Is GreyNomads a disease you catch over the internet?

Blue · Senior Member

Is GreyNomads a disease you catch over the internet?

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Once you let the "stuff" go - your process starts - you will put things in the van that you think you can't do without - three months later, they will be at the op shop! As for pictures - get one of those digital photo frames - reckon they are a great idea - things that have been given to you, take photos, ask the giver if they would like the item back to "safeguard" for you, furniture - will cost to store it, sell it, give it away, easy once you start.

One of our GN's has been on the road for about 20 years, her opinion on a house, just somewhere to store the junk you don't want.

Your attitude changes as you embrace this lifestyle - sitting on the bank of a river watching the birds fly home to roost, the pelicans wait for the next tour boat to come by and throw out scraps, the sun setting, fish jumping - it comes to mind that "things" don't matter in the bigger scheme of things.

The other thing is - if we don't like the view, we move - if we don't like our neighbours, we move! Simple really.

shekon · Guru

Blue, if it is something that you are thinking about, it will happen at the right time for you. Nobody else can put that time limit on you.
Then there are people who are happy to sell up and hit the road and others that are not able to do that. Each to their own.
For me, I have a few treasures in the my MH, the rest is in storage. I have now at 59 seen that most of what I had is just "stuff", and I did not need it to be happy. Happiness can only come from within. That is my take on it, but for you it will be different.

After doing a house sit for four weeks I know for me at this point in time I never want another house. Too much work and too much time spent on doing "stuff", to make sure the "stuff" is all good.

However you travel, have fun doing it. To answer your question, yes this GN business is addictive. A good drug to be on.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Forgot to say that, Shekon and Blue - this GN business is definitely addictive - must have been a gypsy in a previous life, I reckon.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

How,

Blue, mate, it's only stuff. I decided to be ruthless and definitely no room for being sentimental. If it didn't fit in the tug or new den, out it went. I had no time for sales etc, my two daughters did want "stuff", not their style so out it went to the tip or opp shop. I did sell the house furnished to a lovely lady in need of some "stuff" so that was good.

Just to add a bit more.....it's great out here in the playground mate. I have just been entertained, for free, by skiers and speed boats after a 34c day. Sitting lakeside as we speak. Just perfect.

SnowT · Guru

No I don't think it's a disease as such I just think it's a STATE of MIND...

The Travel Bug....The wish to see All of our Nation...

-----------

Some thing's it seems to be fairly easy to down size..

Computer's.. Copy all the data you want to keep on to a set of HDD's a,d you can pretty much Junk the rest... Reformat[ via a Security Protocol if you plan to on sell them, so your not handing over your vital information]
- Replace the Old Computer with a New Laptop.. and maybe A NAS system[Network Storage] to keep all your data on..

Photo can be packed into the minimum you want.. Copy/Scan All the rest of the Photo's..

furniture can be sold or Given to people that need it...

I can't see it as being to hard....

Me personally, I might be inclined to buy myself a Block of Land in the middle of somewhere and Build myself the Ultimate Shed.. with Solar for Power and just bring in all of the stuff I want to keep and store it there...
- My workshop for one with all the Tool's..

And then use that as a Base to travel from...
Then the Minimum I would have is a rate for an unimproved block of land where I can Park when I'm no0t on the road..
But then that is me...

And Yes I do think the people that sell all up do have the hard task of culling the gear down to the minimum..
So Well done to all who do it...

Juergen

-- Edited by SnowT on Thursday 23rd of October 2014 09:06:34 PM

jules47 · The Happy Helper

SnowT can also tell you that meeting GN's in person - en masse, so to speak - is one way of becoming brainwashed to the way of life - he came for lunch - and stayed a LOT later than that, talking and learning!!!

frangipani · Guru

confuse confuse Me? I'm in limbo, not sure what to do? Know I can't stay here, but will be some time before I decide with no regrets what to do, Yes I would love to be on the road full time, but feel its not right just yet, will do lots of trips in the mean time. Looking into putting my house on the market within next 6 months, hopefully, then the universe will guide me.

