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- spring-23, pros-cons
BUY PDF CONTENTS 5 Spring 2023 Up Pros and Cons of full time family travel Two Kids and a Caravan Up We get heaps of people message us and ask about the pros and cons of travelling full time so we thought we’d put pen to paper and share the highs and lows of full time travel with kids PROS : You get to spend a lot of time as a family CONS : You spend A LOT of time as a family Haha just kidding — sort of… Let’s start with the nitty gritty and look at the disadvantages Disadvantages of full time family travel Quality over quantity You really do spend a lot of time together and a lot more than “normal” so it’s easy to take that time for granted if everyone isn’t getting their own alone/1:1 time. Instead of looking forward to seeing each other at the end of the day, you’re in each other’s pockets all day and sometimes you can lose sight of the amazing opportunity you have to spend quality time together. It’s helpful to schedule alone time, couple time, family time and 1:1 time with the kids to make sure everyone’s cup is getting topped up. Team sports One thing we struggle with is the feeling that our kids “miss out” on being a part of a club/team and all the good things that come with that — despite popular belief it’s nothing to do with homeschooling and is a result of our transient lifestyle and not being in one place long enough to sign up for a term. When we are parked up for an extended time (e.g over winter) we always try to get the girls involved in some extra curricular activities. It gets dirty fast This one is both a pro and a con. You’ve really squeezed an entire house into 14m2 — it has a full kitchen, a bathroom, beds, windows, lounge, and since all your living happens in the same square inches, the mess is amplified — and fast. However, it’s equally fast to clean, there’s less surfaces to wipe and less floors to sweep, there’s just more crumbs on them. We always say it takes 5 minutes to mess it up but only 5 minutes to clean it up Lack of routine When your life isn’t prescribed for you (whether you have a job or business requiring you, or specific times to have kids ready and out of the house) it’s easy to dwindle the day away. A sleep in, a slow breakfast before deciding what to do for the day — we find we have some pretty “unproductive” seasons where we feel we should have done more with our time. Isn’t it interesting that the reason we started this journey was to get out of the busy, monotonous routine we were in, and now that we rule our own world we miss the routine? Mark finds it stressful when his life isn’t stressful enough. [Note from Kim: Do you know how stressful it is to experience a new supermarket layout every. single. time.] Maybe we just need to remind ourselves that rest is productive. Quality time is productive. Recovering from burnout is productive . Now for the best bits Freedom Freedom to travel, freedom from the shackles of everyday life and the freedom to be available and ABLE to take opportunities. All of our best experiences so far have been as a direct result of our ability to say “we’d love to” and having the flexibility to go on a whim, without the constraints of time and place. Healthier lifestyle We spend heaps of time out in nature and even all the extra chores like lugging water around, keep our bodies moving. On top of that, all the ridiculous new hobbies we take up, like hiking, kayaking, mountain biking and learning to sail as well as trying to buy produce at local farmers markets and side of the road stalls and we find ourselves living a generally healthier lifestyle overall. Lower cost of living We’re much more in control of our overheads and are able to lower them by travelling more slowly (reduced fuel costs), parking up in low cost spots (no rent), relying on solar for our electricity, catching fish (haha good one), and making the most of free entertainment (after the initial outlay costs of bikes/kayaks etc). This in turn allows us to work less if we want to, or decide (key word — decide) to do longer hours to save some funds for the next leg and/or park up at a campground with all the facilities. Living simply We’ve learnt first-hand the difference between what we think we need and what we actually need and while we live a pretty minimalist life in comparison to house life, we still never want for anything (if you know Kim, you’ll know she’s prepared for every situation, no matter how small). We’ve learnt to stretch food, conserve water, reduce rubbish, chase experiences not things, and ensure items in our caravan have multiple purposes. We’ve learnt to live simply and as a wise friend said “home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling” and we can take ourselves anywhere in the New Zealand and feel right at home. Making lifelong memories We’ve spent the last 937 days almost 24/7 as a family and wow have we had some experiences together. We’ve seen, experienced and achieved more in those days than we have in the rest of our lives and feel that if we died tomorrow we’d have few