Home Sweet Home

GaryKelly · Guru

Home Sweet Home

ROWDYRABBIT1 · Senior Member

Yes mate the old 1963 Viscount and 1981 Dyna have been I think the 2 best investments I have made in my whale life including 3 wives ,houses and carsROD

GaryKelly · Guru

I'm really glad to hear that, Rod. After 120 views and no response, I was beginning to worry. A feeling of home is very important to me - to be surrounded by familiar things in unfamiliar territory, like your own bed, cooking utensils, laptop, telly, furniture, etc. I'm not comparing a rig to a house. A house is very different, I realise that. So when I say a "feeling of home" I'm not talking about a building or a garden. I'm talking about that sense of belonging no matter where you happen to be.

I hope those wives are not reading this hehe.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Yep - I have been living full-time in my van for five years now - having covered about 80,000km around this great company.

I very often sit under the awning, or of a night in the van, and definitely get that "AHHH, there is no place like home" feeling.

(regarding so many views compared to responses, I think we have many 'viewers' but few 'posters'. I think everyone is too "greened-out" these days )

Cheers - John

Gerty Dancer · Guru

I think that's why most of us tow caravans/drive M'homes Garry, having ones own travelling "home" is far preferable to packing and unpacking in motels.
For me the caravan feels like home while we are living in it, but I confess that I'm always glad when we get back to our House-home.

scottynbulldog · Senior Member

Deep in my heart, home to me is Scotland and everywhere else is where I live. Nice to come back to our house but love being in our van. Although we look at other vans we still reckon ours suits us down to the ground. Bob can only tolerate being away for 4-6 months and then gets stir crazy in the confined space. Hoping this will change with time.

ROWDYRABBIT1 · Senior Member

As regard to the wives first ,the best one went and died on me,as to a place after 3 weeks maX my feet get itchy for new pastures ROD

gunnago · Senior Member

an I didn't get a menton even I am the current travelling partner oh well just lucky im still here ha ha gotcha rod

ROWDYRABBIT1 · Senior Member

Hmmmmmmmm don't know how long this one will last ,but she still puts the rubbish out !,and she,s not completely worn out yet ROD

Cloak · Guru

Mildura has that effect on me.

We're going to retire there soon.

countryroad · Senior Member

I think wherever you have your stuff is home even after a few days.

Never been to Mildura have definitely added it to my list...just to see, so thanks Cloak

Robyn

GaryKelly · Guru

Yes, Robyn, life is all about stuff. I remember a show on telly where a retired couple was moving house - sold the old one and bought a smaller one. The wife was sad about leaving all the memories, etc, but when the house was empty, she was surprised that all she saw was a shell; just bare walls. Later, when all their stuff had been moved into the new house, it was a total transformation. Home was where the stuff was.

I remember a camp many years ago where I'd pitched a tent and spent a week or so at a beach. When the time came to leave, and the tent was dismantled and rolled up, I thought how odd it was that all that remained my "home" for a week was a patch of empty grass.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

The motorhome is our home - can not imagine living anywhere else - much better than living in a house - if we don't like the neighbours, we can move, if we don't like the scenery, we can move. It is our personal space, we often have visitors, and they all squeeze in - we have everything we need, and love it dearly. It wouldn't start the other day, and we were horrified, something wrong with our home - but it was only battery, so all good.

Several years ago went to a museum in Marysville, Victoria (before the fires), there was a genuine gypsy wagon there, and when I went inside I felt like I had come home - a most amazing and peaceful feeling - it survived the fires that devastated the town of Marysville, thank goodness!!!!

Mike C · Senior Member

As they say home is where the heart is..

And surrounding yourself with your stuff wherever you are located very quickly becomes home.
I remember going back to the UK many years ago and visited the street and home where I grew up.. none of it felt like home anymore , my heart and stuff were all in Australia now.

Cheers

Mike

dorian · Guru

This thread has been very uplifting and reassuring for me.

One day I will take the plunge and become a fulltime grey nomad. I intend to sell everything and purchase a motorhome. I have already liquidated most of my assets, and I've been living a very basic (austere?) lifestyle for the last 20 years. When I was working, I lived out of a suitcase and stayed in hotel rooms for months at a time. I'm not short of a quid, but I just don't desire the latest gadgets or a new car or a new computer. In fact my brother reckons my PC is made of wood. ISTM that I have everything that it takes to be content with a minimalist lifestyle.

