If someone else is paying for food and travel, why limit yourself to a certain geographic area? If someone wants to pay for you to fly to and from Australia, I say let them do it - it would only add to the adventure.
I pay for the travel (at 1 liter per 15 km that's manageable for a two week stint), also I want to be within driving distance of my other responsibilities in case something bad happens (you never know...).
