WEDNESDAY WRITE-UP: #36 The Blonde Nomads

Meet ‘The Blonde Nomads‘, a young, adventure-seeking family of four who packed up life in Sydney in 2017 and sold their family home to set off and explore Australia! Rob and Tracy along with their two gorgeous ‘mini blondies’ Marli and Ziggy all share a passion for the outdoor life. The travel glow beams from their smiles, and just by looking at their stunning trip images, you can’t help but notice how life on the road has connected them even closer as a family. We love their nomadic story and are thrilled to share their Q&A with you. Enjoy!

Explain your current lifestyle.
We sold our home and most of our possessions to live in our caravan and travel around Australia!! We are sharing our adventures and family travel tips as we go via our social channels @theblondenomads and website, blog www.theblondenomads.com.au

How and why did you decide to take time off and do your BIG LAP?
The ever-growing hustle and bustle of Sydney life was taking its toll, and we knew it wasn’t for us. We had talked about moving out of Sydney for a few years and decided to look into options for moving …then Trace said, let’s just pack up and hit the road and travel Australia! We originally decided to rent our house out – then only four weeks before we left we decided to sell the house as well! We are now free to roam and enjoy our travels with no ties or time limit.

Any NERVES about selling everything and taking off to travel?
Not really no, we have been travelling for years, as a couple and as we started a family. We have travelled in a campervan, just the 2 of us and in a caravan as a family of 3 before Ziggy came along, so we knew what van life entails. It was a great feeling to simplify our lives, get rid of our ‘stuff’, strip it all back and live simply.

How did your family and friends REACT to the news you were off to travel?
It didn’t surprise them at all… they always knew we weren’t going to ‘conform’ and live ‘normal’ lives! Everyone has been really supportive of our decision to chase this lifestyle. They knew they would miss us but we keep in touch with regular video phone calls, and they plan to meet us on the road too.

Is there anything you MISS about ‘home life’?
Definitely our family and friends.

What luxuries do you miss most?
There’s not really any luxurious items we miss; it’s more the option to have time to ourselves or just being able to close a door! We love this lifestyle, but some downtime as a couple and individually is rare.

What VEHICLE including your SET-UP are you travelling with?
We have a 2014 Ford Ranger dual cab XLT, aluminium canopy, suspension upgrade and 2-inch lift. We tow our home on wheels, a 22ft Jayco Starcraft Outback caravan. We also have an Oztent RV5 on board so we can add some camping adventures into the mix and go where the caravan can’t!

We know that it’s a tough one, but can you share a MEMORABLE MOMENT from your travels so far?
We’ve shared some amazing movements already it’s hard to choose one. Getting up close with animals in the wild is definitely a highlight for us, and the kids just love it! We have seen Whales, Echidnas, Wombats, Wallabies and Tassie Devils to name a few! Trace was lucky to spot an Orca (Killer Whale) while in Tasmania too which was amazing!

One experience that stands out is a great camp on a beach on the NSW South coast, surrounded by kangaroos, we had just finished a tag team surf of Rob’s hand made wooden longboard when 2 Mumma Humpback whales cruised past with their calves!! The four of them put on a real show for us not far offshore; it was a delight to see and a memory that will stay with us forever!

The most BIZARRE experience you’ve encountered on your travels?
We were in a beachside caravan park when we saw 2 Japanese tourists come back from the beach. They saw a tap and drain so rinsed the sand off their feet… but they were actually using AND standing in the caravan toilet DUMP POINT! By the time we realised the damage was done and we couldn’t tell them… and we were laughing too hard!!!

Describe your IDEAL CAMPSITE?
We love all waterfront beach sites! A little rock pool area for the kids to swim and explore, with some good surf rolling in, an abundance of wildlife and fishing, warm weather, sunshine ..oh and no flies and bites please!!! …we don’t ask for much, do we 🙂

Biggest MECHANICAL FAIL on the road and were you able to fix it?
We’ve been lucky not to have anything major happen as yet. Touch wood!
On our first day of this adventure – we were on our way out of Sydney going through busy traffic with our rig. Then the turbo hose came off our truck, and it went into limp mode right in the middle of the crazy Sydney traffic!!! Ahhhh… it was a wee bit stressful!!! Luckily we called Traces brother who is a mechanic, and he diagnosed the problem with Rob over the phone, and we got it sorted out in 2 mins.

ONE PRODUCT you wouldn’t leave home without?
Tracy – My Camera!!
Rob – Car/beer fridge
Marli – My colouring-in book and pens.
Ziggy – A car and Turtle teddy.

Favourite MEAL to cook on the road?
Trace’s Mexican wonder-mince is great! We cook up a big batch full of beans and veggies and then freeze it. We then serve it in tacos, wraps, with rice or as mexican pies – it’s a great go-to meal.

How are the KIDS enjoying the experience?
Our mini Blondies, Marli and Ziggy love being outside and in nature, so they are loving our adVANtures so far. They are learning loads and love getting out exploring. They are used to travelling as we have done it all their lives and they have their mum and dad with them 24/7, so they are happy 🙂

Have you stuck to your BUDGET?
Not really!! In Tassie, we ate out more than we planned!! We couldn’t resist all the amazing fresh produce, cheese, wine and ciders that greeted us at every turn!

Biggest EXPENSES?
Caravan parks in peak time. We stay in a combination of free camps and caravan parks, but over the holiday period, we wanted to make sure we had somewhere to stay at the end of a big day exploring so booked into places as we went… but that’s the nature of the beast right?!

LAST WORDS?
With our love for the outdoors, especially the ocean, we are also partners with Take 3 (#take3forthesea) for our lap of Oz.

Take 3 is a non-profit organisation who are on a mission to reduce plastic pollution in Australia and around the globe. We plan to help spread their simple message – Whenever you’re at a beach, waterway or anywhere in the great outdoors, simply take 3 pieces of rubbish away with you, and you’ve made a difference. We think this is such a simple message and as a family something we can all take part in as we travel around and explore this amazing country!
Click here for more information on Take 3