Many of us look around and bemoan the level of ‘stuff’ we have accumulated over the years, fantasising about donating all our possessions and travelling the world. Few of us turn this fantasy into a reality. Even fewer pack their life into a van and travel with a one-year-old.
Emma Barr and her husband Cam have always been entrepreneurial and by their own admission have “never lived wholly normal lives”. A real-estate agent for five years, Emma grew frustrated with the old-school approach to lead generation, marketing and utilising technology, that of distributing DL flyers, letterbox drops, doorknocking and cold calling. To modernise this approach, Emma created iLEADS, a platform to “help agents utilise social media to generate warm to hot leads in their target areas, saving them time and money”. For Emma, a mandatory feature of iLEADS was its capacity to be used remotely, so that business can be conducted ‘on the road’.
Emma admits at the first mention of travelling around Australia living in a van with infant son Flynn, friends and family thought they were crazy. This confusion has now transformed into a sense of awe with greater and greater numbers following their adventures on social media.
Meeting in the Whitsundays over a decade ago, and later sailing through Asia, Emma and Cam started a travel blog soon after getting married. Now on their biggest adventure, the couple say their decision to travel at this point in their lives is a case of ‘if not now, when?’:
“We were in a position financially, the business was doing well, my husband is a dive instructor, so he can freelance around the country; it will also become increasingly difficult logistically as Flynn gets older with schooling etc. We feel it will round out Flynn’s personality.”
Emma and Cam purchased a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter nicknamed Marshall and set about converting it into a home with water tanks and solar panels. Having resided in three Australian states in the past ten years, the couple are content to ‘live a life off-the-grid’. The use of a ‘tradie van’ rather than a more traditional campervan allows for parking in built up residential areas.
While Emma is grateful for the opportunity of quality family time, she and Cam are acutely aware of the importance of alone time. Communication is key:
“Cam enjoys running to clear his head, but when we are both in the van, we need to let each other know our work schedules.”
When downsizing, Emma and Cam used the guiding principles that everything they kept needed to have a purpose and be regularly used for that purpose:
“Consuming for consumerism’s sake will soon be a thing of the past.”
Emma believes the current shift towards minimalism is a response to materialism and toxic business: “People are realising you don’t need a lot to survive, there’s almost a craving for a simpler life.”
The family are based in Newport, Sydney and Emma believes the decision to ‘hit the road’ has led them to explore more of their hometown in the past few months than the preceding five years.
While the absence of a solid itinerary may lead to anxiety in some people, the Barr’s are excited by the prospect of few plans being set in stone. The extent of their plan involved attending the AFL Grand Final, visiting Tasmania for a month and then travelling across the bottom of Australia.
Emma believes fear of the unknown and a feeling of discomfort when thinking outside the box prevent others from taking on similar adventures. Emma found great reassurance in the ‘massive community’ she has discovered both on social media and ‘on the road’: “Everyone is willing to help”.
If you are inspired by Emma’s story to start your own adventure, Emma has simple advice for you:
“Just start! Reach out to people and ask questions. Our only regret is not doing it sooner.”
Good luck!
Follow the travels of Emma, Cam and Flynn Barr on Instagram.
