Wow! That's almost 3 times what it costs us to live in our house! We couldn't afford to leave the state if we were paying that much. 😂 We don't drink or eat meat, we spend about $150 a week on food for two which I'm guessing would go up a bit on the road. The cost of caravan parks is just crazy! My niece just paid $92 a night for an unpowered site at Eden in NSW for 2 adults 2 kid's. Our van is 15ft and with two less people than you I'm sure we wouldn't be carrying as much stuff but fuel is still going to hurt. But at the end of the day, no matter what the cost, the experience you guys are having as a family is absolutely priceless.
Over thinking it. We calculate the difference of what it costs us when we are living at home and simply subtract the costs of living on the road. In 2021 we spent 8 mths on the road with a heavy van towed by a Y62 Patrol and calculated that the difference between living at home and on the road was 13k. When at home you are still filling the car, buying food, paying electricity bills, doing activities etc. 13k over 8 mths is pretty good value I think. KIS.
Totally agree Woody. It’s helpful and more accurate to seperate the cost of ‘living’ and ‘living on the road’. Great video and well presented, really like your honesty about socialising 😊!
this is also what we did. we spent well over a 100 grand but our house back home wasnt costing us anything. so it was about the same as what it would cost us sitting in a house but we got experiences and lifestyle for free. (The way we looked at it anyway). Made us feel really good about it lol
I stopped and travelled all the time and did big ticket experiences stopped at a lot of paid for parks for aircon for dog. Cost about $80k a year. Worth every penny so many memories. You only live once
Thank your wife for keeping track of all the expenses. It’s a great realistic overview of being on the road. Even if you can do it cheaper, it pays to have money saved to cover unexpected costs.
Costs me about about $14,000 /year. I only move from place to place-- not constant travelling and never stay in caravan parks. All solar =240 volt. Single male.
That's incredible, I can see how it would be possible as a single adult. Imagine, if you work as well you could be saving some good money. Kids are expensive.
i'm 80 years old on age pension of $1096 a fortnight--don't drink or smoke but like my food ---A porter house steak dinner is an average meal for me.. Been doing it for 7 years in my 19 foot van and wish i had started at 65 when i first got the pension .Solar did myself under $5.000 -never run out of power ,domestic fridge ,,freezer ,icemaker lights, tv ,solar hot water and save about $1000 per month. lucky i did have those savings --had to replace my vehicle ---no problem. The one thing that has happened is all my friends have died although i make friends on the road they are only temporary.
The travel life is so good, we are so grateful that we have discovered this early in life. Obviously, we will need to stop in a few years to let the kids do their high school years. But Mel and I were talking just today about heading out again as empty nesters when they fly the coop. travel safe mate.
@@John-v3b3ethat's exactly how we do it. I worked for years until my wife got sick so now on a carer pension and her on a DSP. We combine freecamping, state forests and house-sitting and are so much better off like you. I agree that making friends is something you can do on the road. It's the best life and way better than paying $400+ rent plus utilities etc.
Thats nuts, ive been saving for a 4wd and van Crunched numbers the other week and crapped myself, i am now looking at 42ft plus boats cheaper intial cost maintenance and insurance on par with vehicle and van. Fuel is the big difference yet accommodation is still free if you do it right. As i was going to do 90% coastal travel anyway im swaying that way. I could hire a vehicle to sight see further inland if wanted. Plus 42ft plus is far bigger than a 4wd and van therefore less enclosed. Pros and cons to everything. Thanks for your honesty. As a single bloke my fuel, insurance, repairs all the same accommodation and food lower but at 46y.o who knows about medical im about to spend a ridiculous amount on dentistry. Sorry for the long message and thanks again for being honest
thanks mate. just remember with a boat you will have alot of unforeseen costs on fixing things. Alot of things break in a caravan, imagine a boat when you add in the seas and salt. I'd love to do it but, one day.
@SvedosTrippin appreciate the concern and I agree 100% I'm 47.y.o so I know how to do what I can do which is far more the the current generation. I know people that own big boats im aware of the costs, Fuel is the issue. At my age I'm not roughing it, I'm not loaded but I understand expenditure vs income. Y62 patrol zone caravan. True believer in the new build tech and quality. Thankfully covid madness prices on used cars is dropping vans will follow, more to go on both in my opinion (World economics) the boat I'm interested in 42ft plus aft cab is same cost if not cheaper there's one for 120k atm ( cant buy a used zone for that money then a 4wd)far bigger in size and layout. I understand each to their own but I'm a how much$$ vs pleasure every time,maintenance, insurance etc. I'm a tight arse and have only ever taken 1 loan in my life. Cash for everything if you can't afford it you shouldn't have it. This year will prove that statement 💯% accurate unfortunately. That's why I've saved and waited I'll get everything I've always wanted for cash off strapped people who didn't see this coming. 🙏 be patient in life kids have dreams, but NEVER go into debt for it.
lived on a boat back in the 80's for three years best 3 years of my life. mainly on the mariner behind Cronulla before all the prices went through the roof.
@user-ws3rz6vb9c small world I grew up in the Shire and am still here. You don't want to know how expensive it is these days and over built and over crowded.
Hi and welcome to a new and exciting year and thank you for this video on the cost of touring, I feel it will help a lot of people in understanding the rear cost of life on the road. See you next week!
i travelled australia in a 30 foot van. mostly stopped at high end van parks cause we had 3 kids. we did everything along the way. we did right hand side of australia. we spent 110,000 lol. dont care was memories for life.
