By Arabella Peterson and Sophie Pearce Entertainment 10.05.2025

“What It’s Really Like Travelling Australia in a Caravan With Three Kids”

Sophie Pearce, co-host of 'Beyond The Bump' shares the honest highs and lows of life on the road with her partner and three young kids.

If you think living for a year in a 20-by-7-foot vehicle with three kids under the age of seven sounds downright impossible, allow Sophie Pearce to change your mind.

Last December, Sophie, her husband Nick, and their three daughters – Poppy, Goldie, and Pearl – set off from their home in Northern NSW. After spending Christmas in Melbourne, they hit the Great Ocean Road, wove their way across South Australia, and crossed the Nullarbor. Now, they’re cruising through Western Australia.

As the co-host of the wildly popular podcast Beyond the Bump, parenting, family life, and the ever-evolving journey of raising kids is a big part of Sophie’s world. When their eldest, Poppy, started school, she and Nick struggled with being apart from her five days a week. They wanted to spend more time together and “have a little more flexibility” in their lives while the kids are still very young. So, they decided to combine quality time with their love of exploring, hitting the road to experience the natural beauty of Australia as a family.

This wanderlust and deep desire to make memories with their children was brought into sharp focus after the tragic death of a close friend. Only 30 when he passed away, Sophie describes this friend as “someone that lived life to the fullest.” To her and Nick, his passing was a reminder that life is unpredictable and fleeting. “If there’s something you want to do and you can do it, then do it today!” says Sophie. “Don’t put it off for the future.”

Before setting off, Sophie’s biggest concern was having absolutely no one-on-one time with Nick, coupled with parenting 24/7 — but luckily, it’s worked out better than she initially imagined. “I have actually never felt closer to my husband, even though we’ve never spent less one-on-one time together,” she says. “We have had so many shared experiences and shared challenges that have brought us even closer together.”

Of course, living in such close quarters has its moments. “There are definitely times when I crave personal space,” she admits. “But then I remind myself that even when I’m at home, I very rarely have personal space anyway – and I just have a larger space to clean! Nick and I are just trying our best to communicate when we need a breather and give each other the opportunity to take it.”

Routine can be comforting if you’re in a settled season of life, but right now, Sophie is prioritising adventure and spontaneity. Every day is different, depending on whether it’s a travel day, what the weather is like, and where they are on the map. Far from the manic morning school run, they take things slow each morning, with nowhere to rush out the door to. Morning time is a team effort, taking turns each day to exercise before sitting down for a coffee together. Then, the kids are up, eating breakfast before heading out in the late morning on that day’s expedition. “We try to make the most of not-as-good weather days to do bulk homeschooling, so then when the weather is great we don't feel pressured to do it,” she adds.

For Sophie, the most meaningful part of the trip so far is reflecting on what truly matters day to day, “it hasn’t been a certain location, experience or activity, it's been the feeling. The feeling of calm, of spontaneity and the super close team our family has become!” she says. “If I was to pick a specific moment, though, my eldest daughter and I went snorkeling at Emu Bay in Kangaroo Island and got to swim with a massive pod of dolphins. It was so, so magical.” This bonding between Sophie and her kids is the heart of the experience, and she shares that it has changed her more than she expected. “It has reminded me that often it's not parenting that's the hard part of each day, it's all the other pressures, responsibilities, and everything else around us that stretches us and makes parenting seem like the hard part (don't get me wrong, it is hard at times too). It has made me so much more present with the kids because I have the privilege of time with them.

It's also emphasised to me that self-care or filling up our cup as parents does not have to be done separately to our kids. Of course solo time is important, but if we wait to only fulfil ourselves away from them then it's going to be very rare. Instead, I find it easier to find activities that fill everyone's cups together.”

Often, it takes putting ourselves in new and unfamiliar situations to learn about what matters most to us. Sophie has been firmly in the ‘growth zone’ on this trip, and what she’s discovered about herself as a person and a mother has been eye-opening. “I’ve learned I’m far less of a princess than I thought I was!” she laughs. “Also, it has reminded me that new clothes are great, getting my nails done is fun, but these things do not change my level of happiness.”

“We have been able to strip a lot of everyday, external pressures away during this trip and I have never enjoyed being a mum more. When we return home I want to try to remember this – even when the extra responsibilities and requirements are added back in – to stay present in what I’m doing, so I don't blame the kids for stressors that aren’t their fault.”

But among the joy and adventure, Sophie’s had her fair share of challenges on the road, including, “Getting bogged, running out of fuel, accidentally filling our van tanks with reclaimed water, all of us getting the flu and just general parenting in a small space.” While these challenges are specific to the journey they’re on, she reminds herself that obstacles would arise no matter where they were. “We try to remind ourselves of the positives, and also remind ourselves that parenting three young children at home is challenging too!”

This glass-half-full outlook extends to other messy moments in the van, both figuratively and literally. “I think it would be impossible to make every moment magical – there are many messy moments, as there are no matter where you’re parenting. In saying that, I feel like I deal with the messy moments so much better because I’m aware that the challenges are so greatly outweighed by the magic!”

An example of the messiness is the van itself. Because we’re living in such a small space it gets messy so, so easily, but the beauty of this is that it’s also so much quicker and easier to clean than at home. So I feel like there' always a silver lining to the challenges.”

Parenting while touring Australia is a balancing act, Sophie and Nick share the load by tag-teaming their responsibilities, “We take it in turns each night who does bedtime, so if Nick is doing bedtime I chill, read my book, have a breather, whatever I want,” says Sophie. Alleviating the strain when the days feel long and chaotic all comes down to communication, “Due to the way of life, I find my mental and emotional health in general is consistently better. In saying that of course there are down days or hectic weeks too. Nick and I have also just had super open communication, telling one another how we’re coping so if one of us is feeling off we’ll give them extra space or time to themselves.”

Despite the highlight so far for the girls being an “epic water slide” at a caravan park, Sophie’s certain they’re taking on board the deeper lessons that their adventure offers, helping shape them through connection and curiosity. “I have been blown away by the way they have adapted to a completely different lifestyle… I think because of their ages they’re just stoked to be with us, so they’re loving it. Wish us luck when they return to real life next year!”

“They are learning about Australia, about different cultures, different ways of living, learning so much about where food comes from, learning how to socialise and make friends quickly and also how to say goodbye to friends too. I feel like we have pretty high expectations of them to work as a team within the family so they are learning that as well. They are learning to cook so much with Nick. They are learning to snorkel, surf, and go on longer walks. They are learning to be adaptable.”

Sophie’s gratitude for this chapter of life is unmistakable, and she acknowledges it’s a fortunate opportunity, “I am well aware that we are in an extremely lucky and privileged position to do this trip, but if there are other mums reading this who want to and can logistically make it work, I couldn’t recommend it higher.” If you’re one of those mums craving a reset like this, consider this your sign.

On a practical note, Sophie suggests, “Pack light and accumulate along the way! I think it’s so easy to head off thinking you need everything from the start, but if you do this you will just end up with so much stuff that you don’t need or use. We tried to head off with really minimal products, then purchase and acquire belongings along the way as needs presented themselves.”

And if you’re still on the fence about whether the leap is worth it, she leaves you with this: “It has been the best four months of my life so far! There will be challenges along the way but you will be so proud of your family for the way you are able to overcome them. I think it's best to dive into this sort of thing with as little expectations as possible and adapt as you go.”