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Re: need advice | By Maurie on 4/06/2009 4:40 p.m. | | Hire a van/motorhome and stay at a caravan park or two, preferably one with lots of tourists on the move, join their "Happy Hours" and ask questions. Nomads are friendly people and 99% would help you-take notes. I've spoken to some people who started off to do Australia for 12 months and 4 years later had only travelled a quarter of the way. I know there is work out there and in fact when doing your tax you can claim travelling expences. |
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Re: need advice | By tonynkrys on 4/06/2009 5:23 p.m. | | Just do it, you will learn fast, no one can tell you what you need as everyone is different, we can only suggest or give you options, we sold up in 1995 aged 52 and headed off, still travelling cheers tony r |
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Re: need advice | By happydays on 4/06/2009 5:35 p.m. | | Thanks heaps for responding to my queries. Just do it sounds great to me...They always say you don't know until you try so I guess thats what we are going to do. The sooner the better. Love reading all the experiences written & can't wait to be another wanderer. Great idea to hire a motorhome & stay at parks & mix with the travellers. hopefully get some info to help us that way. thanks heaps |
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Re: need advice | By tigerlillee on 4/06/2009 5:50 p.m. | | You go girl, good on the two of you to have the intestinal fortitude to go out there and do what you want. I would love to do that too but my hubby is not quite ready yet, maybe soon. Hiring a few different vans or RV's to see what suits you best is a great idea and may save you money and heartache in the long run, great suggestion Maurie. If you are going to live in your van RV you want to make sure that it is right for your needs, try a few before you buy. Have lots of fun and live life to the full while you can. |
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Re: need advice | By chook88 on 4/06/2009 8:12 p.m. | | my husband and I are planning our big trip now but are a way off from going, in the mean time I've been reading caravan forums, checking out caravan dealers, going to caravan shows and chatting to people who have been there done that. When buy our van and 4wd we intend to start with some short trips ie long w/e, 4-6 weeks. One thing I've learned is that you dont need to buy all that accessories and other stuff on display at the caravan shows |
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Re: need advice | By Jo on 4/06/2009 8:31 p.m. | | We have started on the bus, have sold hse, now renting it from our daughter and intend leaving early next yr. I'm 54 and Mark 60, we are going to work our way around, me Nursing and Mark can turn his hand to just about anything. Learning by going on forums, belonging to clubs and picking anyones brain that just happens to mention " we (I ) have travelled around Oz" just go and do it, your in the ground a long time! Look out for the "Rackinoff" |
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Re: need advice | By neecy on 5/06/2009 2:15 p.m. | | We have just started, got a 24ft second hand van and 4x4 and off we went. Have made it to Broome with lots of stops and lots to see. WE plan to pick up work along the way, truckie and carer. We have met lots of people doing the same at all ages. Make a date and just go, this is the life................. PS look for "NOT THERE YET" and say Hi |
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Re: need advice | By jo on 21/06/2009 10:16 p.m. | | go for it-plan to do same in 3 years(once kids independant)-thinking 4wd & campertrailer. I figure will be able to work-psch. nurse.did a lot of travelling twenty years ago in a kombi, so idea of being able to set-up camp & explore appeals-mind u kombis can go almost any where & did- |
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Re: need advice | By brandy on 22/06/2009 12:51 p.m. | | my other half and myself would love to do the same thing were just waiting for our youngest to turn 17 he is 14 now at the moment he would like to come with us but shaw he will change his mind so i say do it why wait. HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE... |
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Re: need advice | By happydays on 28/06/2009 10:48 a.m. | | thanks everyone for responding to my questions. sounds like we are not alone. maybe we might meet on the open road one day. still have a lot of decisions to make yet |
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Re: need advice | By GreyNomad on 16/07/2009 4:33 p.m. | We're just the basic pensioners & save for a year before taking off around OZ. We've just come home from our third trip & have barely touched the surface after 15 months of travel over 3 years. if we could, we would do it permanently but in our old age have got lazy & don't want to work again lol (*_*). There's no better life so you go for it. There's quite alot of travellers doing it with their children & do home schooling. We've met the friendliest people everywhere we've been.
