The reality is that a Big Lap costs whatever you make it cost. You can do it on a shoestring or you can do it in luxury. But you need to understand where the money goes so you can make informed choices about what to spend, where to save, and whether your savings (or income) will actually last the distance. This guide gives you the real numbers.

The Two Types of Big Lap Costs

Big Lap costs split neatly into two buckets: the upfront investment (what you spend before you leave) and the ongoing weekly spend (what it costs to live on the road). Most people fixate on the weekly costs, but the upfront investment is often the bigger number, and it’s the one that catches people off guard.

The upfront costs include your tow vehicle, your caravan or camper, and all the gear to set it up. The weekly costs include fuel, food, camping, insurance, and everything else. Understanding both, and how they interact, is the key to building a budget that actually works.

Upfront Costs: Getting Set Up

This is where the range is widest, because it depends almost entirely on what you already own and what standard you’re aiming for.

Your Accommodation

The costs of caravans can vary wildly. You could pick up a secondhand caravan in good condition from around $15,000 to $25,000 for something basic but roadworthy. Mid-range secondhand vans (3 to 8 years old, well-maintained) sit between $30,000 and $60,000. New entry-level caravans start around $40,000 to $60,000, mid-range new vans run $60,000 to $100,000, and high-end or off-road new caravans can easily exceed $120,000 to $180,000.

Camper trailers are cheaper: a decent secondhand unit starts around $5,000 to $15,000, while new camper trailers range from $15,000 to $60,000+. A rooftop tent setup on a 4WD can be done for $2,000 to $5,000.

More expensive doesn’t always mean better for the Big Lap. A well-chosen $35,000 secondhand van with good bones and sensible features will serve you just as well as a $120,000 new one. Sometimes better, because it’s already been shaken down on real roads and the previous owner has already discovered (and fixed) the issues.

Your Tow Vehicle

If you already own a vehicle that can safely tow your van, this cost is zero. If you need to buy one, expect to spend $25,000 to $50,000 for a capable secondhand 4WD or ute (think Prado, Fortuner, MU-X, BT-50), or $80,000+ for a new one.  The tow vehicle needs to be matched to your caravan’s weight, and getting this wrong is expensive and dangerous, so don’t cut corners here. Many families or those wanting to tow large vans usually require a large vehicle like a Chevrolet Silverado or Ram 1500, which can cost upwards of $130,000.

Gear and Setup

Even a well-equipped new caravan needs additional gear: electrical cables, water hoses, levelling gear, recovery gear (if going off-road), camp furniture, kitchen equipment, tools, and spares. A basic gear setup costs $2,000 to $4,000. A thorough one with quality brands across the board pushes $5,000 to $10,000. If you’re adding solar panels, upgrading batteries, or fitting a diesel heater, add $2,000 to $8,000 depending on the scope.

Vehicle and Van Preparation

Servicing, safety checks, new tyres if needed, a pre-trip inspection, and any modifications or repairs. Budget $1,000 to $3,000 for a basic service-and-check, more if the vehicle or van needs work. This isn’t optional. A failed bearing or blown tyre 500km from the nearest mechanic costs far more than a pre-trip check.

Upfront Cost Ranges at a Glance

Weekly Costs: Life on the Road

Once you’re on the road, your costs settle into a fairly predictable weekly rhythm. The four big categories are camping, fuel, food, and everything else. Here’s what each one actually looks like.

Camping: $0 to $420 per Week

This is the single biggest variable in your weekly budget. Free camping (bush camps, rest areas, council reserves) costs nothing. A basic unpowered site in a caravan park runs $25 to $40 per night. A powered site is $35 to $60 per night, and in peak season at popular parks, you’ll see $65 to $85 or more.

Most Big Lappers use a mix. A common pattern is three or four nights free camping followed by one or two nights in a park to use the laundry, refill water, charge batteries, and let the kids run around a playground. At that ratio, your average nightly cost is roughly $15 to $25, or $100 to $175 per week. People who stay in parks every night are looking at $250 to $420 per week. People who free camp almost exclusively can keep this near $0.

