I have read with interest some recent posts about the cost of travelling and I have found them very informative. Also there was a distinct lack of provocative replies which is very refreshing.
These posts were generally aimed at retirees so the replies also were focused on travelling long term.
Apart from buying a second hand vehicle and ct/caravan, it all boiled down to the weekly/monthly budget; how far you travel to reduce fuel costs, what activities you take part in, etc.
At the end of the day I would say that once you retire, even if you don’t travel you need to follow a budget of some form and as the price of living goes up we have to cut back on the nice bottle of wine or something. I may be being simplistic, but you can retire and be broke at home or retire and be broke travelling.
I’m not trying to trivialise the situation; there are plans that may need to be sacrificed. Perhaps between the guided tour of (a) and (b), or between a guided tour and the monthly visits to a restaurant or fuel for touring the local area. There is no doubt that things are harder.
And that leads me to the point of this post. For people that haven’t retired it is completely different.
There is the mortgage or rent to pay while you are away. My circumstance is that I am employed casually as
well as self-employed and therefore get no ‘holiday pay’. Whether a week-end or a month; time off is a loss of wages. Yet I still have to pay rent (or mortgage), phone-line rental, internet connection etc while I travel. If we choose a NP then the dog ‘s accommodation as
well.
For a family of four on one wage,
camping has become an elitist activity.
Compare the 70’s when my father took us
camping up the Nth Coast; no fees ,
camp anywhere you like and no one gave a hoot.
Yet the things that my father gave me, maybe I can’t give to my kids. A love of the ocean, fishing, an understanding of tides etc without forking out loads of cash. Already in my lifetime it has changed that much. The cheapest
camping on the coast is $10 per person and $5 for kids and a $7 vehicle fee. Fortunately our youngest is under 5 and incurs no fee. So that is $32 per night to go
camping. So a weekend away is $62 plus ice, gas, fuel etc. Five nights
camping is $160 in fees alone. Plus loss of wages, rent etc. I think the back beaches of Crescent Head are the closest coastal
camping that aren’t NP which may be cheaper but since they are 400 km away the fuel cost outweighs any savings in
camping fees.
So I have turned my attention to cheaper or free inland camps. The trouble with that is that every 100 km (200 km return) is costing nearly $40 in fuel so there is a limit to how much you save.
For the last 6 months we have been planning on doing an inland trip that included a visit to Dubbo Zoo for the kids. I’ve had to tell them that there is no way we are doing that.
Is the cost of fuel prohibitive to travel?
Well it is one factor. It is the cost of living in general. What sort of world are my kids inheriting?
Phrases like 'Get out there while you can (or while it is still there)' or 'If you are worried about the price of fuel then you don't really want to see Australia' are absolutely meaningless.
regards
Brian