@@SvedosTrippin 12 months on the dot almost. im going to go again soon. my kids were happier and i was shocked as a family unit we actually got closer and more patient. life slowed down. now we are back everyone gone back to no time and technology driven. we could have done it much cheaper but experiences over things for me always. its just money.
@nunayadoxing4623 it's the best lifestyle and if you can afford why bloody not. I'm not surprised by your spendings, it's right on what I expect it would be if you diddnt hold back and that's the message I was trying to get across to those that are planning to do it. Thanks for watching and getting back to me.
Great video, reinforcing my lack of desire to ever live like this, sounds awful All those caravans on the road doing 80km per hour with 10 cars banked up behind them drive everyone mental too
Cost us $42k to do the lap in 6 months back in 2021. Fuel was $1.60 in town Rural it was $1.80-$2 We ate out occasionally, stayed in a caravan park only to clean clothes once a week.
I was wondering how much itll cost my wife and I as were thinking of retiring at 61, buying a van and 4wd and travelling and living fulltime as we dont own anymore and were gojng to live offmy super ,but at those figure youve shown ,Ide say we may have to pick up oart time work if we travel as I told Super mob we'd only need $40 k a year ,so might have to recalculate! Very incitive, thanks
Your very welcome. Do keep in mind children are expensive, they impact food, accomodation and then other random expenses. As a couple that is frugal you could manage somewhere around $50K.
Thanks for the reply ,so with a possible 2nd hand caravan around 20ft ,new fourby ,we might be able to survive ,but we'd have to do a spread sheet like you guys ,plus my entertainment is surfing that's it @@SvedosTrippin
Wow what an eye opening video but I can only agree with your figures. Ours are slightly lower as there is only 2 of us but you really need a full time job/income to help pay for the travel
i think Food, Medical, Alcohol would be similar even if you stayed at home and didnt go anywhere,i dont think you eat more when caravaning , . Petrol might be bit less if staying at home but might be replaced with electricity, gas bills for heating,cooking , cooling etc. accomodation expenses would be replaced with house rent, or mortgage payments plus, council rates, bills etc. 4000$ per year on booze might be too much, equivalent of having 2 bottles of good red wine every week.or 2 slabs of beer per week. yes it might be bit more expensive than staying at home , but it wouldn't be double.
Great video - thanks for sharing. I'm interested to know how you kept track of your expenses. Was it a basic spreadsheet arrangement where you were on the laptop most days or did you find an app that you could use on the phone. If it was an app, can you share which one? Cheers 👍
You must add to the cost the potential income foregone by not working. At the average wage of $85k pa, thats $170,000 of lost income for a year. Imagine what you could have done with that instead? Add to that the cost of your vehicle $100k and the cost of the Van, say $100k, and now you are up to $370,000. That's the deposit on a house and a foundation for your family's future. Now add the costs of your trip and you might even get to half a million dollars. Can you afford to toss away that much money? I advise people who find themselves in financial stress. When people analyse their true cost of living, they can get a shock.
Yup solid advice there and to be honest we diddn't think of it like this. However, for us this was a lifestyle change and not a holiday. We do work and generate an income while on the road. But for sure that's great advice for those planning a lap / holiday.
We can all consider our own unique circumstances and lifestyle goals, and factor in the financial and non financial costs and benefits of all options and weigh that up with quality of life, mental and physical well being and capacity, relationships and memories. Finance matters of course, but in balance with overall long term life goals. Good luck continuing to make informed decisions, sounds like you’ve got it covered. Buying a house comes with its own set of financial and lifestyle commitments and ties up money into one large inflexible asset and usually debt with interest costs. It can be the right choice at some point, but it’s not the only option. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Hi there, I do think we are on the low side for sure, we live very simply. We have a video from a month or so back that explains how we afford to travel aus, you could find answers there.
Is alcohol really a caravanning expense? Things like dental treatment would occur with or without vanning and really is not a vanning or travel expense. For a family of 4, I would think it would be hard enough to live on $80k a year staying put and not travelling. That you could go vanning in such a rig and keep it at level is pretty amazing. I would expect a couple that is travelling more modestly with a small caravan could scrape in at $1k a week or $52k a year but with inflation being what it is, that's going to go up by $5k a year.
I mean, its just a full portrayal of what we spend. not all of it is a "caravan only expense". The idea is to share what we spend our money on so others can use the info to their benefit. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@SvedosTrippin Thanks - that's fine and perfectly understandable. I am coming from the perspective of planning a longer trip living out of a wagon. For me, as the $$$ are limited, it is the differences between regular costs and travelling costs that is important. I will still have my regular income but the money bucket has taken a bit of abuse in the last couple of years due to once only matters.
After retiring My parents sold the family home to go Nomad adventuring for the remainder of their lives.. they had about $400,000...2 years..they come back with their tail between their legs.. only afford a 50,000 caravan park dwelling and back onto the pension... thay not willingly spent their retirement savings in 2years.. living off grid no caravan parks.. they said too expensive to live in the big towns had to live in the little outskirts of boring little towns that are free camping.. life was not cracked up to what it was supposed to be on the road they said
Not having an income on the road would certainly make it difficult. By your numbers, they were spending $175K a year as a couple, they must have been living it up. But yes, the fact is, it expensive to do, it's also probably not for everyone. Both of these facts are things we try to relay on our channel.
