Steve & Jen at the tip of Cape York - October 1998
It sounds like a staggering amount of people but it’s true that right now over 100,000 people are on their way on the trip of their lifetime travelling around Australia. A year from now it will be another 100,000 and a year after that, another.
Sounds like it would be crowded but Australia’s a big country and there is plenty of room for you.
But while there are so many people out there living their dream, there are a lot more people that would like to go but never will. They say ‘I’d love to do that one day’ but they never will. When it comes to the crunch, selling or renting their house, quitting their job or taking the kids out of school just seems too hard.
Many people resolve to go when they retire and become ‘grey nomads’. By far the majority of around Australia travellers are grey nomads forming impromptu convoys up and down the highways around the country.
This is a great thing and I fully expect to become one myself in 20 or 30 years from now but here’s the thing.
Many grey nomads you meet on the road will have a similar story.
It goes something like this . . .
“It’s great to see you travelling around Australia while you’re still young, and with your young kids as well – fantastic. Oh how we wish we’d done it when we were younger and not waited until retirement”
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve had that conversation of a variation of it.
I met a man at one of our camps who came over for a chat. He was in his late sixties and had been on the road with his wife for about 6 months. He told me about how he had seriously considered retiring 5 years ago. He had tonnes of money to see him out so didn’t need to work any more but despite this chose to work another 5 years before taking off on their perpetual big lap.
It had turned out to be the biggest regret of his life. He literally teared up while telling me about it. He already had enough money 5 years ago, now he just had more – so what.
What he now knew that he didn’t then is that travelling around Australia doesn’t need much money and he’ll never get those 5 years back. He could have lapped the country 5 times and met thousands of new friends, instead he just had more numbers in his bank account.
If travelling around Australia is something you really want to do and you’re not ready to retire yet then ask yourself what you will regret more – going now OR not going now. I think you already know the answer.
To make your dream trip, the ‘Big Lap’, a reality the very first step is to actually make the decision to go.
Most of the people who will be on their way around Australia 2, 3 or 4 years from now are dreaming about it and planning it already. They’ve made the decision and are working towards it.
Jen and I made the ‘decision’ to do the big one on our way up to Cape York from Melbourne in October 1998. We had escaped from our business for 10 weeks and were in our newly purchased second hand 80 series Landcruiser (same one we still have) and we started talking about taking a whole year off to drive around the whole country. We’d sell our business and just go. It was a fantasy that we allowed ourselves to indulge in but we kept talking about it.
For several weeks it was just an idea, a dream that was a lot easier said than done. Our business was not in a ready to sell state as we’d recently bought a new printing press and had a LOT of debt wrapped around it. We had a few years of work to do first at least.
But despite this, in the space of that 10 week trip, we resolved to do it, one day, one way or another, no matter what it took we were going to devote at least a year to doing the Big Lap.
At that stage we were in our late 20′s and without kids and we expected to go before kids arrived on the scene – funny how things turn out.
Planning To Go – Turning your dream into a plan
Once you’ve decided that you are no longer thinking about it but are actually going to do it then everything else starts to fall into place around the trip. It’s almost like magic!
It doesn’t matter how far out the trip is – it can be years away like it was for us (7 years and 2 daughters in fact) . But every decision you make and everything else you do from that point onwards will be done in consideration for how is it going to affect your trip, one way or another. If we buy a house what will we do with it when we go? Sell it or rent it out? If we buy a car will it be the one we take around Oz or not? What if we have a baby?
This helps to make your trip a reality because you talk about it and take actions as if it is a reality and inevitably it happens that way.
Draw a line between now and the future when you’ll be leaving and figure out what you need to engineer to get there. These are then your goals and your to do list.
To help keep you focussed on the goal, buy yourself a big map of Australia and stick it up on a wall somewhere in the study or the pool room. Somewhere that everyone can see it.
Use a texta to mark places you want to go and things you want to see. Talk about what you expect an area to be like and circle the ‘must see’ destinations. Get everyone involved including the kids if you have them. When you start to actually see your trip unfolding on the map it becomes a lot more real.
It’s likely there will be many hurdles to overcome between the decision to leave and driving out the driveway but determination will get you over the hurdles if you stay focused on your goal.
Be flexible – you may need to change dates, you may need to wait another year.
But decide now that no matter what, you are going to do the trip one way or another.
Now watch and see how everything starts to fall into place.
Feel free to leave a comment below to tell me you’ve decided to go. I’ll be the first to congratulate you.
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Hi steve. My wife and two kids aged 3 and 3months have just sold our home, we have done trips around ozz several times on outback work breaks. We have planned to leave in feb 2014 for 12 months on a working holiday. Its been something we always wanted to do but now we have sold our home we are getting cold feet. We are worried on what the kids may miss out on and we wont have a home to come home to, but the biggest worry taking 12 months off work and returning in a lower position. Im a carpenter by trade with experience in most fields and was also wondering is it possivle to make good money to keep travelling abd what do my family do while i work.
