That's for two people. And you can definitely do it for less if you're travelling slower. Having to fill the tank more than once a week is definitely a budget killer! Thanks for watching and so glad it was helpful!
Excellent - - In 1981 my wife and I plus 2 children12 and 14 "went around Australia" and to the middle over seven months on $6 a day in an HG Holden stn wagon sleeping in three tents (no fridge) ;)
Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to do these videos. Much appreciated. Amazed at your fuel economy - I’m getting 9.8 l/100km in a Pajero Sport with just me and a fat Lab cruising up and down the highway and a couple of gravel roads. Given your vans size and weight it appears that the fuel consumption you achieved is a miracle. Great credit to that Van.
Love your videos in fact yours are the first ones I’ve watched that highlights the places visited/explored and not what you’re traveling in and what it does. Love you’re work and you’re videos are absolutely awesome 👍
@ you have inspired me to travel the path of discovery and with all the cameras I have including my drones it will be an awesome trip when I finally start my lap around this stupendously awesome country that we have both the privilege and honour to call our home.
Hello dear ma’am, You really look like my aunt, nice videos 👌🏼👍🏼😊 I like your voice, and your husband speaks very fast I always focus to listen and understand him ( actually I take him as my task ) Actually I’m learning Australian accent through your videos 🤩 Thanks 😊
Thank you so much 🙂 you’re not the only one who struggles to understand Nigel! But he’s a kiwi (from New Zealand) you know, his accent is slightly different to an Australian accent
Hi, great video. As we are coming to the end of our journey we worked out to be $1000/week. Fuel being the biggest cost (apart from the bakeries 😊). We paid $2.99/L on the nullabour. We are tiwa small hybrid camper and getting 13l/100km in our navara. We have found WA to be most expensive in accommodation in caravan parks with some charching upto and over $75/night (clearly a rip off😢) for a powered site. Thanks for the video.
I don't drink alcohol. There are local soft drink factories and they are worth trying. Haven't travelled as much as you guys. I love to try out the local soft drinks. Have found some amazing drinks over the years.
Hi Nigel and Sue that was such an informative video for those thinking of taking to the road. You covered all the basis and it give those embarking or thinking of embarking on travel the things they definitely need to think about and consider. I hope that you are enjoying life in the UK. Stay safe Coen and Jay
Fuel is absolutely the major cost, so number one tip is to drive at 90kmh, not 100 as that helps a lot and believe me on many occasions I would go for "hours" and not see another vehicle.. I recently did a full lap in just over 3 weeks and that did not include going via Darwin, as I had been there several times, and the fuel cost for my 4WD sprinter was just over $3000. Food comes next, and was the other item worth considering as a significant cost.
Hi Sue and Nigel, Thank you so much for all the news. I started watching you both since the Mice in the Van Video and I have loved watching all the vids. Have a good one, Harry
A fellow I worked with had a friend who did the lap and before he went he did a signwriters course. He discovered some smaller places had not seen a signwriter for years and would throw money at him which worked out very well. Another fellow I know is an upholsterer and so takes his industrial sewing machine and repairs canvas awnings and other things on the road. Even being a muso can bring benefits. As for me I will never do the lap as I would miss my Grandkids way too much and zoom or facetime are just not the same. Also being a widower now travelling alone does not really appeal to me although the odd short motorbike trip is enjoyable.
Such a clever idea! There is so much work out there if you are resourceful. And we've probably got a good 10 years (maybe?) before Grandkids come along, so we will make the most of it while we can.
Cottage type industries can reap rewards. Even doing a Caravan or Motel Management course through TAFE. Lets face it how often would a motel or van park owner go on a holiday.
Wow, that's interesting. A sign writing course? Quirky! I claim that if I'd been a beautician, I could've made a fortune doing eyebrows. I had my "Sydney eyebrows" when I started (tattooed, waxed and tinted) and the Birdsville ladies jumped all over me 😂😂😂😂 wish I'd had a mobile set-up and the know how.
so true @jillianmunday7640 - I found it tricky getting my regular treatments when we were on the road. I mean, I'm pretty low maintenance, and do my own hair, but I do love a good fresh wax!
