When you are where you are meant to be.... things flow.

Yesterday was a strange day. It was my first day after (finally) finishing the uni term, a uni term that had damn near traumatised me. Last term I took on fulltime uni as we had settled into Kalgoorlie to work for 6 months or so and Zac had just started daycare two days a week. However - that "plan" (like many, when you become a parent) was not to be.

Zac instantly hated daycare... He cried from the moment we dropped him off until the moment we picked him up. His teachers were stressed because he seemed to be the "exception" to the whole "Oh, he will be laughing and playing (and stop crying) as soon as you're out ther door", instead - he was very consistant for a couple of weeks at two days a week. We realised this was causing him ALOT of stress and his teachers were having trouble giving him the support he needed because they simply hadn't experienced such a consistantly sad child.

This led to us pulling him out of daycare, I mean - I enjoy every moment with my son. When he is in daycare I miss him terribly. I (honestly) only sent him because it is the "thing you do" but my husband pointed out that alot of our life decisions go against that grain so if I love being with Zac and dont mind having him home full time, then why send him to daycare when he clearly isnt settling in? We believe that he wasnt settling in because of our lifestyle and always moving around, as he previously LOVED his "home-daycare" he used to attend (read: this would have been an entirely different situation if he had have settled in happily - he would still be attending now).

Thus the decision was finalised, and although my time alone went down to basically zero, my uni workload persisted. This lead to a very stressful term for me! I experienced alot of guilt because there were many times I had to just give up and sit Zac in front of the TV so that I could get some work done (those who know me know that I am the kinda mum whom is ALWAYS playing with her child and teaching him things and going outdoors with him when we are together) so this all added to both of our stress levels, which then bounced off eachother even more so.

Anyway, I woke up yesterday with no uni work and was just baffled... We got up slowly and casually, I washed some dishes, tidied the van, got ontop of the washing. Then we went and caught up with some friends we have met here in Kalgoorlie, THEN we came home... and relaxed??!?!?!?!?

..... it was BLISSFUL!

We made the bed so it was nice and neat, then layed on the bed, under the aircon and played cars, puzzles, lego, flash cards, dominoes, for hours. It felt so good to just be able to enjoy Zac again and play with him with my attention all on him. Then around 5:30 in the afternoon I took him for a big walk around Boulder while the sun started to get lower in the sky. Would you believe that after all of this attention, busy day etc. he fell STRAIGHT to sleep when I put him to bed. Wow, It all just felt so right, like it is the way its meant to be for us - like everything was flowing naturally again. (the last three weeks zac has experienced a major sleep regression, thats why this sleep "thing" has been massive for us now).

I hadnt realised how much my desire to get a qualification was affecting Zacs life. I knew I took on too much but I didnt realise how much my inability to keep up with it all was responsible for all of the massive changes Zac has been experiencing lately. With this thought in mind; life feels so blissful again. I love enjoying Zac and making the most of every second I have with him, so I am so happy to get to experience that again.

Today it has been the same, a nice relaxing morning with a little bit of housework. Then the day is ours, to play and learn together, to enjoy eachothers company and experience life together. I feel so lucky to be in a position to be home with my son all the time, I feel grateful that I enjoy his company so much and that I get to really teach him the basics aswell as about life and the world.

So today I am a little "high on life", I feel really happy, relaxed, at ease and inspired. I feel energised and ready to really be the mum I always wanted to be. I know my son would be proud of me in years to come if I could stand up and say "I singlehandedly finished a FULLTIME uni degree in just a few years, while raising my child and having a husband working extremely long hours. Because of this I was able to take on a high paying job and buy my son everything he could have dreamed of", but I know I am raising a child whom would be prouder to be able to say "my mum taught me the ABC, to read, to write, to play and how to be a good person, she was always there when I needed her and my memories are of her time, not of objects".

I feel so grateful for everything my life has brought to me. There have been some substantially tough times, but they have only intensified my desire to sieze the moment, be with my husband and son and experience a simple, happy life.

The way our relationships have changed as a result of living on the road.

My husband and I
I like to think that my husband and I have a phenomenal relationship (with ups & downs, of course). We work hard to be honest and compassionate with each-other and we focus really heavily on being happy, above everything else. We share a lot of the same goals, focuses and morals which helps our relationship to stay equal and accommodating for both of us. My husband and I enjoy being together (as I’m sure everyone else does with the spouse) so our main priority of this trip was “time” – for each other, our son and the three of us as a family.

