How to Close the Gap Between What You’ve Saved and What Your Big Lap Actually Costs

So, you’ve worked out your budget for your Big Lap. Maybe you’ve already watched our video on how to budget for the Big Lap around Australia and now you’re staring at this number, thinking, “This gap between what I have saved and what I need seems ridiculous.” It might seem absolutely massive. And it possibly is.

This post walks through the exact system for closing that gap — the two real options you have, how to actually work through them, and the honest “sneaky” way some families get around this budget conundrum without ever having the full amount saved.

Step One: Know Your Real Budget Number

Before you do anything else, you need a tangible number that is yours — not somebody’s on the internet, not an average, not a guesstimate. If you know exactly what you need to save for, you can actually start saving for it. That’s the first thing to sort out, before anything else.

Step Two: Lock In Your Departure Date

Once you’ve got your departure date worked out, everything else becomes clear — you can work out how much you need to budget for and get everything in place so you’re ready to depart on time. Budget sorted, departure date sorted, then it’s simple maths: find today’s date, your departure date, work out how many weeks that is, and divide what you need to save by the number of weeks. That gives you the number you need to save every week.

Look at that number and ask yourself honestly: is it possible? If it seems absolutely ridiculous, you’ve got two real options.

Option One: Move Your Departure Date (Mindfully)

You can move the departure date — but do it mindfully. Don’t just shift it into the air with no plan. Choose a new departure date, have a chat with everyone in the family to make sure everyone’s happy with it, and then stick to the new date. That means you can save less per week, which is a lot more manageable, without putting financial strain on anyone.

Option Two: Lower Your Total Budget

The second option is to look at your total overall budget and ask whether you can lower it. Do you need to do every “amazing experience”? Can you free camp a bit more? Can you choose caravan parks that are a little more out of the way, avoid peak season, or cover fewer kilometres — staying in one or two states instead of doing the whole 5,000+ km lap? There are plenty of variables you can play with to bring that budget down, as long as everyone in the family is on the same page.

👉 Getting your route and stops sorted properly makes the “lower the budget” option a lot easier — check out Hema Maps for planning shorter, smarter legs of the trip.

Step Three: Start Saving, Automatically

Once you’ve got a weekly number you can actually work with, open up a separate account — your holiday fund — and put that amount in every week. Watching it grow on a spreadsheet (or just pen and paper, ticking off each week) is genuinely motivating. Whichever way you decide, make sure it’s backed by real numbers and real working out, not a guesstimate. Once you’re on the road, keep sticking to that budget, or consciously adjust it (for example, coming home a little earlier if you decide to splash out on more experiences).

The Honest Option: Departing Without It All Saved

Not every family leaves with the full amount saved up front — and that’s worth being upfront about. Some families do it carefully and calculated, relying on ongoing income while they travel: working on the road, renting out the family home, or other income streams that stay “normal” even while travelling. It’s not about winging it — it’s about knowing you have money coming in to cover the gap, rather than a guess.

Our Thoughts

The number on its own can feel terrifying, but it stops being scary the moment it’s broken down into an actual weekly figure with a real plan behind it — move the date, lower the budget, or a combination of both. The honest answer is there’s no single right way to do it, only the way that keeps your family financially comfortable while you’re out there having the adventure.