@@SvedosTrippin considering to be retired with no debt, own your own home you need $50,000 and that’s living quietly. Most people just don’t realise how big the $ number required is untill it’s too late and they never planned for it . That million number promoted as minimum target in superannuation isn’t just a marketing ploy.
We have a video on our channel that answers this question specifically. It's title is "how do we afford to travel Australia full time". You should find the answer to your question there.
My wife and I enjoyed your analysis, Cheers. Ps i struggle with the complaining you did however, you've undertaken a scenario most can only dream so the whinging comes across as a bit awkward, it cant all be perfect
Holy snap! Be eating roos and buying rice and flour...damn!!! First thought though...this is your job and these are business expenses. Nah, farrr, blardy jeepers mate, tha kinal
Some people would have to because they can't afford it. But there is enough rich grey nomads going around supporting those places in the off season. I work in a high traffic grey nomad area and they spare no expense.
off grid tent campers cop it the worst from the greedy exploitive tourism industry.. I will never pay 30 40 50 dollars for a 2 metre piece of grass to pitch my tiny tent.. never! go stealth but beware the locals.. they hate us.. and I love it ! and if a food outlet doesn’t advertise the prices don’t walk out.. run! happy camping 🤣😂🤣
Haha love the comment re. Food outlets. We see them too. I guess off grid campers cop it, but in theory a camper is much more likely to use toilets kitchens etc. A van brings their own kitchen and toilet but pays for those facilities. And us parents pay a tax on top... Happy travels, enjoy that free camping.
Thanks for being so open about this. We are pretty frugal &after just doing 2.5 mths, your figures are very similar to what we did. A great insight for all. We enjoy your content very much.
Hey guys, Another grass roots video based on lived experience. Some eye opening traveling data there, which will be so helpful for people wanting to hit the road - they can apply your financial experience to their own circumstances! Thanks for sharing 😀 stay safe and see you guys on the next adventure 👍 kind regards Corrie PS loved the diesel pump scene and Mel’s cameo 😂
Hint: Double check the Trailer Wheel Bearings. Trailers that (usually) spend many months not being used will cause wheel bearing to fail when you then used all day, every day. Have a great time.
In Melbourne people a just paying 600 a week on rent. The van will eventually pay off it self in a few years. Not paying rent etc . I would do what they a doing in a heartbeat. Mel is working and 4 days exploring. Kids a still doing school. They a winning. Steven cooks and does the videos. In my eyes he is doing more of the load but they a doing good together as a family. Keep going people say something bad they just jealous. U could easily come back and rent a house and find work. But seriously thats not living
Toyota 79...$ 97000.....spinifex caravan $145000.two years going around .that was 2015 ...diesel then $1.34 ...at least $45000 a year...i loved it ...but i had to park up just to much money ...
That's a fair point, but the question is a bit like how long is a piece of string. Our Van was around $80K and our car was around $60K after mods. But we see some set ups out on the road that would be $500K plus (and it's not that uncommon).
I only stay at free campsites and I'm a vegan, so I don't need to buy meat and I only shop at farmers markets or fruit and veggie shops then stock up and travel one pension payment at a time. So, I spend 2 weeks at each campsite and it's very affordable and less stress on the vehicle and myself.
@@SvedosTrippin I stocked up at Kunanurra then again at Broom Port Hedland and a lot of farms have honesty boxes all the way down to Kalamunda and the market so next time I do it I know where to shop before hand
Cooking in bulk, then freezing meals in plastic takeaway containers will drastically cut your food expenses and time taken to prepare meals. You can pack over a month’s worth of meals for two people in a portable freezer. I do this at home as well.
Great info guy's. Im hitting the rd in may.. and your budget doesn't even include a dog.. i dont know how you do it.. well done. We'll catcj up one day.....
Australia is a very safe country. Your chances are incredibly small for anything happening. Just avoid any dodgy areas. We use wikki camps and check reviews, if an area is dodgy the reviews will let you know. Happy safe travels and thanks for watching.
Hi another Great, video letting other people know the price you pay on the road, especially when you said the price of caravan parks Ah ludicrous. I say they are out of control. Anyway good video thank you keep up the good work.
Hey Brett & Mel, thanks for another informative video! You provided detailed info and figures relating to your family setup, which should really help people planning a lap or big trip. This will be an awesome starting point to help work out their possible expenses & budget. Loved the joke with the paper towell at the petrol pump, LOL 😂 Catch you next week. Stay safe, Lyn ❤
You left out depreciation on the Vehicles as well as loss of capital gain on fixed property and/or loss of returns on investment of moneys which have been used for other purposes. What would your normal expenses have been if you were living in a fixed home, paying a mortgage/rent, as well as the multitude of other costs associated with urban living? A comparison would be very interesting. PS - having children is a huge expense ;)
Im 63 and laugh when i hear people who have no idea when they say "we're travelling around Australia " I ask them what direction their going, up or down the coast . 90% dont know ??
Just like to comment further on caravaning in Australia---I see a lot of caravanner's who arrive in the outback ---that is really the desert then they drive several hundred miles on a dirt road through a place called a desert and finally arrive at a place called a desert. I save a lot of fuel by not doing that. Saw another caravanner comment that a certain place they arrived at was the best place they stayed at in their whole trip. They stayed 2 days. What i'm saying stop driving and stay awhile it's cheaper.
No one really knows how much it will cost everyone is an expert it varies from one person to the next stop guessing we have been travelling for about 18 years and the new travellers think they know everything about travelling
Excellent in-depth record keeping guys! I just stared a payments and deductions for us to keep track and stick to limits especially now we are ready to leave Qld and travel NSW to ACT then down to Vic at the end of the year.
