Planning for a long-term grey nomad adventure is absolutely critical … but it can only take you so far.
In the end there is simply no substitute for getting out there and finding out what works for you and just, as importantly, what doesn’t. It is perhaps the ultimate ‘learning on the job’ experience. Even those who have had a near-lifetime experience of camping and caravanning on short trips can be ‘surprised’ by how different their needs are when they are on the road full-time.
So, what are the common mistakes that novice travellers make? Barry and Jenny M spent six years on the road and below they share some of the biggest lessons they have learnt since pulling out of their driveway in 2011. Our biggest lessons
• Lids on screw top jars can un-screw on rough roads!
• Always double check that the fridge and cupboard doors are locked.
• We do not need to carry enough supplies to feed an army. • Going into a caravan park at 6pm and leaving at 8am is not good value for money.
• Check weather reports. If rain is predicted move before it rains or be prepared to stay a week or more after it stops raining.
• If it’s windy, roll up the awning. Nothing worse than having to do it in the middle of the night.
• Your travel partner needs to have enough confidence to tow the van in an emergency.
• Having top cover with a motoring organisation is also good insurance if problems arise.
• Be flexible with travel plans. We rarely book ahead and rarely stay in caravan parks. We love camping on rivers and waterholes.
• And finally the ‘six degrees of separation’ theory is certainly true. We have met ‘friends of friends’, struck up a conversation with a stranger only to find we shared great grandparents and worked on a property that a previously unknown great uncle worked on in the 1930s which led to searching for, and meeting, other cousins.
Perhaps another lesson that grey nomads learn is that no two trips are the same and no two travellers have exactly the same needs. What works for one solo or couple may not work for another. And that’s what makes life on the road so interesting!
