Traveling Family Spotlight: Walk Slowly Live Wildly

Meet Sara Janssen from www.walkslowlylivewildly.com! Her blog is an amazing blend of fun colors and inspirational stories of traveling, simplicity, and family life. The Janssen family traveled the United States living in RV's full time for 5 years, and now after the birth of their third daughter they have just bought a pop-up camper for smaller trips while living in a house. I asked Sara some basic questions to inspire our Boba readers to follow their dreams like Sara and her family. Enjoy the interview and be sure to get lost in Sarah's blog after!
Our first RV didn't have much "open" space for Bella to spread toys out, so we didn't bring many toys that first year. As our RV's grew in size, we brought a few more items. Some of the items we cycled through over the years were: the wooden kitchen, nesting blocks, doll houses, puzzles, a cash register, and dress up clothes. We tried to stick with classic toys that didn't make too much noise :) When you're in such a small space, it's important to have a place to put the toys completely away (in a drawer, box, etc). The key was to not have very many toys...but to keep their very favorites! I've attached some photos of several of our RV's and the toys. When you are living in an RV and so close to the outside world, you tend to play in nature a lot more and it was rare that the kids would play with their toys. It was mostly on rainy days or when we had friends over.
Absolutely! There is no other way to do it in my opinion. It made our life so much more enjoyable. There were no bottles, which meant we didn't have to worry about storing them in the RV. Co-sleeping is the perfect solution to small living quarters...we all slept in a king bed and eventually built a small bunk area right off of our bed in several of the RVs. And babywearing! Oh the joys! As a traveler, we were constantly in new situations with new people and places. Wearing my children allowed them to see everything and feel secure and comfortable...even when everything around them was changing.
- Why did you decide to travel full time? How did it simplify your life?
- How old were your children when you started traveling?
- What children's items did you decide to bring or leave?

- What are your favorite towns or places to go with children?
- Do you think natural parenting practices like breasfeeding, co-sleeping, and babywearing make traveling easier?

- Would you recommend long term traveling to other families with young children?