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RETIREMENT & LIFESTYLE PLANNING | |
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| ISSUE - 21 - Summer 2005/2006 | |
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Changing gears - How to run away from home
Next year thousands of Australians of all ages will, like Toad, seek the open road, travelling for months or even years. If this is your dream but lack of organisation, lack of time to plan or fear of the unknown have held you back, let Kate Johnston help you take the leap.
Remember when the great Australian Dream was the house, the hearth and the Hills Hoist? It's now been replaced by running away from home – for a long time!
It's worth taking the time to address the who, what, when, where and how of packing your life into a motorhome or caravan and taking to the road. We asked the experts for their practical guideline for hassle-free travels.
So what's the plan?
Start planning your trip by asking these basic questions:
• How are you going to pay for the trip?
• When is the best time to go?
• Where will you travel?
• What do you take, what do you leave behind (for instance, emotional baggage)?
• Who do you go with?The time of your life
Is there ever a good time to say goodbye to family, friends, house and hedge? It's a personal decision, but there's no denying the influence of the weather in choosing when to go where.
“Travellers usually go north in winter and south in summer,” says Samantha Lazarou from Winnebago Industries. “Check with state or territory tourism bodies for best times of year to travel.”
Perhaps your taste buds will lure you into hitting the gourmet highlights, or your nose for a good story will lead you on a literary trail. ”Many people plan their itinerary around Australia's huge range of arts and craft festivals and local markets,” says Samantha. Or maybe ‘all play and no work' makes the cherry-picking season sound like fun? Following the fishing season may incite a feeding frenzy, but what about feeding your soul with some jazz and blues?
It's a major lifestyle change, so make sure you've talked about all the issues with your travelling partner/s. Be honest about your hopes and fears for the trip: how you imagine it will work on a day-to-day basis and what you most want to get out of the experience. It will mean less time debating and more time delighting.
Proper preparation can take a number of months. Think ahead. How long do you really want to be away? Some people mightn't like the idea of being miles from home on important anniversaries, birthdays or family events, or around HSC/VCE exams or the due date of a much-anticipated grandchild.
Need to know: Note school holidays – caravan parks charge double.
Do you know where you're going to?
So how do you work out where you want to go? “Make a basic plan but know that this will change,” says Samantha. “It's inevitable you will meet people whose stories of interesting places, things to do and roads to avoid will affect your plans.”
Sometimes the highway to heaven will get you where you want to go but taking the low road brings surprises. Every day will feel different, and staying flexible is part of the fun.
Lee Atkinson, author of On the Road , says experience has taught her to opt for depth not breadth. “Once on the road, take your time! Decide to see less and explore regions in detail. Stay longer in one place. With petrol prices so high, it makes more and more sense.”
When it comes to petrol, think about the timing. “Check the opening hours for petrol stations in remote areas,” says Lee. ”They can still close at 5 p.m. weekdays and 12 noon on the weekends.”
And don't forget, good maps can make all the difference (to tempers, as well to getting where you want to go). Samantha recommends Hema maps, and state automobile associations offer good maps free to members. Local information centres are another valuable source of free maps.
Need to know: For a comprehensive guide to public toilets across the country, go to www.toiletmap.gov.au
Need to know: Froggyswebs.com.au has a fuel watch that tells you the cheapest fuel prices in each state.
I get around – but in what?
Before you even buy a map, you'll have to navigate your way through the many vehicle options. Whether you choose a motorhome or a caravan, there are a number of ways to make the decision less stressful.
“Consider renting or doing a deal to take a short trip as a trial run. It will give you a feel for the vehicle and can help to iron out the practical issues,” says Samantha.
And let's face it, just as we tend to take more stuff than we need, we tend to think bigger is better. “Think seriously about how large your rig needs to be,” says Lee. “Remember you have to manoeuvre it around caravan parks, shopping centres and national parks. Many people who utilise caravan parks find they use the indoor shower and bathroom less than they thought they would, and move to a smaller vehicle for their second trip.”
Of course, the little things do count. A ‘Claytons' trip will help to simplify packing and preparations for the long stretch. ”You'd be surprised how much it can help to have sorted out such things as where it's best to put cutlery, plates and even shoes,” says Samantha.
