It has been a long time since I have re-introduced my little family, who we are and what we do. 

Lets start from the beginning — I am Kirianna I am who you talk to when you write and comment on our platform, in the real world I am simply “mum” I have a passion for cooking and all things aesthetically pretty, I am obsessed with washing and a hot coffee. Husband, dad and dream maker Lachlan the man behind the lens and the planner, Lock is the brains of the operation researching our camp spots, budgeting and lover of adventure. Riley our almost 4year old and “everready” battery, he is the reason “riley’s travels” came to life – to share his globetrotting with our families in NZ and Aus while we were living as expats. Our Riley is very much a free loving spirit, he makes everyone feel like someone, with big hugs lots of laughing and of late plenty of “why”. Alba; Our busy buzzy bee, she floats around full of curiosity lots of determination and pure love for music.

We are currently travelling in our 1962 Volkswagen bus “Izzie” throughout Queensland an area we skipped through during our first lap of Australia due to my pregnancy with Alba. Now a family of 4 we have had to make some adjustments one being the extension and stand alone side annex. I receive lots of questions about our set up, I’m sorry it has taken this long to share this insight with you all, I have broken everything you need to know below with brand names to make searching easier for you if you would like to find some pieces. 

How we make Izzie work for a family of 4

The Annex 

Custom made by Willem from Platinum Trimming based on the Gold Coast. This has made life a lot easier for us for so many reasons. It began as a shade only, it worked really well with one child as we slept inside the kombi in a rock ’n’ roll bed for the most part of our trip, it wasn’t until I fell pregnant with Alba did we then decide it was time to create more space. We went back to Willem he added the flooring and the sides — it all fits compact into a duffle bag that simply straps to the roof. We continued through Western Australia to Northern Territory with our new space. 

New Extension Now two little people with carseats and two adults, we went back to Willem searching for ideas to make our next trip work, in the end the idea to extend the existing annex and have it “stand alone” so we could load the tent and leave during the day it was extended by a half a metre to allow two blow up beds.

Kitchenette Willem also installed our kitchenette equipped with my much loved fridge by dometic, it runs 240volt when plugged in and 12volt when we aren’t plugged off our auxiliary battery. Our little kitchen has a sink and pump with a 10litre waste and 10litre fresh water. Storage, and a hatch with USB ports and plugs. We purchased a mini Nespresso machine recently to save some dollars from our coffee obsession and its honestly small enough to fit under the sink each stay and pop on the bench, I also have an Aarke soda water pump – it is tall but again we value it. The forever space giving sunk also houses two gas bottles one for the “weber Q baby” and one for the gas cooker (campfire) from BCF (also sides under the sink)

Lastly we have a fold away table that slides along the side of the cabinet. 

Willem relined and upholstered the roof, added the lights, and flooring. We feel so lucky to have meet him and worked through ideas with him to make our travels in Izzie carefree as possible. 

Battery 

Juice is super important we run a dometic fridge, lights a small pump for the dometic sink and battery charger, Willem installed (battery) USB ports, 12v port and two 240v power points. We have also since added a dometic. Sine wave inverter so we can have 240v to charge our laptops, camera gear and for the much needed coffee machine.

Cookware 

I love to cook, its my love language my dream would be to write a little recipe book for travellers — anyway we have a few options for cooking in the kombi. The first is our mini weber q baby it is a new addition and provides us with quick meals for the kids those shorter days when you need ton pop on a few sangas or in those days where you want to pop on a roast. We purchased the duffle bag to protect it and pop it on the roof.

Nothing satisfies us more than a campfire cook up, we have several camp ovens 25 quartz from campfire found at BCF. The are so versatile we have kept one clean for bread and the other is great for the big messy tasty stews. 

I carry a set of global knives and decent cooking board from winestains, I try super hard to reduce my wast and my plastic consumption so I have a range of glass jars, I keep leftovers in and bulk items. Pans, I have a small saucepan from Baracat for the kiddies pasta, a large campfire pan and a medium skillet. Tongs more tongs and tongs forever BBQ’ing and removing lids. Lastly 4 cups they are from wandering folk and are used for coffee, wine and water, we have 4 plates, 2 of our plates are wooden for the kids I found them in a little Japanese store in Tokyo 3 years ago and they are still going strong.

