As the summer holidays draw to a close, for most, it's back to school and work. But for some travellers, there's no end in sight to the journey.

Phil O'Neill made a snap decision to completely change his lifestyle. ( NSW Country Hour: David Claughton )

Phil O'Neill didn't intend to turn his city lifestyle upside down.

It was an error in his travel arrangements that catapulted him on a radically different path.

Fifteen years ago, Mr O'Neill was a radio operator for a courier company.

On a brief holiday in Canada, he had planned to do a ski improvement course but his travel company booked him on an instructor course by mistake.

Mr O'Neill never looked back.

Two weeks later he called his boss and quit over the phone, swapping the Sydney grind for a life of travelling the globe.

Now he spends the ski seasons in Canada and Australia teaching children to ski.

On the months in between, he camps in the Australian bush.

More Australians heading to the bush

Mr O'Neill is one of a growing number of Australians looking for alternative life experiences that connect them to nature and provide a sense of freedom from city life.

In the 2018 National Visitor Survey, the number of nights spent at non-commercial camping and caravan grounds increased 15 per cent to 20 million per year, double the growth rate for more traditional holiday accommodation.

Phil O'Neill spends about three months of the year camping, in between ski seasons in Canada and Australia. ( NSW Country Hour: David Claughton )

Bushwalking and visits to national parks increased by 12 per cent, while fewer people were shopping for pleasure or visiting theme parks, casinos and cinemas.

Mr O'Neill said camping was a release from the intensive and physically demanding ski season.

"We tend to work seven days a week for four months straight.

"There's no standby pay or guaranteed work, sick leave or holiday pay, so for me camping is that release that everyone needs to chill out, relax and do some fishing."

Travelling for family reasons

For Peter and Hayley McGregor, getting on the road was a health and lifestyle choice.

Three of their four boys, all under 10 years old, have learning difficulties and health conditions.

Ms McGregor recently qualified as a nurse and has decided to home school the boys while they are travelling.

"The school system wasn't providing them with the support they needed and we wanted to give them a different experience of life," she said.

Peter and Hayley McGregor decided to home school their boys while they are on the road enjoying a life of outdoor activity. ( NSW Country Hour: David Claughton )

The McGregors are travelling in a van and have also converted a horse float for the journey.

Mr McGregor works on an oil rig off the West Australian coast, which is helping to finance the trip, and they have rented out their home on the New South Wales north coast.

For him the trip is an opportunity to "count stars instead of money".

"We've been so focused on chasing the dollar and paying houses off, and we had some lucrative perks, but now it's time to chill out and hang out with the family."

Their days are now filled with camping, surfing and bushwalking, much of it in national parks.

It appears the new routine is paying off, especially for three-year-old Tommy.

"He's really come out of his shell, compared to when he was in preschool and not talking," Mr McGregor said.

Peter McGregor is a FIFO worker on the North West shelf but between shifts he is on the road with his family. ( Supplied )

A necessity for some

Not everyone is on the road by choice.

Jasmine, who wants to remain anonymous, has cancer and is living in her station wagon on the south coast of NSW, saving money for two operations she needs later this year.

Like others on the road, she has learnt to live simply and elegantly in free camping areas.

She takes a hot shower in the local swimming pool and sleeps in her vehicle neatly equipped with the bare essentials.

Jasmine also uses a car relocation service to explore new places and said that on a recent trip to New Zealand, she paid just $1 to $5 a day to drive someone else's car across the country.

A couple from Shoalhaven, also on the road to save money, said they gave up renting 18 months ago to live in their converted van, often camping along the beachfront.

They prefer the freedom of the road to renting, but said it was a daily challenge to find a place to stay as they were often moved on by council rangers.

'Free campers' banned in some coastal tourism hotspots, but welcome inland

A council ranger writes out fines for people sleeping in their cars and vans. ( NSW Country Hour: David Claughton )

"Free campers", who stay in public places rather than established caravans parks and camping grounds, are dividing local councils.

At popular tourist destination Byron Bay, free camping is banned.

Shannon Burt, Byron Shire Council's director of environment and economy, said there were 15 legal campgrounds and people needed to "pay to stay".

She said residents were angry about some campers defecating and urinating in front of their houses, in the bush or in public areas, and leaving their rubbish behind.

"It's disgusting, creates health hazards and also pollutes our beautiful environment," Ms Burt said.

But other communities are welcoming free campers.

Inland towns that struggle to attract visitors are setting up areas on the edge of town with basic facilities, in the hope that travellers will stay a night and spend money in town.

The Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia said there were 340 "RV-friendly towns" across Australia, which provide a site for free campers to stay.

Towns in areas away from the coast are much more supportive of free camping and have areas for people to stop over, such as this free camping area near Bellingen, NSW. ( NSW Country Hour: David Claughton )

CEO Richard Barwick said the club was also setting up facilities for free campers to stay for just $3 a night, but was facing strong opposition from some councils.

Mr Barwick said Australia had almost 700,000 registered recreational vehicles on the road and one-third of them were free camping.

Twelve per cent of the club's 70,000 members were on the road permanently and 93 per cent of their members had toilet facilities on board.

Marcia and John Paxton are travelling around Australia in a well-equipped caravan and usually camp for free.

The Paxtons said they were respectful of the places they visited and did not like staying in crowded caravan parks which they said could cost about $70 a night in peak season.

"We love free camping, and caravan parks are crowded and expensive at this time of year," Ms Paxton said.

Life on the road, and plans for a 'bus baby'

Professional board rider Nicky Gornall is travelling long-term in a minibus with his partner Sarah Hall. ( NSW Country Hour: David Claughton )

Nicky Gornall and his partner Sarah "Bot" Hall say they are self-sufficient and comfortable in a minibus they have updated for life on the road.

Their vehicle has "hippy chic" upholstery, solar power and a shower, and the couple plan to stay on the road for a couple of years.

Mr Gornall spent 13 years on the world pro-bodyboarding circuit but now wants to settle down.

"We had a house deposit and looked at the market for five years but we couldn't find anything," he said.

"We're hoping we might find somewhere to live eventually and build while we're living on the bus."

Ms Hall, who describes herself as a "drifter", said she was ready for a change, after working all around Australia on outback stations, ski resorts and most recently in the remote Tasmanian wilderness.

When Mr Gornall proposed shortly after they got on the road, she accepted straight away.

"We might see a little bus baby before too long," Ms Hall said.