Glad i did my traveling in the 80's,have no real interest in stopping at those outback stops again,thanks.As for fuel consumption i kept receipts for some years and worked out consumption back home,the SUV's lt/100 calculations don't really matchup ,but i suppose close enough.
Really enjoyed this video Sue, very helpful and informative. Outlining every eventuality that may occur I.e. trip home, l had not previously considered but is a good point! I also budget for replacement of clothes, mostly via op shops as l pack real light in this dept and have found you do wear out shorts and tops too.
Yes, clothes! That's something I didn't think about. You probably notice from our videos though that we wear the same few outfits - we don't take a lot of clothes but we have had a few wear out too.
Thanks Sue, loved following your journey and informative videos … do you remember who you went to have the van changed from a van to a camper van for insurance and certification purposes ?
Ugh, I wish I had his details to give you. He was in Maroochydore on the Sunshine coast. I reckon if you google LH11 certification he might come up. He just worked from his house. (we've sold the van so I don't even have the paperwork to check)
Another great video. I found it very interesting to get an idea on costs. I especially appreciated the helpful 'trips' (I had to rewind and double check). 😊 You do a fantastic job Sue with all your editing. I've seen it develop over the time. What program do you use for your editing? You both do a great job overall with filming. Once again, looking forward to the next chapter. 🤗
Interesting our big lap was about $50k for 10 months. Being kiwis we shortened the lap when the COVID travel bubble opened we flew home and joined the rat race so our 4x4 Sprinter is getting back to reasonable motorhome weekend usage. Now I'm close to retirement northern WA is calling as we never get there, we do need to finish the lap the top left corner still needs exploring. What's funny is the number of people we met and have met who say oh I've always wanted to do that. My answer is then JFDI!
Yeah, we really want to head up and explore that corner of the country more too. It will be a couple of years away for us though, as we have this part of the world to explore first!
Hi Nigel and Sue, thanks for that video. I’m looking forward to travelling around Australia in a Winnebago Mercedes sprinter hopefully by the end of the year and I know it’s not going to be cheap but the way to go and do what you want to do just waiting on a prosthetic leg called osteo integration And hopefully I get that and then I’ll be on my way. The biggest problem I will have is going into national parks because I’ll have my two dogs with me which will cut out a lot of stuff but that’s okay. They’re part of my family and I cannot leave my girls behind. Cliff from Logan City Queensland Australia 🇦🇺
Hi Cliff, hope you get the prosthetic soon. And yes we are such big dog lovers but made the conscious decision to not get another dog after our last one passed in 2017 as we knew we were going to be travelling a lot for the next 10-15 years. You better believe we talk about getting a dog again ALL.THE.TIME.
Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video. Subscribed. We have very similar travel interests. What’s your rough ratio of nights free camping vs paid caravan parks vs national parks/cheapies?
Oh that's a good question. Depends where we are. We always look for free camps if possible. We don't often "stealth camp". It really depends where we are. When we were in Tassie it was 9/42 nights in paid sites, on our loop down the Great Ocean Road, up to Flinders Ranges and back to Melbourne via Broken Hill and the Grampians it was 13/28 paid. None of these were caravan parks. The last time we stayed in a caravan park was in Adelaide when we had a 7am appointment with the mechanic the next day. We spent enough money on our electrical and plumbing systems that we don't need to plug in at a caravan park. Hope that helps.
Your cost of camping --for halve that it cost I set myself with solar and lithium batteries and run 240 volt domestic fridge ,freezer ,ice maker, kettle ,toaster ,microwave, electric blanket ,. etc . i mainly cook with gas. My pressured hot water is supplied by two plastic sewer pipes painted black and in the summer i have to shower at night when the water has cooled down a bit. Toilet --i have a post hole digger. Water =50 liters in van ,120 liters in drums. Over 10 years camp powered grounds at $50/ night average = $182,000 . My cost $5,000 . i'm 80 years old , single with a dog ,on the pension and have money left over every fortnight. 19 foot caravan --extra cab 4 x4 nissan ute
True, it's not a "vanlife specific" cost. We included it as we wanted to highlight the fact that grocery prices vary as you travel, particularly to the more remote areas.
