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Ally, Aaron and their three kids under 5 live full-time in a van. Here's what life looks like.

The Goodsell family has barely noticed the coronavirus pandemic swirling around them.

That feels like a luxurious and privileged thing to say of course, but it's true. Because Ally and Aaron and their three kids under five have actually been having the year of their lives. 

Since December 2019, they've been travelling Australia full-time in a caravan. 

WATCH: The Goodsell family in their favourite spot so far, Ningaloo Station. Post continues after video.


Video via Instagram @roamingonrnr

Everything was paused momentarily during the Australia-wide lockdown in March. They were in Byron Bay as the country started to shut down and travelled 6000kms in six days to get into Western Australia before borders shut, so they were in the same state as Aaron's fly-in fly-out (FIFO) job. But apart from a few weeks shut in an apartment while the whole country was in lockdown, they were able to resume their life on the road pretty quickly thanks to WA's small number of coronavirus cases.

Aaron flies into Port Headland for two-week stints as a train track inspector, while the family stays put in a caravan park wherever they happen to be in Australia. For the two weeks of the month he's back, the family get in their dose of travel and adventure.

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Peek inside the Goodsell's van. 

@roamingonrnr

Quick tour of our van! ##vanlife ##vantour ##caravan ##travellingfamily ##JustVisiting

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Apart from seeing higher stocks of hand sanitiser in more prominent positions in the shops, they're often out of range and by themselves in their own little family bubble, away from the stresses of the virus numbers, border battles and politics the rest of us are consumed by.

"It's crazy to think when they're older the kids will be like 'what were we doing during the coronavirus pandemic?' And we'll be like 'camping on the beach and doing whatever we wanted'," Ally told Mamamia.

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They're not the only ones living this way. 

The Goodsells have come across a whole community of full-time, travelling FIFO families just like them while on the road. 

"There's more of us than you'd think," said Ally. "Everywhere we go we meet so many full-time travelling families, some of whom have been travelling for years. There's more than we thought they'd be."

It's a pretty ideal set up, really. Aaron is able to dip in and out and fund their elongated holiday for however long they decide they want to stay on the road.





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Nature is the best playground ✨🌼

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Ally and Aaron own a house on the Gold Coast they're currently renting out, but even with their five-year-old starting school next year, they're considering distance education over settling back down. 

While there are undoubtedly negatives - mainly the lack of personal space - the positives far outweigh them and Ally and Aaron, both 28, have noticed such a difference in their kids. 

"Before we were on the road they would not go up and initiate chats with people they didn't know and just start playing [other kids]. Now everywhere we go they make new friends within five minutes of being somewhere. That's been the highlight for me - watching their confidence grow," said Ally.

Watch a day in the life of the Goodsell family. 

@roamingonrnr

Best day of the month!! 🥰 ##fifo ##dayinthelife ##travellingfamily

♬ Up Beat (Married Life) - Kenyi

Thanks to always being somewhere new and exciting, screens have also become a relative thing of the past. 

Henley, five, Bowie, three, and Cove, two, are too busy snorkelling and sliding down sand dunes to beg for screens most of the time. 

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The other thing the family has noticed is an increased level of calmness. An unexpected emotion, given the state of the world right now. 

"Everyone is a lot calmer," Ally told Mamamia. "Because we're taking everything as it comes and we're going a lot slower. It just makes you live a bit slower and not worry so much about things like messiness and if the day is not going to plan. I definitely think that's something we'll take with us when we end up back in a house."

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Their little home on the road has everything they could possibly need; a TV, comfy beds, solar panels, a shower, a grill and a toilet.

Inside the Goodsell's 22-foot New Age Manta Ray caravan. Image: @roamingonrnr

With a sunrise to chase every morning, and a picnic on the beach to enjoy every night, the Goodsells are creating a 2020 their children will never forget. 

Don't worry, they know how lucky they are to be able to say that. 

Feature image: Instagram @roamingonrnr.