'The hardest part is making the decision and packing up your life': Meet the inspirational mum who abandoned a 9-5 job to travel the world with her daughter (she says it's cheaper than living in Australia)

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While many of us complain about astronomical house prices, spend all day slaving away at a desk job from 9-5, and dream of something a little less rigid, few of us have the same reaction as mum-of-one, Evie Farrell, from Sydney.

Following the premature death of a close friend, the 43-year-old decided to appreciate the fact that life is short, save what money she could and spend the whole of 2016 travelling with her six-year-old daughter, Emmie - figuring it would be cheaper than living in Australia in any case.

Since the pair left on 1 February this year with AUD $30,000 in savings, they have seen a whole host of far-flung places - from the Philippines to Taiwan, Malaysian Borneo, Bali, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, London, Paris and China.

Ms Farrell also says that, provided Emma's father is 'okay with it, Emmie is happy and I have the money to continue', they will keep travelling - with no plans to come home at all.

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Intrepid: Evie Farrell, 43, and her daughter, Emmie (both pictured), packed up their belongings in Sydney and started travelling the world at the beginning of 2016

Having fun: Since February, the pair have visited 11 countries - they claim that living on the road is cheaper than living at home in Australia 

Wanderlust: According to mum-of-one, Ms Farrell, they have no plans to come home, and provided Emmie's father is fine with it, and they have funds, they will keep travelling 

According to the mum of one, travelling the world is easier than many people might think.

'The hardest part is making the decision and packing up your life,' Ms Farrell told Daily Mail Australia.

'As soon as we left I felt so free and Emmie and I were so excited as we walked through departures at Sydney - holding hands, the two of us on our big adventure.'

Ms Farrell also adds that being on the road is far cheaper than living at home in Sydney.

For instance, while currently in Hoi An, Vietnam, Ms Farrell and Emma are spending about AUD $25 on accommodation per night, and AUD $20 on food and other expenses throughout the day. 

'We save money by taking local buses, overnight trains and ferries, ride pushbikes or jump in tuk-tuks,' she said.

'Some of our best moments have been in hostels, like in Chengdu, China, where Emmie learned car tricks from Israeli backpackers and made paper planes with the hostel staff, and on long train rides across China when Emmie had the whole carriage joining in selfies.'

Experiences: Ms Farrell says you can't put a price on the experiences she has had with her daughter in recent months (pictured) - she says their lives are so different now 

Mechanics: And while she has to home school Emmie via the NSW Distance Education primary school programme, Ms Farrell says they have seen some wonderful places 

Budget: She says that life is cheaper on the road than it is in Sydney - they might spend as little as AUD $25 a night on accommodation, and AUD $20 throughout the day 

Making friends: She also said that little Emmie makes friends wherever she goes (pictured) - having great experiences along the way

While they are on the road, Ms Farrell is educating her daughter via the NSW Distance Education primary school programme.

Emmie is also currently receiving formal education while they are in Hoi An - Ms Farrell has enrolled her daughter at Green Shoots International School.

'Being together every day and being able to share this adventure is wonderful,' Ms Farrell said.

'It is so different to how we lived at home, what with me working and Emmie being at school, and all the rush and commitments of life that left us with little time to stop and enjoy each other [sic].

'I can't tell you how brilliant it is when Emmie and I really connect over an incredible experience such as holding hands with huge grins on our faces as we watch orangutans in the Bornean jungle, or camping together on the Great Wall of China. 

'I can't believe we've been away for eight months already!'.

Life swap: According to Ms Farrell, making the decision to go travelling is easier than some might think - she says the hardest part is deciding and packing up your life 

Rigid: According to the mum-of-one, you don't have to have a 9-5 job, and more people should realise this - it's possible to have different lifestyles 

Tips: Ms Farrell's top tips for travelling are to be flexible, allow yourself to adapt, and embrace things like overnight buses and ferries, which are often cheaper 

Not set in stone: She also says that you should have changeable plans, and share decision making if you have a partner, so that you can both do different things as you wish to 

As for advice to anyone who fancies quitting the rat race, and enjoying a nomadic life like the intrepid Ms Farrell and her daughter, Ms Farrell says: 'Do it!

'You don't have to live 9-5 - it took me a long time to realise that.'

She advocates taking time over what you're doing, and avoiding religiously adhering to deadlines and specifics:

'We share decision marking and and we compromise - we work out what we want to see and do together. Then, if anything goes wrong, we just change our plans so we can deal with it.'

And even though, she says they have had a couple of medical issues such as a burst eardrum and a broken tooth in Malaysia, people have been quick to help and Ms Farrell and Emmie have adapted easily enough:

'The biggest challenge has been teaching Emmie. We are part of the Sydney Distance Education programme and I teach her the NSW curriculum, which I thought would be fun and rewarding, but I need to prepare to do battle every time I bring out the schoolwork!,' Ms Farrell said. 

Next, the pair will return to the Philippines, before moving on to Cambodia and Myanamar:

'We will then return to Hoi An where Emmie will start back at school in January and we will settle down for a few months and base our travels from here,' Ms Farrell said.

'That's the plan but we have time and can be flexible so nothing is ever written in stone!'.

For anyone thinking of trying long-distance travel, Evie Farrell says you can get in contact with her via  her blog, Mum Pack Travel. You can also follow her adventures on Instagram.