Fuel: $150 to $400+ per Week

Fuel is the cost you can estimate most accurately because it’s driven by maths: distance travelled × fuel consumption × fuel price. A typical tow vehicle pulling a caravan burns 15 to 22 litres per 100km. At an average fuel price of around $1.80 to $2.10 per litre (more in remote areas, occasionally over $2.50), and an average driving distance of 800 to 1,500km per week, your weekly fuel bill sits between $150 and $400+.

The key variables are how far you drive each week (rest days save fuel), what vehicle you’re towing with (a diesel ute towing a light van is very different to a V8 petrol towing a 3-tonne rig), and where you buy fuel (city prices versus remote prices can differ by $0.40 to $0.80 per litre).

Food and Groceries: $150 to $350 per Week

If you cook most meals in your van (and you will), grocery costs are similar to what you’d spend at home, sometimes slightly more because regional supermarkets are pricier and you’re buying in smaller quantities due to limited fridge and pantry space. A couple cooking all meals should budget $150 to $200 per week. A family of four or five, $250 to $350. Eating out or buying takeaway even twice a week adds $50 to $100+ on top.

The trick is meal planning, buying in bulk when you’re near a major supermarket (Coles, Woolworths, or Aldi), and resisting the urge to buy overpriced convenience food from roadhouse servos.

Everything Else: $50 to $200+ per Week

This category covers the smaller ongoing costs that add up over a long trip:

Vehicle and caravan insurance: Roughly $30 to $80 per week depending on your cover level and vehicle value.

Phone and internet: $10 to $30 per week for a decent mobile plan. Add $25 to $35 per week if you’re running Starlink.

Activities and attractions: Highly variable. National park entry fees, tours, and experiences can add $0 to $100+ per week depending on how active you are.

Laundry: $10 to $20 per week at caravan park or town laundromats if you don’t have a washing machine in the van.

Vehicle maintenance on the road: Averaged out, budget $20 to $40 per week for tyres, services, and the occasional unexpected repair.

Gas refills: LPG for cooking and hot water, roughly $10 to $20 per fortnight.

What Different Travellers Actually Spend

Averages are useful, but what really helps is seeing what specific types of travellers spend. These are realistic ranges based on what Big Lappers consistently report.

These are running costs only. They don’t include the upfront investment in your vehicle, van, and gear. For a total Big Lap cost, add your upfront figure (from the table above) to your running cost total.

A couple with a $40,000 secondhand setup doing a 12-month Lap at $800 per week is looking at roughly $40,000 + $42,000 = $82,000 total. A family with a $100,000 setup doing 9 months at $1,500 per week is around $100,000 + $58,500 = $158,500. These are big numbers, but spread over the time involved, they’re often comparable to (or less than) the cost of staying home once you factor in rent or mortgage, utilities, commuting, and childcare.

The Costs Nobody Warns You About

Beyond the big four (camping, fuel, food, insurance), there are costs that catch almost every Big Lapper off guard at some point.

Repairs and breakdowns. Something will break. A fridge relay, a water pump, a tyre sidewall on a gravel road. Small repairs ($100 to $500) happen regularly. Bigger ones (a new caravan fridge, suspension work, a tow vehicle service) can hit $1,000 to $3,000+. A robust emergency fund is essential.

Tyres. You’ll go through tyres faster than you expect, especially on unsealed roads. A full set of caravan tyres costs $400 to $800. Tow vehicle tyres are $250 to $400 each. Most Big Lappers replace at least one set of tyres during the trip.

Ferry crossings. The Spirit of Tasmania costs $400 to $800+ for a vehicle and caravan, one way. That’s $800 to $1,600 return, plus your time in Tasmania. Not a small addition to the budget.

Tourist attractions. They add up. A Reef snorkelling trip is $150 to $250 per person. Uluru helicopter flights, Kakadu boat cruises, whale watching tours: all $50 to $300 per person per activity. If you’re doing a couple of these a month, that’s $200 to $800 in activities alone.

