An Australian couple sold everything they owned to move their family of four abroad after finding they couldn't afford a comfortable life Down Under.
Jimmy Mitchell, 36, and wife Pauline, 35, gave up the 'stereotypical Australian lifestyle' in Western Australia and have spent the past ten months traveling around South East Asia with their sons Riley, seven, and Liam, eight.
Jimmy, co-founder of digital marketing agency My Online Guy, told FEMAIL that he worked endlessly to make a decent amount of money but felt like he was “never getting ahead” and would sometimes come home in tears.
At the time, the couple rented a four-bedroom house in Mandurah, an hour south of Perth, and struggled to save for a home deposit despite the long working hours.
“The main reason we decided to travel full-time was to improve our quality of life and spend more time together as a family,” Jimmy said.
They now also save as much as 50 percent of their income in a good month, instead of zero to five percent.
The pair haven't looked back since taking the plunge and are unsure when – or if – they will return to Australia permanently.
Jimmy Mitchell, wife Pauline and their sons Riley and Liam have been traveling through Southeast Asia for ten months. The couple decided to move abroad after Australia became 'unaffordable' for them
Although it was a difficult decision, they haven't looked back and have been able to spend more time together as a family
'We made good money in Australia, I couldn't ignore that. We had good jobs, but we always felt like we weren't getting ahead,” Jimmy said.
“The more I worked and the harder I worked to earn the money so we could have the things, the less time I could spend with my family.”
The stress felt like such a huge burden that Jimmy would sometimes come home from work crying, and it only “progressively got worse.”
'I came home and said to Pauline: “I can't live like this any longer.” And that was a combination of the fact that we both worked in the company, the kids were in school and we had hardly seen each other,” he said.
“We just got fed up and couldn't continue.”
Pauline agreed, saying that every day felt like a repeat of the last.
'We felt like we were living the same stagnant life. You just do the same thing day in and day out, and there was just no reprieve from it,” she said.
“Even on the weekends you think you're going to have some time with your family or go somewhere, but the plans never materialize.”
Due to the stress of running a business, even during short family outings, the couple would always receive phone calls or emails from staff and customers.
The family of four has traveled to Malaysia, Vietnam and Bangkok. Next year they will visit Hawaii and Japan
The children are homeschooled, which can sometimes be a challenge for the parents, but otherwise the boys enjoy learning together
That's why they decided to take the plunge and move abroad.
It was an 18-month process from the original idea to leaving the country – in between they had four garage sales to sell all their belongings and downsize the business.
They booked a one-way flight in February and have since visited Malaysia, Vietnam and Bangkok.
They stay in new destinations from two weeks to three months through Airbnb or short-term rentals and explore the areas in depth before moving on.
They can also continue working for themselves full-time through their digital business.
Next year they will return to Malaysia for a month before boarding a cruise to Hawaii and then Japan.
The children are homeschooled, which can sometimes be a challenge for the parents, but otherwise the boys enjoy learning together.
In their spare time they are always exploring new places, trying new food and having adventures with the children. They went on safari, spent a week in the jungle and went to countless amusement parks.
The cost of living in Asia is incredibly cheap compared to Australia, so the couple no longer worries about money.
In Australia they spent $460 a week ($1,840 a month) renting a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house, while in Vietnam they briefly lived in a luxury four-story mansion for $1,500 a month.
At home they spent between $200 and $300 a week on groceries, while abroad this cost was reduced to just $70 to feed the entire family.
'In Australia you knew your minimum spending amount. I used to worry about bills every day and now I don't,” Jimmy said.
The price of public transport, medicine and dental appointments is also reasonable and the couple has no car expenses because they do not own a car.
Jimmy claims the cost of living in Australia has gotten so out of control that it's “impossible for families to be families.”
He also criticized the government and urged politicians to “do better.”
“I think the Australian government is completely out of touch with what families and Australians in general are actually going through. In my opinion, they are prioritizing the wrong things when it comes to policy,” he said.
'It feels like they are prioritizing big companies over people.
“We've been to places where you can see the planning has been done 10, 15 or 20 years in advance, which is so different to Australia.”
The cost of living in Asia is incredibly cheap compared to Australia, where the couple no longer worries about money
They will likely move back to Australia before the boys start high school as they feel it is an important age to have a sense of security and make friendships.
But it was a tough decision to leave home and they do miss Aussie barbecues.
Jimmy said, “For me, I had already made up my mind. We sacrifice a lot within the company for this, but I thought the opportunity to spend more time as a family would offset all the negative aspects.”
Pauline, who has a large family, added: 'It was a lot harder for me to leave family, friends and the life we had created in Australia. I felt it for the kids too, because I made friends at school and had all these connections.”
The couple says they also received mixed reactions from family and friends after sharing the news, with some thinking they were “angry,” while others praised their choice and were excited to hear how it went.
They will return home for Christmas, but have no firm plans yet to return full-time.
They admit that this may change as the children get older, but they will likely continue traveling the world while the children are young.
If they do return, it will likely be before the boys enter high school, as they feel it is an important age to have a sense of security and make friendships.
For now, the children have no problem with the lifestyle and do not want to stop anytime soon.
Jimmy has also gained a following on social media under the name @themothfamily and 'Mitch's On The Horizon' to share how other families can also travel full-time.
“You'd be surprised: there are actually a lot of families from the US and Britain in different situations who also travel full-time,” Jimmy said. 'It's about changing your mindset and thinking about what other options are out there.'