@@nigelandsueadventures it is when your car only delivers 18L/100 on the flat. Our best was 16/100 on the flat with tail wind and worst 22/100 into the wind. And we were rarely at 100klm/hr
On a different but related Topic, would you recommend the 4WD Spinter? Price aside, I saw the vid on the trip up the Cape and the technical issue you had and wondering if that function could be disabled? I’ve got a Delica (2000) at present and tour full time as a surfer with a trailer behind and it has been awesome but lacks the luxuries like a built-in fridge and stove which are not major dramas but very much ‘nice to haves’.
We loved the 4x4 Sprinter. We especially loved being able to stand up in the van (to cook, shower, etc) so yeah, we'd recommend it. I mean, we are a bit older, so we enjoy those comforts now that we wouldn't have worried so much about 30 years ago! And yes, knowing what we know about the ASR we could have probably just turned it off!
Fuel the greatest expense? Drive a smaller vehicle ours does 6.8l/100km fully loaded at the speed limit. I would say accomodation is the greatest expense unless you free camp (freeload!) everywhere….;) do you really use $50 of food or fuel a day? Everyday?
I'm not sure where you're getting $50 per day for fuel or food. We spent $150 - $200 per week on each of those, which equates to between $20 and $30 a day. What vehicle are you driving to get 6.8?
@@nigelandsueadventures yes that is what I was getting at if you’re only spending that much on fuel / food then most people who don’t freecamp will be spending more on a caravan site. We have a 1.5l diesel manual Renault Kangoo Maxi van. Thanks for the video.
You get the gold star this week Sue. Presented in a very fluent and comprehensive manner.
I was surprised at $1000 a week. I was doing a budget of $400 a week. I think I need to re-evaluate. Thank you for all your videos and helpful ideas
That's for two people. And you can definitely do it for less if you're travelling slower. Having to fill the tank more than once a week is definitely a budget killer! Thanks for watching and so glad it was helpful!
$14,000 per year my cost worked out at.
I think you have to subtract your current living expenditure from that to calculate the extra money you require for a trip.
Excellent - -
In 1981 my wife and I plus 2 children12 and 14 "went around Australia" and to the middle over seven months on $6 a day in an HG Holden stn wagon sleeping in three tents (no fridge) ;)
Wow that would have been an amazing adventure! What did you feed those kids without a fridge?
@@nigelandsueadventures They ate what we ate - practice stoicism ;)
Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to do these videos. Much appreciated. Amazed at your fuel economy - I’m getting 9.8 l/100km in a Pajero Sport with just me and a fat Lab cruising up and down the highway and a couple of gravel roads. Given your vans size and weight it appears that the fuel consumption you achieved is a miracle. Great credit to that Van.
Yeah we were definitely happy with it. Even our mechanic was surprised. Thanks for watching, glad you've found these videos useful.
Great information - thank you for the effort taken to post.
You're welcome! Glad you found it helpful.
Love your videos in fact yours are the first ones I’ve watched that highlights the places visited/explored and not what you’re traveling in and what it does.
Love you’re work and you’re videos are absolutely awesome 👍
Thanks so much! Glad you’re enjoying the show!
@ you have inspired me to travel the path of discovery and with all the cameras I have including my drones it will be an awesome trip when I finally start my lap around this stupendously awesome country that we have both the privilege and honour to call our home.
@@daveblackledge2825 Enjoy!!!
Thanks Sue that was interesting and informative at least we have some ideas now.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful.
they had no idea of setting up for a trip.
