“I can still feel the excitement as the five of us boarded the plane to Costa Rica in September 2021. We had no idea what lay ahead of us, but we’d taken the plunge. I knew that together, we’d be OK - whatever our adventure threw at us,” explains Katie Campbell, 40. The teacher and her husband Campo, 46, took their three young daughters Taba, Kiki and Indie on a year-long adventure visiting 26 communal living hubs.
“Campo and I had always been interested in more communal ways of living. Not the yurt-dwelling, hippie communes of the 70s, but modern, intentional communities where people share resources, chores, cooking and childcare responsibilities to live in an inter-dependent way.
“It’s still quite unusual in the UK, but it’s a normal setup in many countries like Portugal, the US, Scandinavia and Costa Rica.
“With the kids then aged seven, five and three, it was the perfect time to travel to see how these places made it work. As a teacher as well as a mum, I didn’t want any of the girls to miss out on crucial stages in their education by going any later.”
Packing up home
“Some people told us we were mad to make ourselves homeless and walk away from the happy life we’d created. But others said we’d never regret it and that it was a gift for kids to see the world so young, so I chose to surround myself with those supportive voices.
“There was a lot to sort before departure; giving notice and packing up our rented house, explaining our plans to the kids’ school (who were really understanding) and creating colour-coded packing cubes for every member of the family.
“It felt so strange but also liberating, aged 36, to be venturing out into the world with no responsibilities back home, no concrete plan in place and a year ahead to focus on my family and thinking about our future.”
First stop - Costa Rica
“We stayed in La Ecovilla community for three months amongst 43 families from 29 different countries who all live in independent houses but come together for everything from meals to gardening, schooling to socialising.
“It was so exotic with monkeys everywhere, but also felt safe and welcoming. The girls attended the local indoor/outdoor school, and Campo and I threw ourselves into learning more about this pioneering, regenerative project.
“We all loved swimming every day, sharing full moon gatherings, doing group yoga sessions, cooking huge community brunches, watching incredible sunsets and working outside in the plentiful kitchen gardens.
“Life there wasn’t without its hair-raising moments. I had no idea how quickly the sun sets on the equator and remember ‘losing’ little Indie one night, where she’d been playing outside but was nowhere to be seen as darkness fell a few minutes later.
“Luckily, a neighbour found her and brought her home, but it was a good early warning that new boundaries needed to be established on these adventures.”
Oregon to Nevada and beyond
“After Costa Rica, we headed to the US, where we bought a camper van to visit multiple communities across five months, which was a great eye-opener.
“Living as a family in a van had its moments, but the memories made visiting Arizona, Oregon, California, and Nevada far outweighed the occasional challenge like emptying the waste tank.
“After stopping off in Canada, we headed to Portugal, where Campo enrolled in a three-week communal living course in a rural community from 9-5 daily.
“With only a small, stiflingly hot hut to live in, communal drop-toilets, no Wi-Fi and no car to explore outside the commune, the shine of the trip started to wear off, so once the course was finished, we headed home in July 2022.”
Life lessons
“I don’t regret taking the kids out of school for a moment. We did spellings and times tables each week, but they learnt so much from the experiences they had. I still have each of their projects on the Golden Gate Bridge as we drove over it, walked under it and sailed through it during our trip.
“Returning as adaptable, resilient, mature, curious travellers, they are confident to strike up conversation with anyone, and friends still comment on how last-minute curve balls don’t faze them at all.
“Their dietary horizons also expanded, as many communities are vegan, so there’s not a vegetable or pulse that they wouldn’t wolf down and their cooking skills from working in the communal kitchens put many adults to shame."
Communing back home
“The experience gave Campo and me new perspectives on communal living - both what works and what doesn’t. We firmly believe that it makes sense to share more and waste less, and we loved being part of a team. But we’re also clearer than ever that a degree of privacy is essential.
“We haven’t yet managed to find a location or funding to set up our own community in the UK. But we lead the charge on sharing everything from bikes to lawnmowers in our local area and, together with a big network of friends, share the load when it comes to kids’ parties, cooking, babysitting and transport.
“Some days I miss the slower pace of life, the wonderful friends we made and the sense of being part of something bigger than just us. But wearing the same 10 outfits on loop for nearly a year definitely wore thin, as did my quest to find laundry facilities at every stop. I’ll never again take having my own washing machine for granted!”
