How We're Traveling Europe for over 6 Months on a Budget (While Running a Business, a blog studying and taking care of the kids!)
When we first started planning this six-month trip around Europe, one big question came up again and again: “How are we affording this”?
With limited savings and two kids in tow, it wasn’t going to be easy. But thanks to my online business and a whole lot of planning, we made it work — and it’s actually cheaper than living back in Australia.
Let’s talk numbers, remote work, motorhome life, and how we’ve turned our dream into a (sustainable) reality.
I’ve been running my own business called Pilot Marketing for over 11 years, and you can check us out on www.pilotmarketing.com.au Pilot Marketing is a fully on-line marketing agency focused on providing digital marketing solutions to international clients.
On top of this I've been working remotely in corporate marketing roles pretty much since 2016 back when I was working for Dell Technologies and they first told me to work from home. At first it was feeling very weird not to go to an office or see my boss on a small screen but after some getting used to it I never looked back and ever since then, I’ve worked remotely across multiple tech roles and eventually focused full-time on my own business. That flexibility is what’s allowing us to take this trip in the first place.
What Does a Typical Day Look Like?
Traveling full-time with kids while running a business means I need structure — and a lot of discipline. Here’s how I balance it all:
5 AM – 8 AM: Work before the kids wake up
8 AM – 10 AM: Breakfast, showers, packing daypacks, and getting ready for the day
Daytime: Sightseeing, travel, or family activities
9 PM – 11 PM: More work/admin — proposals, invoicing, budgeting, or paying bills back home
It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. And yes, the schedule is strict — deadlines don’t disappear just because you're parked beside a beach in Spain.
Digital Nomad Life: The Good and the Challenging
There’s a lot to love about working while traveling:
✅ The Good:
Work from anywhere with internet (Wi-Fi or a hotspot)
Amazing views while working
Work pays for the trip (eventually!)
❌ The Challenges:
You must stick to a schedule — time off isn’t spontaneous
Time zones make working with Australian clients tricky
The Internet isn’t always reliable, especially when bush camping luckily, I naturally wake up at 5 AM, which makes working with Aussie clients doable — even from the other side of the world.
So, How Much Does It All Cost?
We’re keeping a pretty tight budget but we’re also splurging on fun activities from time to time too, and here’s the breakdown of what we’ve learned so far:
Average daily budget: €100
(Includes accommodation, food, fuel, and tolls)
Monthly cost: Around €3,000 (~$5,300 AUD)
Compared to our Australian living expenses, this is actually cheaper.
Accommodation: Caravan parks range from €1 in Germany to €60 in Denmark. We follow a 2-day paid/1 maybe 2 day “bush it” rhythm. Bushing it means we’re staying in free nature spots (forests, beaches, etc.).
Food: €20–€100/day depending on location and whether we’re cooking or eating out.
Key takeaways:
Germany, Romania, and Hungary = cheap
Denmark and Netherlands = much more expensive
Fuel & Tolls: Diesel is around €1.60/L (~$3 AUD), nearly double the price in Australia. Add tolls, vignettes (for Hungary, Austria, and Romania), and bridge fees (Denmark’s are crazy expensive), and you’ve got a significant chunk of the budget right there.
Motorhome vs Caravan: Why We Chose the motorhome
People often ask why we chose a motorhome over a caravan — here’s why:
Cheaper overall: One vehicle = one insurance, one registration
More flexible: Legal to “bush it” in more places in Europe however there are some countries which it is a grey zone, such is Denmark where legally you’re not supposed to camp but if you keep all your activities in the vehicle and you say you need a rest then you can sleep in your motorhome without any issues. So check the legislation of the country you’re in, keep all your belongings and activities such as cooking inside the motorhome, don’t open your awning and you should be fine.
Lower maintenance: Only one vehicle to service and fewer mechanical risks. What I mean by this is a motorhome is one unit engineered to be driven many kms but towing a big caravan with your regular car can have many issues. A car is not designed to do thousands of kms towing a big load unless we’re talking about a big pick-up or ute. It puts a lot of strain on your gearbox, the transmission, suspension and other components which can lead to expensive bills down the line.
Easier parking: Our motorhome is under 3.5 tons and under 6m long meaning we can park in most towns and even on regular streets without any issues. If a delivery truck or van can go we can go too.
We’ll go deeper into this in another blog post, but for now, let’s just say the motorhome has saved us thousands of dollars and allowed us to travel more freely.
What’s Next?
Right now, most of our expenses are covered by savings. But with a few more clients lined up and this blog just launched, we're hoping to generate some income while on the road. I’ll share more about the blog’s performance in a few months — stay tuned!
Final Thoughts: Is This Life Really Cheaper?
Absolutely. When you compare our actual costs to what it would take to travel Europe with traditional accommodation (hotels, restaurants, rental cars), we’re saving a ton.
For example, a family of four doing Europe the “normal” way would likely spend:
€120–€150/night on hotels
€30–€50 for lunch,
€60–€75 for dinner
Add breakfast if it’s not included by your accommodation, and you’re easily spending €210–€300/day
That’s €9,000/month (around $16,000 AUD) — more than 3x our current monthly costs. Living in our motorhome keeps us mobile, flexible, and on budget.
If you’re dreaming of long-term travel but worried about finances, it’s possible — with the right setup, a digital income, and a realistic budget.
Want to see more breakdowns by country, or how we handle schooling, work, and travel logistics? Follow along and check out my other blog posts. 🌍💻🚐