Alcohol. It sounds trivial, but happy hour is a genuine Big Lap institution, and buying a six-pack or a bottle of wine every few days adds $30 to $60+ per week that rarely makes it into the budget spreadsheet.

Pet costs. If you’re travelling with a dog, vet visits, kennelling for national park days, and pet-friendly park premiums add $20 to $50 per week.

Can You Actually Afford It?

Here’s the thing people don’t say enough: for many Australians, especially homeowners, the Big Lap can be close to cost-neutral. If you rent out your house for $500 to $700 a week while you’re travelling, that income covers a significant chunk of your weekly road costs. Some people come home having spent less overall than they would have staying put, paying a mortgage, running two cars, and covering all the expenses of stationary life.

If you don’t own a home, the equation is different but still manageable. The Big Lap replaces your rent, utilities, commuting costs, and most of your entertainment spending with a single weekly number. For couples, going from $600/week rent plus $200 utilities plus $100 commuting plus $100 entertainment ($1,000/week) down to $800/week on the road is actually a saving.

Working on the road changes everything. Even part-time remote work earning $500 to $1,000 per week turns the Big Lap from “burning through savings” to “mostly self-funding.” There’s a reason the remote work wave has made the Big Lap accessible to a much younger demographic than the traditional grey nomad. For a full breakdown of the options, from remote work to seasonal picking to caravan park management, see our guide to making money on the road.

The honest question isn’t “can you afford to do the Big Lap?” It’s “can you afford the upfront setup, and can you sustain the weekly spend for the duration you want to travel?” If the answer to both is yes, even tightly, you can do it. You don’t need a $150,000 rig to have an incredible trip. Some of the best camps in Australia are free.

The post How Much Does A Big Lap Cost? appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Does this sound like we’re in favour of renting? Actually, renting can secure a good monthly income to fund your travels, but it can be insufficient too. And being an absent landlord comes with additional expenses. So what’s the best decision? Let’s dive into the pros and cons to find what suits your lifestyle best. We’ve asked fellow Big Lappers to share their experience as well, so you can gain a better perspective!

Read Next: 42 Things You Need To Know About Living In A Caravan Full Time During Your Big Lap

Renting Out Your House While Travelling

Buying your first house is a milestone many work hard to achieve, and selling it is hard from an emotional point of view. Renting it out while you explore Australia is much easier to cope with emotionally. You get to keep your home and have a steady monthly income. Does it come with troubles attached? Let’s find out.

The Pros

Steady Income on the Road

The average rent around Australia varies; however, the national median for 2021 is $477 per week. Renting out a house in Canberra will generate an income of $630 a week, while a rental in Adelaide costs $430 per week. Rent prices have increased tremendously in the last year, ensuring you a good income down the road.

Keeping Your Home and Memories

Leaving for your Big Lap is exciting and overwhelming. You’re happy to explore every part of Australia, but leaving the place you spent some of the best years with no option to come back to it is hard. Maybe your kids were born there, and you built some of the most significant memories. So by renting it, you get to keep your home and come back to it if you ever get tired of adventuring.

Potential Storage Space

We generate a lot of clutter, so what are you going to do with all your stuff? Renting out your house leaves you with the opportunity to store all your things in a designated space and keep your furniture in most cases. One less worry!

Keeping your Mailing Address

Mail is one of the troubles when you set off on your Big Lap. Some rental agreements allow you to keep your mailing at the same address, cutting you the trouble of informing everyone of your new mailing address.

Pay Off Your Mortgage Sooner

If your house is not paid off completely, you can pay your loan each month by renting it out. Not having the mortgage payment burden while on the road will leave you enough money to spend on activities and necessities. However, your bank will most likely require you to switch from an owner-occupier loan to an investment loan when renting. Make sure you check this before you make any decisions about renting or selling your home while you travel.

The Cons

Low Rental Demand

Before deciding on renting out your house, do a little market research. Your area might have low demand for rentals which drives the renting price down. Low demand means you’d spend significant time looking for tenants and move your Big Lap start date as a result.

Letting Strangers Take Care of Your Home

Selling is hard, but leaving your home in the hands of unknown people also isn’t easy. You might end up with responsible tenants that look after your house like it’s their own. In other cases, you can end up with nightmare tenants that are far from good house-sitters.

