Australian Road Trip

To some, the idea of an Australian road trip would be daunting. From stories of large creeping critters, spiders the size of your face and the fact there are more deadly snakes than in any other country, there’s no wonder that people opt for a perceivably safer start to their digital nomadic life. However, the chances are if you are reading this then the idea of a lengthy Australian adventure is only igniting the fire inside you to immediately head to Skyscanner and book a one-way ticket to Aus!

After more than 10 years as a remote worker I had a sudden realization –  remote work doesn't mean working from home, it means working from anywhere! Once you learn to think outside of the confines of societal “rules” the world really is your oyster, or at least between 2019 and 2023 Australia was my oyster.

This is my longest trip so far, my biggest adventure. I'd been tied to a house, a home-office, a routine for so long but it was time to try something new. At the start of this endeavor, I was working full time as the Head of Engineering at BlueChilli, a startup accelerator and incubator. With the blessing of our leadership team, I started working from the road. Skip forward 4 years and I had visited 228 unique locations in Australia and every state except Northern Territory. I’ll be humble and not call myself an expert on Australian roadtripping, but I also wouldn’t decline your call as a “phone-a-friend” on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire if a question came up.

From the small resort town of Exmouth on Western Australia’s North Western Cape to Daydream Island in Queensland, I’ve traveled the entire coast (and visited Tasmania because it would be rude not to). Most of my nomadic Australian road trip was completed in a camper van or with a caravan trailer.

I learnt a lot about creating a balance between exploring, travelling and working. I was working full time leading software and product teams; the only difference was I was doing it with a view! If you thought that remote working from one location was invigorating then try the flexibility of being primarily on four wheels with the freedom to go anywhere with an internet connection. Talk about living life.

Of course, digital nomad and remote working life isn’t as idyllic as the images you see of business people working on tropical beaches (that’s unfortunately ridiculously impractical), but the freedom it gives you is completely real. Plenty of rock climbing, awe-inspiring hikes and incredible views were on the agenda for my trip but the freedom of remote work really does allow you to create your own ever-changing adventure.

Few people will object to the fact that Australia is an astonishing country to visit. Even if you are an Aussie, you’ll know how many incredible places there are to see. Sometimes being a digital nomad really does feel like you won the work lottery and a trip down under (especially for as long as I did it) is not only an excellent place to start on your remote work journey but it will no doubt inspire many more trips in the future.