Both Phil and wife Pam have adapted well to life on the road
Grey Nomad, Phil Crockart, explains how he got ready for the ‘culture shock’ of 24/7 caravan life
When my wife Pam and I first heard the term ‘grey nomad’, we were approaching retirement at a rapid rate and the idea of just living in a caravan and dragging it all over the place immediately appealed to us.
However, being completely organised people we also started seriously researching caravans and the nomad lifestyle. We knew we would have to adapt to a small living area and were very careful about the van we purchased.
I call ours the ‘Tardis’. Our 20’ Jayco Starcraft van is small on the outside but seems to have way more space on the inside. When our shiny new van was delivered, we were absolutely delighted with the amount of room we had to move about in.
The bed was comfortable and large enough for us. We have our own shower, toilet and a washing machine, things I didn’t even think possible in a caravan.
Nonetheless, downsizing from a house meant it was difficult deciding exactly what to chuck out and what we should keep. I had two sheds full of woodworking and electrical tools, and Pam had a sewing room … so we had to be ruthless!
I gave away most of my tools and we had six or seven garage sales, as well using eBay a lot. Nonetheless, we still had so much stuff we had to store all the ‘special’ gear at our kids’ homes.
Finally, after nearly four years we are getting rid of a lot of stuff that we haven’t used since we started. I’m afraid there is no room for bits and bobs in a caravan.
Security was another big issue to us before we set off, and I am sure worries about this deters some from living this lifestyle. There is no simple answer to how secure you feel. We have invested in a door handle-type lock that ‘seriously’ locks the door.
To be honest though we have never had an issue with security on the road. We free camp where others are nearby and caravan parks are reasonably safe.
Besides, insurance and tracker devices will return anything that goes missing.
At the end of the day, this lifestyle is not for everyone. It has a few drawbacks, but way more advantages. We have found freedom and a great deal of joy in meeting new friends, seeing new places and the sheer joy of dragging our home to any place we choose.
* How did you adjust to fulltime life on the road? Email us here to share your thoughts.
