Instead, the young Oamaru downhill mountain biker will be "roughing it" with a friend and travelling to World Cup races in Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, followed by New York.
"I'm only there for racing, nothing else. I'm completely focused on racing," Rooney (17) said.
Rooney was pleased with his second placing in the junior men's event at the Oceania championships in Dunedin arecently after an "up and down season".
While he had a few good results, it was not what he felt he was capable of, he said.
He leaves for Europe on May 9, accompanied by fellow mountain biker Freddie King, from Christchurch, and it will be his first taste of international competition.
The pair will pick up a van in Germany, equipped with bunks, and will be living out of it for three months.
"When you're on a budget, you need to do it cheap. We'll be just showering in lakes, stuff like that. You've got to do what you've got to do to make it happen," he said.
Now the New Zealand season is over, Rooney has been concentrating on training and getting organised to head overseas.
He has been working full-time in a factory and training after work, either at the gym or Cape Wanbrow, or doing sprint work at the BMX track.
He also heads to Dunedin for training every Sunday.
He has been saving for the European trip for more than a year, and said it was something he really wanted to do.
"It's just my dream. I can't really think of anything [else] I want to do with my life."
Rooney's goal is to compete in the world championships, which are being held in Mont-Sainte Anne, Quebec.
His long-term ambition is to become professional and make a living from racing, although he acknowledged it would be tough.
"That's a long road and a hard road," he said.
He has gained sponsorship from a United States mountain bike company and has been provided with a new bike, which he will take to Europe.
