GREY NOMADS

musketeer · Veteran Member

GREY NOMADS

BohemianGypsy · Guru

musketeer wrote:
hi all
watching the today show early the other morning ,steve jacobs was in cairns with some more of our crew , calling ourselves grey nomads ,but steve was saying we now call ourselves sun chasers , now even though I am grey under the colour tint on my hair ,I think that sounds better "sun chasers" lol don't you guys?

Yes I like Sun chasers as well lol.

Michelle

spida · Guru

Trouble with the name 'Grey Nomad' is that when you ask others if they are GN's they say yes - and you get all excited thinking they belong to this site - but they dont!

lyn-n-ken · Senior Member

the words Grey Nomads has been around a lot longer than this site,

its a generic term for older people who travel.

but a lot of the people on this site (and i don't want to upset anyone ) are not true nomads . nomads are people who live on the road travelling all the time most on here own homes and only holiday. however its a great site regardless

full of great info.

lyn.

jimricho · Guru

let's not get hung up on definitions! Grey Nomads is a general term describing a bunch of old farts (of which I am one!) who spend some or all of our time out on the road travelling. I'm happy with being referred to as a grey nomad (and ok with old fart too!) and don't need some other poncey ( wink biggrin ) title

aussietraveller · Guru

confuse I agree with jimricho getting hung up on definitions that have been used to serve the purpose of the individual do nothing for anyone, at what point does somebody become a nomad so if you are happy with the title Grey Nomad or Sun Chaser then its your choice wink wink

tiger5 · Senior Member

Boy they will have to call me the Bald nomad. biggrin biggrin

jetj · Guru

I'm happy with Grey Nomad or Old Fart too.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Yep - give me grey nomad any time - "sun chasers" does sound a bit poncey as jimricho says!! smile

DeBe · Guru

Sun chasers could also be Nudists!

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Well - having seen some grey nomads - not a sight I would like to see any time soon biggrin biggrin

Rip and Rosie · Guru

Not all grey nomads chase the sun. The grand trek from Victoria to Queensland might be popular but not everyone does it.
a) not everyone is from Victoria
b) lots of us go someplace other than Queensland

Australia is a big beautiful place, and there's more to it than sun.

Rosie

JRH · Guru

Who cares if we are called Grey Nomads, Sun Chasers, Old Farts or anything else for that matter.

We are elderly/retired folk who travel this great country called Australia and I cannot think of a nicer way to spend my retirement/old age than to go off whenever the feeling comes over me and see some of our wonderful country and then go home for a little rest before going off again to explore.

Cruising Granny · Guru

Before I was a "grey nomad" I was a gypsy. Moving around, relocating, working "holidays" (an oxymoron) are in my blood I think.
I've been enjoying caravan park living since the early 70's, with the occasion sabattical for children and relationships, not necessarily in that orders.
I haven't always chased the sun, but I usually chased work, or found work in a place I chose to live in. When I arrived I had a job to go to so I could pay the rent and eat. I've never really put much value on real estate, furniture and earthly goods.
I'm not unique. Just different.

antigoon · Veteran Member

According to the folk at Oxford Uni Press the term was first in print in 1995. Demographer Bernard Salt in his book The Big Picture attributes first usage to sometime in the 1980s, which is consistent with my own recollection of it being used to describe the winter migration of those from south-west WA to the Pilbara and Kimberley. I did not have the impression it was a new term but hey, it was the 80s. Interestingly Salt sees a time when "grey nomad" will become politically incorrect and fall out of usage (ditto retired, old, senior citizen) to be replaced by "adventurer" or "eco-traveller". Personally I like his own "new teenagers" - don't know they are old, think they are young and groovy, dress young, still active and involved.

musketeer · Veteran Member

hi to all ,whether we are grey nomads or sunchasers we absolutely love this life and at the moment we are not chasing the sun here in warren at 1degree in the morning,so they can call us whatever , but I will still put the odd tint in the hair,lol

musketeer · Veteran Member

just read your post I like new teenagers too lol

NeilandRaine · Guru

I stole the title of a Slim Dusty song "Mechanised Swaggie" and have it on the back of our van.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

I'm a recycled teenage part time grey nomad who is often called an old fart by one of my daughters.