Hello dear ma’am, You really look like my aunt, nice videos 👌🏼👍🏼😊 I like your voice, and your husband speaks very fast I always focus to listen and understand him ( actually I take him as my task )
Actually I’m learning Australian accent through your videos 🤩
Thanks 😊
Thank you so much 🙂 you’re not the only one who struggles to understand Nigel! But he’s a kiwi (from New Zealand) you know, his accent is slightly different to an Australian accent
Hi, great video. As we are coming to the end of our journey we worked out to be $1000/week. Fuel being the biggest cost (apart from the bakeries 😊). We paid $2.99/L on the nullabour. We are tiwa small hybrid camper and getting 13l/100km in our navara. We have found WA to be most expensive in accommodation in caravan parks with some charching upto and over $75/night (clearly a rip off😢) for a powered site. Thanks for the video.
Yeah, we called WA the Expensive State too. LOL at the bakeries! Thanks for watching.
I don't drink alcohol. There are local soft drink factories and they are worth trying. Haven't travelled as much as you guys. I love to try out the local soft drinks. Have found some amazing drinks over the years.
so many wonderful local products no matter where we go!
soft drink is less healthy than alcohol,sugary,alcohol in moderation good (beer,red wine)for you.
Hi Nigel and Sue that was such an informative video for those thinking of taking to the road. You covered all the basis and it give those embarking or thinking of embarking on travel the things they definitely need to think about and consider. I hope that you are enjoying life in the UK. Stay safe Coen and Jay
Summer in the UK is kinda like winter in Brisbane haha. But I'm enjoying revisiting some of the old haunts. Thank you!
Awesome information and so well done 👍
Fuel is absolutely the major cost, so number one tip is to drive at 90kmh, not 100 as that helps a lot and believe me on many occasions I would go for "hours" and not see another vehicle.. I recently did a full lap in just over 3 weeks and that did not include going via Darwin, as I had been there several times, and the fuel cost for my 4WD sprinter was just over $3000. Food comes next, and was the other item worth considering as a significant cost.
And those fuel prices in the outback - OUCH!!
Wow 3 weeks how many km per day that is a very quick trip not much if any normal stopping and looking around.
Hi Sue and Nigel,
Thank you so much for all the news. I started watching you both since the Mice in the Van Video and I have loved watching all the vids.
Have a good one,
Harry
Thanks Harry! Glad you're enjoying the videos. Have a great day!
A fellow I worked with had a friend who did the lap and before he went he did a signwriters course. He discovered some smaller places had not seen a signwriter for years and would throw money at him which worked out very well. Another fellow I know is an upholsterer and so takes his industrial sewing machine and repairs canvas awnings and other things on the road. Even being a muso can bring benefits. As for me I will never do the lap as I would miss my Grandkids way too much and zoom or facetime are just not the same. Also being a widower now travelling alone does not really appeal to me although the odd short motorbike trip is enjoyable.
Such a clever idea! There is so much work out there if you are resourceful. And we've probably got a good 10 years (maybe?) before Grandkids come along, so we will make the most of it while we can.
Cottage type industries can reap rewards. Even doing a Caravan or Motel Management course through TAFE. Lets face it how often would a motel or van park owner go on a holiday.
Wow, that's interesting. A sign writing course? Quirky! I claim that if I'd been a beautician, I could've made a fortune doing eyebrows. I had my "Sydney eyebrows" when I started (tattooed, waxed and tinted) and the Birdsville ladies jumped all over me 😂😂😂😂 wish I'd had a mobile set-up and the know how.
so true @jillianmunday7640 - I found it tricky getting my regular treatments when we were on the road. I mean, I'm pretty low maintenance, and do my own hair, but I do love a good fresh wax!
@@nigelandsueadventures What did you end up doing? Just rolling into a town and seeing if a beautician could fit you in?
Excellent! An aid in trip planning for this international traveller. Thank you ❤
Glad it was helpful! We have loads of travel guides and road trip itineraries on our website too. Https://nigelandsueadventures.com
Glad i did my traveling in the 80's,have no real interest in stopping at those outback stops again,thanks.As for fuel consumption i kept receipts for some years and worked out consumption back home,the SUV's lt/100 calculations don't really matchup ,but i suppose close enough.
