S’pore family sells home and car to fund 6-month road trip to Turkey with 2 young kids
While many plan to travel the world only after retirement, one Singapore couple recently sold their home and car to embark on a six-month road trip with their two young children.
TikTok account @_fatstarfish’s first video — posted on May 9 — introduced netizens to the family of four, as they moved their possessions into a storage unit and bade their loved ones farewell.
“We have been planning this for a very long time. And finally it is happening,” wrote the caption.
According to Berita Harian, Mr Mohammad Shahrom Mahat, 44, and his wife Ms Mastura Natasha Malek, 40, sold their three-room flat and Suzuki car to finance a six-month overland road trip.
The couple, together with their two young children — Seth, six, and Nadine, five — are currently travelling in a Toyota Hilux from Singapore to get to their eventual stop: Turkey.
The route will see them travel through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey.
In response to Stomp’s queries, the couple said they aim to reach China by June.
“We are taking it one day at a time. So it’s free and easy for now,” Mr Shahrom and Ms Natasha wrote.
Based on their most recent TikTok video, the family appear to be in Penang as they await their camper build to be ready.
‘Now or never’
“We actually started planning this since 10 years ago,” the couple told Stomp.
“So it’s not a reckless decision but a progressive one. We have always loved travelling and have done a few campervan trips.”
The couple told Berita Harian that they estimated the trip would cost around $100,000, covering transport, accommodation, insurance, food and emergency funds.
As such, selling their apartment was the only realistic way to finance such a long journey.
“We decided to sell the apartment to finance this trip, but it took a lot of planning and faith to jump into this,” they told Stomp.
The couple also clarified that Mr Shahrom is self-employed and will continue to run Flashpixs, his photography business, while on the trip. Ms Natasha, on the other hand, left her full-time job of 10 years — as an educational therapist — to take a break.
Mr Shahrom also told Berita Harian that they still intend to buy another home in future and will temporarily stay with family upon returning to Singapore.
‘The kids won’t stay this young forever’
The couple told Berita Harian that one major reason for embarking on the trip now was because their eldest child will begin primary school in 2027.
“Both of us are not getting younger and the kids won’t remain this young, to hang out with us in the future,” wrote the couple.
Mr Shahrom and Ms Natasha are currently homeschooling their children while travelling and encouraging them to keep journals during the journey.
“We hope to show the kids that there’s so much beauty — culture, languages, food — in this world,” they told Stomp.
Unexpected virality
Mr Shahrom told Berita Harian that the family never expected their story to go viral.
“We are not travelling to inspire others, but simply for ourselves,” he said.
“Our intention was only to document the journey as memories for our children in the future.”
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