What started as a trip around New Zealand in 2022 for an Aussie-Kiwi couple has now turned into a world adventure, with their 10-year-old son having already visited 49 countries. <\/p>\n
Kirianna, from New Zealand, and her Aussie husband Lachlan Poole live a life that many of us can only dream of \u2013 they spend their time travelling to different countries in a Kombi they bought for $74,000 and a restored caravan.<\/p>\n
Obsessed with the latest travel news? Download our new app <\/a>and never miss a headline<\/p>\n \u201cOur world trip really began in 2022, when we left Australia and headed to New Zealand as a family,\u201d Ms Poole told news.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cBy then, we\u2019d already spent around four years travelling around Australia in our Kombi with a side tent. I honestly thought my camping days were over as I was due to have our third baby Elsie.<\/p>\n \u201cBut just after I had Elsie, Lachlan found our vintage caravan that would fit us all \u2014 and he started restoring it during my early post-partum weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Before baby Elise was four weeks old, the family moved in.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a new plan: take our little home on wheels and travel through my homeland, New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Nothing stopping us\u2019<\/p>\n Ms Poole said what then started as a year-long trip around NZ quickly became something much bigger. <\/p>\n \u201cWe realised that if we could get the Kombi and caravan onto a ship to NZ, that there was really nothing stopping us from continuing on to other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s exactly what they did.<\/p>\n Ms Poole said they had a good shipping agent, became comfortable with roll-on-roll-off (RORO) shipping, and \u201csuddenly the world felt a lot more accessible\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere wasn\u2019t some perfectly mapped-out plan. We actually never have anything in solid stone, we just let it happen and wait until we arrive. Of course we book a spot on a boat and then work everything else out along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n She said it\u2019s been a huge part of the fun and teaches their children \u2013 Riley, 10, Alba, 7, and Elise, 4 \u2013 to give anything a go.<\/p>\n Riley alone has visited 49 countries, with his first international trip to Japan at just three weeks old. <\/p>\n But the first country they hit as a family of five travelling in the Kombi and camping was New Zealand. <\/p>\n Given most of their time is spent abroad, the kids are all enrolled with Euka \u2013 an Aussie online education and homeschooling provider for students from Kindergarten to Year 12.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives us peace of mind knowing they have a solid curriculum and a supportive community around them, while still allowing us the flexibility to educate them wherever we happen to be,\u201d Ms Poole said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey learn so much outside the classroom too which coincides with Euka\u2019s program. <\/p>\n \u201cGeography isn\u2019t just something they read about \u2014 they\u2019re standing in different countries, they\u2019re learning about cultures, history, nature and people simply by living it.\u201d<\/p>\n How do they afford to travel the world?<\/p>\n One of the biggest questions the couple get asked is how they can afford to travel the world and ship their Kombi and van, which can cost around $6000-$8000 each time. <\/p>\n \u201cIt certainly isn\u2019t the cheapest way to travel, but we try to look at the bigger picture,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you compare it with a traditional family holiday \u2013 accommodation, hire cars, activities and then hiring or buying equipment in each destination \u2013 the costs aren\u2019t always as far apart as people might imagine.<\/p>\n \u201cWe take all our own gear with us: surfboards, fishing rods, bikes, camping equipment and everything the kids need.\u201d<\/p>\n She said it\u2019s definitely a \u201cprivilege\u201d to be able to do what they do, and they\u2019re \u201cvery conscious of that\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are simply trying to build a lifestyle around the things that matter most to us.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Poole, who is an author and former flight attendant for Virgin Australia, said her husband\u2019s job as a pilot for a Japanese airline contributes significantly to their lifestyle.<\/p>\n \u201cIt obviously comes with perks such as discounted travel and things like that,\u201d she said, adding that his role allows him the flexibility to travel.<\/p>\n \u201cBut aviation can also mean being away for a lot of the moments that make up family life,\u201d Ms Poole said. <\/p>\n \u201cThat made us think about how we could make the most of the time we do have together, rather than simply accepting that being apart was just part of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n She explained that her husband usually flies back to work for around two or four weeks, adding there\u2019s a balance between his work and their travels. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the time we will go with him back to Japan. I also work on a few things of my own. I\u2019ve written two books \u2013 The Slow Road Cookbook and The Slow Road: The Complete Guide to Van Life in New Zealand \u2013 and we have a website where we share our experiences and sell some of our own gear.\u201d<\/p>\n CLICK HERE<\/a> to vote for your favourite travel business and you could win one of 8 incredible travel prizes, worth over $45,000 in total! <\/p>\n She said one popular item is their butterfly camp chairs they made purely for themselves back in 2017. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople kept asking where they could get them, and eventually we realised there was an opportunity to make them available to other people too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo although it might look from the outside like we\u2019re permanently on holiday, there\u2019s definitely a lot of work happening behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Not always straightforward\u2019<\/p>\n They\u2019re currently onto their fifth country in the Kombi as a family. <\/p>\n \u201cMost recently crossing from Seattle Washington state to Vancouver, Canada. We actually never know if we will be accepted until we hit a border. We always celebrate,\u201d Ms Poole said. <\/p>\n She said it\u2019s not always straightforward, but for the most part, it\u2019s relatively seamless. <\/p>\n \u201cThe worst part is probably dealing with stolen items and the worrying about damage but so far she is still in good condition,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n So far, Zion National Park in Utah is one of her favourite locations.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich is funny, because we never actually thought we\u2019d make it to the USA. It wasn\u2019t on the original agenda at all,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n \u201cWe discovered that because of the age of the Kombi and caravan, they were eligible to be brought into the country, so suddenly the USA became a possibility.<\/p>\n \u201cSo Zion and Joshua Tree both felt like such an achievement because just getting there in a vintage Kombi was a feat in itself. Those hot hills were crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Poole said when they finally arrived, she remembers thinking, \u201cThis is actually crazy cool\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are those moments when you\u2019re travelling where you stop and realise how incredibly lucky you are to be experiencing something together as a family. That was definitely one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Kombi and van have a one-year visa<\/p>\n Ms Poole explained their Kombi and caravan generally have a one-year visa in each country, so wherever possible, they try to make the most of that time. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not rushing through places,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one of the biggest differences between travelling this way and going on a holiday. <\/p>\n \u201cWe can slow down, stay somewhere longer if we love it, leave somewhere sooner if it isn\u2019t quite right, and actually feel like we\u2019re living and becoming a part of a community, rather than simply visiting as tourists.\u201d<\/p>\n Biggest challenges<\/p>\n Ms Poole said space is probably the most obvious challenge. <\/p>\n \u201cFive people living in a Kombi can get pretty cosy. Our children are at the age where they bicker and are loud. But they have the most amazing bond,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe check in with them if they want to go home and the answer is always we are happy here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are breakdowns, maintenance and always something unexpected to fix. Lockie is always covered in oil,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n If there is one thing she does miss, it\u2019s having time to herself. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re together constantly, it can sometimes feel overwhelming, but there\u2019s nothing a walk can\u2019t fix.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Poole said she\u2019s had to learn that needing a little personal space doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t love being together. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just part of living so closely as a family. Even the difficult moments become part of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n You can follow their journey under the handle theslowroad_ on Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n