Did this back in the 80s/90s in the back of a 2 door '76 Toyota Corolla with no aircon, a german shepherd, and a cat. We couldn't afford to leave the country. Now, i can afford to leave the country anytime, but i can't afford to travel around Australia anytime.
Yes, cost of living in Australia is getting out of control. My dad bought a van to explore aus. He's now selling it, says its cheaper and more enjoyable to take and over seas trip once or twice a month. (He is retired).
Thanks for sharing, very insightful. We have been planning on doing a half lap and trying to gauge what our spend would be. You have given me a clearer indication of what I can now expect👍New subscriber BTW.
must be even harder now that caravan parks (and even unpowered campgrounds..) are forcing 2/3/5 night minimums. doesn't help the family pulling in for the night to get some rest on their travels.
Yeah, we've only experienced that minimum stay issue in Broome. We simply didn't stay in Broome but rather stayed out side of town as the prices in Broome were beyond ridiculous as it was "peak season".
Great info. You could give your wife a break from the book keeping and data entry by getting QuickBooks online and pay for everything with a debit card from a linked account. Transactions come in via a bank feed and you simply allocate to expense categories. Saves heaps of time
If we diddnt actually move, stopped drinking and say just stayed in a free camping hot spot we could spend around 50K. Hit that's not how we want to live.
Mate take off the 30k for your aging gear which is needing a lot of maintenance and your medical bills and your pretty close to their 1k a week they were saying
If you worry about depreciation you couldn’t afford it in the first place. Thats how when you get into a position when you stop working you have no financial security, you gave your earnings to the bank in repayments for stuff you couldn’t afford. Most of us will live to 90 not 45, that’s a lot of living and earning money. Be prudent with your purchases and decisions. Horrible way to live worrying about money.
We've always had this question and even more so lately. So it was fantastic to find your channel and this video. Thanks to you and your wife for putting this out for us. ❤❤❤
Wow! That's almost 3 times what it costs us to live in our house!
We couldn't afford to leave the state if we were paying that much. 😂
We don't drink or eat meat, we spend about $150 a week on food for two which I'm guessing would go up a bit on the road.
The cost of caravan parks is just crazy! My niece just paid $92 a night for an unpowered site at Eden in NSW for 2 adults 2 kid's.
Our van is 15ft and with two less people than you I'm sure we wouldn't be carrying as much stuff but fuel is still going to hurt.
But at the end of the day, no matter what the cost, the experience you guys are having as a family is absolutely priceless.
Yes rural & regional costs more.
Over thinking it. We calculate the difference of what it costs us when we are living at home and simply subtract the costs of living on the road. In 2021 we spent 8 mths on the road with a heavy van towed by a Y62 Patrol and calculated that the difference between living at home and on the road was 13k. When at home you are still filling the car, buying food, paying electricity bills, doing activities etc. 13k over 8 mths is pretty good value I think.
KIS.
Totally agree Woody. It’s helpful and more accurate to seperate the cost of ‘living’ and ‘living on the road’. Great video and well presented, really like your honesty about socialising 😊!
Really you should also account for the opportunity cost if you don’t let you home out when you are away.
this is also what we did. we spent well over a 100 grand but our house back home wasnt costing us anything. so it was about the same as what it would cost us sitting in a house but we got experiences and lifestyle for free. (The way we looked at it anyway). Made us feel really good about it lol
What about the difference in income...need to add that in aswell?
i make just as much on the road as i do if im at home. same same for me.@@ronaldov09
I stopped and travelled all the time and did big ticket experiences stopped at a lot of paid for parks for aircon for dog. Cost about $80k a year. Worth every penny so many memories. You only live once
Yeah 80K can buy you 8 decent holidays a year!
Thank your wife for keeping track of all the expenses. It’s a great realistic overview of being on the road. Even if you can do it cheaper, it pays to have money saved to cover unexpected costs.
She knows we appreciate her 😁. One thing is certain if you do this, something un expected will happen that will cost $$$.
Wow that’s an eye opener 😳 A good sobering look at the costs of the van life. Keep up the great work. 😁
For sure, travelling Aus ain't cheap, but then again, just living in Australia ain't cheap.
Costs me about about $14,000 /year. I only move from place to place-- not constant travelling and never stay in caravan parks. All solar =240 volt. Single male.
That's incredible, I can see how it would be possible as a single adult. Imagine, if you work as well you could be saving some good money.
Kids are expensive.
i'm 80 years old on age pension of $1096 a fortnight--don't drink or smoke but like my food ---A porter house steak dinner is an average meal for me.. Been doing it for 7 years in my 19 foot van and wish i had started at 65 when i first got the pension .Solar did myself under $5.000 -never run out of power ,domestic fridge ,,freezer ,icemaker lights, tv ,solar hot water and save about $1000 per month. lucky i did have those savings --had to replace my vehicle ---no problem. The one thing that has happened is all my friends have died although i make friends on the road they are only temporary.
The travel life is so good, we are so grateful that we have discovered this early in life. Obviously, we will need to stop in a few years to let the kids do their high school years. But Mel and I were talking just today about heading out again as empty nesters when they fly the coop.
travel safe mate.
@@John-v3b3ethat's exactly how we do it. I worked for years until my wife got sick so now on a carer pension and her on a DSP. We combine freecamping, state forests and house-sitting and are so much better off like you. I agree that making friends is something you can do on the road. It's the best life and way better than paying $400+ rent plus utilities etc.
