For our followers who might not be familiar with your adventures, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your incredible life travelling full time with a family on the road?

Hello! I’m Jess and my family and I live on the road in Australia in our vintage caravan. We set off to do a lap back in 2017 and after 18 months on the road we realised we wanted to make the lap our lifestyle and we have lived on the road ever since.

When choosing travel essentials, what role do cosy comforts like rugs and bedding play in creating a feeling of "home" wherever you go? Can you share how our products have fit into your life on the road over the years?

I remember getting our first ever Salty Aura rug back in 2018. We were so excited to have it in our caravan and used it for literally everything! Rugs are so versatile on the road, as a throw on a chair, a picnic rug, or a blanket. Over the years we have definitely collected quite a few Salty Aura’s.

 
What are some of the most unexpected ways travelling full time has enriched your motherhood journey?

Watching the world and our travels through Ocie’s eyes has been the most fulfilling part of my journey as a mother. Ocie reminds me every day of the importance of slowing down and appreciating the beauty of the little things.

 
You’ve had some pretty incredible setups over the years, could you share a little about each one and how this preference has changed over the years?

We started our lap with a 4wd and new off-road caravan. This setup was luxurious and was like a mini apartment on wheels. A year into our travels we felt like that setup wasn’t really “us” though and we quickly decided to downsize to a high top troopy for the next leg of our travels, where we headed to the red centre and east coast doing another half lap. The troopy will always be our favourite setup and we’re convinced they are still the best adventure vehicle for around Australia. While travelling in the Troopy we decided we wanted to start a family, we wanted a setup with some more room and decided to give bus life a go. We purchased a 1992 toyota coaster from a school in Sydney and transformed the 22 seater bus into a home on wheels.



While living in the bus we welcomed Ocie into the world and she spent her first 8 months of life living in a bus. Just before having Ocie, I purchased my dream car, a 1986 60 series Landcruiser as a daily driver. While we were travelling in the bus with Ocie the whole time we missed the 60, it was sitting in a garage locked away and we decided we wanted to have it with us on our adventures. We couldn’t justify travelling around with two rigs, so decided to sell the bus and tick off another dream of ours – renovating a vintage Viscount caravan. We are still in the caravan now and it has been the best decision. We love that with the caravan we can create a base to work and live from but still have the 60 series to cruise around in, this setup suits this season of life and we don’t see ourselves changing it anytime soon!

 
What advice would you give to other mums who dream of a more adventurous life with their families? Have you experienced any challenges with motherhood on the road?

Do it! Honestly, the challenges you face raising a child are no different to whether you are in a house or on the road. We are lucky that by being on the road, both Luke and I are with Ocie all the time so we are there to support each other.

You’ve created some incredibly beautiful campsites over the years, what tips do you have for others trying to create a calming and comfortable space?

We always aim to find camps that are a little further off the beaten track as it's important for us to have our own space. This allows Ocie to have the freedom to run around. When we plan to stay at a camp for a while, we set up our awning and annex to create another liveable space. We put down rugs, and set up our table and chairs to make it a cosy living area.

Do you have any tips for capturing beautiful and authentic photos that document your travels and motherhood on the road?

After years of shooting tourist destinations, we now love to focus on the natural beauty around us. We love to capture the little moments, so always making sure we have our camera within arms reach is important.

What are some of your upcoming travel goals or adventures that you're excited to experience?

A move to New Zealand has been a dream of ours for a while now. Hopefully late next year we can make this a reality! Luke was born in NZ and we would love Ocie to experience her Maori culture.


Follow their adventures here - @_aswewander