Really, you'd give him a whole year? I was thinking 3-4 months tops. Sorry Mike but you know it's true.
Speaking as someone with a big tank and a small tank BTW ... small tank is nowhere near less work than the big. In fact, it's worse. I can get away with monthly water changes on the big tank .. not so with the small tank, it's weekly or it starts to look like sewage pretty quick. Plus in a small tank there are no real significant livestock choices to help with nuisance algaes like valonia and caulerpa, whereas in a big tank a rabbit or a tang will *usually* make pretty quick work of those. Plus aiptasia, you're on your own to rid yourself of those in a small tank - any fish that fits in a small tank that likes aiptasia (leatherjackets/filefish come to mind - at least when they're small) will usually like your choice LPS as well.
Not that you needed convincing but seriously Mike, keep your current tank and find a way to crutch it along when you're off shooting at mountains!