Di and Chris (inset) have had to delay the maiden journey in their brand new motorhome.
Since emigrating to Australia 13 years ago, Britons Chris and Di Pritchard have been inspired by countless stories about the wonderful grey nomad lifestyle … and they came agonisingly close to experiencing it for themselves.
Having just bought a Sunliner Sage motorhome, the couple were all ready to hit the open road when the pandemic put the brakes on their dreams.
“The clampdown on travel came two days after we had collected the vehicle and we had to cancel our plans,” said Di. “Basically, we drove it home at the end of March … and there it has sat.”
The Pritchards have lived in rural New South Wales since they arrived in Australia and, although they have travelled to various regions of the country, they have never done so in a motorhome.
“We’ve been retired for quite a while and feel that if we don’t go touring now we may get too old and ‘rickety’ to do it,” said Di. “When we were researching our motorhome, the important factors we were looking for were a bed that raises to the roof during the day, having a toilet and shower, and having a vehicle that wasn’t too long.”
The couple had originally planned a short ‘shakedown trip’ after Easter just to get the feel of their new motorhome and to see if there were any problems … but, of course, the virus ensured that never happened.
“We thought we would ‘try it out’ anyway and so we parked the motorhome on a flat area in our garden and spent a night in it!” said Di. “We felt a bit silly, but were eager to give it a go and, luckily, we live in a rural setting and so didn’t feel as though we were camping amongst the crowds.”
Having enjoyed the only camping experience they are going to get for a while, Chris and Di have been using the lockdown period to catch up on all those little jobs that they have been putting off. Chris likes his gardening so has been busily tidying up and planting new shrubs, and Di has been knitting clothes for premature babies and sorting out cupboards and decorating.
“We both play golf, so have been able to exercise that way,” said Di. “And we’re anxiously waiting for bowls to resume.”
And what about the future?
“When the travel ban has been lifted, after our initial trip, we propose to travel north through New South Wales and into Queensland,” said Di. “We just feel as though we are in limbo at the moment and are looking forward to the time when we can jet off in our motorhome and see what this grey nomad life is all about.”
My hubby and I are in the same boat. We had only been on the road for two weeks before we had to come home. So we are just waiting for everything to open up and away we go for three weeks.
There are a lot of stories that impact us all. My wife and I were set for Jan 2022 retirement but now our super has taken a massive hit. Guess we all just have to accept COVID-19 has affected many many people but we will all recover and get on with living. Patience is a virtue.