After six years full-time on the road, Sheryl and Michael Crawford have seen some incredible places, met some wonderful people, and had their fair share of adventures.
And, despite some serious challenges along the way, they wouldn’t change a thing! When they sold their house, and said goodbye to their five children to hit the endless open road back in late 2016, the couple only had Happy Hours, stunning scenery, and carefree travel on their itinerary.
However, it didn’t work out quite that simple!
“In our travelling time, I have torn ligaments in my knee twice, badly broken my elbow, jammed my finger in a car door and needed an op, and I’ve broken my ankle,” said Sheryl. “We survived it all, but now all our family and friends call me ‘klutz’.”
Sheryl enjoys another day in paradise.
MIchael loves his fishing.
And then, of course, there have been the challenges of the pandemic, and Mother Nature has also thrown the odd spanner in the works.
“Twelve months ago, we copped a hail storm and the van was written off,” said Sheryl. “We lived in a tent for a few months before buying a 21’6 Essential that we are very happy with … our new adventures have begun!”
The most important thing that Sheryl and Michael packed when they set off on their endless odyssey was a positive attitude … but they’ve got a few other tips for new travellers.
These include:
• If you don’t use something in the first year, take it out of the van.
• If you haven’t towed before, do a towing course.
• Have a hobby, whether it be fishing, kayaking, reading, or knitting.
• If travelling with a partner, learn to compromise.
• Have a sense of humour.
• Say ‘hi’ to fellow travellers.
• Get lots of tips from others (but don’t listen to them all!).
Sheryl and Michael free camp pretty much all of the time, and travel on a pretty tight budget.
Michael and Sheryl have learnt to expect (and enjoy) the unexpected.
“We may go out for a meal once a year but we’ve always been like that … and we do do tourist things,” said Sheryl. “We’ve been to camel races, dragon boat races and rodeos, we’ve seen gorges, canyons, mines, heaps of lovely towns, some cool things and some weird stuff … and heaps of the big things.”
But, like so many grey nomads, Sheryl says the real highlight of the Big Lap is the friends you make.
And the couple’s final piece of advice is absolutely unequivocal.
“If you are thinking about living on the road, do it,” said Sheryl. “It’s a wonderful life.”
Grey Nomad Members now have the opportunity to win six 750ml eco flat bottles of Pinot Grigio (total value of $96) from Banrock Station.
The new eco-flat wine bottle is made entirely from Australian-sourced 100% recycled PET plastic, which is 83% lighter than a glass bottle. The slimmer, flatter profile allows twice as many bottles to fit in a standard wine case.
It’s lighter to carry, takes up less space in your van, is easy to store in your fridge or esky, and is great for life on the road.
* GN Members … Click here to enter
* Haven’t joined yet? Click here to learn about GN member benefits, how to join … and how to win!
Never drive past a small town pub.Call in, have a couple of beers and you will be amazed at the things and local sights that are known by true locals. My wife and i have been on the road for 7 years and love it
Breakdowns happen so make sure you have Ultimate Coverage for Tow rig and Caravan. We blew a gearbox in Uluru and RACQ were a life saver.
Don’t have too many happy hours, its a health hazard, give your liver a rest.
My advice after ten years on the road in a caravan with two Cavaliers and yes she got the house and I got the dog.
My advice is to take it easy and enjoy the journey and seriously if the weather is bad then stay another day as there is nothing worse than battling against strong winds and specially the buffet from trucks in strong side winds.
Most of us start our journey with way too much stuff so if you haven’t used it for a while then chuck it out. Happy camping.