Really enjoyed this video Sue, very helpful and informative. Outlining every eventuality that may occur I.e. trip home, l had not previously considered but is a good point! I also budget for replacement of clothes, mostly via op shops as l pack real light in this dept and have found you do wear out shorts and tops too.
Yes, clothes! That's something I didn't think about. You probably notice from our videos though that we wear the same few outfits - we don't take a lot of clothes but we have had a few wear out too.
Thank you Sue and Nigel, I like the sound of a van for travelling. Hope to see your next video soon. Thank you for sharing. :)
Yeah, it's a great way to get around if you don't need to do any really hard core 4x4 stuff. Our van was good for basic off-road/beach driving.
Thanks for the info guys! Would love to see best brewery & wine experiences in Aus.
It might be a long video - we visited a few haha!!
Excellent vid cheers.
Glad you enjoyed it, and hope it helps with planning your big lap!
Just brilliant, just new to your channel, enjoying your start to Europe as well.
Welcome aboard! Hope you enjoy the ride!
Drifted in to this site as we all do. Love it. Your presentation Sue is brilliant. Subscribed and good luck with the channel.
Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the new stuff as well as the back catalogue
Thanks Sue, loved following your journey and informative videos … do you remember who you went to have the van changed from a van to a camper van for insurance and certification purposes ?
Ugh, I wish I had his details to give you. He was in Maroochydore on the Sunshine coast. I reckon if you google LH11 certification he might come up. He just worked from his house. (we've sold the van so I don't even have the paperwork to check)
Another great video. I found it very interesting to get an idea on costs. I especially appreciated the helpful 'trips' (I had to rewind and double check). 😊 You do a fantastic job Sue with all your editing. I've seen it develop over the time. What program do you use for your editing? You both do a great job overall with filming. Once again, looking forward to the next chapter. 🤗
That's right! Trips = tips + tricks!! haha.
@@nigelandsueadventures 😂
@@nigelandsueadventures I figured you left that in there to see who’s paying attention. 😁
Like to see your brewery's in Tasmania 😊
Excellent thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Interesting our big lap was about $50k for 10 months. Being kiwis we shortened the lap when the COVID travel bubble opened we flew home and joined the rat race so our 4x4 Sprinter is getting back to reasonable motorhome weekend usage. Now I'm close to retirement northern WA is calling as we never get there, we do need to finish the lap the top left corner still needs exploring.
What's funny is the number of people we met and have met who say oh I've always wanted to do that. My answer is then JFDI!
Yeah, we really want to head up and explore that corner of the country more too. It will be a couple of years away for us though, as we have this part of the world to explore first!
Hi Nigel and Sue, thanks for that video. I’m looking forward to travelling around Australia in a Winnebago Mercedes sprinter hopefully by the end of the year and I know it’s not going to be cheap but the way to go and do what you want to do just waiting on a prosthetic leg called osteo integration And hopefully I get that and then I’ll be on my way. The biggest problem I will have is going into national parks because I’ll have my two dogs with me which will cut out a lot of stuff but that’s okay. They’re part of my family and I cannot leave my girls behind. Cliff from Logan City Queensland Australia 🇦🇺
Hi Cliff, hope you get the prosthetic soon. And yes we are such big dog lovers but made the conscious decision to not get another dog after our last one passed in 2017 as we knew we were going to be travelling a lot for the next 10-15 years. You better believe we talk about getting a dog again ALL.THE.TIME.
Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video. Subscribed. We have very similar travel interests. What’s your rough ratio of nights free camping vs paid caravan parks vs national parks/cheapies?
Oh that's a good question. Depends where we are. We always look for free camps if possible. We don't often "stealth camp". It really depends where we are. When we were in Tassie it was 9/42 nights in paid sites, on our loop down the Great Ocean Road, up to Flinders Ranges and back to Melbourne via Broken Hill and the Grampians it was 13/28 paid. None of these were caravan parks. The last time we stayed in a caravan park was in Adelaide when we had a 7am appointment with the mechanic the next day. We spent enough money on our electrical and plumbing systems that we don't need to plug in at a caravan park. Hope that helps.
