Life is for living how you see fit, and there are many who will say that your choice is also theirs and they have never looked back without wondering why they did not get up and go sooner.
Thats my outlook too.
Enjoy your new freedom and meet some of those wonderful people who will be your friends yet to meet.
You'll be surprised how well you cope. You only have fuel, food and the caravan park if and when. If you move to your next destination on pension day you will stay in a place for a week or 2, and get a good feel of the community where you are. You may even choose to stay longer. You don't have rates and taxes and expensive maintenance by tradesmen. Budget for rego, insurance, fuel and every incidentals. You're gunna have a ball!!!
__________________
20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Sometimes I just need to take a break (holiday) to ascertain reality .. I've been known to get heavily involved in extreme displays of lethargy in a vegetable state .. Doing nothing can be quite difficult .. one just never knows when you've finished !!
One of my motto's of life is, "I'm not on holidays, I'm on a lifestyle". You really do have to adjust your thinking from real estate and furniture to "the long grass", or you'll drive yourself bonkers. Minimum housework, more relaxed and casual (if you're wise), a social life which changes from day to day. Instead of drinking coffee with the same people, love them or not, you have new friends every day. Sleeping in the same bed at a new location whenever you choose is a great benefit of this lifestyle. The freedom and independence is absolutely liberating in so many ways, including the financial commitment one. Decide how you're going to spend your time. A compact hobby is a good option. You can't be sightseeing and being a "tourist" all the time. As noted, it's very expensive. You can visit some of these places without the guided, paid tour. Pick your interests and highlights if you do want to visit the attractions. There's history - museums and cemeteries, usually free or a gold coin donation. Birds, fishing, scenery, flora and fauna (plants and animals) lol.
__________________
20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
I agree with everything above. Having been on many levels of income I found i spent much more on a higher income to cushion the stresses that went with earning the extra loot. My take off date is getting closer and closer - it looks like May at this point - and I can hardly wait. I am fully confident of being able to live off the pension while on the road having invested as much as possible in ensuring I can be self sufficient while travelling. As Yeoeleven has noted in another thread, he found it possible to undertake repairs and unexpected maintenence without dipping too much into his emergency funds. There's a whole new life waiting out there and each day will bring new experiences and joys and part of that will be learning to live the life.
I have been a quiet observer for some time and find inspiration and certainly admiration for full time nomads and those making the transition. I guess we are all in limbo waiting for 'our time' to follow that dream.
Hi and welcome George and Jenny. Nice of you to join us. I hope you enjoy your stay. Do short trips in the mean time. Next weekend I'm hoping to join a newbie nomad on her shakedown trip with her recently acquired bus/motorhome somewhere in the vicinity of Victor Harbour or wherever. I'm not taking the van, just the "spare room" which is the awning attached to my Landcruiser under which I set up my camp bed. I love it.
__________________
20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.