Remote Property Management

Managing your rental from afar is not a simple task. Real estate investments come with a risk, and travelling full-time increases that risk. You’ll most likely need to hire a property manager, which will cost you a significant portion of your rental income. In addition, you can answer calls from your tenants, but you’re not able to visit them and address the issue in person.

Irresponsible Tenants

Can tenants burn your house down? In theory, yes, in reality, it doesn’t happen that often. But what they can do is be late on rent. If you rely on that money to cover your travelling expenses, it can be a challenging situation. It can cost you over $3,000 to evict unruly tenants, which is a burden when you’re travelling full- time.

Higher Taxes

Be aware that any rental-related income you receive from the property is taxable if you fully own your house. If you haven’t paid off the loan, you’ve switched to a business loan and miss the opportunity to claim tax deductions on the home loan interest.

Selling Your House

If you’re not as emotionally attached to your house, selling might look like a good idea. Getting a lump sum to start your travels, buying a new home on four wheels, and spending unlimited time on the road sure sounds good. But is ditching your safety net a smart decision? We have the details below.

The Pros

Limited Personal Debt

There’s no better feeling in the world than being debt-free, and selling your house means just that. You’ll pay off your home loan, and won’t need to stress about having enough to cover your mortgage each month.

Funding Your Whole Big Lap

When asked about how much the Big Lap costs, Lappers commonly share the dollar per kilometre rate. If you drive approximately 40,000km on your Lap, you’d need around $40,000. This is, of course, a median that varies according to your travel style. Keeping in mind the house prices, you’d have enough to fund your travels without touching your other savings or investments.

No Worries or Expenses Regarding Your Property

Once you sell the house, you no longer have to worry about property management, no additional taxes, bills, or other hidden homeowner expenses. You’re a nomad now and free to stay wherever you want and pay per night.

The Cons

No Place to Come Home to

Leaving the nest and exploring the world is fantastic, but you’d want to settle eventually. Unfortunately, not having a house means you’d have to rent for a while and go through the process of looking for places and applying for loans all over again.

No Steady Income

A lump sum is easier to spend than a monthly income; there’s no reason to mention that. When you have the money from selling your house, it’s easier to indulge and buy a more expensive caravan, stay at paid camps more often, and pick more costly activities. Sadly, money comes to an end, and you might end up in an unfortunate situation and dig into your other savings.

No Storage and Mailing Address

We can spend an eternity explaining how material things are unimportant, but not everyone adopts a minimalistic lifestyle. If you have loads of things you need to store, you’d need good logistics and ample storage space. Be aware that storage spaces range from $250 to $500 a month. When it comes to mail, you’d have to look for creative solutions, like redirect your mail to a relative’s address.

Missing Out on Potential Capital Growth

Even though experts tend to claim they can predict the real estate market, the truth is unpredictable things happen. Look at 2020, and the impact Covid-19 had on real estate prices. If you managed to buy a house before setting off on your Big Lap a year or two later, the same place could cost much more.

Renting Out vs. Selling – The Real Money Talk

Setting emotions aside, which decision will benefit you more financially?

In the end, it all comes down to the rental demand in your area and how much the monthly rent can cover. If you live in a popular suburb, you can benefit from great rent each month, creating steady passive income.

But if you have to dip into your pocket to manage your rental and travel expenses, that’s not a good deal. Making a house ready for tenants also comes with a cost. On the bright side, if you stayed at your home for over two years, you could rent it out for up to three years before selling it, without any capital gain tax.

Selling your house can lead to missing out on capital growth. This year only, prices of homes around Australia are 4 to 12 per cent higher and are expected to go up to 23% until December 2023. To sell a house, you may have to do some serious renovations for it to sell at a higher price, but you don’t have to invest as much if you’re renting it out.

However, if you have no plans of coming home to the same place, and your house is estimated at a good value, selling it can be smart, as the real estate bubble is destined to burst in a couple of years.