Happywanderer · The Master

I like the term grey nomad. I am a grey nomad, I get out on the road as much as I can and I am of the age when we refer to ourselves as grey whether our hair is grey or not.
I do like Recylced Teenagers as well, but eould be harder to use it in conversation all the time.

valnrob · Guru

NeilandRaine wrote:
I stole the title of a Slim Dusty song "Mechanised Swaggie" and have it on the back of our van.

NeilandRaine,

Love this, "Mechanised Swaggie" cause it's so true!!

ps I'm a GN I've got grey hair, liked it better when it was black but hey...I'm over it.

gunnago · Senior Member

call me whatever but not late 4 happy hour cheers

valnrob · Guru

john & kay

hmm caravanning or housework and lawnmowing let me think!!

This so reminds me of my husband, he's always saying, "this campings a damn good lurk, far better than being home mowing the lawn"

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

I guess, given the for's and against's above for various 'labels' I may get some members offside - it is not the intention, but I am sure it will. Hence, apologies in advance.

The lifestyle I am leading now I decided would be my 'retirement' back when I was in my early 30s - around 1978/9. I had the good fortune to begin this lifestyle at the age of 41 (1988). We bought a big van for the family to begin an 'early semi-retirement'. After nearly three years of working and travelling, circumstances (young daughter diagnosed with cancer) caused us to remain very close to medical help for about two years, putting the 'lifestyle' on hold.

We bought a house, I returned to full-time employment and I thought that we would resme the 'journey' after a couple of years when she was well - or worse. She survived the disease but we decided their education - through to Uni - meant we needed a bit more income than the travelling lifestyle would provide.

I always maintained, and bored those who would listen to, my desire to return to the 'travelling lifestyle' when I 'retired'. People would respond with "Oh, you want to be a Grey Nomad?!". I would vigorously insist that I was not going to be a Grey Nomad, I would be a gypsy, living in my van, travelling from place to place, doing some work when the fancy, or circumstances, dictated.

It annoyed me that people thought my chosen lifestyle would fit into the image generally held of the "Grey Nomad" - people who retired from work, continued to live in their fixed abode and travelled the winter - predominantly. I would stress that was NOT to be my lifestyle.

I insisted I was a gypsy - if a label needed to be affixed - and that, like the snail, I would have my home 'on my back' and very slowly move about the country.

So, after the longwinded background above, I have always seen the Grey Nomad label applied to one who was not actually a nomad, but someone who was retired, lived in a home, had a van/motorhome/camper and travelled predominantly as a 'sun chaser' for 4, 5 or 6 months of the year. Indeed, in my travels over the past three years, probably 95% of those I have met live that lifestyle rather than the life I lead.

I am a member of this site and willingly 'allow' the lable of Grey Nomad to be affixed to my persona and in that context am glad to accept the "club" and its members.

However, if some sort of label needed to be attached to describe me, I would much rather be called a gypsy, or to plagirise a member's nickname, a happy wanderer rather than the misnomer in today's vernacular - Grey Nomad.

Cheers - John

Happywanderer · The Master

Thank you John.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

We are full time on the road - and we don't mind being called, grey nomads, gypsys, homeless, trailer trash, whatever - this is the life we have chosen - and we love it - could never imagine iving in a house again, and most especially in a "suburb"!!!!!!

So grey nomads we will be -even though I am not grey!

Cruising Granny · Guru

"Trailer Trash" I most definitely am not! I've seen this trash, and I don't want to be there. our standards are much higher here.

pauline · Guru

I really just want to see as much of this country as I (we) can, don't know what you would call us, but we had another great adventure the last 4 days..........he is grey, I refuse to go there yet, but we are still out there, "living our dream" and we are still together doing the best we can.

BohemianGypsy · Guru

pauline wrote:
I really just want to see as much of this country as I (we) can, don't know what you would call us, but we had another great adventure the last 4 days..........he is grey, I refuse to go there yet, but we are still out there, "living our dream" and we are still together doing the best we can.

LOL Pauline Ray is grey as well and so was I until a week ago and coukld stand it no longer so I went to the hairdressers and got it changed to ash blonde at least now you won't see the grey coming back hehehehehe. I now refuse to be grey!!!

Michelle

pauline · Guru

Good for you BG...........we need to stick together in certain things, I just ain't going there YET.