Get a job, buy a house, get married, have kids, excel at said job, save lots of money, work hard until you retire and can finally enjoy the fruits of your labour…the recipe for a perfect life, or so we’d always been told. Back in 2013, we were taking all the right steps to achieving this supposed perfect life; Sandy had just graduated with a physiotherapy degree and had a job lined up, Marc had been given a great opportunity to help run a distribution company, we had just gotten engaged and put down a deposit on our first home…we were ticking all the boxes. Nevertheless over the next couple of years a nagging feeling persisted, that feeling that there was more out there for us. More than early morning alarms and traffic jams, seemingly endless meetings and emails, more than long hours, routine, schedule, predictability. It just didn’t feel right. As much as we loved living in Melbourne (it has been the most livable city in the world after all!), it didn’t seem like the perfect fit for us and the lifestyle we were searching.
Then one day the light bulb went off; if it doesn’t feel right maybe we could, and should, do something about it. And so the idea was hatched: leave our wonderful, comfortable life behind and head off on the open road indefinitely. So we got a caravan and started making plans. We would leave Melbourne in March of 2019 and start our own version of the famed “Big Lap” of Australia: seeing as much of this beautiful country that we can on no particular schedule, stopping for a bit longer if we like a particular spot, heading off when we feel ready to move on. We’d work as we go to extend the trip a bit longer, not only working in our professional fields (accounting and physiotherapy) but if an opportunity arises to try our hand at something different, being more than happy to give it a go!
When sharing these plans with others, we mostly get one of two reactions: either “that’s awesome!” or “are you crazy?!” And maybe it is a bit crazy; there is an underlying sense of guilt in giving up all the opportunities that Melbourne has given us and that we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Regardless, the idea of living a simpler life is too much of a draw for us to ignore.
We crave open space, to have a clear mind, to not have to try so hard just simply to relax, to be able to just…be.
As of today we are exactly three months away from our departure date, and we can already feel the excitement building. As we start preparing and planning, we hope to savour the rest of our time in this beautiful city with all the amazing people we’ve met along the way before embarking on the unknown. We can’t wait to share with you our experiences of living life on the road, the amazing landscapes of this beautiful country, the new people we meet, the highs and the lows. No matter what, it’s going to be one hell of an adventure!
Fantastic or foolish? Inspiring or insane? Let us know what you think and leave a comment for us below!