What Real Life Big Lappers Did

We’ve asked Big Lappers what they decided to do with their homes and why. Here are a couple of responses we received that may help you with this challenging decision.

@trippingaround1:

“We decided to rent as it gave us the freedom to travel with rent income coming in to support bill expenses… for example food and fuel. Plus, once we got into the property market, it’s harder to get back in with tougher clauses made by the bank, i.e. 20% deposit. Plus property prices have gone up which means it’s more expensive to buy a house, you need more deposit saved up. At least with renting the house, the chances of the property going up in price are there. Plus, you can redraw from it if you have an emergency. It’s an awesome topic that needs to be thought about as for some, if they do sell their house, they may never be able to get a property that they want as prices will continue to keep going up. And while the interest rate is low, it seems that people would benefit from keeping their homes rather than selling – as you would have to buy a more expensive house, and on a higher interest rate, as it is guaranteed to go up one day.”

@hockeys_cruise_oz

“For us, we decided to rent. It just made sense because of the fact we are making a profit each week that covers some of our travel costs but also, it continues to pay our mortgage off. It also gives us a sense of security to know that if anything goes badly wrong, we have somewhere to call our own and live. Being in a rooftop tent, it isn’t quite as much of a replacement for home as a caravan is. We don’t intend on going back to our house anytime in the foreseeable future but it’s nice to have a little nest egg notion.”

These Big Lappers Even Created Their Own Videos/ Blogs

It seems this is a popular topic amongst Big Lappers! These Big Lappers have gone into great depth to address this topic and share their personal experiences across multiple Big Lap social media forums. Here’s what they had to say:

Lapping Oz:

Indefinite Leave:

Overland Obsessed:

Read Next: 96 Things To Know About Your Big Lap

The post Should You Sell Or Rent Out Your House To Travel? appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Getting your car and van ready for your Big Lap can be a minefield of information-overload and shiny object syndrome. Not a great combination. But with so many products on the market that you absolutely ‘need’ as you travel around Australia, the big question is, which items should you invest wisely in and which can you afford to save a few dollars on?

Well, It Depends…

Cop out, right?! Well, hear us out.

It really does depend on your travel style, the weight of importance you put on certain aspects of your trip and what you can afford.

For those who love being one with nature, spending a fortune on a flash caravan may not be necessary if you’re happy with a tent or camper trailer. Conversely, if you like your creature comforts and really want to feel like you’re home away from home as you travel around Australia, spending up big on the van that suits your needs is probably a no brainer.

That said, price does not always determine quality. With some items, you can get away with buying cheap. With some items, you should avoid cheap versions at all costs.

But which is which?

Read on for the full run down…

Your Car and Van

Buy the best you can for what you can afford

The two things that all big lappers really need to consider is their car and their accommodation. These will be the two parts of your trip that you spend the most money on, but do you need to buy top of the line to be able to do your lap? The simple answer is no.

Although you might want all the bells and whistles, practically you need to adopt the mindset that you’ll just buy the best you can afford. There is no point in bankrupting yourself to do your Big Lap, and while you might want to have the best of the best, to get you out and on your lap as soon as possible, you may just have to compromise.

So, rather than asking yourself whether you should spend or splurge on your caravan and car, you should make a list of your requirements, breaking them down into ‘must-have’, ‘would like’ and ‘could do without’. This way, you’ll be able to narrow down your budget and answer the question about spending or splurging.

Your Caravan or Accommodation

• Do you want to feel like you’re camping or would you prefer to feel like you have all of the creature comforts of home? Or do you fall somewhere in between? The options available to you will start here.
• Are you going off-road? If yes, invest in a set up that will help get you there – you don’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere!
• Do you want a toilet/shower/washing machine or can you handle using facilities at caravan parks? Are you happy with bush-toileting if you stay at remote free camps?
• If it rains, are you ok with potential leaks that could come with older vans?
• Are you going to be off the grid often (ie do you need solar)?
• Do you NEED aircon?
• Would you be able to cope if your van needed urgent repairs and you were stranded for a few days? Obviously this can happen with any kind of set up but you can avoid some issues by opting for a newer van.

