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Why, our reasons for wanting to do the ‘big lap’

After the initial shock of discovering we will be travelling indefinitely, the next question we get asked is why so long???? Generally if I answer them properly we end up having an hour long discussion about the how and why of today’s life, so I have started using the KISS method and simply reply

‘Because we can………’

Now if you are happy with that answer and are in a rush, stop reading now, otherwise grab a cuppa, while we delve into my head for a while. In order to not ramble on I have decided to cap our reasons to the top 5, in no particular order!!!

  1. Life is too short.
  2. To nuture and raise our girls the way we want.
  3. There is more to life than this….
  4. To slow down.
  5. I HATE winter!!!
  1. Life is too short.

You always hear people saying life is too short, generally they are older or are people that have lost people close to them. I used to nod and agree, but never really gave it much thought as I was young, invincible and had never even lost a pet let alone a loved one. But after Dad passed away we decided to buy a camper trailer and go on a road trip to Perth the following Christmas to spend some time with Mum’s family. Since then we have noticed there is a constant stream of sad stories from friends and acquaintances.  As far as we are now concerned it’s what is here now that matters and we are going to cherish our time together, hell it only feels like yesterday that we had our first baby, Bec.

  1. To nuture and raise our girls the way we want.

OK, this one maybe a tough one as girls will be girls and teenage girls will be, well, hormonal to say the least. BUT…….we aim and would like to teach them independence, responsibility, individuality, empathy, passion, a sense of adventure and most importantly ‘street smarts’. We don’t want them growing up thinking they have to do the ‘norm’, go to uni, find a boyfriend, get a degree, get a job, get engaged, get married, buy a house, have kids, etc, etc, etc, the list goes on. We don’t want them to feel the pressure of having to ‘BE’ something, we just want them to ‘BE HAPPY’. To not have regrets, to make mistakes and learn from them and to not take this life for granted. We want to show them a different ‘norm’, a different way. They will learn how to cope and be resilient in everyday life and therefore give them the confidence to take on the world. We will give it our best bloody shot!!!

  1. There is more to life than this.

The ‘great Australian dream’ for us has shifted from buying a house to simply being able to spend time with each other. We found we were so busy working and making ends meet that we were simply going through the motions, paying for a house that we didn’t get to use and enjoy because we were so busy and exhausted at the end of the day. We didn’t and couldn’t find that happy medium, that place with the perfect balance. Kudos to people out there who have found it and are living it, you deserve a medal. Put simply at the moment this life is simply not for our young family and we have decided to get out of that vicious circle and instead zig zag, somersault and backflip our way through the next couple of years. Who’s to say how and where we will land, only time will tell………..

  1. To slow down

Following on from number 3, we have found ourselves living a far too hectic, busy and structured life. It is our own fault though as we try and give our girls the best opportunities to have a go at an interest that they enjoy, we don’t like to say no, but this has us now doing activities twice a day, seven days a week. In turn we are left with little relaxation and time together. Our major interests for each family member seem to revolve around sport and outdoors, so we figure why not incorporate that into everyday life but on a more recreational level than a training level. By cleverly structuring our day we can include school work and fun/ sports in a more balanced way. Also I like the idea of supervising school work outside overlooking white sand and turquoise water!!!!! I think that is a pretty good incentive for getting the school work done early!!!!!

  1. I HATE Winter

Really I don’t feel the need to explain myself here…… but I will. I have and always will despise Winter, for the cold, the lack of sun and vitamin D, for the winter blues, for the sniffles and viruses and for the cold. Yes I know I put that down twice!! I’m not asking for everyday to have to be above 30 degrees, all I simply want is for everyday to be at least 24, that, I have decided is my magic number. There is something uplifting, inspiring and just plain lovely about sunshine and the smell of a balmy day first thing in the morning, a bit like the smell of freshly mowed grass on a Saturday morning.


Each of also have our own other little reasons or things we want to do on our trip. Nik wants catch his first ‘barra’, I would like to compare coffees from state to state……., Bec wants to go for a remote hike, Zoe wants to go to the Great Barrier Reef , Abby wants to go to the theme parks and Jess wants to play at all the skate parks around Australia. Nik and I also want to travel to the most North, South, East,West and highest point of Australia. Already we have all hiked a 14km round trip to get to the most southern point in Tassie and the eldest 2 girls, Nik and I have walked the 12km to the summit of Mt Kosciusko, so we are on our way.

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