Blue · Senior Member

thanks for all of your open and honest replies...

I talk to the mrs about you guys selling the lot and hitting the road and she says - "we wont be selling our house" blankstare

coming onto this site, it gets talked about a lot, it gets people thinking, it gets people dreaming, then they seem to catch the "Bug" and sell the lot!!

will see if the mrs has changed her mind in about 15 years...

Blue · Senior Member

Frangipani wrote:
Me? I'm in limbo, not sure what to do? Know I can't stay here, but will be some time before I decide with no regrets what to do, Yes I would love to be on the road full time, but feel its not right just yet, will do lots of trips in the mean time. Looking into putting my house on the market within next 6 months, hopefully, then the universe will guide me.

why would you sell your house Fran?

frangipani · Guru

Blue wrote:
Frangipani wrote:
Me? I'm in limbo, not sure what to do? Know I can't stay here, but will be some time before I decide with no regrets what to do, Yes I would love to be on the road full time, but feel its not right just yet, will do lots of trips in the mean time. Looking into putting my house on the market within next 6 months, hopefully, then the universe will guide me.
why would you sell your house Fran?

looking to downsize, its a bit too much for me, on just under half an acre, Sam was the keen gardener, I tried to planting basil, the bl@#$!(dy thing has been eaten by something LOL

shekon · Guru

Totally relate Fran. That would happen to me also. There are no potplants around Miss Daisy at all. Not even plastic flowers, I could kill them easily if I liked them which I don't.

frangipani · Guru

shekon wrote:
Totally relate Fran. That would happen to me also. There are no potplants around Miss Daisy at all. Not even plastic flowers, I could kill them easily if I liked them which I don't.

LOL, this is my plastic flower, makes me smile when I'm on the road, the sun makes it move

SnowT · Guru

Blue, I think you are missing one of the thing's that I feel most GN's are doing..
they are cutting the ties..
They are not only reducing their Possession but are also reducing the bill's they have to pay..
- why have to Pay Rates, [Several $1000's of dollar's]
- Insurance..
- Power Bill's..
- Gas and Water bill's..

If you rent your place out, can you trust the people that move in to respect your place and not to destroy it..
- do you know that you have to pay Tax on the rent you get...
you have to pay insurance to make sure your place is Protected from damage.. Can you trust the company that is taking in the rent for you..

I said that me Personally, I would sell the house and move myself to a block of land some where and just build a Shed on it, and store what I need to there.. - My Excess tool's and stuff for my hobbies..
- container all the gear that needs to be fully protected..

So Blue if you are ready, its just a case of reducing the clutter and deciding on what limit of Maintenance you want to go thru..
- Keep the house and rent it out..
- Sell the house and invest the money in a fund that should help you enjoy your travel's..
- Sell the House and buy a block of land somewhere and build a smaller facility that is extremely Low maintenance..

the choice is yours...

If you really want to know what a minimal GN is have a good Read of Yoeleven's Thread's.. All of his possession fit in a Coaster Bus and he manages to survive on the pension and still the most awesome sights of Australia..

Juergen

Psst Jules I spent 3 month touring the USofA and had a ball on the Road... I know that I wish to see more of Australia as I have only seen a small part, and know that I have missed a lot of the country..

-- Edited by SnowT on Friday 24th of October 2014 01:36:32 PM

MaryJane · Senior Member

It's a disease alright! Some catch it by buying camper vans, some by buying caravans. It can creep up on you , for me a 6-8week trip in a caravan I bought on a whim, turned into the potentially fatal "wanderlust disease". I ended up travelling for 4months and covered 16,000kms. I had to force myself to go back to my home base.

For some folk it's more fatal than others. They start, and just can't stop, so they sell up and hit the playground.

Personally, I ditched a ton of stuff and put minimal into storage. I binned 40years of photos that I never looked at anyway. The memories are in my head. The house and gardens were high maintenance, no gutters to clean on the caravan.....

