GETTING STARTED AS SOLO FEMALE

doylie · Newbie

GETTING STARTED AS SOLO FEMALE

gubby · Guru

Hello Doylie and welcome to GN, Sorry to hear of your loss, You will find a lot of support for your upcoming adventure on this site.

Some of the solo females on here will give you plenty of info & support..

I just wanted to say welcome.. smile

Esmeralda · Guru

Hi Doylie and welcome to the Forum. I am only new to this myself - I have a small caravan (12 ft) and I think that something that size or similar should be OK with your current vehicle. I chose a caravan because I can take it off and leave it in the caravan park and go exploring without having to take "home" with me and have to set up again when I get back. Hitching and unhitching is fine but it is the reversing the van that I find difficult - hooray for drive through sites!! I am actually going to a towing course soon to get reversing under control.
You will find people with vans, mobile homes, campervans, etc, each with their own reasons for their choice. I have only been on one longish trip so far but hope to be off again very soon. Can I suggest that you use the general forum as well as the solo forum, it appears that most people do and you can get good advice from a range of travellers.
Best wishes,

shadyandme · Senior Member

Hi Doylie Welcome to the forum from me to, I am also on my own (6yrs now) and am just getting organised to head off into the wide blue yonder its scary but exciting to. The people on this forum are very helpful and will reply to all your questions. As I will not have a home base I decided on a toyota coaster with toilet and shower and solar panels so I can freecamp when I want , but everyone is different, It took me 12months to find my motoshome with everything I wanted so dont rush in make a list of what you want and be patient it will happen(but not overnight )Good luck and happy travels with whatever you choose. Norma

Happywanderer · The Master

Welcome Doylie. I am in the same situation as you with similiar interests, except for the bikeriding.
If you click on my name you will find the topics I have started with all the trials and tribulations of searching, buying and starting out. Not all successfull but will stick in there and make it happen.
Next year a much better trip up north with everything fixed to my satisfaction.
There are a lot of single ladies on here and you will learn a lot from them. If you are in my neck of the woods we could meet up for a chat.

Happywanderer · The Master

PS. Do you mind making your print a bit bigger, so hard to read.
Not sure why it would come out that small.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Hi and welcome Doylie - in the same boat as you also (18 months) - I have a 14ft caravan - and tow it with a Nissan Terrano II - real easy - we had it before my husband passed away, and I don't intend to get rid of it - towed it from SE Qld to NE Vic earlier this year - and know that I can do a lot more. Read posts on here by Happy Wanderer, myself, Sheba, Chichi - heaps more - you will learn - ask questions, we are a pretty friendly bunch .
(But i agree with HW - please make your font a bit larger - easier to read)
Enjoy the company

goinsoon · Guru

Welcome Doyley, really feel sorry for your loss, there are some great girls here doing just what you want to do and I am sure you will have lots of help when you need it, have a chat to Crusin Granny, she is fantastic and has had lots of experience on the road.

Cruising Granny · Guru

Hi Doyley and welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay. I'm sorry it took the loss of your loved one to get here, and I hope we can give you the guidance you seek.
You can check my profile which will give you a bit of background of where I'm coming from, and - where I'm going to.
Take your time to choose the vacation vehicle of your choice.
Reflect on what you and your husband were planning and how you planned to do it. There are many ways and means of doing the nomad lifestyle. Some sell up and do it full time. Some do little and longer trips at a burst, rest up and do it all again in another direction. Many free camp while many others do the caravan park style. It's not just about budget. It's about preference for countryside, privacy, and the reason for travelling in the first place.
With that in mind you then need to decide if you want to update your vehicle and tow an aluminium box with staples and pop rivets (caravan), or invest in a motor home of a size you can manage, or a campervan. If you're a fairly competent driver you should be able to adapt to a larger vehicle with a bit of practice. The rental companies dispose of their vehicles fairly frequently, and they are reasonably priced with low mileage. There are the larger motor homes with the bed over the cab, or the smaller version, usually with shower and toilet. There's the campervans of various sizes and styles.
Just recently I've learned the Mercedes and Volkswagen campervan/motorhomes have the same motor and are very expensive to repair should you require parts.
There's no hurry, so there's no need for hasty decisions.
So many choices and options. I wish you all the best.

Sheba · Guru

Welcome Doyley.

You've got a great vehicle there. Used to have one, before I got my Toyota Hi-ace Campervan. Can only afford one lot of Rego. and Insurance, so the Forester had to go unfortunately, but if ever I can't manage the Hi-ace, I'll get another one.

My reason for getting a Campervan, was that apart from Rego and Insurance considerations, I only have one set of tyres to contend with, and I wanted something comfortable, and easy to manage.

