For many families with young children, jobs to hold down and potentially a mortgage to include in the equation, the idea of taking a holiday, let alone a long-term trip, is off the cards.
But one young Sydney couple have proven it is possible to travel and live in some of the world’s most expensive countries if you really want to.
Megan and Peter Richardson recently took a year off from their job as teachers in Wollongong, renting out their home and packing up their two children for the trip of a lifetime.
Since then, the 28 and 29-year-olds have travelled and stayed in properties throughout England, South Wales, the Swiss Alps and central France – all the while saving $15,000 in the process.
Here, they reveal to FEMAIL how they did it – and how you can too.
Megan and Peter Richardson recently took a year off from their job as teachers in Wollongong, renting out their home and packing up their two children (all pictured) for the trip of a lifetime
Since then, the 28 and 29-year-olds have travelled and stayed in properties throughout England, South Wales, the Swiss Alps and central France – all while saving $15,000 (pictured: their children at Pembroke Castle in Wales)
According to mother-of-two Megan, 28, while she and Peter had always loved travelling, they also knew as young parents that they needed to do so on a budget
According to mother-of-two Megan, 28, while she and Peter had always loved travelling, they also knew as young parents that they needed to do so on a budget.
‘Originally we had plans to go to the UK and teach for the year,’ Megan told FEMAIL.
‘Pete works as a PE teacher at a Sydney school, while I was a stay-at-home mum and ex primary school teacher.’
But while the couple managed to secure the permission of Pete’s headmaster to take the year off to travel, they soon found that it was quite difficult to get working visas with children and so decided just to travel, unpaid for the year, instead.
‘By the time we left, our youngest, Kilian, was four months old, while our older child, Elena, was two and a half,’ Megan said.
But while the couple managed to secure the permission of Pete’s headmaster to take the year off to travel, they soon found that it was quite difficult to get working visas with children and so decided just to travel, unpaid for the year, instead
The real brainwave for the trip came when Peter and Megan stumbled upon a house-sitting website that matched them to families overseas who needed care for their pets (pictured in the Swiss Alps)
The real brainwave for the trip came when Peter and Megan stumbled upon a house-sitting website that matched them to families overseas who needed care for their pets.
‘We had saved $50,000 before we even went away through being frugal and selling off our cars.
‘But we managed to save an extra $15,000 by taking on eight house sits across England and Wales, plus a couple in Switzerland and France, over the nine months house sitting,’ Megan said.
Our daily travel budget was pretty strict and a lot less than many people would travel on
While they were travelling, the family of four stayed in Bath, Kent, Hampshire and Oxfordshire in England, as well as South Wales, the Swiss Alps and central France.
They later travelled South East Asia for the remaining three months of their 12 months away.
They remained frugal and meal prepped throughout in order to save extra cash:
‘Our daily travel budget was pretty strict and a lot less than many people would travel on – because 12 months is a long time and we had to make our money last,’ Megan said.
‘We rented out our house too so we didn’t have any outgoing costs except the travel.’
While they were travelling, the family of four stayed in Bath, Kent, Hampshire and Oxfordshire in England, as well as South Wales, the Swiss Alps and central France
‘Our daily travel budget was pretty strict and a lot less than many people would travel on – because 12 months is a long time and we had to make our money last,’ Megan said (pictured: Positano)
Speaking about their tips for others who want to get into the house-sitting business, Peter and Megan said it’s all about developing a good profile (pictured: their children on the adventure)
Speaking about their tips for others who want to get into the house-sitting business, Peter and Megan said it’s all about developing a good profile:
‘Include plenty of detailed information about yourselves as this really give the owners an idea of what you’re like – and makes them more likely to choose you for the sit.
‘It can be quite competitive and it is worth having the extra edge,’ Megan added.
‘We made a little video of our family at our house with our chickens and garden and we were told that was really helpful to get to know us a bit more before the owners accepted us.’
The 28-year-old said that good reviews are one of the main things owners will look for, so it’s worth trying to get a few character reviews to add to your profile before you even start.
‘We fed our friends’ cats for reviews – any little thing will help!’.
Among the family’s highlights were the Scottish highlands and the Swiss Alps – which boasted ‘breathtakingly beautiful scenery and mountains’.
The 28-year-old said that good reviews are one of the main things owners will look for, so it’s worth trying to get a few character reviews to add to your profile before you start
Among the family’s highlights were the Scottish highlands and the Swiss Alps – which boasted ‘breathtakingly beautiful scenery and mountains’ – they also travelled South East Asia (pictured)
‘Travelling with kids is a wonderful experience. Sure, it’s challenging and often difficult, but seeing the world through my children’s eyes is an experience I want to have again and again,’ Megan (pictured with her family) said
Lastly, Peter and Megan had a little advice for others wanting to travel as a family.
‘Go slowly,’ Megan said. ‘Family travel is very different from backpacking and it really pays to just slow down.
‘We tried to stay places for one week minimum and aimed to have just one activity or sightseeing trip per day, and one big day per week.’
The mother said that if you try to cram in too much, you just end up ‘exhausted and grumpy’.
‘Keeping a routine is good, especially for long term travel and finding time for yourself is also important.
‘We swear by snacks – we always had snacks for the kids handy and they definitely varied by country.’
But, most importantly, Megan said if you’re contemplating travel, you should just ‘go for it’.
‘Travelling with kids is a wonderful experience. Sure, it’s challenging and often difficult, but seeing the world through my children’s eyes is an experience I want to have again and again.’