Don't rush the decision – get the vehicle that suits your specific needs, not just the biggest or latest model.
Need to know: travellers with disabilities can find a heap of information at www.nican.com.au
Buy now or pay later?
With such a major purchase it always pays to shop around. You'll be amazed at the difference in deals. Don't hesitate to ask for flexibility in financial arrangements, as there are a number of ways you can structure the purchase depending on your personal and financial needs.
“Some people sell their homes to buy a motorhome,” says Samantha. “Some pay 50 per cent now, 50 per cent later. There are also deals where you pay 50 per cent now, go travelling, then the dealership will buy the vehicle back from you when you return.” Check the terms of conditions of any deal you sign.
If you're buying a motorhome, think of it as an asset like your home. “A motorhome often retains value or even appreciates, if it's well-maintained,” says Samantha.
Home away from home
Your new home will need TLC as it takes you across the continent. Look after it and it will bring you hours of hassle-free pleasure. Both Lee and Samantha agree on the importance of making sure your vehicle is in good working order.
Before you run away
• Get your vehicle serviced.
• Buy a spare battery for emergencies.
• When you're packing, stow away every single thing: even one book can be a deadly missile.
• After you've packed, check the vehicle's wheel alignment.
• Know the gross vehicle mass and post-packing, the combined mass of your vehicle and load. This is important because older bridges have weight restrictions. Contact your state's vehicle registration authority to find out where you can weigh in . Remember, adding a bike or surfboard can make a real difference and the extra weight also impacts on petrol usage.
Need to know: Watch the height restrictions at bridges. Know the height of your vehicle, and don't forget to factor in any air-conditioning unit on the roof.Samantha recommends joining an automobile association. “Depending on your level of membership,” she says, ”they can offer the reassurance of evacuation should there be an emergency and you need to fly home quickly.”
Need To Know: remember fruit fly restrictions. Freecall 1800 084 881 for a reminder of the borders across which you cannot take fruit.
On the road
• Regularly check water and oil levels and tyre pressure.
• Watch the battery level – running fridges and other gadgets can drain it, especially if yours is an older fridge. Turn off appliances at the power point.
• Keep your windscreens clean. The glare at sunrise, sunset or from headlights at night can reduce vision and make driving more tiring (and hazardous). Don't forget to top up the windscreen-washer bottle.
• Check the sealants around windows and hatches, as they can become dry or shrink in extremes of weather.Insurance matters
Of course, it's important to get the right insurance. You may need personal travel insurance as well as the usual vehicle insurances. If you are going to be living in a motorhome as your primary residence, you should check the relevance of your current house and contents policy with your insurance company or broker. Also make sure they are notified that you won't be in residence or using your house as a residence for an extended period of time. Ask what the insurance ramifications of this are.
Need to know: If you do a first aid course, you often get a discount on a first aid kit.
Take a load off
So what to take and what to leave behind? There are those who wouldn't dream about running away without their pet. Fido's food, furnishings and fleas will need to be considered, although these days there are a range of pet-friendly caravan parks and camping grounds.
Need to know: FFI – For Fido's Information: read Holidaying with Dogs (2005, A “Life, Be In It” Publication) or go to the website www.holidayingwithdogs.com.au
Once you arrive and set up camp, a bike can make getting around simpler and more pleasant. But do you really need that surfboard? Realistically – what is going to lie around unused and taking up precious space? Part of running away is being prepared to shed the security blanket. And like all travelling, you always end up coming back with more, not less.
A basic survival strategy should include a quality tool kit and first aid kit, but equally important is housecleaning equipment, insect repellent, a camera and a good book – just not a library!
You might be tempted to stock up on food, but unless your intention is to go outback and stay outback, part of the fun of touring is visiting farmers' markets, trying regional taste treats or preparing seasonally-based meals.
Need to know: For true-blue cooking the Aussie way, read Explore Wild Australia With The Bush Tucker Man , Les Hiddins, 2003 Explore Australia Publications, RRP $34.95
Storage is going to be an issue, so ask yourself, should it be the sleeping bag or linen? And if it's the latter – how much linen is too much? How often do you want to be washing sheets?
