Living in our caravan...how do we go with that?

Hmmmmmm, That depends on what day of the week you happen to ask us! Without doubt there are easier times and harder times. Having 2 young children means that there are often days that they simply do not want to be together! But there are other days that they become the very best of friends. There are also days that Daniel and I drive each other nuts and other days where it all just works.

To make it easier to get a real idea of what it is like, here is my pros & cons list. Keeping in mind that at the time of writing this we have been living in our caravan for a year BUT have not actually started our travels yet so I am sure that will be a whole new story to tell!

My Challenges (Cons)

• There are moments that I just want to escape everyone for 1/2 hour of alone time. To do this I need to go for a walk or kick them all outside & lock the door!

• 4 people trying to get ready to go out at the same time in a small space can be frustrating

• Queen size bed instead of a king...would not be a problem if our girls stayed in their own beds all night!

• When hubby decides to stay up late watching a movie when all I want is to go to sleep. Can't escape the TV too easily

• Days when the girls like to spread out every toy they own over the whole caravan leaving no space to move

• If 1 person gets sick you will most likely all get sick

• On the note of sickness, Daniel broke his collar bone and not having a large comfortable couch or a recliner for him to try and get comfortable on and making sure no one bumped into him in the small space was really hard to manage

• Emptying the toilet cassette. Just never a fun job really...I'm sure Daniel will do it for me one day (highly unlikely lol)

  In all honesty, that is the best I can come up with as a cons list!!!

My Fabulous Pros

• Minimal housework!!! Absolutely do not miss cleaning a full size house at all

• To me I feel less stressed living in a small space. My children always want to be right where I am anyway so having a large house was a waste of space for us

• Less stuff. Life feels clearer and simpler with less clothes to choose from, only having toys the kids actually use, giving away books once I have read them. The girls have also learnt to give away all unused toys before they have a birthday or Christmas so they have space for new gifts. They now do this easily and with no hesitation which gives me a proud mum moment.....in amongst the many frustrated mum moments!

• Packing for weekends away are sooooo easy...It is all packed already! Just hook up the van and go

• Connection. Being in the same space as my girls means I know how they are & what they are doing all the time. At this young age I like this!

• Less expenses. We are lucky to be able to live at my inlaws for now and the rent we get for our house covers all expenses attached to it. So overall we have much less expenses living in our van which is helping us save enough to start our travels

• Seeing life with a brand new set of eyes. We often get stuck in a rut without even realising so it is nice to live life differently and see what that brings

I 100% believe that living life in such a confined space would be much more challenging for some families over others. I also think this about actually travelling but we are yet to discover how we handle that on a long term basis. We have always camped as a couple meaning that our girls have grown up doing so since birth and are already used to long car trips and sleeping in different environments but this may well be a huge adjustment to consider for other families.

Overall, I have not regretted moving into our van for 1 single second and I have not missed anything aout our house aside from the beautiful view of scrubland that we had...I plan to replace this with beautiful views all over Australia though! I have learnt that less is more. I have learnt that living a simpler life is less stressful for me. I have learnt that my children do not need 500 toys, they need a handful of well chosen ones. I have learnt how adaptable us humans can be! And I know for certain I would have regretted not giving this lifestyle a go.....Is it for you???

"You make a new life by making new choices"

-Sean Stephenson