Free camps and buy friut and veggies from roadside stalls and at the farmgate you will save thousands a year
Thats nuts, ive been saving for a 4wd and van
Crunched numbers the other week and crapped myself, i am now looking at 42ft plus boats cheaper intial cost maintenance and insurance on par with vehicle and van. Fuel is the big difference yet accommodation is still free if you do it right. As i was going to do 90% coastal travel anyway im swaying that way. I could hire a vehicle to sight see further inland if wanted. Plus 42ft plus is far bigger than a 4wd and van therefore less enclosed. Pros and cons to everything. Thanks for your honesty. As a single bloke my fuel, insurance, repairs all the same accommodation and food lower but at 46y.o who knows about medical im about to spend a ridiculous amount on dentistry. Sorry for the long message and thanks again for being honest
thanks mate. just remember with a boat you will have alot of unforeseen costs on fixing things. Alot of things break in a caravan, imagine a boat when you add in the seas and salt. I'd love to do it but, one day.
@SvedosTrippin appreciate the concern and I agree 100% I'm 47.y.o so I know how to do what I can do which is far more the the current generation. I know people that own big boats im aware of the costs, Fuel is the issue. At my age I'm not roughing it, I'm not loaded but I understand expenditure vs income. Y62 patrol zone caravan. True believer in the new build tech and quality. Thankfully covid madness prices on used cars is dropping vans will follow, more to go on both in my opinion (World economics) the boat I'm interested in 42ft plus aft cab is same cost if not cheaper there's one for 120k atm ( cant buy a used zone for that money then a 4wd)far bigger in size and layout. I understand each to their own but I'm a how much$$ vs pleasure every time,maintenance, insurance etc. I'm a tight arse and have only ever taken 1 loan in my life. Cash for everything if you can't afford it you shouldn't have it. This year will prove that statement 💯% accurate unfortunately. That's why I've saved and waited I'll get everything I've always wanted for cash off strapped people who didn't see this coming. 🙏 be patient in life kids have dreams, but NEVER go into debt for it.
lived on a boat back in the 80's for three years best 3 years of my life. mainly on the mariner behind Cronulla before all the prices went through the roof.
@user-ws3rz6vb9c small world I grew up in the Shire and am still here. You don't want to know how expensive it is these days and over built and over crowded.
Hi and welcome to a new and exciting year and thank you for this video on the cost of touring, I feel it will help a lot of people in understanding the rear cost of life on the road. See you next week!
thanks, that's certainly what I hope it does.
Thanks for sharing your journey and insights.
Your welcome.
Brilliant. Thank you from Collie River Valley Western Australia
You are very welcome
Hi..watched your post last night…was so surprised at the costs..yes it’s not cheap traveling..must be hard funding your trip…fuel such an expense.
i travelled australia in a 30 foot van. mostly stopped at high end van parks cause we had 3 kids. we did everything along the way. we did right hand side of australia. we spent 110,000 lol. dont care was memories for life.
Can I ask how long you did it for?
@@SvedosTrippin 12 months on the dot almost. im going to go again soon. my kids were happier and i was shocked as a family unit we actually got closer and more patient. life slowed down. now we are back everyone gone back to no time and technology driven. we could have done it much cheaper but experiences over things for me always. its just money.
@nunayadoxing4623 it's the best lifestyle and if you can afford why bloody not. I'm not surprised by your spendings, it's right on what I expect it would be if you diddnt hold back and that's the message I was trying to get across to those that are planning to do it.
Thanks for watching and getting back to me.
Good comprehensive vid mate, obviously everyones expenses will be different, but give some idea, cheers
Very true! hope it helps you.
great honest vid thanks 😊
Thanks for watching!
Great video, reinforcing my lack of desire to ever live like this, sounds awful
All those caravans on the road doing 80km per hour with 10 cars banked up behind them drive everyone mental too
The caravans doing 80 on the highway drive me nuts too. We sit at 98 generally.
Plus the cost of one or two lost wages. Great video.
Thank you for this excellent information
Our pleasure!
Cost us $42k to do the lap in 6 months back in 2021.
Fuel was $1.60 in town
Rural it was $1.80-$2
We ate out occasionally, stayed in a caravan park only to clean clothes once a week.
yeah, its getting much much more expensive I think. But so is just living...
So many caravanners' think seeing Australia is we drove through there and their trip is basically non stop driving and seeing nothing.
I was wondering how much itll cost my wife and I as were thinking of retiring at 61, buying a van and 4wd and travelling and living fulltime as we dont own anymore and were gojng to live offmy super ,but at those figure youve shown ,Ide say we may have to pick up oart time work if we travel as I told Super mob we'd only need $40 k a year ,so might have to recalculate! Very incitive, thanks
Your very welcome. Do keep in mind children are expensive, they impact food, accomodation and then other random expenses. As a couple that is frugal you could manage somewhere around $50K.
Thanks for the reply ,so with a possible 2nd hand caravan around 20ft ,new fourby ,we might be able to survive ,but we'd have to do a spread sheet like you guys ,plus my entertainment is surfing that's it @@SvedosTrippin
Thanks for the information.
Our pleasure!
Wow what an eye opening video but I can only agree with your figures. Ours are slightly lower as there is only 2 of us but you really need a full time job/income to help pay for the travel
Ain't that the truth. Kids are expensive, I reckon with out kids we could be safely under 50k though. Making 1 job enough for a couple.
