Meet the Irish Mum Who Spent Her Entire Maternity Leave Travelling the World

For most women, maternity leave is a hectic combination of getting to know your brand new baby and trying to remember what you did before they arrived.  For Karen Edwards however, it was a chance to discover faraway parts of the world with her eleven-week-old daughter Esmé tucked into her baby backpack. With their new arrival less than three months old, Karen (31) and her husband Shaun Bayes, both experienced globetrotters who are based in the UK, decided to sell their car and take advantage of Karen's maternity leave from the UK’s National Health Service, where she works as a nurse.

The longest cable car ride in the world- Hong Kong.. Stunning views of sea, forestry and mountainous landscape as you ascend into the sky ... #travel #travelwithbaby #travelmadmum #adventure #backpacking #instagood #instatravel #instapassport #holiday #jetset #travelgram #wanderlust #wonderlust #familytravel #travelwithkids #picoftheday #traveltheworld #mumblogger #travelblogger #blogger #cablecar #hongkong #lastleg

A photo posted by Travel Mad Mum (@travelmadmum) on Oct 9, 2015 at 2:01pm PDT

Explaining the decision on her website, Karen says: "Now this is going to sound selfish, when I realised I was pregnant with little miss (who I love unconditionally) I instantly thought- ‘that’s it, travel days are over’. Needless to say that has not been the case so far."

Checking out all the stamps in her little passport. Just about to board flight 5 of 9 in 7 weeks! It has been raining most days her in Malaysia but at least it was warm. Really so excited for our next stop- Vietnam! We have 24 hours in Ho Chi Minh before we escape the city. Does anyone have any recommendations ? #travel #travelingwithababy #travelmadmum #adventure #backpacking #instagood #instatravel #picoftheday #instapassport #holiday #jetset #travelgram #wanderlust #familytravel #livingthedream #babywearing #baby #mumblogger #langkawi #malaysia #vietnam @ergobaby A photo posted by Travel Mad Mum (@travelmadmum) on Aug 7, 2015 at 9:09pm PDT

With all their vaccinations up to date, the couple tested the waters with a brief trip to Ireland to see Karen's family, then they jetted off to new Zealand to see Shaun's family before hitting Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong. This week the family took off to Thailand and Cambodia, updating their thousands of fans daily on Instagram. Their trips are funded by Karen's maternity leave payments and topped up with Shaun's sporadic landscaping gigs at various destinations.

Getting all prepped for our next adventure with this little tot... Next stop Thailand, Cambodia and New Zealand.. Let's hope she's comfy and as well behaved as last time in her upgraded carrier ... #travel #travelwithbaby #travelmadmum #adventure #backpacking #instagood #instadaily #instatravel #igtravel #instapassport #holiday #jetset #travelgram #wanderlust #wonderlust #familytravel #travelwithkids #picoftheday #traveltheworld #mumblogger #tmom #travelblogger #blogger #babywearing #toddlerwearing #hiking #littlelife A photo posted by Travel Mad Mum (@travelmadmum) on Jan 27, 2016 at 9:32am PST

  Karen and Shaun plan to continue to inspire other parents by detailing their baby-friendly journeys, complete with advice on road trips, long ferry journeys, long and short haul flights, stopovers and camping trips as well as sterling advice on how to pack all the essentials you need into a limited amount of luggage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZbovdA1GJQ

Solar shower anyone? #travel #travelwithbaby #travelmadmum #adventure #backpacking #instagood #instatravel #instapassport #holiday #jetset #travelgram #wanderlust #wonderlust #familytravel #travelwithkids #mumblogger #travelblogger #camping #solarshower #waterbaby #camp A photo posted by Travel Mad Mum (@travelmadmum) on Sep 19, 2015 at 1:18pm PDT

And more recent posts by Travel Mad Mum...

I totally love the idea of multi-purpose products. The @brandbabyhub travel cot turns into a tepee tent! Very handy for a life of travel with kids when we can use things in different ways. Especially when it means we can set up Esmé's own play area. Up on our fancy new website today is a review of the Sleep Space cot and tepee package. Link in bio.. would love to hear your thoughts on this one #sp

A photo posted by Travel Mad Mum (@travelmadmum) on Feb 3, 2017 at 6:27am PST

Bermuda in January? Why not.

My mini-me ?? #Bermuda

A photo posted by Travel Mad Mum (@travelmadmum) on Jan 31, 2017 at 11:21pm PST

You can follow this lovely family's progress on Facebook. Tell us, did you travel during your maternity leave? Let us know on Twitter @Herfamilydotie.