Getting to know Our Wandering Hearts

I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with fellow wanderlust mumma Sammy from Our Wandering Hearts. Sammy, Tom and their beautiful daughters are full time travelling Australia with some amazing international adventures on the side as well.

Can you tell us a bit about you, your family and where you come from?

I met my Husband when I was 16 and he was 17 in our small home town of Dalby, QLD. We clicked instantly and made it through a few years of long distance while he was at University. We moved in together in 2015 and decided to save up to go backpacking in Europe for 6 months in 2016. This trip changed our lives and we caught the travel bug. We spent the next few years traveling for months at a time to over 40 different Countries. We got married in 2019 and had our first daughter in 2020. Our second daughter was born in 2022 completing our family.

What inspired your family to start traveling?

In 2020 after our first daughter was born we knew we weren’t ready to stop traveling. We started “6 & 2” - we would stay home and work for 6 weeks and then go away on a trip for 2 weeks and repeat. We saw a lot more of Australia during those small trips and decided after we had our second baby we would commit to traveling full time since that was what made us all happiest.

How long has your family been on the road, and what places have you visited?

We left in February 2023, so it has been just over 1 year on the road. We started at the Sunshine Coast in QLD (where we were based) and traveled down the Coast of NSW and into VIC for 4 months. We then bought a new caravan so came back to QLD and after collecting our new home we traveled up to Airlie Beach then back down and over to Tasmania. We are currently traveling from VIC through SA and are making our way to WA.

What is your preferred style of travel (slow travel, backpacking, vanlife, etc.) and why?

Before kids our preferred style was backpacking, but since having kids and knowing how much “stuff” is needed for little ones caravanning is our favourite! We love that we can have all the things we need for our family in our tiny home and it comes with us wherever we go. We love having the car separate from the tiny home so we can unhook and drive like normal.

Are there any specific travel experiences that stand out as favorites for your family?

The South Coast of NSW really surprised us and we loved the stops along there. Cradle Mountain in Tasmania is always a highlight for us and we really enjoyed the Great Ocean Road in VIC.

How do you afford to travel as a family? Any tips for budget-conscious families?

Tom started a Business in 2018 and has been growing it to the point where it is very successful. He works 2-4 hours a day during the week to ensure his Employees stay on track and his clients are getting good results. He is a very hard worker and is always pushing himself to be the very best version.

Have you found creative ways to earn money or save on the road?

I am interested in User Generated Content (UGC) but haven’t joined that crowd yet as our income comes from Tom’s work. We aren’t typical budget conscious caravanners so we don’t really look for ways to make or save extra money.

How do you handle your children's education while traveling?

Our oldest daughter is 3.5yrs old and youngest is only 1.5yrs old so we have a little while before needing to worry about this. We do however plan on homeschooling them for the first few years.

What types of accommodation do you typically choose, and why?

We stay in caravan parks and move weekly. We aren’t set up for off-grid living and we did that on purpose. We like the amenities and playgrounds that campsites provide and our family needs a little bit of structure for Tom to work and the girls to feel comfortable. If we are traveling away from the caravan we use Airbnb and select homes that have cooking facilities.

Any memorable or unique places you've stayed as a family?

We stayed at Eagles Nest Retreat near Mount Roland in Tasmania for Toms Birthday and it was very nice! We also stayed in an Airbnb on Phillip Island VIC and had gorgeous views over the ocean.

What are the most rewarding aspects of traveling together?

The fact that Tom can work short hours and we can spend most of the day together exploring new places and creating memories is the most rewarding aspect.

How do you plan your family travels? Any favorite tools or resources?

I do a lot of research and reading other travel blogs on best places to visit in the area. I usually keep a Google Doc page open for planning our travels and book caravan parks a few weeks in advance. We know we will be moving each Saturday so it is easy to know what dates to book and can easily plan in advance. We just pay deposits for the sites and pay the remaining balance closer to the date in case of emergencies or things we didn’t predict.

What advice do you have for other families?

Don’t wait for “this” “this” and “this” before leaving. Too often we see families stuck behind at home because they have an ever growing list of things they NEED done before committing to this lifestyle and let’s be honest... that list will just keep growing! It’s a huge life change and yes, it’s scary. But once you commit and once you’re doing it I promise it isn’t that hard or scary and you’ll find yourself thankful that you took the leap.

How do you stay connected with family and friends back home when you are traveling?

We would see our family every few months. We either fly home or managed to meet back there with the caravan or have them travel to visit us. We had my parents come see snow for the first time when we were in VIC and we made such fun memories. The girls FaceTime their grandparents every few days and love staying connected that way.

What are your family's future travel plans or goals?

Next week we are heading to Japan for 2.5 weeks. Afterwards we will continue our caravanning adventures and make our way towards WA by July 2024 and then we plan to head to Europe for a few months/the rest of the year. We would love to keep traveling part time in our caravan and part time overseas for a few years.

Any destinations on your family's bucket list?

We have already been so blessed to have ticked off so many bucketlist destinations like a Safari in Zimbabwe, Hot Air Ballooning in Cappadocia Turkey and road tripping the Canadian Rockies... However there are for sure more places we want to go and take thegirls to experience too. One of my top ones would be road tripping from California to Alaska.

Where can we find you?

Instagram @ourwanderinghearts and YouTube @our.wanderinghearts