The 2 Ways to Close Your Big Lap Budget Gap
So you’ve worked out your budget for your big lap, maybe from last week’s video on how to budget for a lap around Australia, and now you’re staring at this number. The gap between what you’ve saved and what you actually need seems ridiculous. It might seem absolutely massive. And it possibly is.
In this article we’re walking through the exact system for closing that gap: the two real options you have, and how you actually work through each one, so the number in front of you stops feeling impossible.
– For planning your route so you know exactly what you’re budgeting for: Hema Maps
Know Your Number Before You Do Anything Else
The first thing you need to sort out, before anything else, is what your budget actually is. Not somebody’s number from the internet, not an average, not a guesstimate. If you’ve got a tangible number that’s yours, you can actually start saving for it.
Once your budget is sorted, the next thing you need is your departure date. Once you know your departure date, everything else becomes clear.
From there it’s simple maths. Find today’s date, find your departure date, work out how many weeks that is, then divide the total you need to save by that number of weeks. That gives you the number you need to save every single week. Look at that number and ask yourself honestly: is it possible?
Option One: Move Your Departure Date, Mindfully
If that weekly number looks ridiculous, you’ve got two options, and the first one is one we don’t love saying out loud: you can move your departure date.
Do it mindfully. Don’t just push it back to next year because the number scared you, you still need a departure date to work towards. But if that date genuinely isn’t financially possible, moving it is okay, as long as you do it properly: choose a new date, talk it through with everyone in the family so everyone’s on board, then lock it in and stick to it.
Moving the date means you can save less per week, which makes the whole thing more manageable. At the end of the day you don’t want to put financial strain on anyone just to hit an arbitrary date.
Option Two: Lower Your Total Budget
The second option is to look at your total overall budget and ask, honestly, can I lower it? Not by cutting the trip short, but by changing how you do it.
- Do you have to do every amazing experience, or can some genuinely wait?
- Can you free camp more instead of booking into caravan parks?
- Can you choose caravan parks that are a bit more out of the way instead of the big-name resorts?
- Can you shift your timing so you’re not travelling in peak season?
- Can you travel less distance overall, staying in one state instead of doing 5,000km across the country?
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Start Saving, and Actually Stick to It
Whichever way you decide, remember: don’t put yourself under financial strain, and make sure the numbers you’re working from are real, not a guesstimate. That’s a genuinely big difference.
Once you’re on the road, keep checking in against that budget. If you spend more on experiences one month, that’s fine, but come back earlier or adjust somewhere else so you don’t blow the whole thing out.
Our Thoughts
There’s no shame in either option. Some families move their date, some families trim the budget, and plenty do a bit of both. What matters is that the decision is based on your actual number, not a guess, and that everyone in the family is genuinely on board with it.
Once you’ve picked your path, the next job is just showing up for it every single week. That’s the boring bit, but it’s also the bit that actually gets you on the road.
- 5 Ways to Lower Your Big Lap Budget Without Cutting the Trip Short
- You Don’t Have to Save 100% Before You Leave on Your Big Lap
- How to Actually Save for Your Big Lap (And Stick To It)
