Low-tech downtime has been some of my favourite moments: Counting 100 stunning sky-wide lightning strikes in Miami, making up stupid lyrics to well-known songs while desperately lost in Provence, and playing "idiots' hide and seek" in Las Vegas, then trashing the room. We had to. It was Vegas. And let's face it - a gentle room-trashing from a mother and son is not the same as a stag-night suite-smash in Sin City.
Jet and I have always been close, but now there's a new connection, one that stems from having only each other as company, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for nine months. I'm confident this next-level bond will help us both navigate the undoubtedly challenging teenage years with honesty and openness.
Sam Pease and her son Jet in the Mediterranean. Photo / Sam Pease
Do we ever get sick of each other? Rarely. If I want to go clothes-shopping, he'll read quietly outside the changing rooms, knowing that he'll get to pick something random for us to do, like visiting the Atomic Testing Museum. That's the beauty of travelling with a child - you experience things you'd never do by yourself.
Jet is obsessed with physics, so a large part of our trip has been science-related. Our first morning in New York City involved the ultra-glamorous Museum of Math ... I thought I'd yawn discreetly for a few hours before distracting him to leave, but it was so entertaining we left as the sun was setting.
Having a flexible schedule is essential if you're travelling with children, and sometimes you'll need a "home" day to recharge and digest the trip.
The Jet Project is an absolute success. It's given us some amazing new memories, an indestructible bond and, unexpectedly, it's completely restored my faith in people.
I was terrified we were going to end up hurt or seriously injured, but it turns out, people all over the world are kind. And warm. And friendly. Despite what you read online, the world really is a beautiful place.
Sam Pease's tips for travelling with children
• Nerd through the confectionary aisle in the supermarket. It's cheap entertainment, and we've found some hilarious things like dead scorpion lollipops, chocolate-covered squid and Hello Kitty poo balls.
• Bistro Bingo. It's our favourite "got nowhere to be, let's hang here" game. We pick an idyllic setting - park, cafe or restaurant - and choose items to tick off like, "total doggie" (a purse puppy), a sunburned shirtless man, an offensive message on a T-shirt, a Ferrari with a bald driver, etc.
• Take an emergency kit. This is not a first aid kit; it's a guide detailing what kids should do if something unexpected happens to their parent. It was my worst fear, but we've been perfectly safe. Everywhere.
• Use your trip to teach your kids what the world was like before technology. While jungle-sifting on the remote island of Peleliu - infamous for a brutal battle during World War II between the Americans and the Japanese - we found an old tank. Jet touched it, and as it had been sitting in the sun for 70 years, it almost burned his hand. To imagine what it was like to sit inside an iron oven with no air-con while under attack was mind-blowing.
• Pack a Kindle. Or two. Jet and I read like wildfire, so carrying 400 books was beyond impractical. We always book accommodation with free wi-fi so we can access new material easily.
• Pack cleverly. Zip-lock and large self-sealing vacuum bags mean you can pack twice as much and you can find things easily. Each bag gets one type of item. You may end up with 30 bags, but it'll make for super-swift packing and unpacking (our record was 20 minutes when we overslept after a late night).
• Encourage your kids to write about their travels using similes. Jet beautifully described the sickly-sweet smell of smog in Beijing: "Like I'd left a banana in my school bag over the entire summer holidays."
