Eighteen months ago, primary school teacher Caz Makepeace and her construction worker husband Craig found themselves overcome by wanderlust.
But instead of planning a one-week trip away in the holidays, they abandoned their mundane day jobs, bought a camper trailer and loaded their two young daughters aboard for a 50,000-kilometre road trip around the country.
They started writing about their adventures and have never looked back.
Their blog, Y Travel, has become one of the most successful of its kind in Australia and their part-time advenure has become a full-time reality.
After seeing the breath-taking turquoise sea’s along the western coast, and the red clay earth in Australia’s centre, Caz and Craig decided to take a six month break form the road and are currently staying in Burleigh Heads while they decide on their next intrepid adventure
`We live and breath travel and after building a strong community and establishing ourselves as an authority in the travel space, we decided to make it our full time job,’ Caz told Daily Mail Australia.
The happily married couple have proved you don’t need to be blessed with a well endowed savings account or cursed with an exorbitant credit card debt to get out and see the world.
‘Families just need to get smart with how they spend their money. Focus on what your priorities are and work out what is really important.’
The well travelled couple started exploring the world in 1997 when Caz completed university and with thirteen years of experience under their belt, Caz and Craig launched Y travel, which now brings in a ‘six figure’ annual salary for the pair.
After years of giving advice to other budding travellers about how to scrimp and save your way to a dream holiday, Caz and Craig decided to practice what they preach, using their savvy spending and successful blog to fund their new nomadic lifestyle.
Caz and Craig are the driving force behind one of Australia’s top travel blogs, Y Travel
After years of giving advice to other budding travellers about how to save your way to a dream holiday, Caz and Craig decided to use their savvy spending and sucessful blog to fund their nomadic lifestyle
With their two young daughters Kalyra, 7, and Savanah, 3, in toe, the pair bought a camper trailer and set out on the trip of a lifetime.
‘Planning is really important especially if you are trying to tackle a big trip like ours,’ said Caz.
She said if you are looking to hit a popular tourist destination, travelling in off peak periods can save you a small fortune.
‘There are far cheaper deals, if you look around a lot of places will offer three nights for the price of two plus it is a whole lot less crowded.’
Caz said if you are looking to hit a popular tourist destination, travelling in off peak periods can save you a small fortune
‘There are far cheaper deals, if you look around a lot of places will offer three nights for the price of two plus it is a whole lot less crowded’
Accommodation can become quite costly if you are putting a whole family up in a hotel or serviced apartment but if you are happy to trade 1,400 thread count sheets and room service for sleeping bags and a camp fire, you are sure to save a pretty penny.
‘Accommodation will always be a big cost so we saved by camping.’
She said there are a lot of free spots to pitch a tent around Australia, plus being in the great outdoors also give you a chance to rub shoulders with other like-minded families who are also checking out what this wide brown land has to offer.
‘Camping is great for families because it is so easy to meet other families in the caravan park. It is a very social, open environment,’ she said.
Being in the great outdoors give you a chance to rub shoulders with other like minded families who are also checking out what this wide brown land has to offer
‘Camping is great for families because it is so easy to meet other families in the caravan park. It is a very social, open environment’
Caz and Craig started exploring the world in 1997 and with thirteen years of experience under their belt, they launched Y travel, which now brings in a ‘six figure’ annual salary for the pair
Accommodation can become quite costly if you are putting a whole family up in a hotel or serviced apartment but if you are happy to trade 1,400 thread count sheets and room service for sleeping bags and a camp fire, you are sure to save a pretty penny
The well travelled family spent 18 months travelling starting on NSW’s central coast and finishing in Burleigh Heads
Caz said she has been criticized for taking her two young daughters out of school but she insists her girls have had plenty of time to learn and create lasting bonds with other children on the road trip circuit.
‘They have just learnt so much about the world around them, about how to get along with other people and their connectedness to the environment.’
She said avoiding big cities and planning outdoor activities will also save you precious money along the way.
While camping can dramatically reduce your travelling costs, it can also take a toll and when Caz said she needed a little time out from the great outdoors, she would look to Airbnb.
‘We found some really amazing deals on airbnb and if we shared with other couples, it almost cost the same as if were camping.’
‘We found a huge place in Margaret River on the Australia day weekend and it was only $250 a night.’
Caz said she was often criticized for taking her two young daughters out of school but she insists her girls have had plenty of time to learn and create lasting bonds with other children on the road trip circuit
‘They have just learnt so much about the world around them, about how to get along with other people and their connectedness to the environment’
Caz said avoiding big cities and planning outdoor activities will also save you precious money along the way
Travelling with companions can help dramatically cut costs. Sharing the apartment and preparing food together meant they could get out of the camper trailer for a few days without blowing their budget.
Caz’s next hot tip is to give up on the expensive dinners out and instead, bunker down with the family and cook together.
‘Self-catering will save you a fortune. It sounds strange but I took along a blender because I knew I could make healthy and delicious meals that would stop me from eating out.’
She said, if you don’t want to forgo the restaurant experience for your whole trip, try eating out at breakfast or lunch when prices are usually lower than late night meals.
‘We would also get one meal between the kids, usually there is more than enough to share.’
After driving a massive 50,000 kilometres, it is no surprise Caz and Craig’s biggest expense was fuel.
‘We estimated it to be around $10,000 on petrol.
‘It is a big expense but if you can look for shopper dockets it will come down a fraction and every bit counts.’
Caz’s next hot tip is to give up on the expensive dinners out and instead, bunker down with the family and cook together
Y Travel is the couple’s primary income and Caz said continuing their work with the blog has allowed them to continue their ambitious journey around the country
Petrol is considerably more expensive in the Northern Territory and if you are planning on visiting the ‘top end’, load up with a few extra litres before you cross the state lines
She said petrol is considerably more expensive in the Northern Territory and if you are planning on visiting the ‘top end’, load up with a few extra litres before you cross the state lines.
While Caz and Craig have definitely employed a variety of money saving tactics, their biggest tip isn’t about saving, it is about earning.
‘You need to try and incorporate work into your travel plans,’ she said.
‘For years before we settled down we would work in another country, earning the currency and exploring on weekends.’
Giving you a chance to truly ‘immerse yourself in a different culture’, she said it also means you don’t have to save as much before you leave and it gives you the option to travel for much longer.
Y Travel is the couple’s primary income and Caz said continuing their work with the blog has allowed them to continue their ambitious journey around the country.
Caz said working while travelling has allowed her to stop and really enjoy time together with her family
‘I can say I really know my children now, we have very close relationships and will always share the memories of our trip. ‘
A working holiday may not sound like a holiday to some, but Caz said she has seen plenty of Australian’s out there, doing their best with the skills they have.
‘I have seen hair dressers selling haircuts in camping grounds, people who have set up coffee machines in their cars so they can sell espressos in the caravan park. There are just so many ways you can try to make money on the road.’
Caz said working while travelling has allowed her to stop and really enjoy time together with her family.
‘It’s the only time in family life that you can shut every thing down and escape.’
‘I can say I really know my children now, we have very close relationships and will always share the memories of our trip.’
After seeing the breath-taking turquoise sea’s along the western coast, and the red clay earth in Australia’s centre, Caz and Craig decided to take a six month break form the road and are currently staying in Burleigh Heads while they decide on their next intrepid adventure.