Side effects of this 'disease' vary. Contentment, low stress levels, living in the moment, living day by day and having fun with fellow nomad folk are common symptoms.

The 'disease' strikes everyone differently, but personally, it's one disease I am happy to allow into my life. I've only been on the road as a permanent nomad for 6 days, and rather too many things have gone wrong. So I'm parked with lush grass under foot, listening to the roar of the ocean; the sun's shining, the birds are singing.... If I have to be 'stuck here' another week, well, aren't I lucky biggrin

And the dog and I had a close encounter with a brown snake yesterday.... Seeing a snake is supposed to be a sign of good luck, so my mates tell me!!!

GaryKelly · Guru

I've caught the "disease" as well. This morning I saw an ad in a real estate magazine with the headline "Designed for Easy Living" and immediately thought it should be changed to "Designed for Easy Dying".

What the GN way of thinking has convinced me of is simply this: make the most of whatever time you have left. And you can't do that by sitting on your butt surrounded by a heap of stuff you can't take with you.

Phil C · Guru

I caught the bug after a bad case of industrial diarrhoea. Had a hard time with the boss and told him to jam it up his aaaaarrrrrrr do not be misled, I asked him nicely to stick it in his head.

Beat me, whip me, but do it gently

Blue · Senior Member

MaryJane wrote:
It's a disease alright! Some catch it by buying camper vans, some by buying caravans. It can creep up on you , for me a 6-8week trip in a caravan I bought on a whim, turned into the potentially fatal "wanderlust disease". I ended up travelling for 4months and covered 16,000kms. I had to force myself to go back to my home base.
For some folk it's more fatal than others. They start, and just can't stop, so they sell up and hit the playground.
Personally, I ditched a ton of stuff and put minimal into storage. I binned 40years of photos that I never looked at anyway. The memories are in my head. The house and gardens were high maintenance, no gutters to clean on the caravan.....
Side effects of this 'disease' vary. Contentment, low stress levels, living in the moment, living day by day and having fun with fellow nomad folk are common symptoms.
The 'disease' strikes everyone differently, but personally, it's one disease I am happy to allow into my life. I've only been on the road as a permanent nomad for 6 days, and rather too many things have gone wrong. So I'm parked with lush grass under foot, listening to the roar of the ocean; the sun's shining, the birds are singing.... If I have to be 'stuck here' another week, well, aren't I lucky
And the dog and I had a close encounter with a brown snake yesterday.... Seeing a snake is supposed to be a sign of good luck, so my mates tell me!!!

Blue · Senior Member

let me ask you guys this..

what happens when the van or car gets too old and you have to replace it?

Blue · Senior Member

to maryjane and others..

what about your families?

do they not visit you anymore?

did you sit in your house day after day not talking to anyone, not receiving a visit or a call?

it has to be more then just a travel bug.. you can travel any time you like and keep the house...

is it more personal?

my mum is around 75yo .. (dad has passed away)

she has 5 children who have had to move away to find work.. these days, both the Man and Woman work so are very busy.. on weekends they have to catch up with housework rather than going to see their folks..

the folks are wondering why their siblings never visit but don't understand the "new ways"

mum says, "what have I got to live for? I've seen all I want to see, I've done all that I want to do" (thank god she lives with her sister now)

when I think about how often us children visit mum I only hope she has some hobbies and some things to do to get out and about..

her house has become a burden.. 1.4 acre block and a weatherboard house..

times have changed..

MaryJane · Senior Member

Blue wrote:
let me ask you guys this..

what happens when the van or car gets too old and you have to replace it?

Blue.... Stop panicking! It's ok, really It is. look, I'm in my late 40's. I have many years yet to work. But I Would prefer not to right now. I'm over workplace bullying, gossip etc.

Yes, I have wondered what if the car fails, what if the caravan goes belly up.

but what if it doesn't? I'm here for a good time, not a long time. I travelled as a backpacker from 18 to 29. Massive fun.

