Travellers reveal the harsh truth about full-time caravan life
Australian nomads living the 'van life' dream have exposed the harsh realities that Instagram doesn't show you about life on wheels.
‘Van life’ might be one of Australia’s hottest holidays but it’s not all happy snaps and idyllic parking spots- just ask these guys.
The reality of full-time caravan life is less “dancing in the desert in white linen” and more gearbox blow-ups, boggings and mental burnout, according to travel bloggers Karstan Smith and Maxine Stokes-Smith.
“For too long, social media (around travel) has been all polished and beautiful, that’s not how it works, it’s not like that,” Mr Smith said.
“We had our gearbox in the Kombi blow up 20 months ago in Cape York … at the time it was stressful but when you finally get through it, you laugh about it, talk about it and it’s a memory, otherwise travel would be boring.”
The NSW couple, who travelled Australia in their Kombi van years ago, headed back out during the pandemic with their two daughters and haven’t stopped since.
The family “keep it real” by sharing their adventures online, and recently won adventure film festival award The Film Invitational 2025 for documenting their vanning adventures in Cape York.
“Parenting is challenging whether it’s in a house, a caravan or the middle of a national park,” Ms Stokes-Smith said.
“All the worries you have in day to day life, parenting worries, money worries, that doesn’t stop.”
“You’re constantly looking for the next place, the next spot, all those factors … add to that 8-10 hours of video editing, there’s definitely been times where we’ve felt the pressure, with two small kids and the random scenarios that are out of your control on the road.”
But their “ever changing backyard and the people you meet on the way” are what the Smiths love most, with the family now looking at taking their caravan odyssey global
“It’s actually living every single day, living life to the fullest … it won’t be forever, it can’t be forever, but we love not knowing what the next day will bring us,” Mr Smith said.
Caravanning couple Tim and Britt Cromie’s start to van life was “chaotic”, with the Queenslanders chased down the coastline by Cyclone Alfred in March.
“The first four weeks were overwhelming, it didn’t feel like we were on holidays,” Ms Cromie said.
“We travelled 1500kms in the first few weeks, not staying more than a few nights in each place, it felt like we were going back to work … but at the three-month mark it finally sunk in and everything felt a lot easier.”
The pair are now enjoying WA’s west coast, but have found a new challenge in travelling with their three pooches Louie, Pickles and Lola.
“We have to be careful where we take them, there’s national parks and campsites where they aren’t allowed and the rules and regulations change depending on where we go,” Mr Cromie said.
“We have to plan really carefully to make sure we don’t plan to stay at a spot and then it turns out we can’t.”
But the pair say their family has adjusted well to life on the road, and are keen to keep the adventures coming.
“I thought living in such a small space would be more challenging than it has been, we used to have separate spaces to work, or space for our hobbies at home... now we’re in each others’ faces 24/7, inside a small space with three dogs, but it’s actually been a lot more enjoyable,” Ms Cromie said.
“It’s been quite surprising and really nice to work with each other and try new routines.”
Mr Cromie added: “ The biggest thing for us was finding a happy medium in such a confined space, finding a groove which works for both of you.
“Eventually we got into a rhythym for packup and setup, the way the dogs wanted to sleep. Once we did that, we finally relaxed enough and switched off from work, our brains finally realised we did have time off and could slow down and enjoy it all.”
Emma Maertens is travelling solo around Australia in a renovated mini-van with her pup Miley, and said breakdowns and safety were her biggest challenges.
“The hardest part is when things go wrong mechanically, not only is my car gone in for service, but my home has as well, so finding emergency accommodation can be challenging,” Ms Maertens said.
“Sometimes on Google Maps you can’t see if a road is safe for a van, if it’s sealed or not … or you get a weird vibe from a campsite, but if I do, I trust my gut and move on.”
“But the best way (to get through it) is to just not get in your head … as a solo traveller it can get quite anxious about what’s ahead, I’ve been bogged, and you think the world ends, but then you look back and laugh and learn from it.”
At the last Australian Census, a total of 58,155 Aussies declared they were sleeping in caravans, whether as full-time travellers or short-term holiday-makers.
And with 88 per cent of caravanners planning on travelling in the next 12 months, according to the Caravan Industry Association of Australia’s March consumer sentiment report, that figure will only grow.
The University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Gabby Walters said “the pressures of everyday life” and a wealth of social media content showcasing the nomadic lifestyle were prompting more travellers to go full-time.
“It’s a pretty big and bold decision to sell everything up, engage in that van lifestyle, pull the kids out of school, leave their job, they become homeless essentially,” Prof Walters said.
“But as we see more and more of this on social media, people stop and question ‘Well, is it as hard as people make it out to be?’ … it becomes an appealing option.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Travellers reveal the harsh truth about full-time caravan life
Prepare now: Fire alert for Nerong, Crawford River residents
