We are Sue and Phil and we have just started the process of selling the farm in Wandin Victoria and hitting the road. We hope to leave by Easter 2012 or earlier if all goes well and have been planning the whole thing for a few months now. What a lot to go through to get started. Which caravan, what layout and tow vehicle. We used to travel a lot in a series two long wheelbase Land Rover camping in a tent until children stopped us and we sold the Land Rover. (Shed a tear that day) The guy that purchased it asked me if I really wanted to sell it. Well that was in 1972 the 4 daughters have grown up and we now have 16 grandchildren and have decided to hit the road again and have a good look at the country while we still can. We lived in a 28 ft Hacienda for 18 months 10 years ago while a house was being built on the farm (had a few builder problems) and we actually enjoyed it. So look out here we come all 4 of us. Myself, Sue and our two Chihuahua dogs Bam Bam and Pebbles that we cant part with. We dont know where we will go first but that never stopped us in the past. I used to get into the car back it out of the drive and turn and ask Sue left or right she would pick and we would see where it took us. We have a lot to learn about this caper and will probably ask a lot of questions; Sue wants to do it in style and currently is in love with a 22 ft Manhattan layout. Large kitchen, pantry, leather recliners etc. but we will be at the Melbourne expo in October deciding. I have been told that the 22ft van can be a problem getting into some parks as they have length restrictions and it is best to stick to 20 ft. or less. Can anyone offer any advice on this? We are going to spend a lot of time in the van and comfort is high on the requirements list with Sue.
-- Edited by Drifters on Wednesday 20th of July 2011 01:02:34 PM
-- Edited by Drifters on Wednesday 20th of July 2011 02:07:28 PM
-- Edited by Drifters on Wednesday 20th of July 2011 02:08:06 PM
First of all welcome to the forum Sue and Phil great to have you here. Secondly, could you please make your font a bit bigger. A lot of us have trouble reading the small stuff. Thanks a heap.
You will find that you will get so many answers to your questions it is a hard chore just sifting through them. At the end of the day its all down to you guys and what you want.
It is a great life on the road and as you have already had a taste of it in another life then you have a bit of an idea what it's all about.
Whatever you do, wherever you go and whatever you go in MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME.
Welcome Sue and Phil, Bam Bam and Pebbles. You will have a wonderful time. Going from your earlier trips turning right or left as you go out the gate, sounds like you have the right idea with that side of things. Sorry I can't be of any help with caravan size, I wouldn't have a clue. But I do love those dogs.
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, hold the control button and scroll and the font will enlarge or diminish depending on which way you scroll.
Sue & Phil, The size and weight of the van will determine the size of the tug (tow vehicle) and yes you may have some trouble with a large van.
Getting into some servo's due to the clearance issue with overhang at rear.
Also as you said into some van parks but not that many.
If you like bush camping as much as a lot of us do then there is also ground clearance in these situations.
There are many many different brands of vans with lots of different layouts so with a lot of patience and looking you will find one that you like.
Remember also that when traveling most of the living is done outside the van so enough space for you two and the 2 dogs is all you need. A shower toilet is nearly a must these days. I suggest that you look on the net at various new and 2nd hand vans to see what different layouts are about. As some van makers put a lot in and the van looks crowded and others put the same in and there is real space.
Finally Welcome to the forum and have lots of fun looking.
Cheers Dodg.
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I was tired yesterday and I'm tired today betcha I'm retired tomorrow. he he.
Thank you for your greetings from all of us. I am trying 14 pt instead of 12. I hope this helps Ma. And by the way BamBam and Pebbles love meeting people also and are very excited when they go on trips. As I said I am doing a lot of homework and concentrating on the rig first and then I will get the tow. I do the underside and look at things like ball weight 6 or 4 chassis and all that while Sue decides on what layout she wants. She loves one of the 22 ft Manhattan models with recliner leather chairs but doesnt mind a similar layout in a 20ft Inspiration both from crusader. These both require a heavy tow though mostly due to ball weight. We are also looking at the Traveller and a 20ft Concept with cross pack option that I like. We intend to get out and about where the whim takes us and think something tough will help although we are not going off roading like we used to. Unfortunately our start date is in the hands of the real estate agent.
welcome Sue and Phil from another Sue and Phil. We have a 24ft van towed with a Mazda 4 tonne truck (with a Rav4 on the back). We are about the size of a semi and haven't had any trouble getting into any parks as yet.
Wow Sue and Phil that is a large rig where do you carry the Rav4? is it on the truck? How do you find travelling in the Mazda? it's more a work horse and isn't exactly built for comfort.
Hi Drifters, we have a 21' Kedron, and have spend the last two weeks squeezing in and out of van parks. As long as you tell the park at reservation time what your length is, they will usually accomodate accordingly.
