While most veteran grey nomads agree that the secret to a truly successful and relaxing Big Lap is to take it slowly, why does it suddenly seem that so many people are in a rush?
While not all of those caravans that speed past on the highway belong to grey nomads, it does appear that a ‘been there, done that’, ‘tick-this-attraction-off-the-list’ approach is becoming rather more prevalent.
Of course, part of the explanation is that the caravanning and camping lifestyle has taken off in a big, big way.
As well as retirees full-time on the road, there are trainee grey nomads dipping their toes into the lifestyle, there are the ‘let’s-race-around the-country-during-our-long-service-leave’ lappers, and there are also more young families and digital nomads taking time out from the ‘real world’.
Time’s up! We have three more beauty spots to tick off before we set up camp!
This has all led to a world where campsites and caravan parks get booked out well in advance, and spontaneous travel has become that much more elusive. In other words, to some travellers – even long-term ones – the journey is no longer the destination.
Whereas some grey nomads will stop at a nice free camp for a week or more just because they feel like it, others on a schedule will arrive at dusk and leave at dawn.
Whereas some travellers will take multiple walks to view a waterfall or a gorge from different perspectives at different times of the day, others will run up to the main viewing platform, take a snap, and be gone. And it’s not just here.
In China, these speedy ‘tick-the box-travellers have earned the title, ‘special forces travellers’, because of their efficient, disciplined exploration habits.
They plan their day’s itinerary with military precision, sometimes sleeping in 24-hour restaurants to save money and time, and accumulate more ‘been there’ stickers in a few days than many traditional travellers can accumulate in a decade.
“Of course, it takes a while to settle in the rhythm of your trip when you first set out,” said multiple lapper, Jeremy Mark. “It’s a pretty standard rookie mistake to start off by travelling too fast, I know we did … but some of the stuff we see now is crazy!”
And what advice does he have for the speedsters?
“Just slow down and take the time to smell the coffee so you can leave something to see the next time you pass through an area,” he said. “The idea is to enjoy it, not to lay claim to having seen more than the guys in the next site!”
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Friends of ours did a full lap in 9 weeks.
When they arrived home they told us there was ”nothing out there”.