Brilliant,,! (and No BS)
i think Food, Medical, Alcohol would be similar even if you stayed at home and didnt go anywhere,i dont think you eat more when caravaning , .
Petrol might be bit less if staying at home but might be replaced with electricity, gas bills for heating,cooking , cooling etc.
accomodation expenses would be replaced with house rent, or mortgage payments plus, council rates, bills etc.
4000$ per year on booze might be too much, equivalent of having 2 bottles of good red wine every week.or 2 slabs of beer per week.
yes it might be bit more expensive than staying at home , but it wouldn't be double.
Great video - thanks for sharing. I'm interested to know how you kept track of your expenses. Was it a basic spreadsheet arrangement where you were on the laptop most days or did you find an app that you could use on the phone. If it was an app, can you share which one? Cheers 👍
Thanks for watching. Sorry nothing fancy, just keeping all receipts and inputting them into a spread sheet that we breakdown into months.
Brilliant, thanks.
You're welcome!
Thanks very much
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
You must add to the cost the potential income foregone by not working. At the average wage of $85k pa, thats $170,000 of lost income for a year. Imagine what you could have done with that instead? Add to that the cost of your vehicle $100k and the cost of the Van, say $100k, and now you are up to $370,000. That's the deposit on a house and a foundation for your family's future. Now add the costs of your trip and you might even get to half a million dollars. Can you afford to toss away that much money?
I advise people who find themselves in financial stress. When people analyse their true cost of living, they can get a shock.
Yup solid advice there and to be honest we diddn't think of it like this. However, for us this was a lifestyle change and not a holiday.
We do work and generate an income while on the road. But for sure that's great advice for those planning a lap / holiday.
We can all consider our own unique circumstances and lifestyle goals, and factor in the financial and non financial costs and benefits of all options and weigh that up with quality of life, mental and physical well being and capacity, relationships and memories. Finance matters of course, but in balance with overall long term life goals. Good luck continuing to make informed decisions, sounds like you’ve got it covered. Buying a house comes with its own set of financial and lifestyle commitments and ties up money into one large inflexible asset and usually debt with interest costs. It can be the right choice at some point, but it’s not the only option. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
There's also a lot of free camps out there as well
That realy depends on where you are.
$273/day... you could stay in hotels, take a tent if you want to stay somewhere off the trail occasionally
Except you lose 100% of accommodation costs. You can sell the van if need/want be
@@72superleadtheir costs don't include van purchase. But yeah you would have to use cheaper hotels as you'd still need to pay for food and fuel etc.
Well done to the both of you, we are off again in May for three mths. Can you explain your fuel bill pls? Ripper video.
We get between 17 and 20L per 100km. Is that what you were after?
Wow….with 2 kids. I think you’re doing well with your budget.
One thing you didn’t mention is how do you generate that income to pay this?
Hi there, I do think we are on the low side for sure, we live very simply.
We have a video from a month or so back that explains how we afford to travel aus, you could find answers there.
@@SvedosTrippin haha found it. cool
Wow
Very interesting and informative. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good vid.
Thanks!
Is alcohol really a caravanning expense? Things like dental treatment would occur with or without vanning and really is not a vanning or travel expense. For a family of 4, I would think it would be hard enough to live on $80k a year staying put and not travelling. That you could go vanning in such a rig and keep it at level is pretty amazing.
I would expect a couple that is travelling more modestly with a small caravan could scrape in at $1k a week or $52k a year but with inflation being what it is, that's going to go up by $5k a year.
I mean, its just a full portrayal of what we spend. not all of it is a "caravan only expense". The idea is to share what we spend our money on so others can use the info to their benefit. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@SvedosTrippin Thanks - that's fine and perfectly understandable. I am coming from the perspective of planning a longer trip living out of a wagon. For me, as the $$$ are limited, it is the differences between regular costs and travelling costs that is important. I will still have my regular income but the money bucket has taken a bit of abuse in the last couple of years due to once only matters.
After retiring My parents sold the family home to go Nomad adventuring for the remainder of their lives.. they had about $400,000...2 years..they come back with their tail between their legs.. only afford a 50,000 caravan park dwelling and back onto the pension... thay not willingly spent their retirement savings in 2years.. living off grid no caravan parks.. they said too expensive to live in the big towns had to live in the little outskirts of boring little towns that are free camping.. life was not cracked up to what it was supposed to be on the road they said
Not having an income on the road would certainly make it difficult. By your numbers, they were spending $175K a year as a couple, they must have been living it up.
But yes, the fact is, it expensive to do, it's also probably not for everyone. Both of these facts are things we try to relay on our channel.
@@SvedosTrippin considering to be retired with no debt, own your own home you need $50,000 and that’s living quietly. Most people just don’t realise how big the $ number required is untill it’s too late and they never planned for it . That million number promoted as minimum target in superannuation isn’t just a marketing ploy.
@@kennethprocak5176 I wouldn't think 1 million would be enough if you wanted to live any sort of exciting post retirement life.
Pay $10 for an expense report app, upload your receipts as photos and you are done.
Where do you get all the money to do all these things ?
We have a video on our channel that answers this question specifically. It's title is "how do we afford to travel Australia full time".
You should find the answer to your question there.
My wife and I enjoyed your analysis, Cheers. Ps i struggle with the complaining you did however, you've undertaken a scenario most can only dream so the whinging comes across as a bit awkward, it cant all be perfect
Diddnt realize I was complaining, I will work on that for future videos. Thanks for the feed back.