Foldable fire pit from ??

Self-sufficientWe can go off the grid for up to five days with our solar panel blanket assisting the charge, and we carry a potty for the kiddies. Riley is toilet trained so really its for him. 

Packing Bedding is our biggest space stealer, we have now converted to sleeping bags and found some pretty ones through “where the north wind blows” because “ascetics”. Blow up beds were the best option for space – we have now popped 3 ahhhh….everything then fits into a large bedding basket that slides into the boot.

Electronics We mostly charge our laptops, and camera gear. But I popped this in as we do have some nifty things like the JBL boom for music, a mini diffuser to keep the mosquito’s away and also use it with Euky Bear. 

Extras My all time favourite item is my Stokke foldable baby bath, slips in the back of the boot without notice, the kids love sand and dirt so this little bath saves the sheets and clothes. Surf board is by firewire and is inside on the roof held up by wandering folk straps, 

Carseats are britax and we had the anchor point legally engineered in. Very Busy Bag has the best space saver packing cubes. Extra food supplies go into our wandering folk esky. We had custom magnetic curtains made that black out the bus, they are amazing – I leave one on each side of the carseats and when the kids fall asleep I clip them up while driving to shade them. Locks grandfather copied the measurements and made black mosquito nets that also do the same.

Chairs We have had a fair few of you ask about our chairs and while I would love to delve into this story you will have to wait. I will say they are ours, we had them made and we have a great story to follow with a release date for you to purchase. 

I haven’t written on here for a whole year, I have done loads of interviews and kinda felt like I had still been sharing our adventures with you. Shortly after our WA trip I fell pregnant from there life just speed by. We made many trips back to Western Australia exploring the area from top to bottom — honestly we loved it. 

Our hotspots were Denmark, Albany, Yallinup, Dunsbrough, Margaret River, Esperance and Busselton they were all so memorable and even now I feel like I was just there. We basically spent 2-3weeks in each town really enjoying ourselves. 

Margret River is a place that just kept on giving, wonderful food and exceptional wine and rolling with waves to surf – we honestly considered moving there.

Returning to the region 4 more times and really dug deep in all it had to offer. We swam all day, sometimes ate all day, it was lovely.

Esperance stole our hearts especially lucky bay’s furry beach friends, we passed through quickly when we first arrived to WA and knew it was a place that needed more time, we gladly returned after a work stint staying at the very sheik Esperance Chalet Village, a place I wish I could call home, if you are considering a trip to Esperance do not go past ECV.

So how did we do it you ask? Over 9 months of WA basically… we popped Izzie into a storage unit and flew home to Tokyo each month – back and forth until we were content with what we had seen. The weather cooled off we made our way further north. 

We had six weeks as I was in my last trimester of pregnancy, to get to Darwin, yikes! we made a dash to Rottnest Island first staying at the Destinations Eco Resort it is the perfect place to soak in the entire island, we bused around from beach to beach. Dinner was so special with views of the lighthouse and the most remarkable sunset, we slowly wondered back to our room and tucked Riley into his bunk bed for the night, I won’t lie — I had the best sleep in weeks the lush bed had a lot to do with it. We rose to a beautiful sunrise with picture perfect pinks tainting the sky, enjoyed breakfast then dragging our feet set off for the ferry to mainland Perth.

Our Perth departure was a slow one, prepping Izzie and mapping our days out — we planned to do the coastal drive to Cervantes. Visiting Nambung National park to see the interesting (Pinnacles Dessert) before setting up camp on the waters edge at the beekeepers conservation reserve.

We spent the whole day here then moved onto Geraldton staying at our favourite spot Francois Peron National Park (Shark Bay) for three blissful nights. Our days were spent swimming and eating, really relaxing, at night the temperature dropped it was perfect for our pot belly fire. 

