This year, Evie Farrell and her six-year-old daughter Emmie packed up their lives to travel around Asia for all of 2016—because Farrell realised it was cheaper than living at home.
This time last year, she was living in Sydney, working long hours to create the life she wanted for her and Emmie. But her hard work meant they weren’t spending nearly enough time together.
“I compensated for my long hours in the office by taking Emmie overseas every few months, but it just wasn’t enough,” Farrell writes in a piece for The Huffington Post.
“After a cheap holiday in Malaysian Borneo, I realised we could travel long-term in Asia for much less than it cost to live at home. And we would be together.”
So she started to plan. She decided to spend the money she’d been saving to redo her kitchen on a year-long adventure.
“After buying insurance and flights, fixing up the house for rent and having a month off work before we left, I had $20,000 to pay for our travels for a year―a fraction of what I was spending at home, but enough to support us in Asia,” writes Farrell.
She and Emmie packed up everything, and seven months ago they left.
Since then, with just one backpack between them, they’ve been to 11 countries and had some incredibly amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
“We camped on the Great Wall of China. Emmie was so excited and we had such an incredible time—the atmosphere gave me goosebumps,” Farrell tells Spring.St, when asked about the most life-changing moment of their trip so far.
“This and some of our other amazing experiences—like seeing wild Pygmy elephants in Borneo, caring for rescued elephants in Thailand and meeting local families and children everywhere we go—make me positive I am doing the right thing.
“It shows us only a small slice of just how much is out there in the world for us to discover and enjoy and learn from. There is so much to see.”
Right now, they’re spending a month in Hoi An, Vietnam. They’re in a double-sized room at a guesthouse with a swimming pool, paying $20 US dollars a night (which includes breakfast).
Farrell says the two of them spend about $20 a day on food, transportation and activities.
“At home, this would just cover the train fare to work and a coffee,” she says, “but here we are living well.”
For the last seven months, Farrell has homeschooled Emmie through the NSW Distance Education primary school program, which offers resources for remote families and those traveling overseas for long periods of time.
But while in Hoi An, Emmie is spending a month at Green Shoots International School, which Farrell calls, “her first step into formal education during our travels”.
She explains that the school is an added expense but says, “It’s one I’m willing to pay so she can make friends and have some structure, and so we can settle for a month before moving on again.”
Farrell tells Spring.St she and Emmie are heading to the Philippines and then Cambodia in two weeks, but plan on returning to Hoi An at the end of the year.
“We love it here and Emmie has made some lovely school friends. Life is very simple and easy,” she explains. “So we are hoping to use Hoi An as our base until mid-next year—and if I can earn and save enough money we want to hike in the Canadian Rockies in summer.”
If you’re considering long-term travel with your own family, Farrell has some tips to get you started.
Of course, she recommends saving as much as humanly possible before you leave.
She also suggests renting your car as well as your home to bring in extra money as you go, and asking if you can work remotely for your current job. “Take your computer,” she advices. “Most accommodations have reliable and fast wifi.”
While away, she suggest connecting with other expat families on Facebook and Instagram. “We’ve found great support and made friends through sharing our travels on Instagram at @mumpacktravel,” she explains.
Seven months in to their year-long adventure, Farrell says it’s the best decision she’s ever made. She tells Spring.St that she and Emmie hope to continue their travels past the original one-year plan.
“If we can do it, anyone can,” she writes in her Huffington Post piece. “I hope to see you on the road.”
You can follow Evie Farrell and Emmie’s adventures on Instagram at @mumpacktravel and on their website at www.mumpacktravel.com.
This post originally appeared on Spring.St – a happy place for smart women. Read the original post here.