On The Road With The Avocado Folk Family

Tell us about your family & your travelling lifestyle

We are the Avocado Folk, Laura, Matt, Frankie, Myles and a little one due any day now. We set off on our travels 2.5 years ago and spent our first 2 years in our self-converted mini bus named by Frankie ‘Ella Bella’. At the start of this year, we sold her to buy a 4x4 and Caravan to explore more of the off-road parts of QLD. We have absolutely loved simplifying our life, finding a greater understanding for what’s important to us. It is the simple things that are the greatest gift. Like experiencing every day with our kids and seeing them grow into their own beings. It’s allowed us the freedom to explore and learn about our beautiful country and the indigenous culture. We love meeting fellow like minded travellers, finding new surf spots, skate parks, secluded beaches, rockslides, and waterholes. This life forces you out in nature, every day and you get to see the abundant beauty around.  We are also passionate about our health and the environment. Always seeking the best sustainable and nourishing options for our body, in our caravan and for the environment. 

What made you decide to head off on your adventures?

When Matt and I first met, our weekends were spent road tripping along the Vic or SA coastline in his van looking for waves and living simply. We loved it. Fast forward a few years with two kids, two businesses, mortgages and a whole lot of stress in our life we knew we needed to make a change as it wasn’t the life we were striving for as a family. In 2016 just after Myles was born, we made the decision to get back to our adventurous days, however, it would take another 2 years to sell our house, businesses, and giveaway pretty much all of our possessions to set off on our journey around Australia.

 

How do you afford to live on the road?

My husband and I currently run multiple online businesses, which has allowed an income without a defined location. We balance the workload between my husband and I, while we spend our days with our children, watching them grow from wherever we are. My background is in Food Science and Nutrition and my passion has always been about optimal health for the body and mind and the environment. Earlier this year I launched my own medicinal cacao drink - Hummble, to consume as a part of your morning ritual, in replacement for your daily coffee needs. Another business stemmed from our fascination with water, being the most incredible resource on our planet and wanting to consume the best quality water as we travelled! We invested in a Water Ioniser from Enagic and have since teamed up to become distributors while growing a beautiful holistic team sharing the incredible health benefits and sustainable solutions these machines have to offer. We also have projects and partnerships as The Avocado Folk that we get paid for. When we first set off on our travels we would stop and work along the way however, we knew this lifestyle was something we wanted to continue longer term so opened ourselves up to opportunities that allowed us to earn income from anywhere.

 What is the coolest thing you have done while travelling?

We have been fortunate to have so many incredible opportunities pop up while travelling. Matt recently jumped in a helicopter on sunrise with a local muster in Burketown QLD, watching the hot air balloons rise and croc spotting. But our most memorable as a family would have to be our time out at East Arnhem Land especially, Bawaka homeland as a whole. It was everything we set out to experience on our travels, to live with and learn from the traditional owners of our beautiful land we call home. Mother Nature’s beauty is next level out there. You feel like you are on a tropical island, with crystal clear blue waters and white sand. It’s remote with no reception, so the days are experienced moment to moment, observing Mother Nature, swimming, exploring and listening to the stories and laws of the land and kinship. The traditional owners showed us the medicinal and edible plants, how they hunt for food, welcoming ceremonies, and songs around the fire. Every night we waited for the crocodile to see if any fish was left out on the foreshore. We cannot wait to get back there. 

 

 What are your go to snacks on the road for long drives?

Before we take off anywhere I prepare the snacks for the day's drive. We always have fruit handy, sometimes hummus and crackers, kids love bliss balls or muesli bars as a little treat,  and then popcorn, which seemed to end up all of the floor until we started using Bobo&boo bowls in the car to serve it up in!

 

Lastly, what are your top 2 eco essentials items while on the road?

Top 2 essential items would be our Bobo&boo bamboo dinnerware sets that we use all day every day, even for trips down at the beach or getting snacks ready for a car trip. Our Enagic Water Ioniser as it replaces all our cleaning, laundry and beauty products with no need for plastic bottles of chemicals in our caravan.

You can find this awesome family over on instagram HERE