We can pack the van in a day, but preparing our kids for a full time travelling lifestyle has taken months of intentional planning.

After 2.5 years on the road, we’ve learned that full-time travel isn’t just our adventure—it’s theirs too. So here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re getting our 1- and 4-year-old ready to take on New Zealand (and beyond!).

This Isn’t Just Our Adventure — It’s Theirs Too

The first time Shaun and I packed our home up and set out on the road in our caravan full-time, our son Max was only 6 months old. One of the main questions I got asked was “how does he sleep?”, the answer? Like a baby! He didn’t know any different and neither did we being first time parents. In saying this, kids (especially little ones) are surprisingly adaptable!

Right now, our plan is to pack our house and move into our new caravan for a month before flying to New Zealand, buying a motor home and exploring the country for 6 months before returning and doing a stint in our caravan again- we’ve got a bit on! This means we will be renting out our home and living out of our caravan in Australia AND Motorhome in New Zealand for at least 12 months… This is a massive change for our family.

Max is turning 4 next month, you will most likely find him building or tinkering with something around the house or caravan. Travelling around Australia for 2.5 years has shaped him into the creative soul he is, making his own fun from miscellaneous things instead of conventional toys.

His little sister Allie has just turned 1 and she is a little powerhouse, running around from 11 months old, throwing herself on the ground when she doesn’t get her way and giving us cheeky smiles, she is relaxed but loud and my guess is that she will be our wild child out of the two.

This isn’t our first rodeo – our Ultimate Family Van Life Packing Checklist is already on the fridge and I’ll be referring back to it to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything this time around!

The Big Conversations We Had (And Still Have)

Allie being only freshly 1 year old, is just in for the ride where as with Max we are having conversations every day on what life on the road and in NZ is going to be like.

Just yesterday, we were driving and Max said “In New Zealand I’m going to make the biggest snowball and have a snowball fight!”. This sparks a conversation on what we will be wearing and how cold the snow will be. It’s conversations like this each day either he will bring up organically or Shaun and I will initiate.

Here are some of the other conversations and ways we’re building up to full-time travel in Australia and NZ. You can use these as talking points for your children (even small ones still benefit from exposure early!):

• We’ve been involving the kids in the preparation: helping us sell and donate toys and showing them where we are storing all of our belongings.

• Leaving friends and family behind but talking about still being able to call and FaceTime them all the time.

• Introducing the idea of a “moving house” on wheels. Whilst we are packing the caravan we talk about where they will sleep each night ect

• We’ve talked about how routines will be the same: the books, noise machine, soft toys, etc., will all travel with us. The more familiar the kids’ environment is, the easier they’ll adjust.

• Max has started to help pack his toys into the caravan and his suitcase for NZ. When they’re involved in decisions like this, it really empowers them.

• We’ve been borrowing books from our local library on NZ so he can see more pictures to help envision what it will be like; the snow, mountains, hot pools ect.

• I show Max photos and videos when we’re talking about a particular NZ experience, so he can visualise what I’m talking about.

• Whenever we see a map of the world we look for Australia and NZ and I show him how we need to catch a plane or boat to go overseas. Now he talks about going overseas non stop and is fascinated that you can’t just drive your car through water. Max constantly talks about his “magic place” and he told me this morning that… “at my magic place, I can actually drive there you know” – this kid cracks me up!

• We talk about the weather and how cold it will be compared to Australia. I show him how we’re packing warm gear. He now understands why we’ve pulled out gloves, hats, jackets, etc.

• We ask Siri how many sleeps until we go to NZ and I show Max on my calendar how many sleeps regularly so he has a visual representation of how much longer it will be until we leave. We are actually leaving 3 days after his birthday so I find it easy to reference that after his birthday that’s when we will be leaving.

Creating Comfort Through Familiarity

It is so important to make the kids feel safe and secure in a changing environment through:

• Keeping some routines: we use the same bed time, white noise machine is on, they both have their comfort toys, and I read a book before sleep etc.

• Creating a cozy “home base” in both vans – Max chose his own doona cover and wall decals in the caravan. Allie has her comfort toys, sleep suit ect, and they are bringing some of their favourite toys. I’m also brining some wall decals to NZ for the kids shared “bedroom” above the drivers cab to give it a homey feel, Max can choose their doona cover when we get there.