On the other hand, don't throw the baby out with the washing water – for example, if your travelling partner is left-handed, can you really survive without that left-handed vegetable peeler?
Allow time to think your packing through carefully, lest you fall foul of that other old adage, “Pack in haste and repent at leisure” (or something like that) and end up peeling all those farmers' market veggies from one side of Australia to the other.
2006 Festival Frenzy
If you're considering planning your trip around the festival circuit, take a look at this month-by month cross-continent calendar for a possible itinerary.
28 December 2005 –8 January Hobart Summer Festival , Tasmania
20–29 January Tamworth Country Music Festival , New South Wales
12–14 February Wangaratta Jazz Festival , Victoria
3 March–19 March Adelaide Festival of the Arts , South Australia
13–17 April National Folk Festival , Canberra, ACT
5–7 May Commonwealth Bank Police Tattoo , Adelaide, South Australia
10–13 June Merimbula Jazz Festival , New South Wales
1 July–7 August Darwin Cup Carnival , Northern Territory
13–23 July Perth International Film Festival , Western Australia
3–6 August Byron Bay Writers Festival , New South Wales
8–10 September 2006 Gorgeous Voices Festival: Celebrating Women in Song , Bendigo, Victoria
30 September–2 October Barossa Music Festival , South Australia
24–26 November Broome Mango Festival , Western Australia
Try before you buy
Before you buy a motorhome, you can join the Winnebago RV Club, which gives members the opportunity to try vehicles out, ask informed questions and get the inside story from friendly, more seasoned, travellers. The club also offers discounts on rental vehicles if you want to try one out on a short trip.
There's no place like home
We focus so much on the road ahead, but if you're leaving a home behind you, there's a few things you won't want to forget. “Remember to cancel your home deliveries and ask neighbours to collect the mail,” says Lee.” And it might be worth installing a light timer so it looks like someone's home.” Also organise for any ongoing bills to be paid by direct debit.
Lines of communication
Many people run a business from the road, and they can't do without mobile phones and email. If you feel out of touch without your personal computer and don't have a laptop, a Blackberry could be your new best friend: it's a pocket-sized wireless email, SMS, telephone, internet and intranet device.
There's a wide range of Blackberrys available. See some of them at www.phoneshop.com.au
If running away means isolation but you need to stay available to family, satellite phones can keep you in range. There is a new government subsidy for the purchase of a satellite telephone for those who live or work in remote areas that aren't serviced by Telstra. For more information on whether you qualify and how to apply, go to www.dcita.gov.au/satphone or call 1800 674 058.
Running on empty?
Of course, you can't ignore the financial realities of taking to the track – and it is possible to earn money while on the move. See Sue and Val's story on : they travel up and down the Queensland coast earning income through renting their primary residence, picking cherries and performing in their country music band.
And with today's mobile technology, it's easier to work and play at the same time. “Some people make their motorhome their ‘motoroffice' and run their business from wherever they are,” says Samantha.
Helena Gibson from Clearview Retirement Solutions advises that making the decision to purchase a motorhome or caravan could affect your Centrelink benefits, especially if you decide to sell your home and make a motorhome your principal residence.
A motorhome is considered an asset and, depending on its market value, could disadvantage you through the loss of benefits by taking you over the asset threshold, especially if you no longer own a regular home. You could consider downsizing your primary residence, if you need to free up some cash flow to fund the trip.
Contact Centrelink (see resources box) to find out details about the advantages and disadvantages as they apply to you.
Need to know: A motorhome is considered your principal residence if you are away for more than 12 months, and this distinction could affect your Centrelink benefits.
Alone again, naturally: no excuse not to go
Travelling solo is common, and good fun! To get you into the swing of things, look into the caravan and motorhome ‘solo clubs'. “The Winnebago RV club runs ‘solo safaris' into more remote areas,” says Samantha Lazarou. “Participants travel in a convoy and guides are available to help with the organisation of touring into isolated areas. Our club website also has a chat forum for making contact with other solo travellers, picking up tips and asking questions of those who have gone before or are about to go.”
