Trent from Livin’ in a Van Down Under offers some insight into why his family is doing the Big Lap, or “lapping it up” around Oz.
Imagine this: You’re in your late 20’s, a life of promise ahead with a burgeoning career, recently married to a beautiful woman and your best mate, who, nine months ago, gave birth to your first child – a baby girl.
The doctor says, “The prognosis is not good. The brain tumour is extremely aggressive and the operations haven’t been as successful as we’d hoped. You have 3-4 months to live.”
This was the harrowing reality of a young bloke we met on the road. He and his wife immediately packed up their life, bought a new caravan and car, and hit the road to jam pack memories into every single precious remaining moment.
During our three months on the road, we’ve met countless contemporaries like us, packing up their life and hitting the road for 12 months or an indefinite period. Everyone has their own tale to tell. Some not as grave as the young bloke but nonetheless, still profound.
But how are we all doing it? Where’s the money coming from? How do we survive 12 months (or more) with minimal income? It’s these questions I ask many middle-aged fellow travellers and here’s what they do:
As a rite of passage, many of us went to London to work for a couple of years in our 20’s but it appears the new rite of passage in our 30’s and 40’s is to hit Highway Number 1 in the van for a year or so. We can never recover lost time with our kids and partners, and it seems this is the common motive driving the many families currently roaming our amazing continent. We hope it doesn’t take life changing news, like the young fella above, for others to bite the bullet and join us on the road. Sure, there’s costly financial and personal sacrifices but talk to any family ‘living the dream’ and it’s there’s a resounding message: This is an investment in our families that you simply cannot put a financial figure on.
We hope to see you somewhere on the road soon!
-Trent Austin
To read more stories about people living life on the road, visit our website.
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