Real Costs, Camps & Lessons: 18 Months Around Australia with a Toddler & Golden Retriever

Описание: Dreaming of the Big Lap with young kids (and a dog)? Meet Marcos & Bridget from @the_golden_lap a Melbourne family who hit pause on home renovations to spend 18 months travelling Australia with their toddler Kai and golden retriever Cooper (plus a baby on the way).

They travelled mostly off grid (80%), towing a 2023 Jayco 19ft Bushpack with a 2022 Ford Ranger, added lithium, solar and a boat along the way and learned plenty about budgeting, space, parenting on the road and what they’d change next time.

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✨ What’s inside:

🚐 Their set up: 2023 Jayco 19ft Bushpack + 2022 Ford Ranger (GVM/GCM upgrade, lithium, solar, tinny)
🏕️ 80% off grid travel, beach camps, WA freedom & East Coast contrasts
💸 Real numbers: $1,400–$1,500 per week average + petrol realities
👶 Parenting a toddler (and expecting baby #2) on the road
🐶 Travelling Australia with a dog, myths vs reality
⚡ What they’d change: lighter canopy, north south bed, more solar
🚤 Why buying a boat changed their whole trip
🌊 Favourite spots: WA beach camps, Ningaloo region & hidden word of mouth gems
🧠 Honest advice: space, hard seasons, mental load & why you should still “just go”

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Meet Marcos & Bridget (@the_golden_lap)
0:50 Why we chose to do the Big Lap
1:20 How we prepared & packing lessons
2:20 Our set up: Jayco Bushpack + Ranger
3:55 What we’d change next time
5:35 Where we camp (80% off grid)
6:40 Favourite spots
10:00 East Coast vs WA differences
11:00 What we didn’t know before leaving
12:10 Best parts of van life
13:00 Adjustment period & hard seasons
14:05 Funny dog moment at Margaret River
16:15 Must have gear
16:40 Downsides of doing the lap
17:15 Travelling with a dog
20:10 Travelling with a toddler
21:50 How we afford it
23:50 Weekly costs breakdown
24:40 Biggest splurges (boat!)
27:20 What we didn’t use
28:55 Advice for future lappers

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