So,"man of the van" and I recently bought a used outback expanda set up for free camping as an upgrade from a big canvas tent. We have lots of kids but only 2 little ones 7 & 10 yr old boys in the van with us. The idea is to use it on weekends, school holidays and some touring once we get our confidence.
BUT..."man of the van" also bought a new business and so he is time poor at the moment.
Me being a bit of a self starter can't wait so I have had the van out a number of times already... Two van parks in Lake Conjola NSW, private property in Bowral NSW, Kosciosku?, Bega NSW.
Mostly things went well, and I was able to extricate my 10 yr old from the surprisingly fast moving awning frame with a helping hand from my van park neighbour with no physical injuries, but.....
I want to become proficient so as to be able to whisk my hard working hubby away to enjoy the fruits of his labour and also to make him proud of me and not regret forking out for this caravan.
I'm super excited to learn from you guys and gals and look forward to tapping into the communal pool of knowledge & experience.
Welcome to the gang Amanda, enjoy here and out in the playground.
Make sure you check out all the different sections of this great forum as heaps of info for your learning experience that you mentioned, you can then ask any questions in te appropriate one then.
You will find most of us here a friendly lot with a scattering of the other type
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
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DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
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G'day Amanda and welcome to the forum. Don't forget to try the two ongoing games here - 'Who is This' in the 'I Digress' section and 'Pick this Place' in the 'General' Section - a great source to find new places to visit.
Good on you for getting out & having a go. I wish I had your confidence ? Seems odd that I can operate heavy machinery, run a road construction crew but can't have the guts to do the van thing on my own,
* husband always to busy,
* to many mates to drink with, blah blah blah.
I need to take a leaf from your book & just get my wagon & my van & GO !!
Im glad you found some helpful fellow travelers, it's the awning set up & pack up that is my challenge, plus reversing Van
I have always found that there are many people willing to lend a hand. Good luck & enjoy your travels, might run into you somewhere......
Awww, Thanks for the welcome and encouraging feedback. I am most nervous about getting the van reversed onto my site too....luckily I have been able to drive straight on to it so far, but I figure if I struggle I can always ask for help. So it really is a non issue. My first trip away "man of the van" & I called into the van park and asked if we could have a look around to pick a site and we even took the van in and I had some practice reversing it while the place was quiet & there was less pressure, which eased my anxiety a lot. I told them it was my first time & they were pretty cool I asked for more time on pack up morning too(out by 10am is a challenge) so I wasn't under the pump so much. We stayed long enough for me to take my time getting the awning up and have a play with detachable shade screens & poles & pegs and furniture layouts...then there was getting the fridge running cold enough to make ice but not too cold to freeze my salad. Figure out the stereo speakers, tune in the tele....with varying degrees of success....To be honest I have a long way to go yet.
I keep my manual which I have edited & adapted into a "womanual" close by & refer to it regularly so I follow setup and packup in an orderly fashion. I really want to learn good habits from the get go. It can get a bit tense with two boys pulling stuff out of tool boxes & generally running amok, but they have to learn to be helpful too. I figure that I can learn as I go by experiencing issues as they arise while getting use of the van, we didn't invest in it to have it sitting in the garage. While hubby is time poor, I'm not, so the kids & I head off, setup, and Dad joins us if he can. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time away so far.
I talk to fellow travellers & keep an open mind about advice & tips, ( I like to hear the same advice from a few sources before taking it for fact) and I am really happy to have the grey nomads behind me. I spent a bit of time checking out the site & forums (doing research training and development) yesterday and found it really interesting & inspiring. Think I will get a map on the wall & start pinning in a wish list, but for now I want to stay say within Maximum 4hr drive of Sydney.
We have a beautiful big island & I want to see a whole lot more of it with "man of the van" one day.
Doing the short trips, (in my opinion), is the best way of preparing for the longer trips
Some people go on a driving course, to learn about towing/backing the caravan etc
Other people just practice in an empty supermarket car park
Back in the day when most of us oldies were teenagers, there were no official driving courses, and there were no big supermarket car parks, in many rural towns
By the time we had a caravan, most of us were already proficient in towing the trailer, to collect the firewood
It was just a case of practice making us perfect
I hope that there are many happy road trips ahead of you, and your family
And it's welcome from us two 2 Amanda Expanda sounds to me that you don't lack and get up n go so just a bit more practice and you'll be good as gold , " man of the van " is a lucky guy.
" Womanual " ... love it .
Woody. Sue
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When the power of Love becomes greater than the love of power the World will see peace ! 24ft Trailblazer 5th wheeler n 05 Patrol ute and Black Series Dominator camper trailer ( for the rough stuff)
A Big welcome from us too Amanda I think its great that you and the kids are having a go, you will find we are usually a very friendly and helpful bunch and if you get a sticker from the site shop we will definitely say gday when we see you out in the big playground.
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Life was meant to be enjoyed Australia was meant to be explored
Happily doing both to the Max.
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Hello amanda, u go girl. A good place to go away for a weekend is to a showground. Lots more room to maouvre the van n cheaper than a van park. I do believe life is to be enjoyed and life is an adventure. Have fun.
