We are so grateful for the life we live and try our best to make every day count. Shaun and I met when we were 17, so we were lucky enough to start our investing journey early and build the foundations for the life we have now. Traveling with our two young kids in a caravan is something we don’t take for granted.
As we pack up for round two of caravan come motorhome life, we already know what we’re going to miss—just like we know what we won’t. So we’re soaking up the little luxuries while we still can.
Things We Won’t Miss
1. House Maintenance
If you know, you know. House stuff is never-ending—something always leaks, breaks, or needs replacing. It’s a cycle we won’t miss anytime soon. Van life really makes you realise how much less you need to be content.
2. Clutter
Having a whole house to fill with “stuff” makes it too easy to accumulate more than we need. Multiple living areas, two bathrooms, and a 560m² block—it’s just a lot. Caravan life forces simplicity, and we truely thrive in that.
3. Scheduling Our Lives Around Other People’s Calendars and Overcommitting
As much as we love celebrating special occasions with family and friends, there’s something freeing about waking up and deciding what the day holds without factoring in everyone else’s plans (and our bank accounts like it too haha)
4. Morning Chaos
Amongst the morning chaos, we miss out on the sunrises we would normally see being up early in the caravan. This is hands down one of our most favourite things about caravan living we are excited to get back to.
7. Toys, Toys, Toys
Sadly, the kids never play with 90% of them. In the van, the kids will get one small tub each to put a few open ended toys in and when we fly to NZ and settle into our motorhome the kids can choose a few small toys from the local op shop.
8. Being “busy”
My definition of busy; Constantly cleaning, washing, socialising, working, hanging out for bedtime because I’m so exhausted only to finally sit down and relax and do it all again the next day. I’m really looking forward to slowing down. When we slow down we have time for creativity and to just “be”.
9. Shaun working to pay for the cost of living in a house
For us, it’s cheaper living in a caravan than living in a house. For a few reasons:
– when we rent our home out, it covers the mortgage repayments and a big chunk of the bills that come along with it,
– we don’t have electricity or water bills,
– since we are selling Shauns ute before leaving for NZ, we are only paying for one car registration and insurance not two,
– we are not buying unnecessary things like decor or extra clothes because we don’t have to worry about having no space living in a house,
– we put a hold on buying our friends and family presents (and they do the same for us),
– we don’t have to buy a new outfit for a special event every weekend.
– even just simple things such as we don’t need to buy as many cleaning products for a small space
But… What We Will Miss:
1. Family and Friends
This one’s obvious. To any family and friends reading this, we’ll miss you all more than anything (even though I know I just said I won’t miss buying you all presents haha). Not being able to just pop around for a cuppa or schedule a playdate is tough.
3. Our Car
Foreshadowing here; in NZ we are buying a motor home, for those of you who don’t know, this means the living area aka beds, kitchen ect is attached to the car itself. This means every time we want to go grocery shopping or to drive somewhere for the day, we need to pack the entire motorhome up before leaving.
4. Our Washing Machine
Have you seen the size of the caravan washing machines? They are functional but tiny—and laundromats get old, fast.
5. My Gym Routine– aka my Peloton
Before the morning chaos begins, I wake up before the kids to move my body. I have a spin bike and either do a bike class, pilates or strength class through the Peloton app. I’m going to keep the app to use on the road and also will be using Strava for running and Alltrails for hiking keep me moving while we’re on the road.
6. Knowing Where Everything Is
Shops, cafes, parks and things to do around where we live is second nature. When you’re on the road, everything is new and to find anything you have to look it up. Consequentially it causes higher screen time but it’s all a part of the life admin on the road.
7. Recliner Lounges
This is actually one thing we missed the most when we did our last lap of Australia. There’s just something about them after a long day of walking or chasing kids around. They’ll be waiting for us when we get back.
8. Shaun’s Running Track
I heard a quote somewhere and they said that when you are in your 30s its your “running era” and I can say that Shaun has taken that on board. Just a few weeks ago he ran a marathon through the streets of Newcastle off his own back just to see if he could do it and now he wants to run 50kms before we leave for NZ. He says out of all the places he’s travelled in Australia, nothing compares to the run along Newcastle and Merewether beach in the morning before work.
9. Routine
As much as we love spontaneity, there’s comfort in predictability too. This time when we travel full time we are going to make our routine more of a priority (when we can) and try and wake up at the same time every morning before the kids where possible so we have more time to ourselves before the chaos of making breakfast and getting everyone dressed and ready for the day begins.
What’s Next for Us
Once we pack up the house next month, we’re moving into a caravan park in our hometown of Newcastle before flying to New Zealand. We’ll be buying a motorhome and spending six months exploring there. Then it’s back to Australia to pick up our caravan and travel even more before pulling up stumps somewhere permanent for the kids to start school.
We’re planning to be on the road for at least 12 months, and this time we’re not just road-tripping—we’re getting out of our comfort zone by exploring another country, culture, and way of life.
I’m going to be using my Family Caravan Packing Checklist to make sure I don’t forget anything when packing our house up and moving into the caravan for round 2!
If You’re Thinking About Van Life…
My go-to tip for families is simple: just give it a go!! As we’ve proved before travelling Australia in our old 1980s Millard, you don’t need the fanciest or most expensive setup. Your kids will remember the outdoor adventures, the campfires, the beach mornings—not the price tag of your rig. It’s the moments spent together as a family and experiencing new things through your children’s eyes that make it magic.
At 4 and 1 we know our children may not remember much travelling at this age but Shaun and I still will so we think, why wait!
Have questions about our setup, our New Zealand plans, or family travel in general? Let me know in the comments or over on Instagram!
Roam N Round 
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