Category: Travel Preparations

By the time we headed off on our trip, we’d already been living in our caravan for 6 weeks. It was a great way for us to get accustomed to the small space living. It also assisted us in figuring out what we actually needed versus what we thought we needed but what was in fact just a waste of space and of the precious weight allowance!

Packing the kids: Our wardrobe solution

In the months coming up to the trip, I had already reduced the amount of the kids’ clothing to the point that they had one drawer each in a chest of drawers!

When the day of moving into the caravan came, we decided it was time to buy a bag each for the kids’ clothes. Our caravan doesn’t have any wardrobe storage for the kids, so we found that bags underneath the double bed would be the perfect solution for their clothing. I went to many shops that day, but could not justify paying a small fortune for three duffel bags or gym bags. Then I found the perfect solution at a local Red Dot: $3 blanket/storage bags! We’ve been using them for 2 months now and I still love them!

Packing the kids: How many pieces is too many?

It is so easy to over-pack when packing your caravan. I know we did, when we moved into it six weeks prior to our departure, and I’m a minimalist at heart!

I think we’ve come to the final number of pieces that seems to work for us. Bare in mind our kids are 9, 7 and 5, so past the toilet training age.

They each have about 5-7 tops, 5-7 bottoms, 2-3 jumpers, and 2-3 pairs of pyjamas. Miss5 also has 3-5 extra pieces of dresses and skirts. They also each have a pair of thongs, a pair of runners and a pair of gum boots. Again, here Miss5 has an extra pair of sandals. All the shoes live in a flexitub underneath the double bed.

For most part, when the weather permits, I highly recommend having the kids live in board shorts and sporty fabric tops – they are light, fold very compact and dry extremely fast (a feature especially important when hand-washing!). Also, don’t forget that there are shops around Australia, so if you find you’re lacking something, you can always pick it up along the way!

Packing the kids: Toys

Reducing the kids’ toys was also something that we’ve been doing for quite some time in preparation for this trip.

When it came to the final packing day, we gave the kids a box each and told them they could fill them with their favourite toys. Their favourite teddies are quite large and came with us on top of the toys the kids chose to put in the boxes.

So far, they haven’t mentioned that they miss any toys, but there are toys in their boxes that I still haven’t seen them play with!

Do you have any tips to share with us? We’re all ears!

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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We are travelling Australia in our caravan with our three kids and two German Shepherd Dogs. As we’re travelling for an extended period of time, over the past few months we’ve been trying to tie up all the loose ends at home with regards to… well, everything! One of those things was making sure that our dogs are all good to tag along for this holiday of our dreams!

Here are a few things that you should make sure are sorted before setting off for your adventure with a dog or two:

Make sure their vaccinations are up to date

You don’t want to have to stop your holiday because of your pet getting seriously sick! I won’t even mention the worse case scenario here! Make sure you book your dog for a vet check, discuss the necessary vaccinations and make sure they’re up to date. Then, don’t forget to have the vet email you the necessary paperwork for your records – in case you want to book your dog into a kennel along the way in order to make your way into a National Park! Also, don’t forget to have your pet wormed and flea and tick treated and stay on top of these while on the road!

Make sure that they’re wearing tags at all times and that they’re microchipped

Travelling with dogs can be hard work, you don’t need the extra stress of “what if they run off and we can’t find them!?”. The best way to make sure that they are reunited with you if found by a good Samaritan or a ranger, is to have an up-to-date phone number on the tag at their collar and on the microchip database.

Tags can get lost or damaged, so it is crucial that your phone number attached to your dog’s microchip is correct. You can double-check that all the microchip details are up to date by phoning Central Animal Records. I called them only to find out that one of our dogs has a microchip in, but no details whatsoever attached to that microchip! I sorted that now, but I’m glad I called the C.A.R. to update our details, or we would never have known about it!

Pack enough dog food and don’t forget food and water bowls

If your dogs are on a particular vet diet, you’ll have to plan ahead a bit more and make sure you have enough food to last you until the next place where that food is available. If you’re travelling with dogs that eat popular supermarket food, or just about anything, you won’t have to carry as much, but you’ll still have to make sure you have enough depending on your planned routes. Collapsible pet bowls are a great invention, and so are travel water bowls! Don’t forget to count your pets in the daily water consumption as well, especially if you love free camping as much as we do!

Figure out the sleeping arrangements and take the dogs’ accessories with you

From essentials, don’t forget the collar (with tags, which should never go off while you travel), leash and a gentle leader/halti (if you use one for walking).

Work out where your dog will sleep. Do you need to take a blanket, or are they happy on the floor/ground? Will they have anywhere shady to lay in during the day? Take along a couple of their favourite toys and the grooming brush. They will shed the same way they do at home, and if they’re a double-coated breed, you’ll need an undercoat brush to keep them cool during the hot days!

Do you have any tips to share with us? We’re all ears!

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest blog posts and to see where the road takes us!

Would you like to work with us? Contact Us!