Your choice of van will depend on whether you plan to live full time or treat it as a holiday vehicle, whether you plan to stay on the bitumen or go off road. in our case, we plan to live full time and go off road, hence our choice of van. Whatever you choose, ensure you look at how much storage space you have. In our case, we have a boot, a through boot, and a bbq storage cabinet on the outside, as well as under bed storage, along with about 35 cupboards and drawers internally.
Like you, our "start date" was in the hands of the real estate agent, ours worked with us for 4months before selling our property, but all of our boxes were ticked in order, and our planned retirement date never changed.
good luck with your venture, and may we see you out there someday.
Dumowin Currently at Bargara Beach
-- Edited by Dunmowin on Wednesday 20th of July 2011 08:26:43 PM
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Pay it forward - what goes around comes around
DUNMOWIN is no longer on the road and still DUNMOWIN!
Thank you Dunmowin (love the tag) We do intend living in it and also spending some time off the beaten track so I am looking for something that can handle the rough roads and provide the comforts we both want or should I say all want.
Hi ChiChi
We actually have two other Chihuahuas, they are sisters. One is Patsy she is mostly white with some cream and a little black. She will go to live with my sister who loves her and comes over to visit her; the other may end up on the road with us also I have a feeling Sue will not be able to part with her. She is a small creamy red long hair. We also have three puppies at the moment. I have included some family pics. The black and tan boy is Trudys pup the others are girls. I can post other photos if anyone is interested.
-- Edited by Drifters on Thursday 21st of July 2011 12:11:28 AM
You are really Chi lovers. There are a couple of other members with chi's as well. Still trying to get Molls used to travelling. She gets a bit excited. Hopefully she will settle down. Maybe we will see you out there.
I hope so. We have a mixture. BamBam is up at the window most of the time and doesnt want to miss a thing. Pebbles has a look around for a while and then goes to sleep until you stop or change direction and Trudy goes off her brain with excitement.
-- Edited by Drifters on Thursday 21st of July 2011 12:10:47 AM
Hi Drifters We are newbies and are travelling in a 24ft van - my partner is still pretty nervous putting this in to parks but he has done really well and we have been in/out of parks in the two weeks we have had it as we are travelling up to Nth Qld for work for 3 months - we are nearly at our destination and it will be good to put down roots for a short time. Having said that packing and setting up all the time has been really good practice and we have learnt, through making mistakes, what to do, and what not to do! Everyone has been awesome - we are up front all the time saying we are new to the game (guess a brand new vehicle and brand new van stick out like a sore thumb too) but camp owners and other campers alike are all so willing to come and give us a hand and share advice and suggest things to get to make the experience easier. I basically chose the 24ft van - given it is our Ozzie home I wanted all the luxury I could get and definitely wanted the full bathroom and a decent wardrobe!!! Partner would happily have gone for something smaller, but we had read about others buying then upgrading soon after and losing money so we wanted to avoid that. So far we havent regretted it. Good luck with your planning and selling up.
It is a difficult balancing act isn't it? I think we all want our vans to be like the Tardis, small on the outside, but huge inside.
In the end we settled on a tiny little off road van (a Supreme Getaway) and had canvas awnings built so we can half surround it with roofing and we pretty much live outside. This suits us as we are happier sitting watching the embers of a camp fire than we are watching TV. Most of the time anyway.
There was one minor difference of opinion last Easter though - we were camped at Yulara (had to stay in the van park as there is no bush camping allowed anywhere out there) and Karen was invited over to watch the royal wedding at a neighbour's van.
She sat inside watching the TV while I (having refused the kind invitation) sat outside first watching the sky for satellites (that 30 or 40 minutes immediately after the sun has gone down but while it still lights up the sky and makes the satellites glow with reflected light is the best time) and then watching the sky for shooting stars. I think I had the best time!
We also chose a small off road van as we are fond of dragging it down rough and remote roads in search of those peaceful and isolated destinations and a big van simply wouldn't survive.
Anyway, my advice is to decide what you want to do and what you truthfully expect to do (they are not always the same thing) and buy according to that.
As I said earlier we used to travel in the land rover and go to some very remote places to camp in tents. But we now just want to tour around the countryside and visit as much as we can. We both have an interest in history and seek out the origins of places as we travel. This no doubt will take us off the beaten track a bit but most of our travels will be on bitumen. So I intend getting a van that can cope with rough roads etc. Sue wants a little luxury inside but like Joe we will probably spend most of our time outside. At least until the sand flies and mosquitos chase us inside. We have a small van that has a bed and kitchen and not much else and also a 28/30 ft Hacienda depending on how you measure it, that is spacious but has no ensuite which is a must on Sues list so it will be sold for an on site van with its annex. I guess as others have suggested the right one will leap out at us when we see it. My main concern at the moment is not purchasing something that parks are going to turn away because of size. Our wish lists at the moment appear to be around 19 to 21 cabin size with nice kitchen an off road suspension along with sola panels etc. as we intend to do a mixture of free camping as well as parks. I just can't wait for this phase to be over and hitting the road.
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