A young family of four – who sold everything, including their home – have walked away from their modern suburban life to go travelling around Australia in a caravan.
Adventurous parents Tracy, 34, and Rob Morris, 37, are embarking on a permanent road trip with their daughter Marli, aged five, and two-year-old son Ziggy in tow.
The couple, from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, have turned their nomadic lifestyle into a lucrative career by blogging under The Blonde Nomads.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the pair revealed what it’s really like to live a life many dream about – and the reality behind their seemingly picture-perfect holiday snaps.
Following their travelling dreams, the couple wanted to build memories with their children before they start school
Before starting a family, the well-travelled couple, from Sydney, started exploring the country on wheels 10 years ago
Adventurous parents Tracy, 34, and Rob Morris, 37 are embarking on a permanent road trip with their daughter Marli aged five and two-year-old son Ziggy in tow (pictured together)
Travelling wherever the wind takes them, the couple seem like they have their children under control behind the wheel – but they admit they still face challenges during long trips
Travelling wherever the wind takes them, the couple seem like they have their children under control behind the wheel – but they admit they still face challenges during long trips.
‘Most travel adventures involve some elements of waiting or sitting still – and like all kids, having them stay still for long periods of time is always a challenge,’ the couple said.
‘We like to be prepared with lots of snacks and activities to keep our mini travellers busy. This means we also travel with a lot of bags – so juggling the kids, snacks, activities and all our camera gear can be a challenge at times.
‘If we do have big travel days we make sure we have an easy rest day to follow and we are all better for it.’
Opening up about their seemingly perfect images, Tracy – a professional photographer – revealed what really goes on behind the camera of their idyllic photographs.
What people may not see in our photographs is that we have taken ‘that shot’ one handed, with a baby on our hip while chasing our five year old
‘We are often contacted and asked how we manage to get the shots we do with two little ones. What people may not see is that we have taken “that shot” one handed, with a baby on our hip while chasing our five year old,’ she said.
‘We work very hard to capture a variety of images and videos as we travel. One of the elements we find hard is the end of the day and sunset shoots.
‘When we are working for clients or visiting a destination, there are certain shots you need to get to showcase that area and unfortunately the light is usually best at sunset. This is also right on what most parents call “witching hour”. Our kids are often tired and hungry after a big day exploring.
‘After the sun goes down and we get the shots we need – and the kids run out of snacks – we make a quick dash back home – wherever that is for the night – for dinner, bath and bed.’
Following their travelling dreams, the couple wanted to build memories with their children on the road before starting school
The couple, from Sydney, have turned their nomadic lifestyle into a lucrative career by blogging under The Blonde Nomads
The pair recently made a snap decision to sell everything to pursue an adventurous life on the road with their two children
The pair recently made a snap decision to sell everything, including their family home, to pursue an adventurous life on the road with their children full-time – with their next road trip starting in October.
‘We originally decided to rent out our home but at the very last minute we decided to sell,’ they said.
‘It has been such a hectic, crazy and exciting time. It is an amazing feeling not to own many possessions and embrace the concept of “collecting memories, not things”.
‘We realised that if we were going to “jump” and take a leap of faith to become full-time travellers and support ourselves working full-time as The Blonde Nomads it needs to be all or nothing.’
Following their dreams, the couple wanted to build memories with their children before they start school.
‘Our kids are growing up so fast so we wanted to enjoy them now and believe that creating memories together like this is the most important thing,’ the couple said.
The Australian well-travelled couple revealed the best time to taking the perfect photographs are during sunset
Funding their lifestyle through their blog, the family have made it possible to sustain their adventures on the road by writing travel content for major websites, brands and holiday destinations
The couple, from Sydney, have turned their nomadic lifestyle into a lucrative career by blogging under The Blonde Nomads
‘We will chase the sun, swim in the ocean daily, be sandy and sun-kissed, enjoy campfires, go fishing and generally slow ourselves down to enjoy these simple things together.
We are now married with two kids and still feel a pull to hit the road, travel and break away from the hustle and bustle of modern suburban life
‘We have donated 90 per cent of the kids toys to charity as we know from experience to pack the bare minimum as we find that mother nature provides the best playground and fun for the kids.’
So how do the parents educate their children on the road?
‘Our kids are not school age as yet so we teach them the basic pre school elements in our day to day adventures,’ the couple said.
‘We find play based learning is the best approach to keep their hungry minds active while on our travelling adventures.
‘Australia is an amazingly diverse country and there will be no shortage in learning opportunities for us to share with our mini Blondies.
‘If we are still on the road the following year we have no problem with the idea of home schooling Marli.’