Your Car

• If you break down in the middle of nowhere, could you cope?
• If you break down anywhere, would it greatly impact your trip?
• If you break down anywhere, could you afford repairs?
• Are you ok with a slow trip? Some cars are not built for towing so you may have a slow ride!
• What about comfort?

Now look at your answers. Most of us ‘would like’ all of those things, and if it’s in your budget to have them, then fine. But if a set up with everything on your list is pricing you out of doing your lap around Australia altogether, it may be time to start culling the ‘must-haves’ and making them ‘can-deal-withouts’.

Chairs

Splurge!

When it comes to chairs, you need to remember one thing: you’re going to be sitting on these chairs practically every day. They are going to be set up and packed down hundreds of times, and they are going to experience life outdoors. While buying decent chairs will generally ensure you’re buying the comfiest, it will also ensure you’re buying ones built to last, which is paramount when travelling.

If you’re not too worried about being totally comfortable and you don’t mind replacing your chairs during your Big Lap, cheap chairs will see you through.

Cooking Equipment

Go Mid-Range

Cooking equipment is another thing that you may want to spend a little extra on. While cheap camp cookware will last a little while, after months of use, you’ll often have to replace it. That said, you don’t need to spend an absolute fortune on cookware either. Camp ovens, camp stoves and utensils such as knives come in a range of price ranges, and middle of the range options will generally last you your lap, if you look after them.

Tech Equipment

It depends

From cameras to your wifi options, whether you spend or splurge on your tech equipment all depends on what you want to use them for. If you absolutely need to be online wherever you are, you’ll need to splurge on this set up. Whereas if you’re quite happy to go off the grid for a while, you won’t.

The same goes for camera equipment, laptops, drones etc. If you’re just wanting to capture some family memories, you don’t have to spend too much, but if you’re looking to use your footage to grow your Instagram account etc, you may need to spend a little more.

Non-Essentials

Save!

Non-essentials are things that don’t impact your ability to continue your trip or live life normally. Think things like cutlery, crockery, bedding, clothes etc. If your bedsheets aren’t top quality, you won’t be stopped in your tracks if they become threadbare, nor will you have to immediately replace them.

The important thing here is that the items which impact your ability to live a normal life are entirely objective. Something that may be considered ‘non-essential’ to one person may be absolutely essential to another. So, if there is anything you can think of that you’d be lost without, you might want to splurge on these things.

Assessing Price & Quality

One thing that is really important to realise is that sometimes price doesn’t equate to quality. Buying the most expensive option won’t always mean you end up with the best product for you. That said, if something does break or you’re not entirely happy with an expensive option, it is more likely to have a good warranty or you’ll be able to return it.

If you do buy the cheapest option, you may have absolutely no problems and go your whole trip without having to replace it.

The best way to assess which option to go for really depends on the item itself and your care-factor if it breaks. Whatever you’re buying, you can generally find an online review to help you assess which direction you should go. With lower ticket items, it may not really matter if you buy the cheapest and have to replace it, so you may not even bother doing the research. But for the more expensive ones, reading some reviews and making an informed decisions is a good idea.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, you shouldn’t let your ability to buy the most expensive products stop you in your tracks. Big Laps are what you make them and the range of budgets – from shoestring to no-expense-spared – are vast. Buy what you can afford, compromise where you can and do the research where you need to.

The post Budgetting For Your Big Lap: Save or Splurge? appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

The post How To Make Money On Your Big Lap: Guide To Working On The Road appeared first on Big Lap Bible.

Often when you’re thinking about travelling about the country or doing your Big Lap, it can feel like somewhat of a pipe dream. Having to save for a year, or more, without full-time work may be a barrier that stops many from even considering the prospect, but it really shouldn’t be. In fact, travelling full-time can actually be considerably less expensive than living at home. 

Depending on whether you’re planning to work whilst on the road of not (and you can check out our blog here about making money whilst travelling Australia), you’ll need to save a varying amount before you go.  No matter what your situation, understanding how much your weekly costs will be will go a long way to helping you budget for your big lap.

