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2,5 Years Ago, I Quit My Job And Sold Everything To Travel With My Cat Willow In A Campervan
2,5 Years Ago, I Quit My Job And Sold Everything To Travel With My Cat Willow In A Campervan
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2,5 Years Ago, I Quit My Job And Sold Everything To Travel With My Cat Willow In A Campervan

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She may only be a rescue cat but this little black cat has travelled more than 50,000kms around Australia in a campervan with her owner.

Willow the cat and me, Rich (read that as chauffeur, cuddle provider, and snack time attendant), have been travelling since we left our hometown of Hobart, Tasmania back in May 2015.

I sold my house, all of my possessions, and quit my job so I could take the trip of a lifetime. But one thing I couldn’t say goodbye of was this little cat so the obvious decision was to take her with me.

In February 2017 we finally made it to South Australia, marking Willow’s official completion of visiting all 6 states and 2 territories of Australia! This is what is known in Aussie adventure cat slang as a Purrfect Eight. We’ve achieved so much together and seen some amazing places. I can’t imagine being on this trip without her by my side. We’ve sailed the Great Barrier Reef, camped up mountains and travelled thousands of kilometers of gravel roads from Bourketown in Queensland, all the way up to Northern Territory.

Some people think it’s odd that I’m travelling with a cat, but Willow is so chilled out and absolutely loves our new lifestyle. Willow is kept safe with a tracking collar which allows me to always know where she is. She spends most of her time off the leash and is always keen to explore around our camp. With the tracking collar, I have the peace of mind that if she decides to go for a hike I will be straight onto her.

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It’s been so much fun sharing our adventures with the world. It makes me so happy when someone messages me and says that they saw our photos and it brightened their day. It gives me the motivation to keep on doing what we are doing. We even have a calendar prepared to keep you inspired every day of the year! You can find it here.

We have well and truly settled into the travelling life and spend our days in forests and beaches just soaking it all in. Although we have almost made it back to our home state there is no sign of us stopping anytime soon. We have adapted to life on the road and have made it our life now, you have to choose what makes you happy in this life and while we can keep going, why would we stop?

I’m so proud of Willow, she’s the cat that made my van a home and the whole of Australia her backyard. She’s the best travel buddy ever!

More info: vancatmeow.com | Instagram | Facebook

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    I’ve been traveling around Australia with my rescue cat Willow in a campervan for 2,5 years now

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    Together we have travelled more than 50,000kms already

    We left our hometown of Hobart, Tasmania back in May 2015

    I sold my house, all of my possessions, and quit my job so I could take the trip of a lifetime

    But one thing I couldn’t say goodbye of was this little cat so the obvious decision was to take her with me

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    In February 2017 we finally made it to South Australia, marking Willow’s official completion of visiting all 6 states and 2 territories of Australia!

    We’ve sailed the Great Barrier Reef, camped up mountains and travelled thousands of kilometers of gravel roads from Bourketown in Queensland, all the way up to Northern Territory

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Some people think it’s odd that I’m travelling with a cat, but Willow is so chilled out and absolutely loves our new lifestyle

    Willow is kept safe with a tracking collar which allows me to always know where she is

    ADVERTISEMENT

    With the tracking collar, I have the peace of mind that if she decides to go for a hike I will be straight onto her

    ADVERTISEMENT

    She spends most of her time off the leash and is always keen to explore around our camp

    We have adapted to life on the road and have made it our life now, you have to choose what makes you happy in this life and while we can keep going, why would we stop?

    We have well and truly settled into the travelling life and spend our days in forests and beaches just soaking it all in

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    We’ve achieved so much together and seen some amazing places. I can’t imagine being on this trip without her by my side

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    Rich East

    Rich East

    Author, Community member

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    Travelling Australia with my cat and wife in a campervan. Insta: @vancatmeow

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    Rich East

    Rich East

    Author, Community member

    Travelling Australia with my cat and wife in a campervan. Insta: @vancatmeow

    What do you think ?
    Shana
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beautiful cat. And I'm happy you decided to take her along, instead of just dumping her somewhere like some would do... Looks like the perfect traveling buddy ;)

    troufaki13
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ι love black cats!! I have one, but she's not the outdoorsy type and she scares easily. Nonetheless, this duo is adorable! ;)

    Carol Pendrey
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Love black cats - we lost our beloved Mac last year and we miss him every day - he would have loved to go on a trip like this!! Mac-on-bik...128b90.jpg Mac-on-bike-59e0c37128b90.jpg

    Krish Malhotra
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    willow sure has it good man. travelling around the country with a butler.

    Vivien Someya
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing, no doubt, especially because I am a crazy cat lady. But... I've always wondered what these people do when the money is finished? I am not being negative here, I genuinely would like to know what happens next since he has sold his house. I would love to do this too!

    lindsaymad2000
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My 5 siblings, my mom, and I are currently traveling the united states with 5 cats! Started out with a dog, at one point had 2 dogs and 4 cats currently at 5 cats XD

    varwenea
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I want to be this cat. I might be jealous of a cat. No, I am jealous of a cat. Damn...

    Rea Thea
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love this... thank u for sharing

    Pam Miller (surferpl)
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sir, your Spirit and Soul show the greatness humans can achieve when inspired by the precious perfection of animals. Please hug and kiss and hug and kiss (ad infinitum) Willow for me. Safe and wondrous travels to you both. I am in awe.

    Load More Comments
    Shana
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beautiful cat. And I'm happy you decided to take her along, instead of just dumping her somewhere like some would do... Looks like the perfect traveling buddy ;)

    troufaki13
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ι love black cats!! I have one, but she's not the outdoorsy type and she scares easily. Nonetheless, this duo is adorable! ;)

    Carol Pendrey
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Love black cats - we lost our beloved Mac last year and we miss him every day - he would have loved to go on a trip like this!! Mac-on-bik...128b90.jpg Mac-on-bike-59e0c37128b90.jpg

    Krish Malhotra
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    willow sure has it good man. travelling around the country with a butler.

    Vivien Someya
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing, no doubt, especially because I am a crazy cat lady. But... I've always wondered what these people do when the money is finished? I am not being negative here, I genuinely would like to know what happens next since he has sold his house. I would love to do this too!

    lindsaymad2000
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My 5 siblings, my mom, and I are currently traveling the united states with 5 cats! Started out with a dog, at one point had 2 dogs and 4 cats currently at 5 cats XD

    varwenea
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I want to be this cat. I might be jealous of a cat. No, I am jealous of a cat. Damn...

    Rea Thea
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love this... thank u for sharing

    Pam Miller (surferpl)
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sir, your Spirit and Soul show the greatness humans can achieve when inspired by the precious perfection of animals. Please hug and kiss and hug and kiss (ad infinitum) Willow for me. Safe and wondrous travels to you both. I am in awe.

    Load More Comments
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