Your cost of camping --for halve that it cost I set myself with solar and lithium batteries and run 240 volt domestic fridge ,freezer ,ice maker, kettle ,toaster ,microwave, electric blanket ,. etc . i mainly cook with gas. My pressured hot water is supplied by two plastic sewer pipes painted black and in the summer i have to shower at night when the water has cooled down a bit. Toilet --i have a post hole digger. Water =50 liters in van ,120 liters in drums. Over 10 years camp powered grounds at $50/ night average = $182,000 . My cost $5,000 . i'm 80 years old , single with a dog ,on the pension and have money left over every fortnight. 19 foot caravan --extra cab 4 x4 nissan ute
One thing I never add to my cost is food ,we eat each day so to me it excluded ,,
True, it's not a "vanlife specific" cost. We included it as we wanted to highlight the fact that grocery prices vary as you travel, particularly to the more remote areas.
Hi, thanks for the video and info.. Where can i find the link to trusted house sitters discount please and thankyou :-)
Hi Darren, I can’t seem to post the link here, but I’ve put it in the video description. Hope that helps.
12.5/100km is pretty good considering the conditions and weight of the vehicle.
It really is! We were super happy with that
you made splendid content! be well,
Thank you so much!
Over 9 months towing a 3t van behind our Everest $1000/week
ouch! Yeah, towing is expensive isn't it?
@@nigelandsueadventures it is when your car only delivers 18L/100 on the flat. Our best was 16/100 on the flat with tail wind and worst 22/100 into the wind. And we were rarely at 100klm/hr
On a different but related
Topic, would you recommend the 4WD Spinter? Price aside, I saw the vid on the trip up the Cape and the technical issue you had and wondering if that function could be disabled?
I’ve got a Delica (2000) at present and tour full time as a surfer with a trailer behind and it has been awesome but lacks the luxuries like a built-in fridge and stove which are not major dramas but very much ‘nice to haves’.
We loved the 4x4 Sprinter. We especially loved being able to stand up in the van (to cook, shower, etc) so yeah, we'd recommend it. I mean, we are a bit older, so we enjoy those comforts now that we wouldn't have worried so much about 30 years ago!
And yes, knowing what we know about the ASR we could have probably just turned it off!
The fuel has to get to Tom Price. Do you expect the same price as a major city or close to an import terminal?
Absolutely not! But we’d just come from Newman, which is probably further from a major city, and it was $2.39 a litre there.
Excellent ❤
Thanks!
What was the full total? Thanks.
01:21 how heavy??? 🫣
Tyers. Minor repairs. Maintenance
Yep, listed all those in there ;-)
Fuel the greatest expense? Drive a smaller vehicle ours does 6.8l/100km fully loaded at the speed limit. I would say accomodation is the greatest expense unless you free camp (freeload!) everywhere….;) do you really use $50 of food or fuel a day? Everyday?
I'm not sure where you're getting $50 per day for fuel or food. We spent $150 - $200 per week on each of those, which equates to between $20 and $30 a day. What vehicle are you driving to get 6.8?
@@nigelandsueadventures yes that is what I was getting at if you’re only spending that much on fuel / food then most people who don’t freecamp will be spending more on a caravan site. We have a 1.5l diesel manual Renault Kangoo Maxi van. Thanks for the video.
Not sure if you Renault will take you places a long way of bitumen.
@@Mazza-xs9nv true! (We do own a 4WD - which normally means you just get stuck a few kms further in ;) )
Towing 3T we did 34,000 klms in 9 months and spent $13,000 in diesel
shopping in kingo...
Good spot!
The 25% off trusted house sitters doesn't work :(
Oh sorry, I didn't think that had an expiry. I'll check it out and come back with an update.
@@nigelandsueadventures perfect, thank you :)
@@Rosematterz try this link: www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF802793/?
It’s the wild thornberrys in real life
Ha! I don't think I ever watched that. Thanks for checking out my Vid.