Coral Bay greeted us with warm weather and crystal clear turquoise water, we were low on water and charge so parked into one of the beachfront campgrounds to boost Izzie’s power and fill up with water. A hot shower was a treat too. The place was packed, the beach full of tourists partying and playing volleyball it was still stunning and we were in the water quick smart, it was so clear and shallow you could see the fish dancing around each other at your feet. Monkey Mia was next staying at the RACQ Camping Grounds, their showers made me very happy and their locals the dolphins made all our hearts melt.

After two nights we were ready to get back into the wild now en route for Exmouth, we loved the little town, meeting some really cool people everyone was friendly and keen to chat. Their lighthouse is the spot to be for sunset 360 of the water and town.

We camped out at Cape Range National Park — you must book ahead to stay here, it was difficult to get a spot and it was only available for two nights. You can however come in on day passes. 

I would recommend a week here, there is so much to see and do, the most pristine soft white beaches on diamond sparkling water it went for miles. I had a quick visit to the hospital after a bad night to find out expecting mothers are sent to Perth around 35 weeks I was 36 weeks — they checked me over and gave me the clear to head to Broome, with a stern word of limited camping. To make sure I was good to go we camped at a campground for two nights in town and enjoyed the local hangs loving the pizza, live music and play area at Whalebone Brewing Co. 

Soon enough we were on the road making a beeline for Karratha, we arrived really late and needed to leave really early so we booked into a unit to save setting up and packing down. Honestly the Best Western was amazing brand new, wonderful rooms and the best nights sleep in forever for us all, the rooms had kitchens but we cooked out on their BBQs they also had a pizza oven for your use. I wasn’t lying we were up at first light, the alarm clock went at 3am our aim was to be on the road by 4am, why? It’s cooler for us all including Izzie, Riley sleeps the whole way ready for the day once we arrive – and that is how we manage to see so many sunrises. It was helpful to have the unit we didn’t wake anyone while making coffee and breakfast in the early hours except the sound of Izzie starting — sorry if we woke you.

Bound for Broome stopping in at the Ramada Eco Beach Resort, this was under strict instructions from the Doctor to not camp. The road killed us it was red dirt, dusty and bumpy our old girl wasn’t enjoying, we arrived with glee happy to see the end of the road and stretch our legs, the pool was super inviting too. Our eco tent was simple and very innovative, we loved it and especially loved freddie the bathroom frog. A lovely dinner later from the restaurant and an early night. 

Broome was calling, we weren’t far and it was hot, we hit the road early after breakfast of course, Gosh we loved Broome from the minute we drove into it, the feeling of this town in unexplainable. Relaxed, fun and pretty busy. I was checked over by the doctor here and told more rest the heat and small space wasn’t helping me and it was the day before my birthday so hello airconned room and a pamper day for my birthday – I spent the day in the Cable Beach Club which Riley and daddy played and swam at the beach, we meet up later in the afternoon for some mocktails, and a birthday dinner at Cable Bays waterfront restaurant, my second birthday on the road and it was magic. The next day we relaxed at the beach, ate locally and read our books before watching the camels along the beach as the sunset. Day 3 came far too quickly we had fun at the local markets explored more beaches and ate way too much.

We were on the road at 3am to Kunnunara, another exciting part of the trip, we booked a non-powered sight at Lake Argyle and boy were we excited, we were clear to camp again — yipeee. A stock up was needed so we creeped into the local town to get supplies before heading out 45kms to Lake Argyle. Our sight was awesome on the lower ground overlooking the incredible canon, we sparked up the potbelly and cooked our tacos while watching the sun turn the sky a magical pink. 

The facilities here were the best in the country — shower/toilet rooms were so clean, new and convenient. Each night a local band/singer entertained the crowd of campers it was a cool vibe, or hang out at the most picturesque pool famously photographed too. While here we trekked, swam and even flew. Kingfisher Tours welcomed us on an excursion to the Mitchel Plateau where we climbed waterfalls and came back on helicopters the experience was incredible and something I was so glad to have done. We loved El Questro to get here we hired a 4×4 as the old girl wouldn’t have made it along the rough roads. A highlight was the trek through Emma’s Gorge – I was a nice track for my 37 week belly. When we arrived a coffee was needed and brewed while Riley and I swam to cool off. By the time we made it back to the car we were all absolutely buggered but all felt very accomplished. 

