About Us
We are the Newbys
We’re a family currently renovating a farm in Portugal and building a dream stone house. You might have just seen us on Channel4’s ‘Help! We Bought a Village’ series, or come across us on YouTube or Instagram and we’re so excited to meet you.
John
John has been exploring our wonderful planet for over 25 years. Traveling to 163 countries on all 7 continents. His love of lines over maps has ensured that he has just about over-landed everywhere he could possibly get to. Over mountain ranges and deserts, through jungles, and even crossing oceans.
Johns lines on his map extend from Singapore to Goa, From Afghanistan to Svalbard and from Egypt to Antarctica. With years spent working in the travel industry, he has helped hundreds of people travel to far away destinations. Now, he’s using his self-taught carpentry and building skills to create a wonderland homestead in Northern Portugal for his family. A talented man, with an imagination as big as the universe we’re so lucky to have him.
Crusoe
Crusoe is our first little explorer, a boy who fills every day with joy and curiosity. His favourite things include riding along in Mario’s digger, playing endless games with his best friend Obi, and eating every piece of fruit Mother Nature puts in front of him. He has a knack for spotting lizards everywhere we go and loves nothing more than going wild swimming in rivers or helping Dad with building, weeding, watering, and any farm project he can get his hands on.
In his very first year, Crusoe travelled to 24 countries across four continents – a tiny adventurer with a boundless world already under his feet.
We love both our boys more than words can say, and everything we do is to give them a life immersed in nature, free to roam, and filled with wonder.
Tara
A life growing up in Zimbabwe in Southern Africa taught Tara simple lessons about being brave and thinking big, after all, there are few things in Africa that are small! Tara spent her 20s indulging her passions working in the safari industry, hanging out with chimpanzees and lions, and waking up in wild places with endless horizons.
It is no surprise that Tara’s world is big and her ambitions even bigger. A full time mum, explorer, traveler, family chef, and video journalist, Tara is our Brave Lioness, the elephant in our Think big and the Arctic Turn in our Explore. It’s important to her that our farm and home is gentle on the planet, a safe haven for our children, and a place to inspire us all to look after the place we call home. Guess what? Studying beekeeping is next on her agenda, and she can’t wait!
Sawyer
Sawyer, our youngest, lights up the world with his enormous smiles and infectious belly giggles. He’s the bravest little brother we could imagine – determined to keep up with farm life and already eager to help Dad just like his big brother.
Bold, spirited, and endlessly curious, Sawyer brings a sense of completeness to our family. He loves collecting stones and taking them on grand “adventures,” adores diggers just as much as Crusoe, and already knows how to stand his ground even though he’s still so little. Some days he feels like the glue that holds us all together.
We love both our boys more than words can say, and everything we do is to give them a life immersed in nature, free to roam, and filled with wonder.
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