WHAT would you do when your plan to deliver a boat from Miami to Chile is scrapped? Shelve the idea, go home and fold the laundry/cry into your breakfast cereal?

Not Megan McCormick, the irrepressible former host of travelogue Globe Trekker. Determined not to waste the impetus to embark on an unconventional adventure, the self-professed travel addict and her friend Shannon decided to make the trip anyway - with their young daughters and husbands in tow.

For six months, the gang "hitch-hiked" their way across 25 islands in the Caribbean, often finding passage for the next leg of their journey from sympathetic boat owners at various marinas. "So many people were excited about the spirit of the adventure, so if they could, they would take us," Megan said. Eight boats - from wooden sloops to state of the art mega yachts - took on the group of six, plus their luggage and camera equipment.

Their adventures from New York to places such as postcard-perfect Tobago Keys, the whaling island of Bequia, rainforests-and-waterfalls Dominica, plus the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Haiti, are documented by Megan's cameraman husband in the travel series Sea Nation, which premieres tomorrow on TLC.

"It was scary because there was nobody backing us up - no network, or production company - but it was definitely worth it," said Megan, who, with her husband, sold the family car and apartment to finance the journey.

She talked to Today from New York about family life on the high seas, spontaneous travel and being proposed to by Virgin head honcho Sir Richard Branson.

 

What did you do to prepare for this trip?

Oh my god, far too little. I don't know what I was thinking. I just packed my backpack like I always do and set out to sail. When we showed up and the captain had his own idea, that changed things. So it was really about adapting and finding what was exciting and interesting in every moment that we were out there.

 

Is that a skill you have to learn?

Well, kind of, but not really. My friends call me pathologically friendly and I don't know if that's a compliment or not. But part of that openness to the world really makes you quickly find stories and people and what's engaging in a place.

 

How does travelling by sea compare to travelling by land?

Travelling by sea is a completely different animal. You realise you cannot have a deadline. You cannot have an itinerary because it's up to Mother Nature. So you think that you might make it to Martinique in time for their carnival, but Mother Nature will say no, I'm sorry, there's no wind and you have to stay here.

In a sense, it's great because sometimes I think as travellers, we're so hungry and so excited to see so much so quickly, that it's often a great benefit when our plans get changed and we have to sit in one place. It allows you the chance to go a little bit deeper in whatever country or culture that you're visiting. And that's often a great gift.

 

You encountered some rough seas during the journey. Did you regret your decision to set sail?

I was terrified. My husband got seasick, so it was hard for him to film. My daughter was seasick as well. But after the first leg, her body acclimatised to the boat's movement. It was a great gift at a young age - she developed an ability to handle that kind of situation. I really thought, 'What have we done? There's no way we can do this.' But we all made it through and became stronger for it.

 

What did you do when you were bored on the boat?

You spend a lot of time looking at the ocean, looking at the waves. I have a New Yorker's brain - it's always all over the place. The thing about being out at sea is there's no Internet. There's rarely a mobile phone connection. So you really have the time and space to just quiet the noise and see things differently.

 

How did you find boats to take you to the next destination?

We would show up at marinas, and Shannon and Pethos, the producers, would go boat to boat to ask people and tell them who we were and what we were doing and why we were doing it. Many people were excited - they would take us on a three-hour journey or for a day or, for some people, for two or three weeks.

I think it really resonated, this idea that life is short, you have to make the most of it. If anybody understands that, it's definitely the sailing community. They feel life and live life very, very passionately and very much in the minute.

 

Was that how you met Richard Branson?

We met an amazing artist who ran a backpackers lodge. He said, 'I think I know somebody who might like the idea (of your adventure). Why don't you call Richard Branson and see what he's doing?'

We never thought we'd get to meet him, but he welcomed us himself and invited us to stay for lunch. Then we played backgammon and hung out by the pool. He's really an amazing, curious and totally inspiring person.

 

Did he recognise you?

I don't know. I think he was pretending like he didn't because obviously I'm super famous. I'm just kidding. No, he didn't, but he did ask me to marry him.

 

Err ... marry him?

I made a joke at his expense and he said, 'Are you married? Somebody should marry this girl. Will you marry me?' He has a great sense of humour.

 

What have you learned from the journey?

You have to allow a lot more time if you're travelling with a kid. And it changes how you see things. Sometimes, that's a beautiful thing because the world opens up to you. Because the one thing we all have in common is that we really care about our families and we care about our children. So when you travel with a child, people open up in a way that they don't always do when you're travelling by yourself. So that was really incredible.

 

How has the trip changed your relationship with your family?

The thing about our New York life is that it takes a lot to keep it up and you're never together. Somebody is always working. And we were missing out on the early years in my daughter's life, so we decided that while it was a gamble, we had to try to spend that time together. This whole experience was really precious.

 

What was your most memorable experience?

We went to Haiti to an island called Ile a Vache. Near it is an island of about 250 people who fish for a living. They were some of the most warm, welcoming, caring people I have ever met.

They were suffering - even before the earthquake that devastated Haiti. They were having trouble fishing due to climate change and over-fishing. They were having trouble feeding their families.

I was so powerfully moved by their generosity and their warmth considering the challenges that they have.

 

How has your journey changed your perspective of travel and life?

Everybody works really hard. And we try so hard to live good lives and often we get lost. So when you pick up and you take a risk, sometimes you can get a reward that you didn't expect.

For me, that was seeing all these people leading different ways of life and finding peace. I remember a fisherman who said, 'I have been around the world. I have seen 100 countries. And I choose to live here. I'm just simple fisherman and I'm happy.' So it kind of put me in check.

It made me sit back and just relax. Just be happy in your moment in time. It's sort of hippie, isn't it?

 

If there's going to be a Sea Nation II; which places would you like to visit?

I'm torn between the Mediterranean and Asia, where there is a really vibrant history of sailing, incredibly beautiful places, fascinating people and culture.

I always feel like Asia is home for me. I started my travelling life in Japan, China, Thailand and Singapore. So when I think of travelling, I call Asia home. So maybe I would try to go home again, so to speak.

 

Sea Nation premieres tomorrow at 9pm on TLC (StarHub TV Ch 427).