When Brent (my husband) worked a demanding job, fulltime and we lived in suburbia, we felt like we had so little time together. However now that we live in the van our situation has forced us to realise that we had too many “distractions” during those important moments that should have been ours. Im sure many of you can relate to the idea of coming home from work and tuning out in front of the TV once the kids are tucked into bed. We fell into that pattern (due to exhaustion). Now that we live in the van – watching television is a very rare occurrence for us.

When nightfall hits we tuck our son in bed then eat our dinner together, under the stars. We then stay sitting outside and talk and talk and talk and before we know it it’s time to get to bed. We have so much time to talk to each other, learn more about each other, plan our future, and discuss our dreams – more time to connect. This “time” together is completely free from distractions and is so valuable to us; it’s one of the wonderful by-products of this lifestyle.  

My son and I

My son and I have more time together than I ever imagined having with my child. I am able to really focus on teaching him things, fostering a love for the environment and a compassion for others, purely because I have so much time and inspiration. Once again, our quality time is uninterrupted and outside with fresh air and endorphins flowing.

We explore entirely new areas and learn together and because of that he develops an added confidence and understanding of what he sees and experiences. We do things in our own time with minimal temporal commitments, so we are free to let our imaginations flow, some-days until the sun goes down and it is time for bed.

Because this lifestyle is so different to the norm and may not necessarily be as controlled or secure as a normal childhood environment we find ourselves working harder to include him in decisions and the formation of ideas or plans. Our days allow for his input and we have the time to explore the things the three year old mind considers logical. This increases his self-confidence and encourages him to speak up and add input where he sees fit. Although the ideas of a three year old aren’t always achievable/logical (e.g. Flying to the moon on a Sunday afternoon) sometimes they prove to be fun, exciting and rejuvenating and they always make our day a little different to how we expected it to be.

This lifestyle is a fantastic way to take your children away from distractions and the “busy-ness” of everyday life and really get to know them. It’s a beautiful experience and it really enhances your relationship with them.

Us as a family

As a family we have come to really depend on each other, after all when we are in the middle of nowhere, alone we don’t have anyone else to depend on! I went from just being my husband’s wife to becoming his drinking buddy, apprentice, best mate and competition (He loves competitive games we even competed on the way out to Ayers Rock to see who could spot it first – I won!). He has become my “girlfriend”, confidante, dance partner and chick-flick-companion among other things. To Zac we have willingly become his “play-mates” his buddies, his “taste testers” (for the latest play dough creations) and his teachers.

We depend on each other a lot and we bring so much to each other’s lives. Only having “us” for support has meant that we have had to further develop our abilities to be selfless and understanding when the other person/s may need some extra care or support even if we’re not feeling up to it. We understand and respect that when one person is unwell the other person has no choice but to take on the responsibilities. We also understand that what we have is special and beautiful and we are extremely lucky to feel so close and connected.

If you choose to live this (or any more “family- time focussed”) lifestyle you will find that for every negative there is a positive. For every shred of normalcy and routine your life lacks you will emotionally regain a new level of dependence and understanding with your family or travel companion. For every moment you miss out on with others (and sadly there are many) you can focus on the moments you are gaining with your family.

We dont always make make the "best" or the "right" decisions but the decisions we make nearly always lead to us being happier and more content. Dont be afraid to put happiness first and chase it! As long as it isnt at the expense of others than you have no reason to not be happy.

There is so much you need to sacrifice physically and mentally to live this kind of a lifestyle but it brings an unimaginable amount of joy and contentment to your life, which is worth more than any item you could own.

"Oh I could never do that"

I hear those words all the time "Oh I/we could never do what you are doing, I wish we could". Well, I want to tell you that you CAN. You just have to work toward it like everything else in your life you have worked towards. I know when you start to consider somthing new and unknown there are bound to be reservations, what can you do about them?


