Sarah Noack, 26, from Germany, has travelled to 17 countries with her two year old daughter Luana, who has learnt to walk on a beach in Bali and said her first words in Indonesia
Meet the intrepid mum who’s been globe-trotting with her toddler, ticking off an impressive 17 countries from their bucket list.
At just 26-years-old, Sarah Noack has already introduced her two-year-old daughter, Luana, to a life of adventure since her birth on October 14, 2021. Formerly soaring the skies as a flight attendant, Sarah’s job took her to exotic locales like Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Japan, and China.
Embracing her three-year maternity leave, Sarah embarked on a trip to Barcelona, Spain, with Luana and her then-partner when the little one was barely two weeks old.
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Post-breakup, Sarah has embraced solo parenting on the move, jet-setting with Luana to destinations including Vietnam, Portugal, Jordan, and Australia. The young girl’s milestones have been marked by travel, with her first steps on a Balinese beach and her initial words uttered in Indonesia.
Frankfurt-based Sarah, now a freelance social media manager, reminisced: “After graduating high school, I started working as a flight attendant. I wanted to make money and travel the world – becoming a flight attendant was the perfect job.”
“Through that my enthusiasm to travel went crazy. I was doing the job for two years full-time before I went part-time to study. Backpacking hasn’t been difficult with a baby as she was so small.
“It is getting harder now she is getting bigger – she has started running around. I found travelling much more easier than having a normal routine in Germany.”
Sarah’s wanderlust was ignited after high school when she became a flight attendant in 2017, seizing the opportunity to see the world while earning her keep.
A flight attendant who couldn’t work during pregnancy used her time to visit 20 countries before her daughter turned two. Sarah, who was still receiving her full salary, welcomed Luana in October 2021 and took advantage of her employer’s generous maternity and breastfeeding policies to fund her travels.
Speaking about her decision to embark on the adventure, the new mum said: “Flight attendants aren’t allowed to work when they are pregnant at the airline I was with so I was still having a full salary but not working.”
“I have been on parental leave since my daughter was born,” Sarah continued. “Until earlier this year I was still on maternity leave. We have a breastfeeding policy where you get your whole salary while breastfeeding.”
Sarah and Luana’s first trip as a duo was a month-long stay in Thailand, which came after Sarah separated from Luana’s dad. They then spent three weeks in Cambodia and two weeks in Vietnam, before heading to Hong Kong and Nepal, all while carrying just one backpack.
Looking back on their adventures, Sarah, who is now in Portugal with a group of solo travelling mums, said: “When I went to Thailand I had nothing planned, we then headed to Cambodia for three weeks and spent two weeks in Vietnam.
“We then headed to Hong Kong and Nepal. I only took a backpack with me, during that time I had so much energy. The mum, whose favourite destination so far has been Nepal, said: “It was no natural and adventurous I loved it.”
Sharing her love for the country, Sarah said: “The country blew me away, it was beautiful. It was so different to every other place I have ever been to. It was a complete different culture to the rest of Asia that I have visited.”
Little Luana, who learnt to walk on a beach in Bali and started talking in Indonesia, has also benefited from the experience. Sarah said: “I wanted to have an adventurous life and have a child.”
Sarah shared her globetrotting experiences: “When we went to Bali we spent so much time on the beach. She felt very secure and she knew if she fell she would fall soft so that is where she started walking.”
Reflecting on language milestones, Sarah noted: “In Indonesia I met up with my British friend, Luana started speaking English there.”
The mother-and-child duo have stamped their passports in a host of countries, including Italy, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Nepal, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Jordan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the USA.
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