Here’s a rundown of your biggest costs when lapping Australia.

Your Accommodation

When it comes to travelling Australia, one of your biggest costs is your nightly accommodation, along with food and fuel.

The exact figure you should be budgeting for this element of your trip will really depend on the kinds of places you’re thinking of staying, and the level of comfort you require, so it’s important to know your options.

A hugely popular accommodation option among big lappers is bush camping. Bush camps have limited (and sometimes no) amenities and the cost reflects this. Some bush camps are free while others attract a small cost. Generally, bush camps in national parks attract a small fee but they usually have amenities like toilets and showers. Many towns have campgrounds which offer free camps to travellers too.

If you’re planning to camp in Australia’s National Parks, here’s a rundown of the costs per state:

• QLD – $6.65 per person per night, or $26.60 per family per night (see more)
• NSW – Site fees are set on four levels depending on location and facilities, from $0 – $16 per person, per night (see more)
• VIC – varies per location, from $5- $29.90 per person, per night (see more)
• SA – from $12.50-$21.50 per couple, per night (see more)
• WA – $8 (no facilities), $11 (basic facilities), $15 (additional facilities), per person, per night. Sites in Windjana Gorge National Park, Purnululu National Park or King Leopold Ranges Conservation Park are $13, $17 and $20 (see more)
• NT – $3.30 (basic facilities) and $6.60 (moderate facilities) per person, per night (see more)
• TAS – varies per location, many parks are free (see more)

**note: you’ll also usually need to pay National Park entry fees too**

Caravan parks are the other option when you’re looking to lay your head while on the road. Most travellers spend at least some of their time in caravan parks for convenience and to recharge and refresh. Since they have better amenities than free camps, they obviously attract a little more cost. The costs really does vary when it comes to caravan parks and you’ll find a number of options in each town you visit, so you can usually always choose whether you’re going to stay in a budget park or a top-of-the-range one.

A caravan park with a swimming pool, kiosk and other ‘luxury’ amenities can cost around $50-$60 per night for a powered site, whereas one with just the basics can cost as little as $20 per night. It’s also important to note that the time of year may affect caravan park rates too (some have been known to cost up to $200 per night), and some parks require a minimum stay.

Remember, while you may set out to free camp full-time, you’d be wise to have some money in your accommodation kitty for caravan parks too. Although it is doable, many people would find it difficult to free camp for the duration of their lap around Australia.

Your Weekly Food Bill 

Your weekly grocery bill shouldn’t change too much from your current weekly food bill. If you are planning to spend time in remote areas, your food bill may increase slightly since groceries can be more expensive in these places. Trip in a Van estimate that they spent an extra $50-$80 per week for their family of 5 whilst in these remote areas. 

You’ll already be aware of how frugally or lavishly you live so you’ll know whether you can reduce your regular food bill or not. The average family of 4 spends around $300 per week.

Your Fuel Allowance

One of the biggest expenses when travelling on your Big Lap of Australia is fuel which is why adding it to your budget is so important! There are some calculations that you can do to really help you get a good feel for how much you’ll spend on fuel and the Fuel Map App will help you track this when you’re travelling too.

Your Timeframe & Route

When you’re trying to work out how much you’re going to spend on fuel during your Big Lap, your rout and your timeframe are 2 really important factors. If we take the standard 12-month lap of the whole of Australia (which is around 35,000 kilometres), you can easily work out that each month you’ll be travelling around 3,000kms, give or take. 

Now, it won’t necessarily be as cut and dry as that but it’s a good starting point.

Your Set-Up

Next, you need to figure out how many litres your car consumes per 100 kilometres. This will obviously vary for each car. 

Here are the average fuel consumption rates of the most popular Big Lap cars:

• Ford Ranger – 7.4L/100km
• Toyota Hilux – 8.1L/100km
• Isuzu D-Max – 7.8L/100km
• Nissan Patrol – 14.4L/100km
• Toyota Landcruiser – 9.5L/100km

It’s important to note that the above are just estimates for new standard models, so taking into consideration age, modifications and model type is something you’ll need to do. Buses, campervans and other transportation vessels all vary considerably but you could do some testing of your set up before you leave, tracking it over a certain distance. 