Having a breathing problem, hitching and unhitching a Caravan would be impossible.

I opted for a Pop-top, as I believe a Hightop will give more wind resistance, there-fore consume more fuel. Will be converting the Pop-top to Air-lifters later in the year, so that will make lifting the roof a lot easier.

One good idea which lots of people recommend is to hire the type of thing you're considering, for a trip for a couple of weeks, to see how it suits you.

That's all to start with, but feel free to ask any questions you want to.

Where-abouts are you ?

Cheers,

Sheba.

Happywanderer · The Master

Have to agree with Sheba as we have similiar vans.
If I had the money I would go for a Toyota Coaster with shower and toilet but unless I win Lotto I'm stuck with Myrtle.
I enjoy freecamping but as still new to the lifestyle I look for others to be parked there for company and security.

HeadnHome · Senior Member

G'day Doyley

agree with what has already been said/suggested. I have a toyota Hiace campervan, for me its mainly a weekend
getaway vehicle at this stage, simple and easy to drive, setup and relax..

Vic · Guru

Welcome too Doyley, I am in the middle of having my Hi Ace converted to a pop top campervan, had a look today and the roof has been cut out and floor down but don't expect them to finish it for a couple of weeks.

Another good reason for a pop top is they will fit under (only some) carports or garage entries.....but make sure first and have someone watch you try, sometimes the angle of a driveway will make the van rise even higher when entering with a driveway going uphill behind you. confuse

-- Edited by Vic on Friday 27th of May 2011 09:44:51 PM

Sheba · Guru

The Previous owners of mine, had stuck a label with the Clearance height printed on it, to the bottom right-hand corner of the Speedo Glass.

Mine is 2.1 metres. Makes it easy to check when necessary.

That's with a Solar Panel on top.

Cheers,

Sheba.

-- Edited by Sheba on Friday 27th of May 2011 10:48:19 PM

doylie · Newbie

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your feedback and suggestions. I'm much more confident now that I know that I won't really be on my own once I'm on the road. I will start doing my homework now on the various options and look forward to reading about your adventures and receiving your helpful advice. You are all an inspiration.

Cheers, doylie

vkgreenie · Senior Member

Hi Doyle

Welcome to the forum.

Have a look at a single person doing up a campervan. He has a blog which is attached to mine. http://yeoeleven.blogspot.com/

This should give you some inspiration.

Hope it all goes well for you.

May I add last year, the bride and I spent 5 months at Undara Lava Tubes, and the amount of solo lady travelers in the caravan was just huge.

Just get out there and do it.

Cheers & beers

vkgreenie

ozi2 · Guru

Hi Doylie and welcome to the GN forum; you will be able to access such a broad knowledge base from friendly people here and be informed of the pro's and cons of what suits and what doesnt. As they say here "the only stupid question is the one you dont ask", so dont be afraid to seek answers.

The choice of car/4wd/campervan/caravan will most likely be determined by your needs and requirements and what you are comfortable with. Many of our female members tow caravans solo and others feel more comfortable with the campervan option or motor home as it enables them to be within the vehicle and able to simply drive away if they feel uncomfortable with a situation. Once you feel comfortable on the forum you can PM anyone to ask a question without having to post on any of the forums. Just remember to visit each section as there is so much info that may be of use to you,

all the best

ozi2

nomadic1 · Senior Member

Hi Doylie and welcome to the world of the Grey Nomad. I'm fairly new at this too - only been travelling since Jan this year. I spent ages trying to decide between a caravan and a motorhome. This being my home for the foreseeable future whatever I bought had to be spacious enough to be comfortable and minimise the cabin fever during periods of inclement weather. I finally opted for the motorhome for 2 main reasons - 1. I could probably cope OK with the hitching and unhitching now but in 5 years time .......? 2. Security. If I don't feel good about something that's going on then I can just jump behind the wheel and I'm off - no need to go outside. The downside of a motorhome of course is transport when you are parked somewhere - you really don't want to have to pack it all up just to go into town for milk. I solved this one by buying myself a little motor scooter and having a rack put on the back to carry it. So far it's all working out well and I'm having the time of my life. Feel free to PM me if you think I might be able to answer some of your questions - I'm hardly the fount of all knowledge but I'll have a go.

Happy travels.

Happywanderer · The Master

You won't always be happy with you travelling accommodation no matter which you choose. Already I have come up with some alterations I intend making once I get the motor sorted out.
One or two trips away will iron out the gremlins and you will know how you want it. It all takes time.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...
Welcome aboard "doylie"......

