According to the latest edition of "Seniors News", a gov't publication, the full pension for a single is $712.0 per fortnight and for a couple $1073.40 per fortnight. Theres a pension supplement of $60 p/f and $91 p/f as well and if you dont own a home theres rent assist on top of that.

www.humanservices.gov.au

-- Edited by Gerty Dancer on Thursday 20th of December 2012 02:27:19 PM

Everyone is different, if you drink and smoke, eat out a lot as well as take aways then probably no way you can afford it. It has to depend on lifestyle and expectations in my opinion.

With a pension around $100 a day for 2 can be done, free camping or low cost camping. A matter of priorities and how much you want to travel. JMO

Of course you can travel on an age pension. By the way, Not an OLD age pension. Just an AGE pension will do. Welcome to the forum to you both.
There is a good number of us out there who travel on a pension. Free camps, Only short trips in a day. Eat from the van instead of buying from cafes etc.
You just work out your own budget and see what amount you can afford for travel and keep within that budget.

Have to agree with Delta18. Would love $100 a day to travel on. My budget is no more than $200 a week at the moment.

If you own your own home, consider a reverse morgage.
Your tennancy is guranteed, but you can still enjoy the benefits of the asset that you have accumilated and improve your life style, as you choose.

Cheers,
Peter

They are hard miles, scraping by on the old age pensions and all that. Govts of the day should be ashamed of themselves.....but lets not get political. My SUGGESTION would be to consider doing a bit of work as you head around. check out the harvest trail. check in with van parks, caretaker jobs, you can do a bit of weeding, mowing, cleaning stuff like that for either a few dollars or cheap or free camping. Certainly beats laying at home waiting to die........if worse comes to worse, you could always rattle a cup in a shopping mall, tap dance or sing, something like that. If you have fishing gear, theres always fish to catch for tea or maybe you could snare yourself a duck & roast it..........if you are good with your hands you could do odd jobs for some of the other hapless travellers out there that don't know how to mend a tyre, fix this, fix that. Why not camp out on the lawn in Canberra, seems to be alright for some. Buy yourself a little tinny and float around in the ocean just off Darwin & wait for customs to come and pick you up.....make sure you've got no id on you and learn a few afgany words and the'll take you down to a nice motel seomewhere, feed you, give you a lap top, new clothes and a house, car and an allowance any old age pensioner would be happy to earn. Its all good here, in the old LUCKY COUNTRY!

jack biggles wrote:

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They are hard miles, scraping by on the old age pensions and all that. Govts of the day should be ashamed of themselves.....but lets not get political. My SUGGESTION would be to consider doing a bit of work as you head around. check out the harvest trail. check in with van parks, caretaker jobs, you can do a bit of weeding, mowing, cleaning stuff like that for either a few dollars or cheap or free camping. Certainly beats laying at home waiting to die........if worse comes to worse, you could always rattle a cup in a shopping mall, tap dance or sing, something like that. If you have fishing gear, theres always fish to catch for tea or maybe you could snare yourself a duck & roast it..........if you are good with your hands you could do odd jobs for some of the other hapless travellers out there that don't know how to mend a tyre, fix this, fix that. Why not camp out on the lawn in Canberra, seems to be alright for some. Buy yourself a little tinny and float around in the ocean just off Darwin & wait for customs to come and pick you up.....make sure you've got no id on you and learn a few afgany words and the'll take you down to a nice motel seomewhere, feed you, give you a lap top, new clothes and a house, car and an allowance any old age pensioner would be happy to earn. Its all good here, in the old LUCKY COUNTRY!

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 Is that what you did ?

 

Isn't this what John is doing, he allows $50 a day and is saving towards his coaster, if he doesn't use the $50 each day it carries over...stays in the bank.

If you treat your long trip as a holiday then you will spend more...coffee and cake x 1 = $8 per day. would soon fritter away your funds.

I have friends live in Young eat out every day...cheaper than cooking at home and have main meal at midday. Then they walk, do the same when they tootle off in their little caravan, to cold in Young in winter

From reading these fascinating forums you see there are quite a number managing on their pension and quite a number not. You make your choices

jack biggles wrote:

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if worse comes to worse, you could always rattle a cup in a shopping mall, tap dance or sing, something like that. If you have fishing gear, theres always fish to catch for tea or maybe you could snare yourself a duck & roast it..........if you are good with your hands you could do odd jobs for some of the other hapless travellers out there that don't know how to mend a tyre, fix this, fix that. Why not camp out on the lawn in Canberra, seems to be alright for some. Buy yourself a little tinny and float around in the ocean just off Darwin & wait for customs to come and pick you up.....make sure you've got no id on you and learn a few afgany words and the'll take you down to a nice motel seomewhere, feed you, give you a lap top, new clothes and a house, car and an allowance any old age pensioner would be happy to earn. Its all good here, in the old LUCKY COUNTRY!