regrets as we’ve spent these years really LIVING. We’re creating lifelong memories with our kids which we hope will shape them in growing into adventurous, curious, resilient, resourceful and fulfilled adults. New connections We’ve met some amazing people along the journey that we never would have crossed paths with (or been in the right frame of mind or open to creating connections with), as well as over 1000 of you who follow along over our social media platforms and who we hope to meet some day. It’s a pretty special feeling to be able to travel anywhere in the country and have people to connect with and people we can’t wait to catch up with or meet. Having a kitchen and bathroom everywhere you go This one is a bit of a funny one but honestly, towing your home along behind you and being able to pull over to the side of the road and make a cup of tea or use the toilet, or come back from a hike or activity and jump in and whip up lunch is something we’re not sure we’ll ever be able to give up Obviously the positives well outweigh the negatives and our 2.5 year journey so far is testament to that. We don’t see this adventure ending for many more years. facebook.com/twokidsandacaravan Up Up We don’t see this adventure ending for many more years Click on the gallery for a full size view pros-cons-4-F.webp pros-cons-6.webp pros-cons-4-F.webp 1/5
- Issue 5, Pros and Cons of full time family travel
BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Pros and Cons of full time family travel Two Kids and a Caravan Up We get heaps of people message us and ask about the pros and cons of travelling full time so we thought we’d put pen to paper and share the highs and lows of full time travel with kids PROS : You get to spend a lot of time as a family CONS : You spend A LOT of time as a family Haha just kidding — sort of… Let’s start with the nitty gritty and look at the disadvantages Disadvantages of full time family travel Quality over quantity You really do spend a lot of time together and a lot more than “normal” so it’s easy to take that time for granted if everyone isn’t getting their own alone/1:1 time. Instead of looking forward to seeing each other at the end of the day, you’re in each other’s pockets all day and sometimes you can lose sight of the amazing opportunity you have to spend quality time together. It’s helpful to schedule alone time, couple time, family time and 1:1 time with the kids to make sure everyone’s cup is getting topped up. Team sports One thing we struggle with is the feeling that our kids “miss out” on being a part of a club/team and all the good things that come with that — despite popular belief it’s nothing to do with homeschooling and is a result of our transient lifestyle and not being in one place long enough to sign up for a term. When we are parked up for an extended time (e.g over winter) we always try to get the girls involved in some extra curricular activities. It gets dirty fast This one is both a pro and a con. You’ve really squeezed an entire house into 14m2 — it has a full kitchen, a bathroom, beds, windows, lounge, and since all your living happens in the same square inches, the mess is amplified — and fast. However, it’s equally fast to clean, there’s less surfaces to wipe and less floors to sweep, there’s just more crumbs on them. We always say it takes 5 minutes to mess it up but only 5 minutes to clean it up Lack of routine When your life isn’t prescribed for you (whether you have a job or business requiring you, or specific times to have kids ready and out of the house) it’s easy to dwindle the day away. A sleep in, a slow breakfast before deciding what to do for the day — we find we have some pretty “unproductive” seasons where we feel we should have done more with our time. Isn’t it interesting that the reason we started this journey was to get out of the busy, monotonous routine we were in, and now that we rule our own world we miss the routine? Mark finds it stressful when his life isn’t stressful enough. [Note from Kim: Do you know how stressful it is to experience a new supermarket layout every. single. time.] Maybe we just need to remind ourselves that rest is productive. Quality time is productive. Recovering from burnout is productive . Now for the best bits Freedom Freedom to travel, freedom from the shackles of everyday life and the freedom to be available and ABLE to take opportunities. All of our best experiences so far have been as a direct result of our ability to say “we’d love to” and having the flexibility to go on a whim, without the constraints of time and place. Healthier lifestyle We spend heaps of time out in nature and even all the extra chores like lugging water around, keep our bodies moving. On top of that, all the ridiculous new hobbies we take up, like hiking, kayaking, mountain biking and learning to sail as well as trying to buy produce at local farmers markets and side of the road stalls and we find ourselves living a generally healthier lifestyle overall. Lower cost of living We’re much more in control of our overheads and are able to lower them