A baby, a van, and a dream of not ‘settling’ down. Yet. Our little family is hitting the road, again, but this time, with a fourth passenger.

Welcome to our family travel diary!

Our daughter is 4 months old, she’s just had her final round of baby vaccines, and for now, there’s nothing major tying us to Stubbington. So… what do we do? Let’s pack up our lives to show her the world. Or at least the bits we can reach from our trusty campervan.

From Three to Four on the Road

We’ve travelled in our campervan before; a three-month trip to Portugal and, later, a half-pregnancy journey around parts of the UK while I was pregnant. But this time, It’s different.

We’re now a family of four: me, my husband, our dog, and our daughter. And while things may be messier, noisier, and maybe less spontaneous, it’s going to be double the fun. (Or so we’re telling ourselves.)

The Not-So-Glamorous Pre-Trip Reality

Before the freedom of the road comes the chaos of moving out. We rent, and there’s no way we can afford both rent and travel. So, we’ve got to pack up the house, and somehow make our entire life fit into a van.

Van life is freeing. It’s downsizing on steriods. But it also means ruthlessly sorting through everything we own.

The Great Packing Purge: 4 Categories

1. Things We Want to Keep (But Can’t Take)

Some furniture. Winter clothes. Baby bits that Olive’s already grown out of (just in case). And my plants — they’re going to my parents house. (Thank you Mum). Oh, and my art supplies are staying too. One day we’ll have a house again and i’ll definitely want to use them in the future.

2. Things We’re Taking

(Click here for our full packing list!)
Basically: essentials only. And baby stuff. So much baby stuff.

3. Things to Sell

We’re not ‘extreme minimalists’, but I like keeping out belongings to a minimum. The idea of being able to pack up our lives and move into our van within a weeks notice, really appeals to me. Also less things means less tidying. Which as a new Mum, where time is limited, is a huge bonus. (I like my space being tidy, but don’t actually like tidying).

So I keep my wardrobe to a minimum. I have about 4 really good outfits that I love, wear, and feel good in. Quality over quantity.

4. Things for the Bin

I try not to be too wasteful so this category is really just for things that have come to the end of its life. Like our mattress. It is f*cked. Literally.

A Little Help from Our Family 💛

Most of our furniture is secondhand, from charity shops, so we’re not overly attached. What we can’t sell, we’re donating back. That said, there are a few pieces we love. Like our sofas and our dining chairs. They were given to us and are really good quality so definitely want to keep for now. Luckily we have a wonderful family who are helping us by letting us store stuff in their garage. Otherwise it would be off to a storage unit.

One Month to Go!

We’ve got about a month to get our shit together. Packing. Sorting. Saying goodbye to everyday comforts, friends and family. And, of course, somehow cramming baby life into a van. Babies take up way more space than I expected.

Still, like my dad always says “As long as you’ve got your toothbrush and your underwear, you’ll be fine.” We’ll make it work.

What’s Next?

Our family travel adventure is just beginning. We’re trading square footage for freedom, naps for memories, and routines for the unknown.

Ready to see where the road takes us?

Follow along for van life updates, baby travel tips, and all the chaos in between

Have you ever travelled with a baby or downsized your life into a van? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!

For some tips on travelling with a baby in winter!