Yes!!! Finally have the hubby talked around to doing “The Big Lap” in 2015. So excited we’ve set a date.
We have such a beautiful country to explore and we’d rather be out in our big wide land living a life than being slaves to a never ending mortgage. Things do not make people happy, having a simple life is the key! We only get one shot at life, and we don’t want to be too old and grey wobbling around australia’s beautiful places to see and the interesting people we’ll meet. Cant wait!!!
Hi Steve,
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us all. We live in WA, and my hubby (site foreman and carpenter in the construction industry) works 6 hard days a week / with very long hours – with no end in sight to a new job.
We rent and live quite comfortably – however being fairly new immigrants to Australia, having immigrated from SA – don’t have money in the bank to fund a trip around Australia.
However – my hubbies job is affecting him and our family life, and a change is needed.
We wouldn’t be sacrificing any job opportunities that are likely to come his way, as he has looked and looked for work that would pay enough for us to lead our current lifestyle – and they are few and far between in the town we live in. FIFO is very difficult to get into and if you dont have ‘red dirt’ on your CV – even harder. Also we wouldnt be having to haul kids out of school.
In your experience – can a couple with 2 kids (3 months and 3 years) pack up – and work their way around Australia? The aim is to take charge and lead a simpler life for a bit.
We would sell our cars and upgrade to a larger 4×4 and also possibly take a loan on buying a camper trailer.
We would have ongoing expenses because of this, but as we are happy to work our way around – im sure we could manage.
Ive looked through your site, and most people seem to have quite a nest egg before setting off. That is not our position.
I would like to pick your brain on this, as its a huge decision, but one I feel needs to happen – if possible.
Im busy downloading your spread sheet – to start costing it out.
Do you know of any Agencies that we could join, that help find casual/ part time work for travellers?
What other tips or advice can you spare time to give us?
Thanks for you time, and any advice that may follow.
Regards
Renee
Hi Renee,
Sounds like a trip around Australia is exactly what you guys need. A change of scenery and pace will most likely give you a fresh outlook on the world and open some new doors for you.
Fortunately your kids are pre-school (like ours were) so that makes things easier.
Your hubby’s trade skills will be a big help especially in remoter areas where Tradies are often needed for short term/casual projects which lends itself well to the travelling lifestyle. I met a Sparky who told me he’d stopped telling people he was a Sparky because they would find work for him and he was trying to have a holiday!
I don’t know of any agencies although it’s an area I need to research and write about because the question comes up a lot. What I suggest is that you talk to a lot of people along the way and be very flexible with what you can do. Ask caravan park owners and the local visitors centre whether they know of any work opportunities, offer to exchange labour in the caravan park for free site fees, visit the Centrelink office when you get into town – the main thing is to get the word out that your there and ready to work and opportunities will surface.
Travelling can be a very low cost lifestyle so you don’t need to earn a heap of money to sustain it.
The camper trailer sounds like a good idea although if you could find a good second hand one that you could pay cash for and avoid the finance it would be one less thing to worry about!
Good luck
Thanks for your reply Steve – I can only imagine how many questions you have to answer, and your in-depth one is really appreciated.
You’re welcome Renee
Hi Steve,
My partner and I are arranging our Trip around Australia, we plan to leave in June, with a 6 year old, 5year old and 1 year old. My parents took me and my 3 brothers for a trip around when I was 10years old and I learnt so much as a kid, more than what you do staying in a town all your life. Now I’m 29 and putting my Career on hold to take my kids around. We have got our 80 series landcruiser ready, and almost the van ready, planning on working as we go around, and home schooling the kids. From the perspective of a kid it is an awesome experince that you never forget.
Regards Cynthia
Hi Cynthia – sounds great and you’re right about the kids learning, it will set them up with a much better foundation than they’ll get reading about it in books and watching TV. And you’ve got the 80 Series as well – nice work
Steve, thanks for your inspiring blogs. I found them after I decided yesterday to go around Australia – well I think we will just go half way around first time. I am a single mum of a little boy who will have just turned two when we go – we have 2 months to get our act together! Car and van are sorted thanks to some very accommodating parents loaning their things to me while they aren’t doing the grey nomad thing this year. Do you have any tips for travelling alone with a young child? I have booked into a 4wd training course as a first step. I am not the biggest planner and prefer to wing it. Great to see so many tips on here about it. Cheers Shoana.
Hi Steve,
I desperatley want to do the trip around oz with the kids!! Just trying to convince the hubby though!! I think its great and children would get so much out of it! Hoping to do it at the end of 2014 so the kids will be 7 and 5 by then
Just wondering with the cost side of things, what do people usually do to fund trips like these….I know most people sell their house and things and buy a caravan and a big enough car and have $$ left over to live on, but we are only renting. We have some savings, but do people usually take out a loan to get the van and car….?? So many questions…. We have a few years to save up (say 20-25k) but would probably have to trade our 2 cars in for a 4wd and loan for a van…do people do this??? I just want to go lol…. Any help would be great. We are both in hospitality so I wouldnt see us having a problem finding work along the way either. Thanks.