More
BooksExplore Australia , 2005, Hardie Grant Publishers, RRP $69.95 (ordering on online can be cheaper)
On the Road by Lee Atkinson, 2005, New Holland Publishers RRP $29.95
Holidaying with Dogs 2005, A Life Be In It Publication RRP $18.95Websites
www.winnebago.com.au
www.australiancaravantouring.com.au
www.cmca.net.au – the Caravan Motorhome Club of Australia
www.exploreoz.com.au
www.australia.com
www.travelingaustralia.com
www.goseeaustralia.com.au
www.motorhominglifestyle.com
www.caravanning-oz.com
www.big4.com.au/public
www.planbooktravel.com
www.nican.com.au – for travellers with disabilities
www.holidayingwithdogs.com.au – for a happy FidoGroups
The Caravan Motorhome Club of Australia
The Winnebago RV Club
Big 4 holiday parks – offers discounts for membersWho's who?
Samantha Lazarou works for Winnebago Industries.
Lee Atkinson is author of On the Road: 40 great driving holidays in Australia , New Holland Publishers RRP $29.95
Helena Gibson works for Clearview Retirement Solutions. ph 132 976
Do it before you can't!
Sue Houlgrave and Val McCormick went on their first motorhome trip eight years ago after both women lost their husbands within six months of each other. Little did they know it would lead to a full-time life on the road, playing country music up and down the Queensland coast, selling their CDs, and making occasional stops to pick cherries.
“The best part about living in a motorhome is that if you don't like your neighbours, you can just move on!” says Sue. “But over the years we've travelled, we've bumped into many of the same people and have developed great friendships.”
The road has been good to them in more ways than one. In eight years they've had no serious vehicle breakdowns. Sue says they've kept their motorhome regularly serviced. “We did have a flat tyre once. We were 10 kilometres out of Tamworth. It was late Saturday afternoon and nothing was open, so I was glad we had the proper equipment. I'd also watched a truckie change his tyre once, and I learnt a lot from that.”
Learning to make their own way after such great loss has meant the firm friends carry a ‘seize the day' attitude into everything they do. Their band, Country Blues has produced seven CDs, with the latest release called Little Bit Of Gospel due out soon.
The busy musicians have scaled down their schedule and now live six months on the road and six months at home. They've seen so much of the country they could almost write their own guide book.
Coral Bay in Western Australia is Sue's favourite Australian destination. “It's not over-touristy and you don't have to walk far to get out to snorkel the coral reefs at low tide,” she says. “We also like the community there.”
The freedom that comes with choosing to take to the road doesn't mean you will become isolated. In fact, for Sue and Val, it has meant the beginning of a life filled with fun, friendships and country music fans.
Some facts about Motorhome and Campervan Travellers?
• On average, they spend 157 days travelling each year.
• More than 12 per cent tow a vehicle.
• More than 28 per cent bring their pets with them, usually a dog.
• Their average weekly spend is approximately $400 with the overall budget between $9000 and $10,000.
• When they stop in a town they spend on average up to $390 in local shops.
• When they stopped overnight in a rest area they spend on average $80.
• More than 60 per cent intend to visit both the northern and southern parts of Queensland in the next two years.
• When travelling in Queensland, they spend almost twice as much time in outback Queensland as in any other region.
• Their most important source of information on where to stay and where to stop is word-of-mouth.
• Of those currently travelling, 50 per cent intend to keep travelling for more than 10 years and 32 per cent intend to keep travelling for up to 10 years.
• Their most popular activity when travelling is visiting markets (82 per cent), followed by visiting heritage sites, bushwalking, visiting a national park, visiting a museum and undertaking a full or half-day tour.
• After purchasing groceries and fuel, their next largest expenditure item is tourist attractions and services.Statistics supplied by the Caravan Motorhome Club of Australia.
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Your Life, Your Retirement. PO Box 1150N Armadale North Victoria 3143 Australia
Phone: 613 9824 6901 - Fax: 613 9824 6362
Email: publisher@yourlifechoices.com.auIS PUBLISHED BY
Copyright Retirement Publishing Pty Ltd 2001 -- ISSN 1031-6620 ACN 088 049 218
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