by travelling more slowly (reduced fuel costs), parking up in low cost spots (no rent), relying on solar for our electricity, catching fish (haha good one), and making the most of free entertainment (after the initial outlay costs of bikes/kayaks etc). This in turn allows us to work less if we want to, or decide (key word — decide) to do longer hours to save some funds for the next leg and/or park up at a campground with all the facilities. Living simply We’ve learnt first-hand the difference between what we think we need and what we actually need and while we live a pretty minimalist life in comparison to house life, we still never want for anything (if you know Kim, you’ll know she’s prepared for every situation, no matter how small). We’ve learnt to stretch food, conserve water, reduce rubbish, chase experiences not things, and ensure items in our caravan have multiple purposes. We’ve learnt to live simply and as a wise friend said “home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling” and we can take ourselves anywhere in the New Zealand and feel right at home. Making lifelong memories We’ve spent the last 937 days almost 24/7 as a family and wow have we had some experiences together. We’ve seen, experienced and achieved more in those days than we have in the rest of our lives and feel that if we died tomorrow we’d have few regrets as we’ve spent these years really LIVING. We’re creating lifelong memories with our kids which we hope will shape them in growing into adventurous, curious, resilient, resourceful and fulfilled adults. New connections We’ve met some amazing people along the journey that we never would have crossed paths with (or been in the right frame of mind or open to creating connections with), as well as over 1000 of you who follow along over our social media platforms and who we hope to meet some day. It’s a pretty special feeling to be able to travel anywhere in the country and have people to connect with and people we can’t wait to catch up with or meet. Having a kitchen and bathroom everywhere you go This one is a bit of a funny one but honestly, towing your home along behind you and being able to pull over to the side of the road and make a cup of tea or use the toilet, or come back from a hike or activity and jump in and whip up lunch is something we’re not sure we’ll ever be able to give up Obviously the positives well outweigh the negatives and our 2.5 year journey so far is testament to that. We don’t see this adventure ending for many more years. facebook.com/twokidsandacaravan Up Up We don’t see this adventure ending for many more years Click on the gallery for a full size view pros-cons-4-F.webp pros-cons-6.webp pros-cons-4-F.webp 1/5
- 5 Spring 2023, Pros and Cons of full time family travel
4 Winter 2023 ISSUE 4 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Camping The Kiwi Way, Winter 2023 Up Featured ‘ Let’s go south for a few weeks ’ ‘How many weeks?’ ‘Eight.’ ‘How about six?’ Greenies on the road : Managing food scraps. Winter's here : Some of our most glorious times camping have been in the winter season. Tips and tricks. Before the cyclone : Freedom Camping Eastern Hawke's Bay, Winter 2022. Kiwi Burn Hut Loop Track : We put it to a family-friendly test: with my toddler (and his dada) in tow, we set out. Self containment changes in brief RV & Camper business services : Self containment, LPG work, electrical work, motorhome work & more. Table of Contents 2 Small town friendly 4 Editorial: The good news 4 One hundred nights a year 4 Winter’s not going to stop Mavis 5 ‘Let’s go south for a few weeks’ 6 Why we chose our Swift Sprite Quattro caravan 7 I am on track 7 Eight degrees of harm 8 Halfway through my 73 days traveling 9 Greenies on the road: Managing food scraps 10 A stove jack 11 It was cold at Mavora Lakes. Plenty of snow around. 12 Winter's here... Tips and tricks 13 Pegs for tough weather 13 Quinneys Bush Family Holiday Camp 14 Get on ya bike 16 Two long blacks and a cheese scone 17 I did it! My very first solo camping and tramping trip! 18 Gold miner Wattie Thompson 19 Before the cyclone : Freedom Camping Eastern Hawke's Bay, Winter 2022 23 Winter at Nokomai Station 23 CampFest — Bulls, 2023 24 Kiwi Burn Hut Loop Track, Mavora Lakes : A family test 26 Waikato west coast road trip 27 Camping as a young family 27 Recipes for camping: Vege Nachos 27 Our morning view, heater on 28 Game: Fill in the grid 29 Kimbolton Sculpture Festival 2023 33 Stop and Stay The Store cafe and camp – Kekerungu (Marlborough) Lakelands Holiday Park , Whanganui 34 NZers go camping: clubs & groups : Life of Van 34 EVENTS — Camping 35 EVENTS — Festivals and show s 36 Self containment changes in brief 37 RV & Camper business services 47 Coffee Time Up Up 1/0
- spring-23, pros-cons
Click on image for full view and caption pros-cons-4-F.webp pros-cons-6.webp Article title Author Up Up this item , p pageNum GO TO Celebrating Summer Pull quote FC status SEASON 2024 ISSUE 1 BUY PDF CONTENTS Feilding, New Zealand
- spring-23, cooking-fire
