How ‘exhausted’ electrician and teacher pulled their kids out of school to travel Australia

As teenagers, Ash and Tom would regularly go camping together, when their families would hit the road for school holidays.

Little did they know at the time, but the adolescent friends from the NSW town of Forster would end up marrying each other — and decide to live a life of on-the-road with their three children.

When Ash finished school, she went straight overseas, exploring Canada for two years before returning to Australia when she was 21.

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During this time, Tom moved to the NSW Central Coast and began an electrical apprenticeship.

The couple reunited when Ash returned to Australia in 2012, and both of their families were booked to go on the usual Easter camping trip.

“This time when we saw each other, it was different,” Ash tells 7Life.

“It had been almost three years, and neither of us were children any more.

“We had an instant attraction which only grew throughout the weekend.

“Neither of us were sure what to make of it, as we had been family friends for almost 13 years at this point, but we went with our gut.”

The couple married in 2015 when Tom became a qualified electrician and Ash became a school teacher.

Tom then opened his first business and the couple had three children, William, now 8, Jessie, 7, and Andie, 3.

Ash and Tom had always dreamed of travelling and living in a caravan full-time as they loved the feeling they got when they went camping.

“It’s always been an escape for us from the rat race of life,” Ash says.

“Yet we thought this would only ever be possible after we were in our late 50s or 60s, once our kids had moved on with their own lives and we had retired.”

The family did a four-month trip in 2021, when Andie was four months old, around Queensland and the Northern Territory, absolutely loving the freedom it gave them.

When they returned home and back to work, they tried to find a way to set up Tom’s business so they could travel every year to escape winter.

Shortly after returning home, the couple won a large contract that involved Tom working away for a year-and-a-half — sparking a lightbulb moment.

“We realised there was more to life than work,” Ash says.

“We found ourselves merely existing and completing the necessary tasks to keep the family and business going.

“I was taking care of the family and Tom was taking care of the business but there was little to no time for ourselves or as a family.

“This is when we decided we wanted to do the dream 12-month trip around Australia from June 2023.”

When the family left, they were aiming to be on the road for 12 months before returning to normal life.

Because of this, the couple left their home empty, assuming they would return in a year’s time.

But after only four months on the road, and arriving in Broome, they decided they wanted to live on the road indefinitely.

“We saw such an immense change in the kids’ behaviour,” Ash says.

“And Tom and I had reconnected as a couple, after a year-and-a-half apart.

“It was such a nice change of pace, and we became addicted to it.”

Ash and Tom then put their house on the market and began making plans for long-term life on the road.

Tom still works as an electrician occasionally as they travel, while Ash manages the admin side of the business.

But the pair are mainly focusing on building up their travel vlog, ‘McCram Adventures.’

“Our goal is to share travelling Australia as a family and escape the demands of what is expected from a ‘normal’ life,” Ash says.

The couple were able to save, due to Tom’s big 18-month contract, and accumulated enough to cover expenses for the first year or so of travel.

“Once we decided to live on the road full-time, we put our house on the market, closed down our business, sold all business assets and anything that couldn’t fit inside our 40ft container,” Ash says.

The couple says it’s a lot cheaper to live on the road compared to renting or paying a mortgage.

Their only expenses are what they spend day to day.

Ash says the family’s groceries are about $300 a week, the same as when they were living at home.

“Where the big difference comes is the ability to choose how much you want to spend on accommodation,” she says.

“With our set up, if we want to, we have the option to live off grid indefinitely.”

Downsizing

Once away from major cities and towns, “free camps” allow them to make real savings.

“Many rural towns also have free water-fill stations, so you also don’t need to pay for water if you want to predominantly free camp,” Ash says.

Downsizing made the couple realise how many unnecessary items they had in their home.

But one thing they can’t live without is their beloved espresso machine and Thermomix.

“(We have) a fridge, dog box, oven, induction cooker, full off-grid Enerdrive battery system and extra storage,” Ash says.

“But downsizing gives you a major reality check.

“You are limited to the amount of weight you can legally carry and it makes you prioritise the bare essentials.”

The biggest drawback to life on the road is not being able to see family and friends regularly.

“Another challenge, yet also a blessing, is that there is no personal time or break from each other as the kids are home schooled so we are all together 24/7,” Ash says.

“While it can be difficult, we prefer it this way.”

There is no such thing as a typical day for the McCram family as every day is different.

But something that never changes is that Ash and Tom always have a coffee and relax in bed first thing in the morning while the kids have breakfast at the table.

Depending on whether they are moving camps, exploring, helping the kids with school work, the family’s day to day varies.

The couple never book anywhere in advance as they like the freedom of staying in places for as little or as long as they like.

At this stage, they don’t see that changing anytime soon.

“We see no end in sight. We are working on creative ways to travel indefinitely and create new businesses while on the road,” Ash says.

The couple are looking forward to exploring more of remote Australia and have recently picked up a Titanium caravan, which they custom designed so they could live off-grid indefinitely.

When it comes to advice for other families wanting to follow suit, they suggest starting with small trips.

“Use what you’ve got and go where you can,” Ash says.

“If you’re looking to make the big leap and live on the road, try before you buy.

“You can rent and hire a caravan and see if that works for you.”