• We use meal times to all sit together and that consistency builds comfort no matter where we’re parked.

• Giving Max control helps too — he’s helping to pack his clothes and choose which toys to pack.

• Print face cards of family and friends – This is something our friends (Instagram @whilewereyoung) did when they were travelling Australia with their daughter at the same time we were full time travelling and it’s so clever! You can laminate the pictures of friends and family to stick around the van or have on hand so when they are missing home you can use the face cards to provide them extra comfort.

• Weekend caravan trips – helps to build familiarity with the new caravan- we’ve been doing this in the lead up to packing the house and talking about how the motorhome in NZ will be different to our caravan; smaller and cosier.

Managing big emotions (including ours!)

Young kids don’t always express their emotions the same way we do. Often, big feelings come out as behaviour changes. Their whole world is shifting—routines, spaces, people—so we know we might see some tricky moments along the way.

We’ve seen this before. When we moved back to Newcastle after travelling full-time for 2.5 years, Max was almost 3 and had been confidently toilet trained for over six months. But with the move—and the arrival of his baby sister—he regressed for nearly nine months. It was tough. But we supported him through it, and now you’d never know he went through that phase.

And then there’s the tiredness that comes with transitions. That one’s unavoidable. Shaun and I are good at prioritising sleep—we’re usually in bed by 9pm. Allie still wakes once a night, so getting enough rest is key for us to show up the next day with energy and patience for whatever adventures lie ahead.

We are so lucky that this lifestyle will provide us the opportunity to slow down more when one of the children are having a big emotion. We can simply stop what we are doing, take a breath and work through it together instead of dismissing the emotion because we are so busy moving onto the next thing. The same goes for Shaun and I, if we are feeling overwhelmed we can tag the other person in, go for a walk and take a breather.

How We’re Preparing to say goodbye

Saying goodbye is definitely the hardest part of this lifestyle—and if you’re in a similar boat, I’m sure you feel the same. Separation from grandparents and close friends is the part that pulls at our hearts the most.

We’ve encouraged friends and family to come visit us in New Zealand (who wouldn’t want an excuse for a holiday, right?). Of course, we know it’s not possible—or appealing—for everyone, and that’s totally okay with us. Thankfully, there’s always FaceTime… though it’s never quite the same as a real hug or a coffee catch-up with the people we love most.

We’re not planning a going-away party this time around, but we do want to make time with our closest people before we leave. Since we’ll be living in our caravan at a local caravan park right up until our flight, we’ve invited friends and family with camping setups to join us for a little staycation—or to just come hang out and use the park facilities for the day.

Max goes to daycare once a week and has made some really great little friends there. On his last day, I want to make it feel special—he’ll bring some ice blocks to share with his class as a sweet little send-off.

The last night in our house, we’ll have a takeaway dinner, cosy up in our king bed together as a family and take time to say goodbye to all the memories made here.

Why We Still Believe It’s Worth It

At the end of the day, this journey is about one thing—spending more meaningful time with our kids during these crucial early years. The first seven years of a child’s life are when they grow the most—not just physically, but emotionally too. It’s a window where we, as parents, have the greatest influence in shaping their values, beliefs, and life skills. For Shaun and me, that’s our biggest priority right now, and we feel incredibly lucky to have the chance to do this together as a family.

I have no doubt there’ll be hard days—but Shaun and I are a team, and we’ll take it one day at a time. We’re ready to grow as a family and learn how people live across different countries, with their own values, rhythms, and beliefs.

If you’re thinking of doing something similar—take the first step! Use my other blog posts as your very own pocket guide to help you navigate stepping away from the 9-5 and exploring more with your family:

Why We Chose To Travel NZ And How We Are Finding A MotorHome

How My Australian Family is Planning on Travelling to NZ

How To Rent Your House Before Travelling

There is no such thing as being too young to travel because it doesn’t matter that your children won’t remember everything because you and your partner will!

If you have any questions or any advice, please share it with me! I would love to hear from you ❤

❤ Britt
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