Lots to learn and while learning, there's lots of opportunities to chat and make friends.
Cheers and happy travelling
John

Travel Bug · Guru

Hi there Doylie and welcome. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It's good that you are going ahead with your plan to travel. You will find plenty of support here to help you along the way.

I am a female solo...but not yet on the road. I have only had my Hi-ace Commuter for 3 weeks and am making some internal changes before heading off. I have done quite a bit of camping previously but none of it has taught me to like the cold weather...so....at the risk of sounding like the wuss that I am, I will not be doing any big trips until after the winter.

Everyone has quite different ideas of what they need to be comfortable while travelling. I will list some of mine below.

I want a permanent bed...'cause I hate having to set up each night.
As much storage space as it's possible to have.
A cupboard to fit the porta potty....don't want to trek through the rain in the middle of the night.
Blockout curtains for privacy.

I intend using my van as my car. By doing that, I will have only one lot of rego, insurance, tyres, maintenance etc; It is dual fuel and the gas is quite cheap to run.

All of the things that I have listed are just my personal choices and may be completely different from what you have in mind.

As you have already found out, there are lots of friendly people here who have "been there and done that" and will be more than happy to answer whatever questions you might have.

Cheers for now. Travel Bug. smile

wendyv · Guru

Whilst I am not a solo female, my best friend who travels sometimes in tandem with us, is. She loves the bush, National Parks, walking etc. In order to be able to access adventurous places, she bought a second hand Troopy. It came with drawers already installed in the back part, so she set up a foam mattress, her fridge, storage stuff in the back. It was a very basic set up, but served her for 6 years, and she has driven places like Cape York, the Canning Stock Route, the remote Kimberley, in it. However, she has now opted for a rather more comfortable way of travel, and had the Troopy converted to a pop-up roof camper. She is currently on her first foray with it, enjoying the different type of space - has just driven the Birdsville Track. She is trying to work out how to carry a bike, though, because the Troopy has two rear opening doors and she has two spare wheels already mounted at the back. I think she may finish up just carrying it inside.

In that situation, my own choice would be a Toyota Coaster camper. Having spent a lot of time up north, I know the sorts of places these vehicles handle and they are brilliant.

-- Edited by wendyv on Sunday 29th of May 2011 10:28:23 PM

May · Member

Hi Im a new solo female camper too profile is up back in March I have just got my toyota hiace van. Still in the middle of making sure all is okay. I hope to leave in 2 weeks head up to townsville then across to Darwin where my kids are living. Im very nervous but detemined to do it. This site giives me confidence. Best of luck to you.
PS I understand the widow bit, but you just have to get on with it don't you. Nancy

Sheba · Guru

Welcome May. Do you have any Pics. to show us ? What layout do you have ?

Any questions, feel free to ask.

Cheers,

Sheba.

HeadnHome · Senior Member

G'day Nancy, don't be nervous plenty of helpful people on the road, when I drove across from Kununurra to Cairns last
year in my van, had tyre blow out, I was in middle of changing it when a truckie stopped and finished the job for me, and when stopping for the night met alot of wonderful people. love to see some photos of your hiace..

Cruising Granny · Guru

Hi May and welcome. Being nervous in the beginning is natural, and a good thing. It means you're aware of the risks, pitfalls and the adventure you're about to embark on.
You will never be alone, and most of the time you will be among like-minded travellers, no matter what they travel in or with.
You're doing the right thing ensuring your vehicle is capable of doing the job you want it to do reliably.
You can't avoid everything but being prepared is a good start, and you can drive our of the driveway on day 1, with confidence.
It's just a bit further than the shops each day, and just think of all the new terrain you will travel through and park up in.
You only drive as far as you want to, when you want to. There's no rush. Enjoy!

wendyv · Guru

Hi May/Nancy
you have a wonderful, adventurous, lifestyle opening out in front of you. Anxiety and nervousness are a natural reaction to change - and you are making changes.
Have been over much of the area you are going to be covering, so post on here or pm me if you have questions about places etc that I might be able to help with.
Look forward to seeing your future posts.

justjo · Senior Member

Hi ..

Just starting out myself as a solo, first trip as soon as I can get my Toyota Hi-ace Commuter ready, should be in a couple of weeks. I'm nervous and excited about setting off but I'm sure with everything I have read on these forums and others that there are many many wonderful people doing the same thing and loving it.

Good luck with everything

Firefly · Guru

Hi and welcome justjo, you will have a ball mate. smile

Dunco · Senior Member

It is a fantastic lifestyle.....I've been up to Broome (from Sydney) twice and Perth a few times...as well as a heap of other trips into different parts of Australia. I love it.