$190 a week for fuel--- what are you driving a mower--- more like 300 a day
He did say average
How are you able to spend that figure if you don’t work
They do work.
Holy snap! Be eating roos and buying rice and flour...damn!!!
First thought though...this is your job and these are business expenses. Nah, farrr, blardy jeepers mate, tha kinal
I havnt even watched it and i know its not correct . Thats what it cost them !
Really not a great idea to be encouraging travellers to refrain from spending money in small communities.
Some people would have to because they can't afford it. But there is enough rich grey nomads going around supporting those places in the off season. I work in a high traffic grey nomad area and they spare no expense.
off grid tent campers cop it the worst from the greedy exploitive tourism industry.. I will never pay 30 40 50 dollars for a 2 metre piece of grass to pitch my tiny tent.. never! go stealth but beware the locals.. they hate us.. and I love it ! and if a food outlet doesn’t advertise the prices don’t walk out.. run! happy camping 🤣😂🤣
Haha love the comment re. Food outlets. We see them too. I guess off grid campers cop it, but in theory a camper is much more likely to use toilets kitchens etc.
A van brings their own kitchen and toilet but pays for those facilities. And us parents pay a tax on top...
Happy travels, enjoy that free camping.
11.38 mins. You can thank me later.
Cost less to live in a house as long as you own the bastard 😂😂😂
Haha yeah, put a mortgage on top and it costs less to do what we are doing. Though we aren't investing in an asset.
Just adding a comment to help your algorithm, very helpful
thanks mate, much appreciated.
Thanks for your honesty & thorough data, well done! Safe travels!
Thanks for being so open about this. We are pretty frugal &after just doing 2.5 mths, your figures are very similar to what we did. A great insight for all. We enjoy your content very much.
Hey guys,
Another grass roots video based on lived experience. Some eye opening traveling data there, which will be so helpful for people wanting to hit the road - they can apply your financial experience to their own circumstances! Thanks for sharing 😀 stay safe and see you guys on the next adventure 👍 kind regards Corrie PS loved the diesel pump scene and Mel’s cameo 😂
Mel out side, sipping wine, saying she wont drink so much this year 😂
Thanks for sharing ❤ I am not far from starting to travel, but I am single and in a 6x4 trailer with a triton and 2 dogs and a pop-top tent
Hint: Double check the Trailer Wheel Bearings.
Trailers that (usually) spend many months not being used will cause wheel bearing to fail when you then used all day, every day.
Have a great time.
This video was amazing! So thorough and real. Thanks again guys we love watching you ❤
In Melbourne people a just paying 600 a week on rent. The van will eventually pay off it self in a few years. Not paying rent etc . I would do what they a doing in a heartbeat. Mel is working and 4 days exploring. Kids a still doing school. They a winning. Steven cooks and does the videos. In my eyes he is doing more of the load but they a doing good together as a family. Keep going people say something bad they just jealous. U could easily come back and rent a house and find work. But seriously thats not living
You can't really add a total food bill to travel expenses. You have to eat regardless
This is bloody stupid.
Most of those expenses you would have while living at home anyway.
Lame
so many different ways people do it so this costing would only represent one way
At that amount imagine how hard it is to become homeless and try to get back to having a home
Toyota 79...$ 97000.....spinifex caravan $145000.two years going around .that was 2015 ...diesel then $1.34 ...at least $45000 a year...i loved it ...but i had to park up just to much money ...
Would of been incredible to do it back then before everything got so busy and expensive. I'm jealous.
How would the cost of your 4wd and caravan factor in? ie, what was the initial cost of both so what would it be for every year of travel?
That's a fair point, but the question is a bit like how long is a piece of string. Our Van was around $80K and our car was around $60K after mods. But we see some set ups out on the road that would be $500K plus (and it's not that uncommon).
I only stay at free campsites and I'm a vegan, so I don't need to buy meat and I only shop at farmers markets or fruit and veggie shops then stock up and travel one pension payment at a time. So, I spend 2 weeks at each campsite and it's very affordable and less stress on the vehicle and myself.
Yes, travel slower is certainly a good way to save. Fruit and veg shops are few and far between over here in WA 🤣
@@SvedosTrippin I stocked up at Kunanurra then again at Broom Port Hedland and a lot of farms have honesty boxes all the way down to Kalamunda and the market so next time I do it I know where to shop before hand
Cooking in bulk, then freezing meals in plastic takeaway containers will drastically cut your food expenses and time taken to prepare meals. You can pack over a month’s worth of meals for two people in a portable freezer. I do this at home as well.
Great info guy's. Im hitting the rd in may.. and your budget doesn't even include a dog.. i dont know how you do it.. well done. We'll catcj up one day.....
good luck on your preparations, hope this has helped.
My wife and I are to scared to stay in free camps, sometimes they are empty or we have some strange people nearby.
Australia is a very safe country. Your chances are incredibly small for anything happening. Just avoid any dodgy areas.
We use wikki camps and check reviews, if an area is dodgy the reviews will let you know. Happy safe travels and thanks for watching.
Hi another Great, video letting other people know the price you pay on the road, especially when you said the price of caravan parks Ah ludicrous. I say they are out of control. Anyway good video thank you keep up the good work.
Great talk on budgeting -very realistic and helpful
Glad it was helpful!
Hey Brett & Mel, thanks for another informative video!
You provided detailed info and figures relating to your family setup, which should really help people planning a lap or big trip. This will be an awesome starting point to help work out their possible expenses & budget.
