TERRY ALLEN WILLIAMS/news-press.com Stefanie Schmitz and her son, Miles, 8, walk along the beach at the Cape Coral Yacht Club. Schmitz has written a book about her travels as a single mom with Miles in Africa and other parts of the world called "The Globe Toddler." "THE GLOBE TODDLER" • What: "The Globe Toddler" by Stefanie Schmitz • Where: Available at www.sandyroadsbooks.com and www.stefanieschmitz.com. The book will be available on www.amazon.com at the end of November. • Cost: $13.99 • Coming up: Schmitz will sign copies of her book 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday, Jan. 13, and The Banyan Tree, 1773 Fowler St. in Fort Myers. DELIVERING YOUR WORLD Subscribe to The News-Press Signup for daily email news Printer friendly version Email this article

He has backpacked in Ghana, played with stink bugs in the Australian outback and tried to navigate toilet facilities in Thailand.

At age 8, Miles Schmitz is not your usual globe-trotter. He has carried out his adventures with the help of his mother, Stefanie Schmitz, a self-described nomad.

"I thought, 'This is my passion, this is my hobby,' " Stefanie Schmitz said. "Why should I stop?"

Schmitz has taken her son to remote destinations around the world. She has chronicled their adventures in a new self-published book, "The Globe Toddler." The 270-page book is a series of vignettes from the travels the two made together to more then seven countries both before and after Schmitz met her husband, American Michael Korzeniewski, in Africa.

Schmitz, 39, was born and reared in Cologne, Germany, but left at the age of 20. Since then she has lived in Spain, England, Costa Rica, Alaska and Florida. Along the way she made extended stops in Africa, Bahrain, Asia and Australia. She started out traveling alone but after Miles was born she didn't want to give up her globe-trotting ways.

"On all of these trips, when I had Miles with me, it was so easy to make contact with people," Schmitz said. "It took maybe two minutes before someone would say, 'How do you do this?' "

Schmitz said that traveling alone with a 1- to 2-year-old companion did not impede her ability to go places, and at times proved to be an asset.

"Traveling with children in a Third World country is easier than Europe or the United States," she said. "Because they love children and they entertain them."

During one trip to Latin America she was received warmly because she was viewed as a mother, not as a blond-haired European traveling alone.

"I was treated with much greater respect," she said. "They wanted to carry my luggage and help me out."

For his part, Miles is too shy to talk to adult strangers but can strike up a conversation with children from any culture, Schmitz said. He also got used to living without a large number of material possessions.

"When you travel around the world you can't take much — a few books, a teddy bear, maybe a small stereo and a puzzle," Schmitz said. "He could always entertain himself."

By the time Miles turned 4, Schmitz had met and married Alaskan Korzeniewski. Together they took Miles on a world trip that included stops in Thailand, Fiji, Costa Rica and Australia.

Today the family includes daughter, Luna, 2, and a home in Cape Coral. But the family is getting ready to pack their bags once again. They own land in Costa Rica and may one day build there. Their next trip is a junket to Bolivia next summer.

Schmitz's book inspired longtime friend Stefan KŸhlem to do some traveling of his own. He recently arrived from Germany and is staying with the family for a few weeks.

"She told me so much about Costa Rica that I want to go to these places, too," KŸhlem, 40, said. "I like the book very much."

« Return to previous page