There are many ways
There are so many options, just because you cant afford one or it doesnt seem "functional" enough for your family it doesnt mean you have no other choices. People travel Australia under many different budgets and levels of comfort. It all just depends on what "Creature comforts" you ARE willing to sacrifice to make this dream happen -  so here are some of your options:


- caravan - this is what we use
- camper trailer - they take a little more setting up but can go ALOT more remote than our van!
- swag - simple but cost effective and if all you have is a swag and a capable FWD... Oh the options.
- motorhome - want luxury? Google "motorhome" WOW!
- fifth wheeler - similar comfort and space of a motorhome but without the engine. You generally need a car with a faily big tow capacity.
- a tent - yep, a tent! Where there is a will there is a way!
- a minivan/campervan - Another cost effective solution (this also makes fuel a bit cheaper as towing really takes its toll on your fuel bill.
- private jet? - just joking ;-)
- convert a bus! this was our original plan but we were in too much of a hurry. I think its a winner idea!
- pushbikes - Ive seen MANY push bike travellers along the way! Brave people! Think of the fuel savings, the environment... Your poor legs? hehe
- a boat - buy a livable boat and travel around (literally) Australia. You can stop at most places for $0.00 (seriously). You can go nuts around the whitsunday islands, eat fish and other seafood and when you REALLY want to - you can jump on land and explor with a pushbike or a hire car.


So if you cant afford a caravan or dont want to wait the amount of time it takes to save for one - try a camper trailer (you will see SO much more as they can go so much rougher than the van). If you cant handle the thought of giving up your creature comforts, but you want this lifestyle - trade in the massive home motgage for a decdent sized, luxurious, motorhome. Or build one yourself? Dont want to commit too much money upfront - tent/swag to begin with, until you are certain. Your options are endless and there is a way that will suit everyone.


I met some people not long ago whom had just begun a journey around Australia, when I asked them if they were enjoying it they said "not really" and started to explain. They said that living in a van was extremely difficult, they were finding it hard with their children and they werent sure how they would do it. They asked me what I thought of that and what I think they should do? So here is my "two bob" on introducing yourself to the caravanning life.


Give yourself time to adapt


Like every new experience or opportunity in life it takes time to adapt to it. Dont expect that when you move into a van/camper trailer/bus etc life will be the same as it was at home. There will be vast differences but give yourself TIME to adapt to them also your children. You will find a new routine that works for you. You will find a way that everyone can get a good nights sleep in the van. It just takes time.


If you have children


Remember that this is a HUGE change for them and it will take time for them to get used to it so if they are not sleeping well at the beginning and everyone is getting to that point of exhaustion and frustration... give it time. Try to focus on picking up the things they have lost from leaving their old, more structured life. Add in a few things or family "rituals" you can take part in every week even if its just a sunday BBQ or roast or a fmaily game of cricket every Tuesday morning. This can give them a sense of structure and make them feel a little less overwhelmed. Also remember - relaxing can be VERY exhausting. We found that we were so exhausted every afternoon we were ont he road. You fit so much into a day and it really takes its toll on you so try and get to bed earlier, make time to relax at "home" some days, give the kids a chance for some downtime.


Accentuate the positives


Focus on all the positives this lifestyle has brought into your life and encourage the kids to aswell. For every negative aspect you come up with point out its positive counterpart. In many of the most wonderful experiences in life we have to be sacrificing somthing else at the same time to be experiencing them, so focus on that. Encourage your kids to talk abou thow different their life is from the other kids and remind them of how lucky they are to get to live this way.


But how do you survive without time alone?


We are asked this all the time. We DO have time alone. Our son naps for 2-3 hours a day (luckily) but you could always put the kids inside on their beds with a quiet book to wind down and sit on the beach with hubby (if your camped at/on the beach) or you could wait until night time. Rather than switching on a TV, sit outside in your chairs with a glass of wine and simply connect. Lay a blanket under the stars and relax together until your ready for bed.


But what about not having our friends around?


if your camped somewhere you are able to have a camp fire, chances are once the kids are all tucked into bed if you sit outside and spark it up - before you know it everyone will have come to join you. Instant socialising - no babysitters or makeup required. Its a wonderful, relaxed environment and it will make up for any amount of "missing" of your friends. Same goes for your kids. I was at the pool yesterday for all of 3 minutes before a 7 year old girl was swimming around with my son playing a game that was making them both crease up laughing.


Anyone can live like this. There are housing options, work options (see this post I wrote about making money on the road). You have more options, more choice and more room for change than in any other lifestyle so dont feel afraid to search and mould it until you find the way it works for you and your family. If all else fails and you need some reassuring, travelling families are always willing to encourage and support others, seek them out - online, in person, however you can, we are all in this together!