GOOD LUCK. Just go. |
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Re: need advice | By Johnv on 22/07/2009 5:53 p.m. | Sounds like you've made some decisions already. Make another one DON'T sell your home like a lot have done - leave that option for a much later time, you can always come back to it.
We are on our second round Australia trip, this one much longer with work along the way, always in a caravan. I personally like the freedon of being able to park the van and go offroad places, to have the same freedom with a motorhome you will need to tow a car as I've seen many do. Good Luck. |
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Re: need advice | By gjduncan on 25/07/2009 10:27 a.m. | We have travelled around australia and seen some great places it doesnt matter how you do it you will enjoy the freedom just finished living for 2 years in a van park you meet the best people and its the only way to find out where the best places are to see on a budget and there is work out there just plan ahead and pick destinations for work and play we dont regeret getting out of the city anad living in the country even if you work its still a holiday 365 days a year northern Aus winter only to travel only doit if you like relaxing and meeting great people
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Re: need advice | By michaelcherie on 26/07/2009 6:41 a.m. | | Hi we are in the process of selling our house and everything else we have to travel australia as well but we didn't want to work our way around, we have found a lifestyle business where you can work from anywhere as long as you have a laptop and a phone it truely is an amazing business.We are just waiting for our house to sell and we are off. What a lifestyle. www.excelbefree.com |
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Re: need advice | By emilyrb on 6/08/2009 3:46 p.m. | Hi we are heading off in 2010 for 12 months with 2 kids.
Thinking of a jayco expanda.
any advice on the van or travelling with kids ?
Also anyone know of accredited childcare or 'family day care' that can be used occassionally ( may need a KID break )
thanks in advance |
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Re: need advice | By spandau tango on 14/08/2009 4:24 p.m. | | i woundnt bother,it is so boring,and you will most likely get on each others nerves after only a few days,if you want to still try it,i would suggest that you go on atleast 3 two week trips before doing the long trip,as you may not know your partners as well as you think,and just to findout how you and your partner reacts when something goes wrong in the middle of nowhere. |
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Re: need advice | By spandau tango on 15/08/2009 1:23 p.m. | | Also i forgot to mention that most of the people you meet ,you really would not usually mix with and you will find stuff missing when you wake up in the morning whilst camping with strangers,especially the gas bottles,keep those locked allways. |
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Re: need advice | By Ray E on 7/11/2009 6:38 p.m. | | We have been travelling on and off for 9 years now and have never had a problem other than a battery or alternator, (small problems) have heard of people having things pinched but we have experienced the opposite. Outback businesses seem to be always looking for employees as they come stay a while and go on. If you are thinking of a Caravan, get a hardtop with a strong chassis, forget anything with canvas, poptops have one thing only in their favour, they will fit into the average garage, from there it is all downhill for the rag top. Just apply commonsense to your travelling, get going and have a ball, it's all in your attitude. |
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Re: need advice | By bruceb on 10/11/2009 10:48 p.m. | | Good on you just came back from the Nullarbor working I was doing maintenance & my wife was house keeping just ask for work when you are in towns or service stations. I like caravans because you have a base once you take your van off your tow vehicle happy caravaning & try free camping get camps 5 help you save money |
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Re: need advice | By spandau tango on 12/11/2009 3:21 p.m. | | Ray you are so right about the poptops,i cannot understand why they are so popular,when they are such a pain in the back side,those short lunch stops can be so irritating ,and over time when the roof and the mechanism warps it will become very hard to operate,i wont even go into trying to fix the canvas and driving off with the top up. |
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Re: need advice | By spandau tango on 12/11/2009 3:31 p.m. | | also with the poptops,a sudden wing gust can bring down the top and maybe injure the occupants,i had mine go up very fast once due to a freak wind,throwing me against the cupboard and thru the door causing $850 worth of damage and injuring my groin. |
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Re: need advice | By happydays on 21/01/2010 2:58 p.m. | | Wow, this is such a great website. Thanks everyone for all your advice, I have now finished with my job(as of xmas) and am starting a serious research of vans & motorhomes, towing etc. cant wait to get going eh! Anymore advice most very welcome. |
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