BUY PDF CONTENTS 5 Spring 2023 Up Cooking with fire Jonathan Collins Up NZ Fun Adventures was pleased to see so many outdoor enthusiasts join with us for this, now annual, event in our events calendar. Cooking with Fire or bbq outdoors was all it took to encourage families, pros and 1st time outdoor cooks to give it a try. We had some of the people camp with us for the weekend as well which is always a great way to get to know people in our group. Our very own celebrity master chef Lance was a great asset to have on site as well to help the cooks expand on their own meals and techniques. We look forward to seeing what everyone brings to the table for the next round. Hit us up on Facebook if you want to know more, and check for new events, there is plenty planned through to the end of the year. Or contact Jonathan Collins who would love to invite you along. NZ Fun Adventures ckw.nz/fb-cookingwithfireoutdoors ckw.nz/fb-nzfacamping Up Up So many outdoor enthusiasts Cooking with Fire Cooking 1.webp Cooking 2-F.webp Cooking 1.webp 1/2
- spring-23, cooking-fire
BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Cooking 1.webp Cooking 2-F.webp Cooking with fire Jonathan Collins NZ Fun Adventures was pleased to see so many outdoor enthusiasts join with us for this, now annual, event in our events calendar. Cooking with Fire or bbq outdoors was all it took to encourage families, pros and 1st time outdoor cooks to give it a try. We had some of the people camp with us for the weekend as well which is always a great way to get to know people in our group. Our very own celebrity master chef Lance was a great asset to have on site as well to help the cooks expand on their own meals and techniques. We look forward to seeing what everyone brings to the table for the next round. Hit us up on Facebook if you want to know more, and check for new events, there is plenty planned through to the end of the year. Or contact Jonathan Collins who would love to invite you along. NZ Fun Adventures ckw.nz/fb-cookingwithfireoutdoors ckw.nz/fb-nzfacamping GO TO Celebrating Summer So many outdoor enthusiasts Cooking with Fire Up Up , p 13
- spring-23, cooking-fire
Click on image for full view and caption Cooking 1.webp Cooking 2-F.webp Article title Author Up Up this item , p pageNum GO TO Celebrating Summer Pull quote FC status SEASON 2024 ISSUE 1 BUY PDF CONTENTS Feilding, New Zealand
- Issue 5, Cooking with fire
BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Cooking with fire Jonathan Collins Up NZ Fun Adventures was pleased to see so many outdoor enthusiasts join with us for this, now annual, event in our events calendar. Cooking with Fire or bbq outdoors was all it took to encourage families, pros and 1st time outdoor cooks to give it a try. We had some of the people camp with us for the weekend as well which is always a great way to get to know people in our group. Our very own celebrity master chef Lance was a great asset to have on site as well to help the cooks expand on their own meals and techniques. We look forward to seeing what everyone brings to the table for the next round. Hit us up on Facebook if you want to know more, and check for new events, there is plenty planned through to the end of the year. Or contact Jonathan Collins who would love to invite you along. NZ Fun Adventures ckw.nz/fb-cookingwithfireoutdoors ckw.nz/fb-nzfacamping Up Up So many outdoor enthusiasts Cooking with Fire Cooking 1.webp Cooking 2-F.webp Cooking 1.webp 1/2
- 5 Spring 2023, Cooking with fire
4 Winter 2023 ISSUE 4 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Camping The Kiwi Way, Winter 2023 Up Featured ‘ Let’s go south for a few weeks ’ ‘How many weeks?’ ‘Eight.’ ‘How about six?’ Greenies on the road : Managing food scraps. Winter's here : Some of our most glorious times camping have been in the winter season. Tips and tricks. Before the cyclone : Freedom Camping Eastern Hawke's Bay, Winter 2022. Kiwi Burn Hut Loop Track : We put it to a family-friendly test: with my toddler (and his dada) in tow, we set out. Self containment changes in brief RV & Camper business services : Self containment, LPG work, electrical work, motorhome work & more. Table of Contents 2 Small town friendly 4 Editorial: The good news 4 One hundred nights a year 4 Winter’s not going to stop Mavis 5 ‘Let’s go south for a few weeks’ 6 Why we chose our Swift Sprite Quattro caravan 7 I am on track 7 Eight degrees of harm 8 Halfway through my 73 days traveling 9 Greenies on the road: Managing food scraps 10 A stove jack 11 It was cold at Mavora Lakes. Plenty of snow around. 12 Winter's here... Tips and tricks 13 Pegs for tough weather 13 Quinneys Bush Family Holiday Camp 14 Get on ya bike 16 Two long blacks and a cheese scone 17 I did it! My very first solo camping and tramping trip! 18 Gold miner Wattie Thompson 19 Before the cyclone : Freedom Camping Eastern Hawke's Bay, Winter 2022 23 Winter at Nokomai Station 23 CampFest — Bulls, 2023 24 Kiwi Burn Hut Loop Track, Mavora Lakes : A family test 26 Waikato west coast road trip 27 Camping as a young family 27 Recipes for camping: Vege Nachos 27 Our morning view, heater on 28 Game: Fill in the grid 29 Kimbolton Sculpture Festival 2023 33 Stop and Stay The Store cafe and camp – Kekerungu (Marlborough) Lakelands Holiday Park , Whanganui 34 NZers go camping: clubs & groups : Life of Van 34 EVENTS — Camping 35 EVENTS — Festivals and show s 36 Self containment changes in brief 37 RV & Camper business services 47 Coffee Time Up Up 1/0
