Every Monday we ask another Travelling Family a few questions – so that we can get to know them better, and share a bit more about who they are, why they travel and who they are travelling with! As well as how they are travelling.
Monday Featured Travelling Blogger Revealed
Every Monday another Travelling Blogger Family shares a bit more information so that you can connect with them. Today we have Natalie and Steve from “Family In A Van“! So love reading more about their amazing adventures…travelling and living in Kombi Van!
Q:- Can you share a bit of background information of why you have decided to travel in a van with three kids around australia?
We decided that when we were finished having kids and our youngest was two, that life was passing us by so fast and we had so many dreams and adventures we wanted to experience with our family we needed to get to it. We wrote a list of places, goals , experiences that we wanted to achieve in our life. No matter how big, small, wild or tame all our dreams were written on our list. We prioritised our list as to what was possible with 3 kids under 5 and a small budget. Steve’s dream of traveling Australia in a Kombi came in trumps and 4 months later we hit the road
New Way of Life ~
Living the Dream in a Kombi Van (I would love that!)
Q:- What date did you set off on your adventure, and did you travel before having children?
We set off August 2011 we were a little delayed as our Kombi camper kept braking down, thanks to our amazing Kombi whisperer we finally hit the road. Steve and I have always travelled, we met in Canada in 1997 and have spent most of our adult lives living and travelling in many different countries. We lived in Canada for 2 years, still a place we both hold close to our heart and hope to one day travel with our children.
Steve travelled South Africa and I Europe, we met back in London where we lived for a year , followed by a year in Jersey in the Channel Islands. We headed home to Sydney to try to settle down. After two years I was off with work to the USA, which is where I spent my first pregnancy. We settled in the amazing coastal town of Avalon in Sydney whilst we had our three boys, who are already frequent fliers to Queensland, Melbourne and Fiji. Our travel driven lives got the better of us and here we are in Fremantle!
This Is Family In A Van Home While On The Road~
Living and travelling Together!
Q:- You are currently in Western Australia, where did you travel from (was it NSW or Tasmania?) and how long did it take a family of five to travel that distance?
We hit the road in August, 2011 from Sydney. We headed down the coast and took about 3 weeks to get to Melbourne, where my sister lives. We love Melbourne and spent 2 week there as there is so much to see. We then headed to Tasmania for 5 weeks, Steve would have stayed longer but the rain got to me. We weren’t very lucky with weather on our 5 month trip. It took 5 months to get from Sydney to Perth , we knew we would need to work again after about 5 months but had no plans we were open to anything that might have come our way.
Family In A Van ~
Gorgeous three boys.
Q:- If you could give another family the motivation to travel, what would you say (one handy hint or tip?)
I’m not one to push travel but I do hope that we can inspire others to live out their dreams what ever they may be. We only live once and living an unhappy, uninspiring life is not some thing I want for Steve, myself or the kids. I hope to inspire others to take a step back from their life and ask them selves are they happy and living this one life as they dream? You’ve got one chance to have a crack!
Family Fun Filled Times ~
Toasting marshmallows around a fire…now that is living the dream!
Q:- As a travelling family do you think that children learn more on the road together or do you think that children need school based education?
School is a tough one. I am very inspired by all the full-time unschoolers out there, they are very dedicated parents and such lucky children to have such a free upbringing. I am however a slightly more selfish adult. I love my profession and I am very good at it, I am unable to give up such a huge love in my life. I do put my kids in public schools so I can keep working. However I do spend a lot of time with my boys, I do believe that school is a very small part of education and what they learn traveling, at home from family and mixing in society is just as important. I love the idea of having very versatile kids so when traveling we use distance education, when in a home I put them in school. Our boys have never had any trouble settling in. As they grow their needs will change and we will take it year by year what suits each boy best.
Q:- What are your plans for travelling in the future?
As I mentioned earlier we have a whole dream list ahead of us. It is getting longer as now the boys add their dreams to it too. For now we hope to take week-long trips when Steve’s home, around Western Australia and Asia. We are headed to Melbourne again in September for the month for a family wedding. Travel is part of our life , like changing our undies!
How Sweet are those two ~
They are so adroable..so cute 🙂
About Monday Featured Travelling Blogger:-
We are a family of five , who left Sydney seeking a change and adventure. In life we only get one shot and we want to teach our boys to make the most of the time they have! This is the beginning of our family adventure
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A huge thank you sent to Natalie and Steve (and three boys) for sharing their amazing journey of travelling in a Kombi Van and for letting us all know more about their adventure. You can follow Family In A Van and also connect with Family In A Van Facebook Page!
Do You Want To Know Anything More About Family In A Van Journey?
Cheers
Lisa
New Life on the Road
PS- Here are the Previous “Monday Featured Travel Bloggers”
Travel Blogger – Jess from With 2 kids in Tow
Featured Travel Blogger – Jan from Budget Travel Talk
Featured Travel Blogger At New Life on the Road – Lisa From Gone With The Family
This Week Featured Travel Blogger – Keryn from Walking On Travels
Monday Featured Travelling Blogger Journey – Jeremy from Living The Dream
Featured Travel Blogger Monday – Suzi from Two and A Half Travellers
Hi Natalie and Steve, Perth is a great base to travel from. We lived there two years and went away most week-ends. Such an outdoorsy place – hope you have good weather – especially with the three littlies. Have fun.
jan recently posted..Barcelona Style Wood-Fired Rotisserie
The last picture is so sweet… kids are so cute!
I love this! Thank you for sharing and getting us all hooked on ADVENTURE!
Thanking you for stopping by! I jumped on over to Long Miles Coffee Project – love your blog post about living in a different country! Left a comment but not sure it went through? So can relate to what you are feeling! Take care xx
Great photos and love the story. Very inspirational… yet another family carving out their own version of ‘their dream’.
Molly recently posted..Photos & Video – The Fish Market at Puerto Lopez, Ecuador
Hi Molly,
Thanking you for your great comment! Its amazing how many wonderful families are travelling 😉
Cheers
Lisa