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A mother who has taken her kids to countries with high terrorism alerts has shared why she feels they are actually safer than the UK.
Karen Edwards and her husband, Shaun, are self-proclaimed globe-trotting nomads.
The pair have visited an impressive 63 countries to date with their daughter Esmé, 11 and their son, Quinn, eight.
They have also travelled to more than 20 countries with their two-year-old twins, Fionn and Fern.
The family have most recently visited the Middle East – despite concerns from people about the children's safety.
This includes visits to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, despite their bordering on Taliban-run Afghanistan.
'I don't know how, but we've managed to keep the travel up with four kids,' she said.
'To be honest, it's utter chaos every day.
Karen Edwards and her husband, Shaun, are self-proclaimed globe-trotting nomads. They are pictured with their children Esmé, 11, Quinn, eight, and two-year-old twins, Fionn and Fern
The family have most recently visited the Middle East – despite concerns from people about the children's safety
'When we are on the go, however, they are much better. They go stir crazy, so it's a great way to keep them entertained.
'People ask if the countries we visited in the Middle East are safe, but honestly, they are some of the safest countries in the world.
'I've never had any concerns. There are also some very modern cities throughout the region that people are often not aware of.
'We saw military on the borders, and some have even given us a lift into town.
'There are often people in uniform coming and going to work – but they're not really heavily militarised places at all.
'I'd say there's more of a police presence than anything. The cost of living has been great for our budget.
'These countries are all so much more child-friendly than the UK. For example, it's the norm to have a kids' space in restaurants; you just don't get that at home.'
While in these countries, the family zip-lined across waterfall canyons, made massive sheets of traditional Armenian bread and played in a giant creche that used to be a historical site in Uzbekistan, as well as carpooled with two eagles and two Kyrgyzstan strangers.
'I don't know how, but we've managed to keep the travel up with four kids,' said Karen
Karen and Shaun first started travelling after giving birth to their daughter.
They decided to use Karen's maternity leave as an NHS nurse to travel by putting their London flat up for rent and setting off with no plan.
They started their travels in New Zealand, followed by backpacking in Southeast Asia, before eventually returning home.
But they soon uprooted their lives again and used Karen's maternity leave once more, when Quinn came along to travel the Pan-American highway from Canada to Argentina.
The couple's twins were born in Abu Dhabi, and now the family live in Sri Lanka.
They've also visited places like the Maldives, South Korea and India.
Despite suffering a few issues along the way, they have no plans to quit travelling full-time.
And financially, the parents can keep things ticking over by not exceeding their tight budget, which they practice while at home too.
This is made up from the rent they receive from two properties, totalling £1,600, and Karen's business, which brings in an estimated £2,600 per month.
Their next goal lies in Esmé's hands, as she wants to become the youngest person to visit every country in the world – a record currently held by a 36-year-old.
Karen said: 'Every single day, multiple times a day, locals count the kids as they walk by and always ask if they're all ours.
'It's a very common mixture of "I don't know how you do it" and "Well done".
Financially, the parents can keep things ticking over by not exceeding their tight budget, which they also practice while at home
'Most of the time, it's people closer to home that might make the odd comment about them missing school.
'But they're learning so much more with what we're doing.
'We have gotten less negativity as time has gone on, as people are just used to our lifestyle at this stage.
'You kind of become non-shocked by anything that happens as a parent of four, so any little accidents become part of daily life. I'm pretty good at not going too crazy, too.'
