Mum-of-two shares 'perfect' time to take kids caravanning around Australia: 'Learn a lot more'

It's fast becoming the Aussie dream to buy a caravan or motorhome and ditch convention for a life of hitting the open road and seeing what our stunning country has to offer. For parents, it can be a massive decision with plenty of questions around if it's the best thing for their kids and, if so, when is the best time to go.

An Aussie mum has shared her number one piece of advice on this topic, urging fellow parents "not to wait." Donna Buckingham, who has two kids now in their teens, also gave her insight into when is the 'ideal' time to bite the bullet and experience a big camping or caravanning trip with children in tow.

"If I have one piece of advice for any families that are wanting to travel around Australia or get into camping or get into caravanning, my one piece of advice that's the most important one is do not wait," she says in a video. "My kids are teenagers now and they are totally off caravanning and camping."

What is the best age to take kids caravanning around Australia?

Donna, who did a lap of Australia for two years when her kids were in grade three to grade six, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that while her children, Tex, now 16 and Tilly, now 12, were fans of travelling around in a caravan back then, now they are "so much more interested in doing their own thing, being around other kids and friends their age."

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Other parents can well relate to this dilemma with one writing under her video, "I remember when my kids turned 5 & 7, I thought they were ready to go on an adventure but the school had other plans. Now they’re teenagers, their friends are more important. It’s so hard."

"Oh my gosh, this," another said, "We did it grade 4, grade 1 and 3-year-old. We are going through this and trying to convince the older two about our next big trip next year and they don’t want a bar of it 😅."

For Donna, taking her kids travelling when they were younger was great because, as she explains in her video, "you can actually do all the hikes with them, they listen, you can get them to help out with things and they actually remember a lot of the places that we've been to."

Benefits of caravanning with younger kids

While Donna says that her kids don't enjoy caravanning as much anymore, she doesn't think it's a lost cause for anyone with children of that age who are keen to give it a go.

"I think if you can get your teens camping somewhere off grid without internet, you can peel them out of the caravan and get them back doing some fun things," she tells us. "The kids being a little older is good as they learn a lot more than when they were toddlers, they took a lot more in."

Citing other benefits of doing an Aussie lap while Tex and Tilly were younger, Donna says that the experience has helped them become the people they are today.

"It’s helped shape them [the kids] a lot, nothing too much bothers them and they have learnt to make friends pretty easily from moving around so much," says Donna. "Tex knows his way around Australia, rocks, birds, snakes and fish way better than we remember."

And while Tex and Tilly don't approach van life with quite the same gusto these days, Donna says they enjoy doing activities on the road once they are out and about. "It’s getting them out of the van, off their phones and PlayStation, that is the challenge," she adds.

Caravan mum's other advice for families

"My favourite saying is to my friends with younger kids," says Donna. "If you want to take away your children’s childhood, give them a phone! Try to avoid too much screen time, find other things to entertain them when you can, and it will be more enjoyable, and they will be a lot more eager to get out and get on those hikes and see all the sights."

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Aside from her advice on the optimal time to take the plunge and hit the road, Donna shares these words of wisdom: "I would say for families, you don’t need the best set up, don’t worry about spending too much of your savings on a caravan and car - go as soon as you can."

She adds, "Do it within your budget rather than waiting till you can afford all the bells and whistles, because by then it will be more likely you will never end up going."

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