Another thing to be mindful of is how weight affects your fuel consumption. While you may be able to get 10 litres for 100kms without your van hitched, it may be a different story when you’re fully loaded. For example, OneTripAtATime’s averages 20 litres per 100km when pulling their 3-tonne van.

There are, of course, tips for getting better fuel economy, including lowering your speed and choosing a more aerodynamic setup. You can check out this blog on fuel-saving tips for your trip around Australia here.

The Fuel Allowance Calculation

So, with the timeframe, route and set up considered, the fuel allowance calculation for your trip looks like this:

(Estimated kms per month ÷ 100) x fuel economy x price per litre

So, if you’re travelling 3,000kms per month, with a 12 litre per 100km fuel economy with an average of $1.35 per litre of diesel, you’re looking at…

3,000 ÷ 100 = 30 x 12 x $1.35 = $486 per month

But Remember…

The cost of fuel can fluctuate, the number of kilometres you drive in a month won’t always come in at your estimate (and you don’t want to limit where you can go based on your fuel allowance) and you won’t always get the same fuel economy. 

Your Current Commitments

We can’t give you any advice about how much your current commitments will be when you’re on the road, but we can give you some advice and a few reminders so you don’t forget about these costs.

1. Your mortgage – are you renting your home out? If so, you may have an extra cost in landlord insurance
2. Loan and credit card repayments – can you consolidate before you go?
3. Memberships and subscriptions – make sure you cancel anything you don’t need
4. Insurances – life insurance, health insurance etc

Your Activities

It’s important to think about your travel style and the activities that you’ll want to do along the way. Do you like fishing? Are you going visit paid attractions and theme parks? Are you going to go island hopping? Make sure you really think about what you’re going to be doing on your trip because it could become the most expensive aspect of your lap!

National Parks

Most travellers will go to various National Parks at some point during their trip, so it’s probably helpful to know how much entry to National Parks across the country will set you back.

• QLD – day passes not needed, vehicle permit needed for Bribie Island, Fraser Island, Moreton Island, Cooloola and Minjerribah (see more)
• NSW – from $4 – $12 per day (some exceptions) and All Park Yearly Pass is $190 (see more)
• VIC – no fees
• SA – some parks do not charge entry but some do, $99 Annual Multi Park Pass (see more)
• WA – $15 per vehicle (see more)
• NT – no fees except Uluru-Kata Tjuta ($25.00 for 3 days) and Kakadu National Parks ($40 for 7 days) (see more)
• TAS – day pass from $12 per person or $24 / $96 for an Annual All Park Pass (see more)

Your Pets

If you’re travelling with pets, then you will have extra expenses you need to consider. Pet food and insurance are probably obvious but the one big expense to pet owners travelling Australia is pet care. You can’t take your furry friend everywhere with you – national parks and certain islands don’t permit dogs so you’ll have to find a temporary solution for them.

Your Hidden Costs

There are a few other costs that you’ll need to consider when you’re on the road too. Some of them are the types of things you’d be paying for at home, some are things that are exclusively incurred by your Big Lap.

• Car and Van insurance – you might want a higher level of cover during your trip, including Australia-wide recovery
• Your internet solution – you can check out this blog about keeping connected on the road to get an idea of your options.
• Your little luxuries – love your coffee in the morning or a nice glass of wine in the evening? Well, don’t forget to add this to your budget!
• App subscriptions – do you have any paid subscriptions to apps that’ll help you when travelling?
• Laundry – coin-operated machines usually run at around $4 and while it may seem insignificant, 1 wash per week will cost you over $200/ year
• Takeaways and eating out – you probably won’t want to cook three meals for yourself every single day, so make sure you have a budget for eating out and takeaways.
• Hair and beauty – even if you’re not too worried about keeping up appearances on your trip around Australia, you may want at least 1 haircut while you’re on the road!
• Clothes – while you may think you’ve got everything you need, there will be some things you need, need to replace or simply just want to buy!

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