Loved the joke with the paper towell at the petrol pump, LOL 😂
Catch you next week. Stay safe, Lyn ❤
Our pleasure! thanks for the kind comments.
You left out depreciation on the Vehicles as well as loss of capital gain on fixed property and/or loss of returns on investment of moneys which have been used for other purposes.
What would your normal expenses have been if you were living in a fixed home, paying a mortgage/rent, as well as the multitude of other costs associated with urban living?
A comparison would be very interesting.
PS - having children is a huge expense ;)
Im 63 and laugh when i hear people who have no idea when they say "we're travelling around Australia "
I ask them what direction their going, up or down the coast .
90% dont know ??
Just like to comment further on caravaning in Australia---I see a lot of caravanner's who arrive in the outback ---that is really the desert then they drive several hundred miles on a dirt road through a place called a desert and finally arrive at a place called a desert. I save a lot of fuel by not doing that. Saw another caravanner comment that a certain place they arrived at was the best place they stayed at in their whole trip. They stayed 2 days. What i'm saying stop driving and stay awhile it's cheaper.
No one really knows how much it will cost everyone is an expert it varies from one person to the next stop guessing we have been travelling for about 18 years and the new travellers think they know everything about travelling
Big question how do you fund this.
Excellent in-depth record keeping guys! I just stared a payments and deductions for us to keep track and stick to limits especially now we are ready to leave Qld and travel NSW to ACT then down to Vic at the end of the year.
But how much to stay at home base house,
Home life minus travel fulltime = ?
#shout out to All the wives were literally dead without you
This is what I looking for living in Australia wow.
Well the biggest takeaway from this I got was the travelling caravan UA-camrs need to have half a million subscribers to be living off their income.
yeah, I think 50K subs and some sponsors and a youtuber would be earning an average 9-5 income in our niche anyway.
More than it is worth , that is how much.
Bloody Heaps mate.
$15 for a can of salmon..
Well done ❤
There’s no way I could afford to do it
Did this back in the 80s/90s in the back of a 2 door '76 Toyota Corolla with no aircon, a german shepherd, and a cat. We couldn't afford to leave the country. Now, i can afford to leave the country anytime, but i can't afford to travel around Australia anytime.
Yes, cost of living in Australia is getting out of control. My dad bought a van to explore aus.
He's now selling it, says its cheaper and more enjoyable to take and over seas trip once or twice a month. (He is retired).
Thanks for sharing, very insightful. We have been planning on doing a half lap and trying to gauge what our spend would be. You have given me a clearer indication of what I can now expect👍New subscriber BTW.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for subscribing. See you next week and good luck with the preparations.
must be even harder now that caravan parks (and even unpowered campgrounds..) are forcing 2/3/5 night minimums. doesn't help the family pulling in for the night to get some rest on their travels.
Yeah, we've only experienced that minimum stay issue in Broome. We simply didn't stay in Broome but rather stayed out side of town as the prices in Broome were beyond ridiculous as it was "peak season".
Great info. You could give your wife a break from the book keeping and data entry by getting QuickBooks online and pay for everything with a debit card from a linked account. Transactions come in via a bank feed and you simply allocate to expense categories. Saves heaps of time
That's a great idea, I will have to look into that. Thank you so much. Anything to not have to track those receipts.😊
That works out at roughly 18L/100km which must be the towing load. Would love to know the economy of an RV as that could be a lot cheaper?
Good question! I'm not sure how they go either.
You can easily spend under 50k/year if you WANT/NEED to... just say'n.
If we diddnt actually move, stopped drinking and say just stayed in a free camping hot spot we could spend around 50K. Hit that's not how we want to live.
Can’t imagine anything more boring than caravanning around Australia.
Each to their own I guess.
Mate take off the 30k for your aging gear which is needing a lot of maintenance and your medical bills and your pretty close to their 1k a week they were saying
you take off 15K for the unexpected medical and car bills. But in 3 years on the road, every year something always comes up that costs $.
Hi there just subbed. We are caravan newbies your channel is crazy good thank you so much for the time and effort you have put in
Yout welcome thanks for subscribing.
So the question on everyone’s lips is, how are you paying for all this? Are you renting your house out? Lotto?
Hi there. We explained how we pay for it in a video 4 releases back. It's titled "how do we afford to travel Australia". All is e planned there.
Haven’t taken into account the cost (depreciation cost) of you vehicle & van
If you worry about depreciation you couldn’t afford it in the first place. Thats how when you get into a position when you stop working you have no financial security, you gave your earnings to the bank in repayments for stuff you couldn’t afford. Most of us will live to 90 not 45, that’s a lot of living and earning money. Be prudent with your purchases and decisions. Horrible way to live worrying about money.
Wow!! What an eye opener that was
We've always had this question and even more so lately. So it was fantastic to find your channel and this video. Thanks to you and your wife for putting this out for us. ❤❤❤
Your welcome, thanks for the positive feed back.
Great video guys, I'll stick to living in SE Asia
hahahaha yeah, much more affordable.
Great video thanks for honesty & realistic view
No problem 👍
You could stay on a resort in bali, phillipines or thailand for far less
Yeah, I think that just highlights that Australia is a very expensive country to live in.
Don't know how you can afford it did use sell the house
We made a video about a month ago called "how do we afford to travel Australia fulltime". You can find answers to your questions there.
Thanks mate.......good to have some real information out there with regards to travel costs.
Glad it was helpful!