The following day we packed a prepped to the next big drive heading for Darwin, Darwin is as far as I can go and will be leaving Lock to drive the rest of the way due to my pregnancy.

We crossed the boarder into the Northern Territory at sunrise and buy it was special we couldn’t resist a stop to take it all in before our swim in Katherine Hot Springs. 

We made it to Darwin by 4pm in time for sunset at Fannie Bay, a well deserved beer with fish and chips to celebrate. 

We hung around for a few days before it was time for Riley and I to fly home. 

Dreams fulfilled, lessons learnt & life lived on the road with Riley Travels

After some hesitation and reluctancy — I hit book, and boom! We have an island.

Floral Island Resort! 

I emailed ahead to align some birthday surprise’s including transfers to food requirements, the stuff that Lock normally sorts out with fine precession.
We travel stand by which is very normal for us however incase we are bumped I always allow a day before our expected arrival incase we lose our non-refundable bookings, we make it and spend the night in Manila. We stayed at the Conrad perfectly along the water and next door to the mall where we stocked up on insect repellent, baby snacks and treats  before setting of to the islands of Palawan. At first light we are off! The first flight to leave the small crowded domestic airport, every parent is happy to see a playarea in an airport plus coffee, so no matter how small and busy manila airport was gold.

Airswift was great, a one hour flight in a new ATR – impresses us.
We arrived at 7:45am eagerly early; our transfer was prompt and picked us up for the very cool island airport taking us to Lio Beach for breakfast — if this was a glimpse into our week ahead we would be stoked. An order of yummy breakfast smoothie bowls and a swing to occupy the toddler starts the trip off well.

The drive ahead was approximately 1.25hrs south, the transfer was a van around $70AUD each way. We passed the main villages of El Nido and caught some traffic, the roads are mixed between windy and rough to clean newish motorways onto 45 minutes of dirt. It is great for Riley to visit countries like this, there are children in the fields and drying rice along the road. A real eye opener.
Here we are complaining to our parents that we don’t have the latest iphone or we snobbishly send back steaks when they are slightly under or over cooked when these people are happily living their lives with no running water. Makes you rethink right!

The island we are staying at provides jobs for the locals and supports the community giving back which made or stay far more important.
We soon pull into a little muddy fishing village where children are playing with no shoes but gleaming in smiles as we make our way to the Jetty where we are pleasantly greeted. Life vests are donned and then we are safely transported to our island. As you pull up to paradise the staff and owner awaits with giant waves and smiles.

An introduction and tour of the island kicks off the stay. We cant believe it, it is magical and already we don’t ever want to leave. We are seated for lunch in the main dining area that over looks the ocean. A four course meal is prepared of soup, pasta, fresh seafood, breads, and fruit. Yup! i’m patting my back right now. After our delicious lunch we are off to choose our room.

The island has four suites available the superior inbeded in the rock face of the island, it overlooked the water and jetty with an outdoor bathroom and a breeze to send you dreaming. While it was romantic and stunning it wasn’t toddler friendly.  We decided to head back down to the lower level beach houses. It was just as lovely with a porch leading to the hammocks under the palms and an uninterrupted view of the water.

Riley enjoyed the hammocks and playing in the sand while lock toured around. The island offers water sports from diving equipment to kayaks. You can indulge with a massage, and cocktails or enjoy the giant fire pit, fit for a party off 12.

We spent the afternoon relaxing, playing and swimming and before long the day turns to night showing off the most stunning sunset. We watch from the jetty, before Riley pulls us to dinner.

Another beautiful meal is prepared stars from the open air dining room. Day 2 we are up feed and off to explore, kayaking around the island finding peaceful little beaches that were once occupied by fisherman.
Ill skip to dinner where they beautiful ladies have baked a birthday cake, displayed a beautiful romantic beach dinner and set up birthday fireworks for Lock, his day/holiday is a success!

