Homecamp Dads: Josh Bennett

Story by Homecamp

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and to celebrate we are again introducing you to some of our favourite Dads. First up we have Josh Bennett, first-time father and co-founder of travel and lifestyle magazine, Frontier Journal.

Tell us about Frontier Journal, how did it come about and what plans do you have for its future?

Originally the idea for Frontier started out in 2013. My wife and I were both working two jobs and tired of not getting to spend enough time together. We thought that if we could combine the idea of working together with travelling and everything we love, this would be the ultimate lifestyle. Not long after we released our first free online edition, we decided to follow our dream of extended world travel. So we quit our jobs and bought around the world tickets. By taking the sudden exit from normal society, we found a lot of people commenting that they wish they could do it as well.

We learnt so much about ourselves and what we wanted out of life in that year, which we wanted to come back and put into Frontier. So Frontier developed into something to inspire people to get outside, slow down and live the life they want to live.

After the birth of our son (Zion River) and putting together four printed editions, we are now morphing Frontier into something more family focused. To inspire couples and families to get outside, travel and be in the moment with their little tackers in tow. We’re just in the middle of re-launching, so you guys are the first to know!

What are your earliest memories of the outdoors, and what was your childhood like?

I was blessed to grow up in Moffat Beach, on the Sunshine Coast, so most of my childhood was spent in and around the beaches. As a family growing up money was pretty tight, but we always managed to have great holidays. We often stayed in little builders cottages up in the hinterland, around Springbrook or went on camping trips out West. Mum and Dad always loved finding new waterholes or bush walks to go on, so most weekends we would be off doing that if we weren’t at the beach. One memory from when I was a kid was when Dad and I took off on this walking track in Springbrook just before dark to find glow worms, we hung around until after dark for the glow worms to show up. When it was time to leave, Dad’s torch didn’t work so we had to try and find our way back along the cliff edge in the dark. I think that definitely has a lot to do with how much I love being outdoors. 

What is your favourite travel memory?

Gee, I have so many. Having the year off travelling around the world with Kez will definitely be a highlight for the rest of my life. It was so special being able to spend everyday with your best friend, experiencing so many things, uninterrupted. If I had to pick a single moment, I am feeling like it would either be this night we had in Rome where we found this tiny restaurant up a cobbled alley way. We stumbled upon it after getting lost in all the alleys. We drank cheap red wine, shared a pizza and walked way too long before finding the last bus back home in the rain. It doesn’t sound all that exciting, but I guess it was just the experience of it all. The smells, the conversations we had, the newness, the unknown.  Another memory would be when we sailed to a little Island off France in my uncle’s sailing boat. Kez and I hired bikes and spent the day exploring the bays. We found a secluded little bay which was off the road and amongst the fields. We hung out there for the best part of the day. It was one of those moments where time seems to stop and it feels like you are the only people in the world.

 

You often travel in a van, how do you find this way of traveling with a young one?
For us we find it more freeing. Zion seems to be the most happy when he’s outdoors. We generally have most of the gear packed in the van ready for a trip away, so getting on the road is pretty quick. When we want to move on to the next destination, it’s pretty hassle free. And when you have a kid, it’s all about keeping the hassles to a minimum. Of course there are complications with it all, I would be straight up lying if I said it was totally stress free. For a start Zion doesn’t love being in the car, so travelling long distances is normally done at night when he’s asleep or timing it during his day sleep. We just had to redefine what we think of travel, we travel slower, try to not plan as much then things generally run smoother.  It’s all worth it when you have moments at dinner with wallabies grazing next to you with the surf in the background.
If you could pass any of your own qualities down to Zion, what would they be?
Hopefully he has way more of his Mum’s qualities, she is so patient, loving and creative. Out of my qualities, I would say a love for surfing and the outdoors.
What has been a father taught you so far?
Wow so much. To love deeper. To be more selfless. To throw out all expectations of what you think having children will be like. To slow down. To plan less, but to be more prepared. Having a little one running around puts everything into perspective, especially what’s not important.
What are some adventures you’re looking forward to going on together as a family?
We are aiming to spend a few weeks in September exploring some parts of Northern NSW that we often just drive past, there are a heap of National Parks and little coastal towns within that zone that we are guessing have more than a few hidden gems. And then in December we are wanting to pack up the van and head on a 5 – 6 week trip exploring the southern coast of NSW.
You can check out Frontier Journal’s exciting new relaunch via their website here.

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