We first met a family from West Bridgford who were embarking upon a year of adventure back in 2019, the plan was to tour Europe and Morocco in their vintage motorhome – well they’re back home now and we caught up with them
They are Rachel and John (both 39), and their children Savannah (5), Aurora (3) and Easton (1). Since then, when we last made contact, they’d made it all the way to the deep south of Morocco, and were about to head for the desert. They’d also just discovered that they were expecting their 4th child.
This was back in January 2020 and a lot has changed in the world since then!
So, as they now prepare to finally return home to Nottingham after 13 months away, we catch up with them again, to find out how the second half of their year went and discover what it’s like to be living on the road during a global pandemic.
We last left you heading for the desert in Morocco. How was that? Did you enjoy the remainder of your stay in the country?
John replied: “We honestly loved every minute of our stay in Morocco. We went wondering if our planned month there was going to be too long, and left wishing we could’ve stayed for longer. It’s a beautiful and very welcoming country and perfect for touring in a van.” Rachel adds, “as you can imagine, the kids thought it was amazing to ride camels into the Sahara and stay a night at a desert camp – even though being winter, at night it was freezing!”.
“After visiting the desert, we discover that the family drove through the Atlas mountains, visited the major cities and markets of Marrakesh and Fes, before ending their trip by venturing to the beautiful blue city of Chefchaoun in the northern Rif mountains. It all sounds like a great adventure. If you want to see more from this section of their trip, take a look at their summary of their month in Morocco.
How were the roads in Morocco for driving? Did your old motorhome encounter any problems along the way?
This question gets a laugh straight away, before John explains, “The roads are very mixed. They range from modern dual carriageways of European standard, down to winding dirt tracks (and everything in between). We took on a few crazy drives through the mountains that in hindsight were probably pushing our luck. This culminated in a severe breakdown high in the Atlas mountains and miles from anywhere, with a collapsed front axle.”
That sounds serious. What did you do?
Rachel joins in, “It had us very worried at first. We were completely stuck with three small children, no breakdown cover, and no data signal on our phones. We had no way of going anywhere. Fortunately we were able to flag down a passing local taxi, who agreed to send for help from some friendly local fixers (thankfully one of whom spoke some English). Fast forward 12 hours and we finally reached our destination, with the van on the back of a recovery truck. We were met at midnight by a garage owner to unload it, who incredibly then went on to completely fix the problem by lunchtime the next day. As it turned out, if we were going to break down anywhere, surprisingly we couldn’t have hoped for anywhere better!”.
So where did you get to after Morocco? What happened to you once countries started going into lockdown?
“We returned to Spain on the ferry”, starts John, before visiting some of the beautiful towns and cities of Andalusia. We particularly liked Sevilla, Cordoba with its unusual mosque-cathedral, and the dramatic bridge at Ronda. We then made our way to a family member’s house near Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca, so we could take a break from living in the van for a couple of weeks.” Rachel continues, “that’s when lockdown began. Initially we thought we’d sit tight and see what happened. With infection rates rising across Europe, me pregnant, and campsites closing their doors, we made the decision to stay where we were and not take on the long drive home. We were extremely lucky to have this option available to us.”
How was lockdown in Spain? I hear it was quite strict?
They both murmur in agreement, “very strict”, says John. He continues, “we literally weren’t allowed to leave the house other than to shop at the local supermarket, with large fines for anyone caught breaking the rules. No exercise or anything like in the UK. Rachel and the kids didn’t set foot outside of our house or garden for over 3 months.” Rachel is quick to point out though, “oddly for us, although this was strange, we were already living in our own little family bubble in our van and quite removed from everyday life. Although we couldn’t go anywhere, in some ways the adjustment was easier for us than I imagine it would have been for families back home trying to juggle working from home with home schooling for the first time.”
So, how about that 4th baby you were expecting – How did that all work out? Where was he born?
“Yes, another baby boy”, says Rachel, “so two of each now which is nice. We called him Tiago. He was born at a hospital in Spain. We’d initially planned to return home but when that became less and less likely, luckily for us and due to the national emergency over there, the Spanish healthcare system let us have him in a state hospital. Usually you’d have to pay private. I will always be grateful to them for allowing this and delivering me my baby safely. Fortunately he arrived after the full lockdown had ended but that’s not to say it still wasn’t strange giving birth abroad – particularly while heightened Covid-19 controls were still in place at the hospital. The birthing process was very efficiently managed but much more medical and doctor-led than what I’ve been used to back in Nottingham. No bubble lamps and aromatherapy oils over there!” They go on to tell me all about it. If you’re interested to read more about how their birth experience differed from the UK, have a read of this article they’ve written on giving birth in Spain.
So, you’re now back in the UK I believe. Have you made it home to West Bridgford yet?
“Not quite”, answers John. “We’ve had to quarantine for 2 weeks, so have been staying at a relative’s house elsewhere whilst they are themselves away on holiday.” He continues, “hopefully we can finally make it back home next week. We’re looking forward to returning but obviously it’ll be strange because we won’t be able to easily see all the people we’ve been missing. As a family of 6, under the new rules if we go out all together, we can’t actually meet anyone!”
So, what about the future – do you plan to travel any more or is it out of your system now?
“Definitely more”, replies Rachel without hesitation. “It’s such a great way of living. Despite us all living in such a small space, surprisingly life seems easier than when we’re in a bigger house instead. There’s certainly less to clean!”. John goes on, “I don’t think anyone can predict the future at present with any certainty but, if possible, we’d like to continue with our motorhome travels later this year and visit some of the countries in Eastern Europe that we never made it to this year because of the lockdown stopping us”. It seems the birth of another child and with it, maternity leave, has unexpectedly allowed their plans to be extended in this way. “I guess if this year has taught us anything”, adds Rachel, “it’s to continue to live for the moment. After all, you never know what the future will bring.”
I guess you can’t say fairer than that. If you like the sound of this way of living on the road, or you want to catch up with more tales of adventure from this intrepid travel family, be sure to take a look at their very own travel and parenting blog, at https://childrenofwanderlust.com.
Alternatively, you can also keep up with them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