I very much like the idea of being able to avoid bad neighbours, or to vary the scenery from time to time. I'm a private person, so life on the road, with my dog, will suit me just fine. If I'm really honest about all my "stuff", I reckon that 98% of it is either junk, or will never be used again, at least not by me. The rest should fit inside the motorhome.

Oz Gypsy · Veteran Member

Our rig has been home for the last 7 years and we always refer to it as "home". Wherever we happen to be parked for the night is home.

One day though, we will move into a house again, and do shorter trips in whatever we downsize to when we don't need to carry all our possessions with us all the time.

Both of us were born outside Australia so "home" is not a place - it is wherever we are with whatever we own around us. It's good to be free.

Andrea · Senior Member

We bought our van (having never caravanned before) as a permanent replacement for a static home; like a number of others here, our rig has now been 'home' for five years and despite John's recent health problems we have no urge at all to live in a house again. On our first house-sit in Feb 2011 we were offered a bedroom in the house, and felt more-or-less obliged to accept. We lasted two nights - until the owners left - and couldn't wait to get back in our own home. Living in a house felt claustrophobic!

And getting rid of 35 years of accumulated 'stuff' actually felt quite liberating!

So, Gary, to us there's no place like home - wherever we park it. ;)

Andrea

oz-demigod · Member

i was born in London in 1964 and we've been in oz since 1969. dad was in the RAAF for 14 years so we moved when we were told to. i've lived in (since 1964) london, kings lynn, corio bay - vic, smithfield - south oz, koongamia - wa, darwin, laverton - vic, sale - vic, Melbourne (7 years), Adelaide (13 years. got married, had a son, got divorced), Melbourne (12 years raising my son) and now Mooloolah Valley - qld. nowhere has ever truly felt like home, the closest was probably darwin. there have been places i've stayed for (way) too long but there has always been a nagging feeling like i'm 'sposed to be somewhere else. it's frustrating when life and family/parental responsibilities get in the way. when i was 15 i saw a documentary on the kimberly region and i've been trying to get there ever since. 20 years ago the ex-wife and i were getting ready to shift to broome and we had a son instead. i'm getting there slowly. i turn 50 next year and we'll (me and the mrs - aka dragon lady) hopefully be on the road full time towards the end of next year. we're planning to work our way around oz for 10 years and then retire and drive around oz for 10 years.

i know that deep inside i'm meant to be out there surrounded by burnt red earth......it certainly didn't happen overnight, but it WILL happen.

mongrel · Guru

Welcome to the forum oz demigod.

oz-demigod · Member

thanks mongrel. it's an excellent site, loads of information and tips. i'm actually enjoying reading about the trials and trails and tribulations of the others on here......you'd be crazy to not take notice of other members experiences.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Hi oz-demigod - don't let Billeeeeeee hear you call yourself a demigod, he thinks he is the only one - hahahahahaa!!

But honestly - when you get to the red soil country, you will know a feeling of contentment and belonging. I love the ocean, the beach, the country - but have a longing after a while for red soil - I love it- used to love opening the door of the 4wd and seeing the red dust there, that can never can be gotten rid of completely - set up a yearning in me - so worked harder to get money for next trip.

Now, in retirement, I can go wherever, whenever I like!!!!

Hylda&Jon · Guru

I think my view has always been stated in my signature below

neilnruth · Guru

I've lived in two countries and many towns and home was wherever I made it - house or caravan - and many of the houses didn't even belong to us. I agree with Hylda&Jon - Home is indeed where you hang your hat - or put your slippers under the bed.

oz-demigod · Member

hiya Jules....i know what you mean. i've worked all over the country in w.a. and qld,all through tassie and i did a fair bit of exploring in s.a. when i had a petrol 80 series in the late 1990's, but i've never had the free time to just stop and enjoy the fresh air and the stars at night. it's coming though and like others in this topic have said - home will be inside the 'van where i toss the hat and kick off the blunnies at the end of the day......

The dog lady · Guru

I think for me "home" has always been more about personal space than anything else. At the moment my camper van is home and it doesn't take a great deal of "stuff" to make it feel that way. (Good thing too as it doesn't have space for much "stuff") aww .

I do have a house, but with my son and his family still there after the flood (hopefully only a few more weeks), it doesn't feel like my home anymore. I guess for something to feel like home to me it has to be only for me, and it doesn't need to be big or fancy, just mine!

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.