has launched a Bali tour for like-minded solo mums.
She said, “The group trip is happening in April.”
“I started the group to show other solo mothers around Bali.”
“It’s for moms who want to travel with their kids, but not necessarily alone.”
“I’m excited to show them Bali from my perspective and meet other solo moms to share our experiences.”
List of places that the mother and the young woman have visited:
- Ital
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Vietnam
- Hong Kong
- Nepal
- Portuguese
- Spain
- Greece
- Albania
- Montenegro
- Jordan
- Australia
- Sri Lanka
- Malaysia
- US
- Bali
- Lous
- uk
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