- spring-23, flat-breads
BUY PDF CONTENTS 5 Spring 2023 Up Easy-to-make flat breads — Recipes for camping Margaret Earle Up These recipes come from the fabulous book New Zealand Backcountry Cooking by Paul and Rebecca Garland. This book is written particularly with trampers in mind, but the recipes are great for camping too. Sadly, now out of print, but keep your eye out for it. Tortillas I have made these tortillas very successfully on the BBQ when we have been camping. You can also make them in a frying pan. Makes 8. Ingredients 2 cups plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 3 Tbsp cooking oil ¾ cup warm water If you are tramping, or you want to sort the ingredients before you leave home, measure out the flour and baking powder and put them together in a plastic bag. Don’t add the oil or warm water until you are ready to make the tortillas. Method Add the oil and warm water to the flour and baking powder and knead into a soft dough. Rest the dough for 15 minutes to improve the flexibility. Divide dough into 8 equally sized portions. Roll the portions out flat. Cook for 2 minutes on each side on the BBQ or with a little oil in a hot frying pan. Don’t overcook. This bread can be served with any meal. n Dosas This recipe is gluten free. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m keen to do so. I’m always on the lookout for easy-to-make gluten free recipes for family members who are gluten intolerant. The method is very similar to the tortilla recipe above. Makes 8. Ingredients ¾ cup lentil flour ¾ cup chickpea flour ¾ cup coconut flour ¼ tsp turmeric ¼ tsp coriander ½ tsp Thai seasoning ¾ cup warm water Method Add the oil and ¾ cup of warm water to the dry ingredients and knead into a soft dough. Rest the dough for 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 equally sized portions. Roll the portions out flat. Cook for 2 minutes on each side in a little oil in a hot frying pan. Don’t overcook. Up Up On the BBQ or in a frying pan recipe-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp recipe-F-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp recipe-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp 1/2
- spring-23, flat-breads
Click on image for full view and caption recipe-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp recipe-F-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp Article title Author Up Up this item , p pageNum GO TO Celebrating Summer Pull quote FC status SEASON 2024 ISSUE 1 BUY PDF CONTENTS Feilding, New Zealand
- Issue 5, Easy-to-make flat breads — Recipes for camping
BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Easy-to-make flat breads — Recipes for camping Margaret Earle Up These recipes come from the fabulous book New Zealand Backcountry Cooking by Paul and Rebecca Garland. This book is written particularly with trampers in mind, but the recipes are great for camping too. Sadly, now out of print, but keep your eye out for it. Tortillas I have made these tortillas very successfully on the BBQ when we have been camping. You can also make them in a frying pan. Makes 8. Ingredients 2 cups plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 3 Tbsp cooking oil ¾ cup warm water If you are tramping, or you want to sort the ingredients before you leave home, measure out the flour and baking powder and put them together in a plastic bag. Don’t add the oil or warm water until you are ready to make the tortillas. Method Add the oil and warm water to the flour and baking powder and knead into a soft dough. Rest the dough for 15 minutes to improve the flexibility. Divide dough into 8 equally sized portions. Roll the portions out flat. Cook for 2 minutes on each side on the BBQ or with a little oil in a hot frying pan. Don’t overcook. This bread can be served with any meal. n Dosas This recipe is gluten free. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m keen to do so. I’m always on the lookout for easy-to-make gluten free recipes for family members who are gluten intolerant. The method is very similar to the tortilla recipe above. Makes 8. Ingredients ¾ cup lentil flour ¾ cup chickpea flour ¾ cup coconut flour ¼ tsp turmeric ¼ tsp coriander ½ tsp Thai seasoning ¾ cup warm water Method Add the oil and ¾ cup of warm water to the dry ingredients and knead into a soft dough. Rest the dough for 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 equally sized portions. Roll the portions out flat. Cook for 2 minutes on each side in a little oil in a hot frying pan. Don’t overcook. Up Up On the BBQ or in a frying pan recipe-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp recipe-F-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp recipe-NZbackcountrycooking-H.webp 1/2


