Author  |  Alex Brown  |  Journalist and Founder of Advanture Magazine

Influenced by their own upbringing, first time parents Steff and Christian knew they’d be back out on the road to continue a meaningful life spent outdoors. Although more extreme adventures were their appetite previously, this hasn’t stopped them from introducing their seven month old son to skiing, hiking, and van camping across Scandinavia.

She’s a young woman from Ukraine, and he’s a young man from Sweden. Now the parents of a one-year-old, they didn’t seem to stray too far when it comes to parenting choices from how they were raised in the 90’s.

Growing up with parents who loved the art of camping, Steff admires the memories of a relaxed youth—frequently encouraged to be outside hiking, skiing and building camp wherever they might come to stop at the end of a day of driving. Stef recalls 90’s Ukraine being a very easy going land of open people and undocumented discovery around each corner.

Northwest, Christian grew up in a half Norwegian and half Swedish household. His father was invested in anything that ran on a motor, so Christian found himself on the seat of his first motocross bike at just four years old. Throughout his youth, he actively rode motocross until his late teens, but life was mixed with other outdoor pursuits like skiing and cycling.

It was on a trip with a friend when Christian would inevitably meet Stef in Slovenia. As the story goes, Steff was on a trip with her parents in their campervan. They met through a shared passion of cycling and then went on to travel around Norway in spring together. Long sunny days and snow covered peaks made for a memorable time together.

 

 

Life on the roads

NOMAD LIFE

 

Time passed as the couple lived free and on the road, cruising around Europe in an old Fiat Ducato camper. The vehicle was aging and lacked some comforts. Family planning had become a topic of conversation, which ultimately led to navigating the needs for an upgraded camper in order to continue their lifestyle.

“Before we had our Ducato, we were basically cycling and sleeping wherever we ended up. Even just in a sleeping bag on the side of the road at times. So traveling around with our first van was absolutely amazing in terms of bringing the bikes and exploring different surroundings and meeting a lot of like minded people” says Steff.

Their campervan 2.0 would carry a range of vastly improved installs that included a Dometic 200Ah lithium battery, wired up with a Dometic DC-DC charger as well as a Dometic shore power charger. This huge amount of power would enable them to camp off-grid for much longer, and also feed the three of them with a range of fresh food stored within an installed Dometic compressor fridge. Dometic windows and roof vents were installed in the panel van in order to make it feel more like a campervan. A final install product was a Dometic gas stove top with sink, which became a very important feature in the new van as the family grew.

 

 

Steff and Christian didn’t lose their lust for being outdoors once they became parents. It wasn’t so much the case that they consciously intended to continue their lifestyle, but more so because continuing it would be part of who they are. “When I was a teenager my parents dragged me around for hikes on mountains and whatnot. Being young I was annoyed at that sometimes. But I tell you, as soon as my child was born I was like yeah, doing that seems like a lot of fun. So it wasn’t an option, but more of something we were supposed to do!”

As adults we are encouraged to seek and spend time in nature to unwind and reset from busy lives back in the towns and cities we live in. Studies underline the numerous benefits on our health and wellbeing from just spending a few hours in nature, so imagine the impact that such environments can have on newborns or children in their very first years of life. This is where appreciation and understanding of our natural world is cultivated in a hands-on manner.

After finishing a second van build, one which would enable the family of three to safely road trip around Europe, they set off baby Leon, who was just seven months old. More seating, an extra bed and increased storage were important elements of the new van. Their new IVECO Daily came with four-wheel drive, expanding the range of places Steff and Christian could explore. It took them deeper into remote forests and further down dirt roads than ever before, transporting them further away from the city at each turn.

The first trip with Leon was to Hemsedal, a location not too far from civilization but had the elements of a natural escape that they craved. After a few weeks, once things had found a place inside the IVECO and everyone onboard started to feel relaxed, they spent Norway’s National Day in Sognefjellet and then to Ukraine to visit Steff’s side of the family.

“Although we used to travel with cycling as our main priority, our son is now the focus. Once we have packed the van and taken off, life on the road with him gets simpler.”

 

"Maybe it is a case of subconscious minimalism in a basic form, but having less around you in the van and nothing but the beauty of nature out of the window, is resetting. You can’t just stay inside the van, so even if the weather is bad you are forced to spend more time outside. Compared to at home, you’d just stay indoors at times like that.”

Steff Gutovska

 

 

Exposure to the elements such as the sun and rain are at the core of not just human existence, but every living animal on land. In an increasingly technology advanced world many children are exposed more to the light from their tablet, than something like sunrays beaming through a forest. And this is where people such as Steff and Christian see the real world benefits of making sure they spend as much time outside with their son.

As the couple became parents, so did many friends. For a short time, the ones who they previously spent time camping and going on adventures with would make a few attempts to get back outside with their children. But as time went on, fewer and fewer of them would put in the effort to keep the lifestyle up. This led Steff and Christian to form new friendships with other travellers, pursuing the same sort of trips in their own vans and 4x4’s.

“It is so nice to camp with other families. Parenting is much easier as four or more adults can look after half as many children, so it takes the pressure off from doing everything yourself. It has allowed us to unwind and share common talking points with people who are just like us.” And this is a reality today. With more people holding down freelance or jobs that can be performed remotely, and more privileges when it comes to both maternity and paternity leave, new parents are enabled to get out there and bring up children closer to nature than what Western society has been doing for the past number of decades.

 

 

Get to know Steff & Christian

Adventure on Film

 

 

 

CAPTURING MEMORIES

“Even if our son won’t remember these earliest adventures, I take a small 35mm camera everywhere we go. I want to create something physical for him to look back on later, and hopefully to cherish.”

Whether you are a campervan owner or a car driver, getting into the outdoors with children can be simplified. A night spent outside in the tent could be enjoyed in the closest forest to your town. Blankets and bedding from home could even just be laid out in the back of the car. Small steps can be taken to expose children to the concept of being outside and developing curiosity for how to survive outside the walls of a conventional home.

 

About Steff Gutovska & Christian Ekdahl

Steff and Christian met through a shared passion of riding bikes, and enjoying life out on the road. Stef, aged 32 born and raised in Ukraine, grew up with parents who were always taking the family out on camping adventures. And Cristian, aged 36, was raised in Sweden. They are the parents of baby Leon, who’s had his first taste of vanlife at the young age of seven months. After converting their second van, a 4x4 IVECO Daily, they have been sure to get Leon out into nature at every opportunity possible.

Follow Steff's adventures: @steff.gutovska

 

 

"We don’t say that everyone has to go out and live life like this. We’re not die hard outdoors people personally, we just think that going beyond your comfort zone has a lot to offer."

Steff Gutovska