Hi Davina, I think that most people who own a house choose to rent it rather than sell it unless they aren’t planning to come back. In your case I would aim to get to the start line without having to take out a loan for car and van even if it means going downmarket with what you buy. Better to avoid the ‘worry’ of paying loan payments without having a regular income. Save as much cash as you can before you go even if it means working extra hours/job etc but even if you don’t have enough for the entire trip when it’s time to go, go anyway and plan to stop and work along the way. When we left we didn’t have a house earning us rental income or enough money for the whole trip saved but we owned the 4WD and bought a campertrailer within our budget ($10,500) and we stopped and worked for 6 weeks in Lake Argyle to top up the bank account. We also hit the credit card a bit in the last few months
Good luck.
Hi Steve
Well we have done it. Finally made the decision to sell up everything, the house, the 2 businesses, kick the adult kids out to “fend for themselves” and hit the road. We have planned for 14 months time and I am so excited.
We are wanting to take the dog with us so I would be interested to hear of any tips etc that people have in relation to travelling with the dog.
Karen
This is a great site. I’ve been planning to do a solo trip in Australia and this will be really helpful. Hope i can materialize my dream plan soon. Is it safe for solo female travelers to go around australia? thank you!
We’ve been planning ours for the last twenty years and finally collected the Landcruiser today! Currently on track to head off mid next year. Really looking forward to doing home schooling with the kids and having lots of family adventures
Love hearing that. Have an awesome adventure
Hi Steve,
Iam so nervous about taking kids out of school, closing up our small concrete business and renting our house out – but I just really want to do a year around Australia with the family – I know it will be an amazing experience for us all – but soooo nervous!! Do you find there is plenty of work as your travel around – my husband would be a labourer/concreter – or whatever really!
Hi Liza,
It’s pretty normal to be nervous. It’s a big thing to do and the majority of people who would like to do it never do or wait till they are 65, so you are one of the brave ones. But, you won’t look back. One of the reasons I wanted to make a documentary series about our trip was to encourage people to take the plunge once they see a very average family like ours do it.
We found there was quite a bit of demand for workers, especially in remoter areas. Let it be known when you arrive at a caravan park that your looking for work which will get the conversation going and you’ll find that the park owners will be tuned in to what is around. They are often looking for labourers themselves on a casual basis as they don’t want full time employees. If you’re flexible and prepared to do what ever you need to do then you’ll find plenty of work opportunities.
Good luck
Cheers
Steve
Hi Steve,
Me & my wife completed a lap back in 04, and thoroughly enjoyed it, thinking about going around again with our sons, 1 aged 6 the other nearly 3.Our only concerns are the obviuosly the children , i.e schooling & also taking them out of their little social network of friends.Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated, take it easy,
Cheers,
Matt
G’day Matt,
One of the great things you have now that you didn’t in 2004 is social media and Skype so it will be relatively easy for you and your kids to stay in touch with friends back home. Every Maccas has free wifi so if you get yourself an iPad you’ll be able to Skype/Facetime for free while having a coffee and a cheeseburger. I think this is the key to keeping your kids connected with their friends so it isn’t like they’ve gone forever, just a long holiday and their friends back home can follow along.
Our kids were pre-school age so home schooling wasn’t on the agenda but we met many other families that were and they seemed to be coping with it pretty well. Your kids are young enough though that they’ll get plenty of learning from the experience. In fact they are the perfect age for a Big Lap – old enough to appreciate it and be engaged, take photos etc. but young enough not to be still happy to have an adventure with mum and dad – teenagers would be a different story.
I look forward to hearing all about it.
Thanks, my family is planning to do this in July of this year. As the nerdy forteen year old, I’m put in charge of the researching thanks for your help
Thanks Steve, myself and soon to be wife (next week) are travelling around Australia in a few weeks. We are both 27years old and have taken a career break which is a big and scary step. Its great to read your article and have some positive re-assurance. Thanks very much and all the best to you and your family.
Only an hour ago my husband & I were outside looking at the stars with our girls aged 8 & 4 talking about how many more we would see if we finally took the plunge & went for it. The next thing I did was Google “travel Australia with kids” & here I am! Thanks Steve for reminding me not to procrastinate any longer. I look forward to reading more of your site as we prepare to hit the road!
Mate we’re planning a trip when kids are about 9 and 7, but wondering if you can give us some advice about taking them out of school for a year or so, and making sure that they don’t miss out on schooling. How did you handle this situation and what effects good or bad do you see with your kiddies? Thanks mate, enjoy your trip, I really liked reading the website,
regards,
pete