David and Janet and (inset) Grandson Charlie
It’s pretty standard for wannabe grey nomads to impatiently count down the days to when they will finally be free to hit the open road. And it’s also not all that unusual for some unexpected family drama to throw a slight spanner in the departure date works.
As curve balls go though, the one that threatened David and Janet West’s grey nomad dream was bigger than most. Five years ago, after finally reaching the stage where all of their five children were old enough to have some independence and they were starting to venture out occasionally as a couple, life took a very unexpected turn. It came in the shape of Charlie, the couple’s medically compromised grandson who was born eight weeks prematurely weighing just 1.4kg.
“His mother decided she didn’t want him and our son, the father, was simply too young to assume responsibility for him,” said Janet. “So it came down to us or foster care after the mother’s family refused to raise him as well … a no-brainer really.”
It meant that any long-term travel plans the couple, now in their mid-50s, may have had were very much on the backburner. “All of a sudden we had to learn about acronyms, therapies, and attend copious amounts of appointments,” said Janet. “We realised quickly who our friends were … and who weren’t.”
For the last five years, Charlie and their other four grandchildren have been the centre of the Wests’ world.
“We’ve done the whole Grandparent duty thing … free childcare, free pickups and care after school, running to ballet, and chaperoning at ballet concerts,” said Janet. “We’ve done it all and loved it.”
However, Janet freely admits that travel was never totally out of their thoughts, particularly when David was made redundant from his job of 36 years.
“The pull to travel has always been strong,” she said. “And, as we gained confidence in our new role as full-time grandparents, we started to dream again.”
In January, 2014, Charlie had major surgery which included having a permanent feeding tube put in place … and nine weeks later, David, Janet, Charlie, and their youngest daughter, Savannah, 17, took off on a 10-night Pacific cruise.
“An incredible amount of planning went into this trip and we carried a huge first aid kit, including antibiotics, spare feeding tubes and dressings,” said Janet. “It all went off without a hitch and, while it wasn’t exactly relaxing, we still enjoyed ourselves immensely.”
A year later, the family flew to Thailand for two weeks, and last year they had three weeks in Hong Kong. In between these overseas trips, they’ve been to Tasmania, Melbourne, Ballarat, the Flinders Ranges and Mount Gambier.
Now there is no stopping them. Early next year, David, Janet and Charlie will leave on a 10-month round the world tour. They will spend several months in the UK, before exploring Europe by car, cruising from Copenhagen to the USA, and then travelling in an RV, before eventually taking a cruise back to Australia.
And what about that Big Lap dream? While they are overseas, the Wests are having a 23.6’ off-road van custom built for them and their Grandson and they plan to hit the open road in January, 2019, working as they go.
“There never is a perfect time to travel but tomorrow is also never guaranteed,” said Janet. “Take whatever life throws at you and work with it … not against it.”
· Has your Big Lap dream ever had to be ‘put on hold’ because of an unexpected circumstance? Email us here to share.