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 Only joking about the funny bits !!

We retired two years ago on a single pension.  We have travelled extensively along the East Coast and our secret was to 'House-sit'.   When house-sitting, we usually take assignments for a month or more (one was 16-weeks) and were able to see and get involved in some of the local community and events.  

While looking after someone's home, their dogs or cats, gardens or pools we still have lots of time to enjoy ourselves and especially appreciate the 'space' that we have especially during bad weather.  We always feel so lucky that we aren't cramped up in a caravan or campervan.  The negative side of house-sitting, is when the 'sits' have time in between.   We hope it is not in a busy school or public holiday and try to stay in a caravan-park 'cabin'.  That way we can do our own cooking etc.  Our mode of travel is in an Elantra Hyundai vehicle so we are limited by what we carry.

That's our idea, anyway.....   

I for one think the pension rate is fantastic (admittedly like everyone, more would be nice). I had never seen the inside of a centrelink office before I was put off work 3 1/2 years ago and it was Centrelink that advised me to apply for the DSP which I duly got with no hassles whatsoever. If you treat the people with civility I have found the staff at Centrelink fantastic. As I have a mortgage (again that was my choice and taken out whilst still working) it was difficult to pay all the bills and the Super I had would only stretch so far, so a few months ago I started work 15 hrs/week on the losest wage (comparatively) I have been on since I was 19, but It has been good for me health wise. Although with reduction in pension (which is fair enough) and fuel costs I only make about $100 per week extra I find I can pay all my bills and still afford to get away locally for a few days a week in my camper whenever I wish.

I also, by shopping wisely, eat very well (I think John (yeoelen) can vouch for that) and can afford my luxuries (i.e seafood for me) within reason. Gypsy eats pretty well too.

The benefits we get on the pension such as rail fares, pharmaceuticals, electricity/rates/telephone subsidies are fantastic. 

I not sure how many other countries give a pension that allows a person with limited funds the ability to tour around to their heart's content, maybe not in the lap of luxury but we can do it just the same.

Let's be positive think about what we do get not what we want.

Off my soapbox now.

Cheers,

Jack

"I also, by shopping wisely, eat very well (I think John (yeoelen) can vouch for that) and can afford my luxuries (i.e seafood for me) within reason. Gypsy eats pretty well too."

I certainly can vouch for that. John put up with me earlier this year whilst my van was getting fixed and no doubt will again next year when I take the Coaster up to Gin Gin for any extas that we may decide on.

John

Hi Bucko,

I was wondering what your rig is? Hard to tell from the avataar.

yeoeleven wrote:

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jetj wrote:

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Hi Bucko,

I was wondering what your rig is? Hard to tell from the avataar.

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 Kevin wrote this on the smoko thread in Solo

"it's an EscapeRV slide on, not manufactured anymore unfortunately, they did a pretty good job and were great with any probs I had, even 4 years down the track, these things are too big for the normal 1 tonne utes I've found, I did a Hilux and rodeo before with smaller slide on and were O.K. but this thing is too big and heavy, sits perfect on the Sprinter and the extra long tray gives me the room for the box with all the add-on we tend to bring with us, just in case, never enough room is there?I've just got to learn to leave some of it behind, don't I? happy travels, all the best for Xmas where every it finds you."

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 Thanks John, saves my fingers & thumbs.

 

Bucko.

This is always an interesting subject to me.

I've been on the DSP for a number of years and have managed okay, but I only do big trips once or twice a year. I like to pick my seasons for travelling, because of my ill health.

I rent privately, but it's quite cheap thankfully, and I have a great landlord up the hill.

Having two regos is not ideal, but I've weighed up the options and think I'll stick to this. It suits me.

I'm not very good at sticking to a budget..I don't smoke and only drink socially...but I do like cafes, RSL meals etc here and there.

I think I learnt a lot from my recent trip to Victoria with sis and bil, who are self funded retirees. I can't afford to travel their way, so will be just doing my own thing in future.