Soon we are packing and sadly leaving, we have 4 days left heading back to El Nido. Moving to Lio Beach its a great location to be while exploring the surrounding islands, with a large handful of restaurants along the beach. We booked a private day boat for the next day picked up first thing. The boat crowds are heavy,  a good thing is only 300 tourists are allowed each day. This is an implementation to preserve hot spots such as  Secret Beach, Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon – they can no longer be visited on the same day. The number of tourists, boats and kayaks will be limited and time slots will be issued per visit. This means we will not be able to guarantee what time you will be going to Big Lagoon or Small Lagoon. The tours are broken into A and B you select your preference.

Staying in the lagoon area will also be limited, as only a maximum of 90 minutes for Big Lagoon and 1 hour for Small Lagoon will be implemented.
A user fee of Php 200 per person each visit for Secret Beach, Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon. This is in addition to the Php 200 Eco-Tourism.
Additionally, entry of motorised boats is now prohibited for Big Lagoon except for special cases.

It is a massive process with the Life Patrol registering each boat and person. Once the being tours are out we are loaded onto our 4 crew expedition. A traditional Paraw Boat heading to Blue Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and Shimizu Island. They were all crowded, our second stop Shimizu Island an idyllic little location sheltered from the strong wind at this time of the year with soft sand and shade for Riley to play. We enjoyed our catered BBQ lunch of whole fresh BBQ fish, fresh fruits and side all while we were knee deep in the ocean — it was magic!

Our tour guide ended up taking us to some smaller more private spots which was pure heaven, the last spot of course being our favourite, a swing attached to a tree that swooped into the water had Riley content. The day was ending too soon, and we weren’t really ready to leave but it was time.

Most people do back to back tours tof see both rounds but we decided to head to Sitio Beach or known as Las Cabanas beach. Scattered with trendy beach bars and restaurants tourist dropped along the sand a glistening water. We actual walk around to the other side where we find a gorgeous tree cabana, and shallow water for Riley to play in. Once the boys have eaten and swam they fall asleep under the palms and I head out on the tube. A relaxing day for-sure.
Our time is short but our tans are glowing and our hearts are happy. We head back to Manila for a night before our early morning flight back to Japan.
I don’t doubt that we will be back to explore further and I would easily say you will love it kids and all.

How did La Mamounia work with a baby? Do they have dedicated kids facilities?

La Mamounia was a safe bet for a crawling 10month old, with larger rooms than a riad. It was hard to know what to expect so having a safe and secure hotel to get our bearings was a great start. Check has to be my most dreaded part of a trip, it can be stressful with baggage a baby and juggling your documents normally fighting jet lag and feeling yucky from the flight, here we were seated in a peaceful area encompassed by the luxurious palace, while enjoying our welcome tea and dates. Riley was free to crawl safely on the rugs while taking in the space.

Our room was magical, fruit and delicacies, a safe and a beautiful balcony for Riley to explore, a large bath soothed our sleepy boy while we could relax.

Although the hotel does not have dedicated facilities for children wasn’t appropriate. They offered children’s meals, high chairs, room cribs and the most affectionate staff.
Safety aspects of the hotel included a doctor/nurse.

The breakfast cannot be missed, an assortment of authentic dishes, matched with peppermint tea an for the little ones pancakes and fruit, I will be honest the omelette shouldn’t be missed!

What was it like taking Riley to Jemma El Fna and around the Souks?
Riley is a people person anyone who pays him attention receives his hand for shaking and a bright smile, so this meant a lot of stopping at the markets. Touching carpets, mesmerised by the lanterns and completely stunned by the snake charmers. He loved it. I carried him in a front pack – as he wasn’t walking at the time and a stroller seemed difficult to manoeuvre.We spent a few hours walking around, I felt as though having a baby people weren’t badgering us as much as other shoppers, the people welcomed us to take look at their products, buy as we liked and left freely. It was a very easy going experience.

A stop for fresh juice was a nice idea to cool off and watch the buzzing people.

Morocco isn’t seen as a particularly baby-friendly destination. Were there any challenges/surprises?

