Daft question, but what is Kyle going to do for a job if missing work for 150-180 days ? Paying the mortgage ? Assume the parent's get a big dog for 6 months ?
I would imagine he would have agreed a sabbatical with his employer. He's definitely a builder, and rightly or wrongly I had assumed he is employed rather than being self employed, could be wrong.
They are young, have no 2 legged children, and they're probably not going to have a better chance to go on this kind of adventure together.
If they have been mega savvy, their mortgage might be tiny, and or they could simply rent the house out whilst they are away.
You can also often choose to only pay the interest on the mortgage for a period of time should you want to, or some mortgages if you have over payed, you can then take a payment
holiday.