The young couple decided to walk away from their modern suburban life to go travelling around Australia with their children
Funding their lifestyle through their blog, the family have made it possible to sustain their adventures by writing travel content for major websites, brands and holiday destinations – and sharing top tips about travelling with children
The couple, from Sydney, have turned their nomadic lifestyle into a lucrative career by blogging under The Blonde Nomads
After tying the knot, the thought of settling down with their brood did not deter them from travelling – so the pair loaded their two children abroad for a holiday of a lifetime around the country in a caravan
Juggling their two young children on the road, the youngsters have grown up encountering parts of Australia
Before starting a family, the well-travelled couple started exploring the country on wheels 10 years ago.
‘We embarked on an amazing adventure around Australia as a couple in a tiny campervan – and that’s how our name “The Blonde Nomads” was born,’ the pair said.
After tying the knot, the thought of settling down with their brood did not deter them from travelling – so the pair loaded their two children abroad for a holiday of a lifetime around the country in a caravan.
‘Fast forward 10 years and we are now married with two kids and still feel a pull to hit the road, travel and break away from the hustle and bustle of modern suburban life,’ they said.
‘This next “adVANture” will be at least 12 month and we will see where the wind takes us after that.’
The young couple decided to walk away from their modern suburban life to go travelling around Australia in a caravan
Juggling their two young children on the road, the youngsters have grown up encountering parts of Australia
The pair decided to sell everything, including their family home, to pursue an adventurous life on the road with their children
With 12 months of travelling ahead, the couple said they don’t have any plans to stop living life out of a caravan anytime soon
Juggling their two young children on the road, the youngsters have grown up encountering parts of Australia.
‘Our “mini Blondies” Marli and Ziggy love everything about nature and the great outdoors,’ the couple said.
‘They are at their happiest when they are outside exploring, getting dirty and learning through hands on play so this lifestyle suits them. We have our tough moments when they are tired and need some down time, like any other family with young kids.
‘Whenever we are on an adventure, we like to embrace the concept of “slow travel” and remind ourselves that everything is new and exciting for our mini adventurers.
‘It’s not just about our destination but all the fun activities we can do with them along the way. We make sure we keep an element of routine in our day and still give them their day sleep or down time.
‘We have figured out what works well when travelling with kids.’
For families who are interested to leave the rat race to go travelling full-time with their children, the couple advises: ‘If you want to do it, find a way to make it work’
Funding their lifestyle through their blog, the family have made it possible to sustain their adventures on the road by writing travel content for major websites, brands and holiday destinations
With 12 months of travelling ahead, the couple said they don’t have any plans to stop living life out of a caravan anytime soon
For families who are interested to leave the rat race to go travelling full-time with their children, the couple advises: ‘If you want to do it, find a way to make it work’
Juggling their two young children on the road, the youngsters have grown up encountering parts of Australia
Funding their lifestyle through their blog, the family have made it possible to sustain their adventures by writing travel content for major websites, brands and holiday destinations – and sharing top tips about travelling with kids.
So do they ever miss their friends and extended families when they are away from home?
‘When we travel we always miss our loved ones,’ they said.
‘We are so thankful for technology – especially being able to do video calls. When we are on a trip, we like to set up a face-time call with one of our parents so the kids get to see their grandparents and have a good chat or they even read books to them – While we cook dinner or get some jobs done.
‘We will definitely miss our extended family and friends for the next 12 months and hope to inspire some of them to come and visit us somewhere on the road.’
With 12 months of travelling ahead, the couple said they don’t have any plans to stop living life out of a caravan anytime soon.
Travelling wherever the wind takes them, the couple seem like they have their children under control behind the wheel – but they admit they still face challenges during long trips
When the parents are not travelling, Tracey is a stay-at-home mother who juggles photography, writing and blogging
The couple, from Sydney, have turned their nomadic lifestyle into a lucrative career by blogging under The Blonde Nomads
Juggling their two young children on the road, the youngsters have grown up encountering parts of Australia
‘This new chapter in our lives is just beginning so for now we are full-time Blonde Nomads. We will see where the wind takes us and are in no rush,’ they said.
‘We want to live simply and be happy. And being together as a family and having the freedom to explore this amazing country together.’
When the parents are not travelling, Rob is a builder by trade and the stay-at-home mother juggles photography, writing and blogging.
For families who are interested to leave the rat race to go travelling full-time with their children, the couple advises: ‘If you want to do it, find a way to make it work.
‘Don’t put it off and wait for the perfect time to come. If you are nervous about travelling with your little ones, start small, go on a few short adventures to test the waters. Start saving your pennies now.
‘Cut back on a few luxuries and you’ll be amazed at how much you can save. If you are planning a trip – it’s important to do your research.’
To follow the family’s journey, please visit The Blonde Nomads on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.