Routine, routine, routine. Which, I know, is very difficult to have when you are on the road. But routine can also be a couple of small things and gestures that you keep consistent throughout the journey, while everything else changes. For instance, we always have breakfast together, with milk and cereal, outside of the van, as first thing in the morning and we talk about what we will be doing that day. At night, Maggie helps me cook and we always have dinner together at the table, we discuss the day, then we prepare for bed and read a story.

Research. We read a lot beforehand, and we try and avoid the tourist spots. We also talk to people: wherever we go, we make sure we go to the local bar or pub or restaurant or hang out, and we strike up conversation with the locals.

We are not just wandering. We are creating thematic alternative itineraries that we follow religiously. The itineraries are made so to expose ourselves (and our daughter primarily) to as many experiences as possible, and to tell her the story of a specific culture and country. Therefore, the camping spot is chosen on the basis of how well it fits in the itinerary. For instance: we were teaching Maggie all about the stars and the planets and we chose a spot in a Dark Sky Reserve in England, so to show her what we have been talking to her about.

On top of the usual recycling, upcycling, trying to live with the bare minimum, the whole trip is geared towards researching the most sustainable spots and areas. We included in our itineraries places like Dark Sky Reserves and towns where plastic has been banned by a local group of surfers, in an effort to clean up the oceans. We try our best to educate ourselves on new ways to be sustainable, while teaching our daughter the same things.