Image from Envato

A lot of people choose fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) work for the money. It’s hard work, with long hours working (and living) in a remote location away from family and friends, but it can be a great way to get ahead financially. That’s why Sonya, an electrician from Brisbane, works in the mines in Western Queensland – and she really does love it. But when the costs for flights and rent in Brisbane started piling up, suddenly, it didn’t feel so great anymore.

But Sonya found the perfect solution for her situation – van life. Read on for the story of Sonya and her little Australian off road camper.

The Reality of the FIFO Life

Sonya works a pretty common FIFO schedule, with 20 days on and 10 off. Unfortunately, her contract only provides transport on her days off to the nearest city, which is Townville – meaning that she had to pay hundreds of dollars from her own pocket to fly back to Brisbane.

Sonya also found housing in Brisbane way too expensive, especially when you consider that she was paying rent for a home she only lived in for a third of the year! The median weekly rent in Brisbane for a two-bedroom unit is $580! That’s over $1000 that could be pocketed each month.  Not to mention all the other expenses that come with housing like bills, insurance and maintenance. 

Sonya considered moving away from Brisbane. Staying at the mine site during her time off wasn’t an option, and there wasn’t any available accommodation nearby. Besides that, it wouldn’t be very exciting to live there, with only a few shops around and nothing to do. There wasn’t much for her in Townsville either.

It all started feeling pretty bleak.

The First Year of Van Life

However, Sonya found a creative solution. Van life! 

She found the perfect little caravan in Brisbane.

Sonya loves the outdoors, so she went to check out the local caravan showroom to weigh up her options. She didn’t have much hope at first, but she didn’t realise how much hybrid caravans have improved in recent years. Indoor shower and toilet, storage, air conditioning, gas and water. Her little caravan was so comfortable – and she could take it off-roading too.

With only limited time off work, she didn’t bother even consider kitting out an older caravan or bus like the van lifers on social media. It takes a lot more time and effort – and can end up way more expensive than you think. This small off road caravan already had everything she needed.

So, Sonya went for it, and she’s so glad she did. In her first year, she saved over $100K. On her 10 days off, she road trips while being as frugal as possible. She takes advantage of her 4WD caravan and parks it off road so that she doesn’t have to pay campsite or park fees. Other than the initial cost of the caravan, she’s basically whittled her expenses down to just car maintenance, insurance, fuel and groceries.

The Future and the Simple Life

Now three years into her van life journey, Sonya’s savings are racking up. As the cost of living rises, Sonya is still winning.

With a good FIFO job, Sonya is planning to stay long enough to buy a house in Brisbane outright. She’s gotten ahead of the renting struggle while having the time of her life exploring Australia’s backyard. She’s basically seen all of North Queensland! Oceans, rainforests, bush – every landscape and landmark it has to offer.

Really, Sonya is living the good life. The van life.