We’re just about to head off on our first ever caravan trip for the school holidays, and the family is absolutely pumped! Living just over the border in NSW, we have the luxury of some pretty epic spots along the northern rivers or QLD coastline. This holiday, we’ve decided to pack up the van and the kids and head up to a farm stay in Yeppoon for a couple of weeks, which we are really excited about.
For us, getting away in the caravan is all about rest, relaxation, and of course… good food! It’s been a pretty crazy first half of the year for our little family with lots of work, traveling interstate and internationally, and with our little guy starting school this year. So, we decided that these school holidays are all about slowing down and being out in nature.
We’ve got about a 10-hour road trip ahead of us, and with two little kids in tow, it can feel more like a 24-hour road trip! We thought we’d share with you three things we’re doing this school holiday trip up north that we think will make it just a little bit easier:
- Carve Up Your Travel Days! Instead of smashing out a 10-hour day with the kids, we’ve decided to take a couple of days to get there instead. This way, we’ll be able to just cruise and enjoy the first couple of days of holidays. The kids won’t be so cranky along the way or when we arrive!
- Choose Your Stay Wisely! If you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing trip away in the caravan over the school holidays, steer clear of the big caravan parks! We’re heading to a farm stay with heaps of space for the kids to run around, which means we won’t be on top of our neighbours and we’ll have plenty of time for rest and relaxation.
- Meal Prep! Yeah, I know this is a weird one from someone who loves to cook on fire outdoors (and don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of that!), but we’ve just spent a few hours meal prepping some easy and tasty lunches and dinners. This way, we have minimal cleanup in the caravan each night and maximum time to hang with the kids, explore, and take it easy in the afternoon.
Oh yeah, and one more tip for traveling with young kids during school holidays: throw the rule book and your expectations of ‘a perfect trip’ out the window! We find that our son is really tired at the end of each term and it takes him a little while to unwind. So, don’t try and cram too much into your first week. Just take it slow, let them rest when they want to rest, say yes to the extra marshmallow, follow their lead, and lower your expectations (and then lower them again!).
Happy travels and enjoy the school holidays!
