Peter and Judy enjoyed their visit to the Desert Park in Alice Springs
It’s been nearly a decade since Peter and Judy Hannah bought a caravan and became fulltime grey nomads … and it’s been quite an adventure.
Over the years, the couple have faced more than a few challenges but their positive attitude has never wavered … and they have always looked to count their blessings rather than dwell on any setbacks.
Four years before they hit the road, Judy required quadruple bypass surgery and the couple knew that they couldn’t take good health for granted … or afford to wait for the perfect time to live their dream.
Peter, who is now 71, said they retired with just $100,000 in the bank after buying their Kingdom Balmoral 23’6 van and Mazda Bt50.
“We have tried to keep our costs down as much as possible, but still enjoy our life on the road,” said Peter. “We don’t do the Big Lap thing … I just don’t see the sense in driving around in a big circle, only to miss millions of kilometres in the middle.”
The couple like to invest themselves in a region, by housesitting, or working, or staying a bit longer to see as much as they can.
“Taking the time and effort in chatting to neighbours or locals can provide you with a lot of interesting life stories,” said Peter. “It can also give you an insight into what to see, and where to go when you pull up on a country town.”
Unfortunately, Judy’s health has not always been the best during their travels. “One and a half bypasses have failed, and so Judy is on lots of drugs to keep her alive,” said Peter. “Our GP and chemist are amazing and send her three months’ worth of pills that we collect as we travel.”
Judy is now also starting the early stages of dementia but Peter says it is under control and is something that just has to be managed.
“There are thousands of grey nomads out there far worse off than us,” he said. “We have big days and quiet days, so that both of us can recover and relax but we will keep doing this for as long as we can … and our faith gets us through the tough times.”
Maybe, living the dream is as much about your approach to your travels as the travels themselves.
There is so much positivity in the above story, and we totally agree that it’s much better to look on the positive side rather than the negative. Keep on enjoying what you can for as long as you can.
We too are on our 10th year of full time travel. We were still in our sixties when we started and adopted a “do it now” policy. If we could afford to do a tour that involved something physical (like swimming with whale sharks) then we did it now rather than waiting till later. Now we realise we could not do it any more. Also doing big walks or climbing mountains – we have done that now.
don’t think you will wait til later when you can afford it more. Do it now. As a result we have great memories of the things we have done and are now doing the slower activities and enjoying them more. Always assess the risks. A certain amount of risk is acceptable but that is your choice.
If you are thinking of travelling in a van – do it now – don’t wait till you are older. Lack of money? There are jobs along the way. House sitting is a good option to save on park fees. And to get an good doggy fix if you aren’t travelling with one 🙂
We kept track of all our costs the first couple of years until we got the hang of what we could afford for our budget; then we were comfortable knowing how to save on costs. Once you are fully set up there is only maintenance and occasional replacement costs. Go and enjoy Oz!