Travelling around Aus for 6 months is going to be different to our typical holiday, in more ways than one! This time frame throws up many questions that simply aren’t issues for shorter holidays. For example, what to do about the big issues of work/income, housing, school and living expenses?

Many people would like to do what we’re about to do, but don’t for a variety of reasons. So over the next few posts we’ll expand a little on the approach we’re taking. Hopefully it may inspire someone! Feel free to give us some helpful feedback and suggestions. Alternatively you can just tell us we’re nuts!!

First, some background info might help set the picture. I went through a couple of engineering jobs, as well as a stint running my own business growing succulents/plants.

I’m currently employed at NOJA Power, and have been there for a little over 5 years now (my longest stint at one place!). I can genuinely say that I enjoy working there. They are a small to medium sized manufacturing company, locally owned and run by a practical and pragmatic team of directors/owners. That suits me, so I moved quickly from an engineering to a managerial position. Despite having a job I enjoy, I’m also not averse to change, and have past experience in stepping into the unknown on the issue of income/jobs.

Nicole has been working for several years at the boys school and enjoys it there. She enjoys the extra socialising compared to being a stay-at-home mum (as she was from our move to Vic in 2001 till this role) and has made some great friends. Being able to work only whilst the boys are at school is great (as opposed to standard office hours), maximising time for family life. There are disadvantages with being a part time employee in the school/education system, as overall hours (and hence pay) end up being significantly less than a full employment salary position provides.

So when Nicole and I were considering this trip, even though our jobs played a role in decision making, they certainly didn’t predetermine the outcome. Fortunately for all involved, my work (which provides the bulk of our income) made the decision easy for us.

At my last annual performance review, when filling in the review form I ranked flexible employment conditions at the top of the list in terms of importance (heck, I even created a new category on the review form for it!). During the ensuing discussion about what I was getting at, I was pleasantly surprised as to how receptive my boss was to the idea…as long as I come back! Being a valuable employee, and him realising he didn’t have much choice would have helped!

Nicole’s work has also been good – we’ve just heard back that she has been granted leave too. She’s too good to lose  🙂   It is a sensible move for a school – I mean it is commonly said that a trip around Aus is a great growing and learning experience for kids. So surely when a teacher/teacher aide does the same trip, they also benefit similarly and are then able to pass on some of the knowledge and experiences about our great country onto the kids they work with.

Neither of us are near long service leave, so it is leave without pay for us both (aside from 6 weeks annual leave I’ll have saved up). Shows how flexibility in employment conditions has been improving – I doubt such leave for either of us would have been approved 10 years ago! So if you’re thinking of doing the big trip, but don’t think work will let you, then it can’t hurt to ask – you might be surprised by the answer!

ps. I’m sending this from the laptop, during over first night in the motorhome!