It’s all too easy to lose yourself scrolling through the sunshine adventures of Bohannah Gerritsen and her young (insanely adorable) family on their Instagram account, The Simple Folk. From the long empty road to the crowded morning cuddles, they’ve mastered the art of slow living and made the rest of us long for it in the process. We caught up with Bohanna to speak about her gorgeous children and their travels both near and far.
You and your beautiful family have spent a lot of time travelling. What made you decide to hit the road with three littles under five in a retro caravan?
It was an idea that was lingering for quite some time and then in true ‘Bohannah’ tradition I made the impulsive decision to buy a caravan while hubby was away at work. I really wanted to slow time down after birthing our third and last child, Olive. Knowing full well how fast the weeks/months fly in the first year of having a baby, I imagined this would be a great way to really soak up all those precious moments together.
What are your golden rules for adventuring with little ones? (We’re sure you’ve got a few.)
Avoid disappointment by having little to no expectation and chances are the kids will surprise you! Bring plenty of snacks and water. Crackers with cheese and tomato was our go-to snack on the road. Always bring a change of clothes – especially with babies (cue poo explosions!). We definitely adapted a go-with-the-flow attitude which helped us on the days things didn’t go to plan ie. caravan breakdowns.
Can you share a favourite memory from your travels?
There are so many but the most memorable for all of us was spending a morning at Zebedee Springs in El Questro. We ended up spending four hours there, jumping from one hot pool to the next, climbing to the top of the falls and enjoying the serenity of the amazing desert oasis. We weren’t sure how successful or enjoyable it would be with two toddlers and a six-month-old but it was definitely a highlight from our caravan trip.
Now that you’re back home, how do you spend a typical weekend together as a family?
Weekends are usually pretty busy for us, either spent seeing family and friends or road tripping down south. When we do spend a full weekend at home we love to wind down and relax with our new traditions of Saturday movie night and pancakes on Sunday morning. The kids love to get their hands dirty in the garden and with their new mud kitchen. On the weekends when hubby is home, we get spoilt with his culinary delights.
What would you love to see/do that you haven’t yet?
Ah there’s so many places still on our bucket list, some of which we will be ticking off later this year (stay tuned). We would definitely love to go back and road trip the South Island of New Zealand (with the kids this time) and Canada is also a place we want to visit in the future.
