Looking out the window to the dreary British weather right now? Wishing you could up sticks and live a freer lifestyle?
The things that normally keep us from doing such things are normally children, work, and being tied to a mortgage.
This family, however, took the plunge and quit their jobs to travel the world in a caravan – all with their three young kids in tow.
Mike Pope, 40, and his wife, Brooke, 39 have spent the last few years travelling through more than 15 countries with their children, Max, eight, Mila, six, and Daisy, three.
Mike and Brooke fund their travelling lifestyle through remote online marketing roles, after leaving their full-time jobs as a firefighter and travel agent.
The family, from Melbourne, Australia, have since travelled to Malta, Mexico, Serbia, Boston, Florida, Iceland, Turkey, the UK, and cross country through Australia.
Mike said: ‘Brooke and I have always loved travelling and adventures, and we visited a lot of places before having the kids.
‘The passion for travel kind of spurred us on to pack up and travel the world in February 2020, not long after Daisy was born.’
Throwing out the majority of their possessions was a tough adjustment.
‘When we left for a life of travel, we gave a lot of things away which was hard at the time, but you realise that you don’t need all those things,’ said Brooke.
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At this point Mike and Brooke hadn’t invested in their home on wheels yet and so stayed at rental and holiday properties.
Their first destination was Disney World in Florida, after which they headed to Mexico, where they ended up getting stuck for four months as Covid-19 hit.
‘Our accommodation was great,’ said Mike. ‘So the kids got to play in the pool most days, the only downside was that we weren’t really allowed to leave unless we were going to buy groceries.’
Once they were able to leave Mexico the Popes then headed to Iceland and then New York, before heading across Europe as Australia’s borders were still closed.
After coming back to Australia during the Christmas period in 2020, the family have since been travelling across the country in a 4×4 with a caravan.
Mike said: ‘When we came back to Australia, we were instantly back on the road, we’ve travelled through New South Wales, the Kimberley Region, Tasmania, and lots of other places.
‘Australia is just so big that we’ve barely even scratched the surface.’
As well as learning about the world, the parents homeschool their brood for around an hour and a half a day.
Brooke said: ‘We’ve made so many friends with other families on the road, it’s amazing.
‘The kids are constantly learning and growing with each passing day. We do home school for less than two hours daily and then they’re field learning and exploring, as well as making friends and interacting with new people.
‘We’re in no rush to go to the next place, and really, it’s all about where the wind takes us.
‘By travelling the globe, we’re making so many memories with the kids that we wouldn’t be able to in full time stationary jobs and life.’
Despite being able to live their dream nomadic life, the family have had to make a few sacrifices along the way.
Brooke said: ‘The kids miss their friends quite a bit, so its nice for them to visit when we come back to Melbourne.
‘We’re hoping to enrol them in school in a different country in a few years and settle down for a little while, but we’ve got plenty of travelling to do first.’
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