I think the surprise was how easy it was with a baby, e.g getting around, food and activities.
The only challenge was the heat, Riley didn’t seem too bothered by it but it was hot for us to carry him so we avoided the middle of the day and opted for indoor and gave him his naps then.
What were the three favourite things you did with Riley? (write about each in some detail)

1.We managed a spice tour, we stumbled upon this at the Jemma El Fenna, arranging to return the nest day for a detailed insight into the use and origin — Riley could enjoy this to by touching and seeing the different colours. His little fingers were covered in dyes from feeling the textures of the stones and gems.

2. Well as I said earlier I was here for the food, and we couldn’t leave without a cooking class to teach us more about the spices we had learnt about. Baby came along sat chewing on a lamb cutlet while we simmered away.,

3. Morocco is famed for its exotic gardens and we were lucky to enjoy La Mamounia’s grounds at our own free will. Boosting an array of fruit trees, fragrant flowers and prickly cactus, with a palace backdrop was a treat for us all.
Best restaurant?
We enjoyed our meal at El Fenn, a display of modern morocco. Riley played with the baby turtles, and paddled in the shallow pool to cool off while we awaited our meal and explored the roof top garden.

What did Morocco teach you/ What did it teach Riley?
Every destination leaves an imprint, with a baby we managed to achieve milestones this is sometimes a step or a new found fruit. Morocco taught us as parents to spend time in engaging with people from all walks of live and not to judge on first impressions. For Riley I am certain he has taken the same learnings, to accept others, he does this by being open and smiling at people who may dress, speak or look different to us.

Our recent feature in The debut Mag Escape, Camp and Caravan

Aussie Camping Never Looked This Good

Voracious travellers Kirianna and Lachlan Poole have notched up hundreds of stamps in their passports for work and leisure, but the couple has now set themselves a new challenge of showing two-year-old son Riley what’s in his Aussie backyard.

After exploring the world in their jobs as a flight attendant and a pilot, New Zealander Kirianna, 31, and Australian Lachlan, 32, returned Down Under last year to refit a 1962 Volkswagen Kombi Split Screen for the trip of a lifetime.

“While travelling overseas was rewarding, we also found a huge amount of appreciation for our homes,” Kirianna said. “We met people abroad who had done the lap of both our countries, yet we hadn’t.

“We were also inspired by Lachlan’s 91-year-old grandfather, who still today tells us about his stories caravanning with his late wife around Australia.”’

The Pooles are based in Tokyo, but in between Lachlan’s work stints, they fly back to Australia to hit the road in four to eight week bursts.

So far they’ve explored the Great Ocean Road, Tasmania, the Barossa, crossed the Nullarbor and made their way part way up the West Australian coast, where Kombi Izzie now awaits their return for their next trip.

Despite her age, Kirianna said Izzie had endured the kilometres well, with only a few minor mishaps along the way. The Pooles put in a lot of hard work to get her up to scratch before they set off, transforming her from a wedding cart to their home on the road, complete with kitchenette, rock and roll bed and an anchor point engineered in for Riley’s car seat.

When they first took off in Izzie at the beginning of the year, Riley was just 17 months old, but the tiny traveller had already visited more than 30 countries in his little lifetime, preparing him for long spells in transit.

“He has become an adaptable little guy,” Kirianna said. “With each milestone our tricks and tips have changed. In the beginning it was all about tackling sleep and jetlag. We mostly time our drives around his nap time.”

They keep a “Very Busy Bag” full of activities and an iPad on hand for entertainment and loads of snacks to survive the drive. And while they admit camping with an under two-year-old can be challenging – particularly “trying to keep them safe from cliffs, cars with campers and snakes” – Kirianna and Lachlan wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We love creating memorable moments,” Kirianna said. “We as parents can miss out on so much, so we found travelling meant we could soak up all these developmental years and build a strong bond while seeing the world.”

Both keen photographers, Kirianna and Lachlan have documented their travels with beautiful photographs of their adventures with Riley, not just in Australia but all over the world, several of which have been published in magazines.

And where might the next stunning photos be from?

“We plan to continue through Western Australia and onto the Northern Territory,” Kirianna said. “We haven’t put ourselves under any pressure but would love to make it all the way around.

“We hope to do at least another year of bopping around in the Kombi or overseas.”

They also have high hopes of getting Izzie across the ocean for a lap of Kirianna’s home, New Zealand.