OFF THE GRID
Chucking in the 9-to-5 is a bold move — especially with kids. Three families tell Sharon Stephenson why it’s been their best move, ever.
Sarah Drummond has more stamps in her passport than most people. Born in New York and raised in Southeast Asia (thanks to her father’s job), the 28-year-old knew her way around dozens of international airports before she knew long division. On her third visit to New Zealand, in 2008, she fell in love with Josh Drummond (now 31), a Temuka-born builder. Fast-forward five years and the couple were based in South Canterbury, raising daughter Lena, paying a mortgage and, they say, in “survival mode”.
“We were living pay cheque to pay cheque, working our asses off to pay the bills and constantly exhausted,” says Sarah. “We knew we were privileged to have a roof over our heads and food on the table but we weren’t moving forward at all. We knew we had to make a big change in order to live the life we wanted.”
Naturally, the adventure-loving couple’s minds went to travel. And not just a two-week holiday. “We wanted to travel long-term and be thrown outside our comfort zone, for our daughter to see and experience different cultures, languages and people,” says Josh.
The Drummonds are part of a growing number of New Zealanders following the ultimate dream of chucking in the 9-to-5 to travel overseas for an extended period.
Burned-out by long hours and long commutes, they’re giving work pressures, exhaustion and suburbia the middle finger as they skip off into the sunset.
Sarah hadn’t seen her family for two years, so they decided to spend a month driving a campervan though US national parks, starting in LA and finishing in New York, before spending a month doing the same in the UK. When Canvas caught up with them, they were house-sitting in Spain for a month, before ticking off Scandinavia, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and, eventually, Asia.
The couple financed their eight-month adventure by sub-dividing their Timaru section and building a smaller two-bedroom house, into which they moved after selling the original house.
Time was on their side regarding their daughter’s education, as Lena turned 5 just after the family left New Zealand in April. They decided to “world school” her.
“Lena has learned so much more than we could ever have imagined,” says Sarah. “At every national park we’ve been to she’s learned about the local flora and fauna and how to respect the world around her. We also encourage her to read and do maths, and she’s learning Spanish.”
Exciting experiences aside, Josh says opting
Lena has learned so much more than we could ever have imagined. At every national park we’ve been to she’s learned about the local flora and fauna and how to respect the world around her. Sarah Drummond