Why the Mitchells and their four children prefer life in a caravan
The Mitchell family was heading to the cafe one morning, when father Marcus thought “Is this it?” It led them to sell their home and possessions and hit the road.
While most caravanners squeeze in a few weekenders a year or a week here and there, vet Tania Mitchell 43, and her husband Marcus 48, took their love of caravanning a step further.
In 2020, the Mitchells packed up their lives to take their children Eli, 13, Charlie, 10, Toby 7, and Kaia, 14 months, on the road.
“We realised we were growing apart and living different lives, Tania as a super mum and successful vet, I was living the corporate male provider role, we were ticking all the boxes, but not spending much time together as family,” Mr Mitchell said.
“We were heading out to a cafe one day and I thought, ‘Is this it, is this how our lives are going to be for the next 20 years’... it was a circuit-break moment, and we went ‘Ok, let’s try something different’.”
They sold their house and possessions, Mr Mitchell took leave from his corporate job, Dr Mitchell set up her mobile business Vet In A Van, and off they went.
“The original plan was to go for two years, but it all fell into place and we just kept going... in the first three months of spending time together, we realised how much we had grown apart while living back at home,” Mr Mitchell said.
“Ordinary life is so busy, with so many extracurricular activities and events, it’s hard to slow down and connect as a family.
“By spending more time together in the van, learning to parent together, live with our kids 24/7, it was a complete ‘a-ha’ moment.
“You only get 18 summers with your kids … we wanted to spend the precious time we have now, with our family.”
The Mitchells have since racked up more than five years of caravan life, with the family of six still happily roaming across Australia with no end date in sight.
“Our house is the same size as most peoples’ kitchens, but you adjust, it’s a very cheap way to live when you think about how much it costs to have the stuff society demands,” Dr Mitchell said.
“There’s less keeping up with the Joneses, there’s no weight or space to buy things, you realise how little you actually need.”
The children attend school via distance education while Dr Mitchell operates her mobile veterinary clinic out of the back of the van which pulls their caravan, and Mr Mitchell works flexibly in a corporate role.
“I’m banned from talking about my weekends, all the adventures and experiences at work,” he joked.
“It’s the best of both worlds, we still get to live our professional lives, nothing’s really on hold.”
Dr Mitchell said: “We’re still a middle-class Aussie family … but now it’s family travel and work, rather than work, work, work and the occasional family trip.”
