Meet Let’s Go That Way

Parents: Tom and Claire
Kids: Halen (2.5), Varli (1)
Rig: Jayco Starcraft Outback
The trip: Sold the house in Brisbane and went full-time — no plan, just chasing the sun

Who are you?

We are a family of 4. Tom, Claire, Halen (2.5) Varli (1). We sold our house in Brisbane and bought a Jayco Starcraft outback to hit the road full time. We don’t have a plan as such, just chasing the sun.

Why did you make your decision to TAWK?

When we sold our house in Brisbane we were living on the central coast and looking to buy down there. We couldn’t find a house we loved so we took that as a sign to take off and travel.

We made the decision to go quite quickly, and everything after that fell into place. Shopping for a van was the hardest part, as we couldn’t get a new van made in time before out leave date. We got lucky to grab a second hand van, exactly what we wanted and 2 weeks before wanted to take off.

How did you get organised and how did you prepare?

Preparation was the easiest. Claire is overly organised and knew exactly what was needed in the van and how to store it. We were also happy to sell and donate a lot of toys and belongings we just didn’t need, everything else went into storage. Anything else we just figure out as we go.

What has been your biggest joy?

Our biggest joy is watching the kids get excited as we find a new place to stay, meeting new kids and families, exploring new towns and finding those hidden gems.

What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

As for challenges, keeping a two year old in bed is tough. We can’t lock him in because he’s toilet trained and needs to get up of a night, but we’re working on it!

Where have you enjoyed the most and Where disappointed you the most?

Corindi beach has always been a favorite of ours, it’s perfect for families with young kids too.

As for disappointments, Tin Can Bay, we were very glad we decided to just stay over night, not our kind of place, would of been perfect if we had a boat!

How did you get organised with schooling, what did/do you do and how
did you come to that decision?

Lucky for us we are pre school age but who knows, we might stay on the road long enough to tackle that in a few years!

What surprised you most about the trip?

What has surprised us the most is how relaxed we feel. We thought it would be a big thing to adjust to but the transition from not working to travelling and from a house to a van has been smooth.

What would be three pieces of advice to give to future TAWKers?

Our 3 pieces of advice are:

1. Don’t plan your trip to much. Go with it and allow yourself to stay longer or move on quicker.

2. Pack less and don’t be afraid to get rid of things you haven’t yet used.

3. Lastly and most obviously, just do it. Pack up and go, its not hard to organise, you can do it cheaply and its so worth it.

How do you think that this adventure has changed your family?

We can’t say its changed us as a family, but we are loving this time together, especially having both of us here to parent full time. We have been a FIFO family before so its fantastic for Tom to have so much time with the kids.

This is an amazing lifestyle and a decision you won’t regret.

Follow more or our journey on our Facebook page – see you there!