we bought a caravan

Our new home is sitting out the front of our (current) house, patiently waiting for adventures.

We did it! And I know it was the plan all along but after months (and months!) of research we decided on a make and model and found the right one at the right price. Then we took the leap and spend a big chunk of our savings on it.

It feels really good. And right – so right!

I promised that I would share this journey in its entirety but I admit that the past few months have been fairly uneventful. It’s been a slow process; literally sifting through the many caravans on the market to find a size and layout that works for us.

Thankfully there aren’t many caravans fit for six people so we didn’t have to search too far. But when it came to the layout, we were adamant that we didn’t want the main bed at the front of the van (next to the door) and interestingly, this layout is one of the more popular ones.

We wanted our bed to be at the far end of the van so we felt like we had our own space, albeit small. Practically speaking we also knew it would be a blessing for Marigold’s day naps. And for my sanity.

Eventually we discovered the Jayco Stirling and on Saturday evening our new home arrived. It’s a 2009 model and all 24ft of it is fantastic (yes, it’s huge). It’s not going to win any pinterest awards but it has everything we want for comfortable, practical living on the road.

Originally it had 3 bunk beds but the previous owners took two out. We’re going to transform it into a double bunk so there’s enough room for Che to sit up in bed (and for him to feel like he’s got his own space; essential for a tween). Thankfully the mattresses are quite long so Poet and Percy will top-and-tail on the bottom bunk. As for Marigold, she’ll be tucked into bed with Daniel and I for the year-long journey.

It comes with a full bathroom including a washing machine and the kitchen has a stovetop, oven and decent-sized fridge and freezer. These were all non-negotiables for me; I wanted a big fridge so I didn’t have to go to the supermarket every day and an oven will make baking and cooking so much easier and cost effective (store bought banana bread is expensive!).

The plan for now? Buy a Land Cruiser, sell our cars, pack up the house and hopefully be on the road by mid-late June. It’s all sorts of overwhelming but on the flipside it’s thoroughly enjoyable. The possibilities!