Lifestyle – Travel
Living life on the road Being able to travel around Australia visiting some of the most beautiful and pristine places the country has to offer is often a dream for many older Australians; becoming a grey nomad.
T
here is a lot of planning involved if you want to live your life on the road, whether you choose to travel for a short time or for a long, once in a lifetime trip. You need to consider how to finance your travels and make sure you don’t have a care in the world when you are away from home.
When deciding where to travel, make a list of places you want to visit.
And of course, there is not a set way to travel as a grey nomad, so have a think about what you imagine your trip to be like so you can plan for it.
When deciding where to travel, make a list of places you want to visit. The Great Ocean Road in Victoria? The Kimberley in Western Australia? What about Uluru in the Northern Territory? Millaa Millaa Falls in Queensland? Are you prepared to ferry over to Tasmania with your motor home? Set up your caravan for a night under the stars in the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales? Or how about visiting Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia? If you have a number of iconic spots you want to visit, you should try to map out the best way to reach all of your dream destinations without making the travel route too difficult. You should also be aware of if you intend to stay in caravan spots or camps, or whether you may need to go bush and make friends with the wild. And are the caravan sites you are visiting free or paid?
Ask other grey nomads about their experiences along the way and what they recommend to visit or suggest to avoid. If you are new to caravanning, you may find a lot of the Kimberley can be difficult to traverse if you aren’t experienced enough. Whereas, some people may not feel comfortable travelling along the Great Ocean Road on its windy roads with their caravan.
Budgets and bills Money is going to be a big component of travelling. Firstly, you need to think about how long you want to travel for and then figure out how much your dream trip is going to cost. Knowing how long you will travel for will give you a better idea around all the different monetary variables for the trip. While you want your travel to not feel like a chore, it is better to be prepared for how much things
Make sure to take into consideration all of the variables, for instance, the health needs of your partner or yourself, what caravan or motor home you intend to purchase, and talk to family and friends about how this trip will work.
Location, location, location Do you know where you are travelling to? Is it easy to get to? How long does it take to drive between towns?
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