Travelling on a whim

To sell your home, your possessions and travel the world for more than a year takes a leap of faith.

To do it with three children younger than 13 might lead some to question your sanity.

That, however, has been the reality for Dutch couple Richard and Heidi Hekelaar for the past 15 months.

Their journey has taken them to many unexpected places, including Russia, south-east Asia, many parts of Australia and, eventually, the Wimmera.

Last week the couple and their children Lars, Nick and Inge were the guests of Horsham couple Jaye Macumber and Marie-claude Gagne.

A chance meeting by the families in Cairns months ago ended up bringing the Hekelaars to a place they had never expected.

“In Cairns we were camping and we met Jaye and his family,” Mrs Hekelaar said.

“Our daughters started playing together and that’s how we met them.

“We spent a lot of time together in Cairns, and they said if we were ever in the vicinity of Melbourne to give them a call.”

The Hekelaars slowly travelled down Australia’s east coast and by last month were planning a trip to the Grampians.

They were searching for accommodation in the area when Mr Macumber called them and offered to let them stay at his house in Horsham.

“They welcomed us as a family of five, which was so nice,” Mrs Hekelaar said.

“They were so welcoming and relaxed, it was a great experience.”

The Hekelaars stayed with Mr Macumber and Ms Gagne for a few days before departing for Adelaide on Thursday. The family will spend two weeks in South Australia’s capital before flying home to the Netherlands.

Mrs Hekelaar said the family had decided to travel for a year because their sons had skipped ahead in school and were struggling to adjust.

The family sold its house and possessions to fund the trip, and will move into a smaller residence when it returns to the Netherlands.

Mrs Hekelaar said the experience of travelling with three young children had been a positive one.

“It is totally different to travelling alone,” she said. “You travel much slower, but that’s also good. We discovered how lovely people around the world are.

“Because of our kids we connected with Jaye and his family and made beautiful friendships, whereas if we were alone we probably would never have met them.”