A FAMILY who packed up their life to travel around Australia in a caravan has revealed the true long-term cost.
Haydyn and Jess Richards, both 34, along with their three kids – Connor, seven, Indiana, four, and Mackenzie, two – have covered a total of 20,505 miles in two years and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
They left their home in Quairading, a small farming town 99 miles east of Perth, Australia.
Jess had always wanted to escape and travel, but former “workaholic” Haydyn needed some convincing.
She told the Daily Mail: “It was never a priority for him, but since having kids, our priorities changed big time, and we realised that they grow up too fast, and we wanted to make the most of their early years.
After a “dreamy” family vacation to Western Australia’s picturesque Kimberley region in June 2019, Haydyn was instantly in love with the idea of living in a campervan.
The couple decided to rent out their home before moving into their caravan – and have since calculated that they spent less than £37k a year, despite the cost of living crisis.
Haydyn said he became obsessed with finding the perfect caravan for his family and spent days searching online.
He said: “We went to a few caravan dealers and started getting an idea of what we did and didn’t want. We went to several caravans and camping shows and eventually settled on what we wanted.”
They struggled to get everything in the van and had to repeatedly reorganise their possessions before they could eventually leave in April 2021.
Haydyn said: “It had been a long time coming, and we were looking forward to leaving all the stresses and worries associated with ‘normal’ life behind and knocking back a few cogs.”
The couple said they enjoyed every moment of the 20,505-mile journey.
“We love what Australia has to offer, and it’s such a great mix; you can park your caravan on world-class beaches and have million-dollar views at your door.”
You can find and follow this young Aussie family on their Facebook and Instagram page “Richards Round Oz”.
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