NEW FULLTIMERS 2012

Thanks for that reply. We are already trolling the net and reading all we can on what's available just about every chance we get. Not sure about off road but want to be as independant as we can regarding living expenses. Husband wants to be 'fished out'. Also have companion dog to consider regarding accommodation.
As for what we are prepared to spend we have looked at options from 1 to $300,000 both new and secondhand. As this vehicle is to be our permanent home we don't want to feel squashed! Also enjoy the company of grandchildren from time to time, holidays etc.

Just great to get a response.

Very wise words Val. "Try before you buy" is very pertinent in this case.

Regards

Oh yes - MOST important.

Mh

Thanks for all the information guys and gals. You can be sure that we are really grateful for all your points of view. It has really helped to make up our minds to look at the caravan and tow vehicle and discount the motorhome and fifth wheeler option.

As I said before neither of us have ever travelled before but my husband was a well travelled hitchhiker for some years before we met both in Europe and America and has been working as a public transport bus driver for the past 10 years.

We both made the decision to migrate to Australia some 23 years ago and despite missing family members back home and travelling back to visit the aged one remaining we have never regretted our decision. We have adopted Australia since our migration and love this country. We knew nothing of Australia before we came other than our research and having the mind set that we had experienced all the UK had offered us up to that point and really found it to be sadly lacking. So at +40 years we sold up the little we had and landed here with the mind set that there was no going back.

So now we are at another crossroads with retirement on the horizon, we are planning that it will be a challenging but happy time and offer so much more than sitting within 4 walls waiting for the family to visit and the bills to drop into the postbox. How boring and unproductive would that be?

As for the only fly in the ointment that we can see which would be related to health issues. . . home or away they are the same. We rae both fit and healthy and intend to remain that way. Sure that getting out and meeting people as well as leading a healthier lifestyle will only serve to prolong our years. Got to be better than a desk and computer full time in my case and shift work and sitting behind a wheel all day every day in my husband's. There is little time left for anything other than sleep it seems!

Anyway will keep on looking and talking, and any further thoughts from anyone out there who is still interested will be apppreciated.

Many Thanks

Like D, we are also people who need our home, our animals and somewhere to store our lives, including three or four generations of memories.

My husband would not cope full time on the road. After a couple of months he gets edgy, and after three months is downright impossible. He also needs to be doing something bigger than what you can do or make in a caravan.

We met many couples where the man said two or three months was enough, whereas their wives were happy to travel long term. We met others, where the wife stayed inside, constantly brushing away and resenting every grain of dust that landed on the caravan - so sad for the man who had ambitions to tour long term, whereas she cannot cope away from the city, the grandchildren, and makes his life a misery without intending to.

Travelling retirees are so much fitter and healthier than those staying at home. We have met some amazing elderly people out on challenging walks.

If it is your ultimate choice, you will be selling on a market that is low, and may not be able to buy in again but like thousands of others, you could always rent when you can no longer travel.

Marie, certainly trial it for three months as a couple of weeks is not enough to tell. Also start with something cheaper for you trial runs as nobody gets it right first time round; what you think you want, and what you want after experience is often rather different. Only then will it be time to make the decision to sell the house or not. There is always the option of selling an putting some of the money into a cheaper rental property - so you still have some real estate equity - lots more about these topics on my website.

Mh

Hi again Marie,

I have to agree totally with the all points MH makes. I will add a few more, given that you say you haven't done any travelling and that your husband wants to do a lot of fishing. I apologise in advance if some of these sound a bit obvious, but I do think they are sufficiently important for you to consider as you contemplate living on the road

First, please remember that Australia is big - really big - and the distances between places can be great. Often even the highways pass through very remote country, where it can be hot, windy, dusty, even lonely. You need to be prepared for that.

We don't fish but the really good fishing places seem to be around the coast of NW WA and in the Gulf of Carpentaria. I suggest that it would be worthwhile to go and have a look at the kinds of campsites or caravan parks where you would most likely to be staying. In some areas there is intense competition for space in camping areas and sites need to be booked months ahead. What you find there may well influence your decisions.

Bear in mind that during summer the northern part of the country can be very wet. Most retired people who travel go north in the winter, so places there can be crowded. At the more popular places eg Broome, caravan parks can be quite expensive, and require booking ahead. Summer in the southern states can be hot as you know, but if you are on the road full time you do need to think about a year-round itinerary that takes account of seasonal conditions.

Getting some training in towing and backing a van and using a 4WD (if that is what you get to tow a van) is excellent advice. It is also good if both of you can share the driving. Sadly many women, for whatever reason leave all the driving to their husband. Apart from missing out on the fun, if anything happens to him and he can't drive, these women are stuck and incur a lot of anxiety and expense to become mobile.

MH's suggestion to get a small cheap rig for a trial period of several months or even a year is an excellent one that would allow you to get a decent feel for the conditions that you will find. If you enjoyed that experience you could then be more confident in choosing and buying the rig of your dreams.

Cheers,

Val

Thanks for the reminder about distances but as for being lonely - I don't think so. We have each other and many and varied shared interests. Just no time generally to fit them all in till we retire!

We are looking forward to the experience and think that in general mindset and courage are also good things to take with you.

Regarding mementos we have never been a couple who find them important. We have our photos on disc. An E Reader that holds 3500 books and all our music on ipod and pc. Keeping 'things' is something we have never done and the memories we hold dear are safe in our hearts and minds.

I don't fish either - though I can cook 'em up pretty good!

Still researching and learning though and will be for some months to come.

Thanks everyone.

Marie. ps MH's website is AWESOME!

Thanks for that. D. Will certainly take your advice about the towing instruction.