How We’re Preparing for Full-Time Travel With Kids
Making the decision to travel full-time with our kids? Honestly, that was the easy part.
It was one of those rare moments in life where everything felt completely clear—like something had to change, and this was it.
The actual getting ready for it part? Whole different story.
We’re now 9 months out from takeoff, and it’s been a wild ride of spreadsheets, life admin, deep declutters, and the occasional meltdown in the car. Turns out, overhauling your entire life with three kids isn’t exactly a side project.
So here’s a look at what we’ve done so far to make this dream a reality—and everything we’ve had to shift, sell, learn, or let go of along the way.
From Dust to Departure Plans
We’re currently living in our third renovation—which basically means we’re on a first-name basis with our local Bunnings and have a casual relationship with chaos.
This one’s in South Fremantle and we’re so close to finishing. Just a few outdoor jobs left before we put it on the market. And in true Savage family tradition, we’ll enjoy the finished product for about three weeks before we pack it all up and move on.
Renovating has been a big part of how we’ve funded this whole plan.
We’ve been flipping homes for the past few years, slowly building equity and profit to give us the freedom to travel mortgage-free for a year (and fingers crossed, longer).
And while we’re not diving into another reno before we go, we’re already on the lookout for the next project—continuing the strategy that got us here in the first place.
It’s not always glamorous (unless you count grout dust and deadline panic as glamorous), but it’s allowed us to build a life that doesn’t depend on staying in one place.
We’re not just selling a house. We’re setting the scene for something completely different.
Letting Go to Make Space
One of the biggest (and hardest) parts of this whole journey has been stepping away from the business I built from scratch—BASE Aesthetic Clinic.
Selling the clinic wasn’t exactly a “click and list” kind of decision. It was emotional, messy, and came with a whole lot of internal menty b’s. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t keep one foot in my old life while trying to step into this new one.
Letting go was hard. But also? Weirdly liberating.
Since then, I’ve been deep in learning mode—juggling online courses, kids, and the occasional identity crisis—so I can work from anywhere. Photography, content creation, digital marketing, web design… you name it, I’ve probably had a go (and sworn at my laptop over it).
The goal?
To support Journey of Five, yes—but also to help other women in business build brands that feel bold, intentional, and completely aligned with the life they’re trying to live.
So I am in the process of launching Cult Digital Co—a boutique digital marketing agency for women in business who want to stand out online without selling their soul to the algorithm.
This new version of work? Feels creative. Aligned. Fun. And finally fits around our life, not the other way around.
Decluttering: Chaos, Clarity & “Do We Really Need This?
If you ever want to confront just how much unnecessary stuff you own, try preparing to live out of a suitcase for a year.
Honestly, we thought we were doing okay in the “not too materialistic” department—until we started opening cupboards. Old tech cords, 37 drink bottles, drawers of craft supplies that haven’t seen the light of day since 2019. Clothes that no longer fit, toys no one plays with, and a terrifying number of mismatched socks. Why?
Decluttering has been a process. A cleansing, overwhelming, emotional, and slightly feral process.
But there’s also been something kind of beautiful about it.
Every bag donated and every cupboard cleared out has felt like a small rebellion against the idea that we need more to live better.
We’ve kept the essentials. We’ll be storing the things we love. And the rest? It’s going—along with the pressure to hold onto a life that no longer fits.
Letting go of “stuff” is just one part of it. We’re also clearing the mental clutter—the bills, the memberships, the daily chaos we didn’t even realise had become normal.
It’s been a reset we didn’t know we needed… and it’s made the idea of living with less feel a whole lot lighter.
From School Bells to World-Schooling
One of the biggest shifts we’re preparing for? Taking our girls out of traditional school and stepping into the world of homeschooling… or more specifically, world-schooling.
This part honestly scared me the most. Not because I don’t believe in it—we’ve always known there’s more to learning than what happens inside a classroom—but because of the pressure. The responsibility. The what if we get it wrong? moments that creep in late at night.
But over the past couple of years, it’s become clearer that the standard system just isn’t working for our family anymore. We’ve seen the knock-on effect it’s had on our girls—the confidence dips, the anxiety, the constant rush. And if we’re already flipping our entire lifestyle upside down, maybe it makes sense to reimagine how they learn too.
We’ve chosen Euka to support us on the road—an online program that offers structure without the stress. No daily Zoom calls, no rigid timelines. Just flexible learning that we can take anywhere.
The girls will finish the 2025 school year as usual, then begin homeschooling in Term 1 of 2026 once we’ve officially hit the road. Knowing we’ve got time to mentally and practically prepare as a family makes the transition feel way more manageable.
Will it be perfect? No.
Will we figure it out as we go? Absolutely.
And that’s kind of the point.
The Admin Behind the Dream
Let’s be real—there’s the dream… and then there’s the spreadsheet.
The behind-the-scenes admin of preparing for full-time travel is next level.
It’s the kind of stuff no one posts on Instagram but takes up 80% of your mental load. Things like:
It’s the least glamorous part of the process… but it’s also what makes the whole thing possible.
Every to-do list ticked off feels like we’re carving out space for the life we actually want to be living.
And as much as it makes my head spin, I keep reminding myself: This is the hard part that gets us to the good part.
We’re still deep in the prep stage. Still ticking boxes. Still doubting ourselves. Still laughing through the chaos.
But every decision we’ve made so far—every sale, every goodbye, every late-night planning session—has been for this bigger picture we’re chasing.
A slower, more intentional kind of life.
More connection. More presence. More freedom.
And a whole lot less of the stuff that never really mattered in the first place.
If you’ve ever felt the pull to do something big and bold and slightly terrifying… you’re not alone.
And I promise, the hard part is worth it.