I lost my fiancé when he was 39, motorbike accident. I could be gone tomorrow for all I know. So no, I won't worry about it.

Life is for living, and I intend to do exactly that. I believe in one thing... I'll be okay and I always land on my feet. Even when the chips are down, I Maintain that belief.....

what happens if I live to be 85 and had a wonderful time Being a nomad?

What if? What if

oh... And I haven't told my family, they will go nuts... But they live overseas... No need to alarm them!!

-- Edited by MaryJane on Friday 24th of October 2014 09:28:13 PM

billeeeeeee · Guru

Blue wrote:

let me ask you guys this..

what happens when the van or car gets too old and you have to replace it?

Blue.... Stop panicking! It's ok, really It is. look, I'm in my late 40's. I have many years yet to work. But I Would prefer not to right now. I'm over workplace bullying, gossip etc.
Yes, I have wondered what if the car fails, what if the caravan goes belly up.
but what if it doesn't? I'm here for a good time, not a long time. I travelled as a backpacker from 18 to 29. Massive fun.
I lost my fiancé when he was 39, motorbike accident. I could be gone tomorrow for all I know. So no, I won't worry about it.
Life is for living, and I intend to do exactly that. I believe in one thing... I'll be okay and I always land on my feet. Even when the chips are down, I Maintain that belief.....
what happens if I live to be 85 and had a wonderful time Being a nomad?
What if? What if
oh... And I haven't told my family, they will go nuts... But they live overseas... No need to alarm them!!

-- Edited by MaryJane on Friday 24th of October 2014 09:28:13 PM

Amen MJ,,

-- Edited by billeeeeeee on Friday 24th of October 2014 09:46:13 PM

shekon · Guru

Blue, you ask the "what if" question. I have to agree with MJ, What if nothing bad ever happens and I have a great time. Now that would be amazing. For me "Wot if" only gives me a positive thought process. I use to work for the internet company Wot if. com, and it was the most fun place to work, it was forward thinking, innovative, and a positive environment, so yup for me What If is a positive way to look at things.

After my husband passed away nearly 6 years ago now, I struggled for quite some time, and you know what, sitting in a darn house waiting for the door bell to ring or the telephone to ring, was the most lonliness time in my life. Life on the road, is not at all lonely. There are times when it would be nice to have company, but I never have to wait very long before somebody comes along to have a chat and a laugh with. There is always something to see, something to do, and I get to do that when and how I like.

So What if Miss Daisy breaks down, well I will cross that bridge when I come to it, because what if she never does. What if I want to come off the road, again that bridge will be crossed when I come to it, and what if I never do. All I know plans are made to be fulfilled in the future and just maybe will never come along. We all think we have forever, believe me we don't.

So we can live life in the negative what if's or gee step out of the stands and get on the court and live in the what ifs of the positive persuasion.

Like somebody else said, my memories are in my mind, not in the boxes of photos that I never looked at, or in the trinkets that are now in storage, can't remember what most of them are. My memories are in my mind and when I am with my family and we remember times past. New memories are made every day, and each time I meet another traveller I make a new friend, and there have been many.

As I said in my previous post, it is up to each individual on how they decide to travel if at all. My advice ask yourself and your wife this question.......

"WHAT IF WE HAD BLOODY GREAT TIME AND NOTHING WENT WRONG?"

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Very very true Shekon, every word, good post. Well done.

GaryKelly · Guru

Blue, if you're worried about the 'what ifs' and constantly seeking reassurance, then you're not ready for life on the road yet.

yeoeleven · Guru

Wot if!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it has been covered very well in previous posts. We all had lots of wot ifs. You can imagine the ones that came my way when I decided to travel round Australia in a 1979 pop top Hi Ace and I was at the time 74 year young with no funds to back me up.

There were plenty of wot ifs but I had the best year of my life up to then and it has only got better since. Now I will be 78 at Greens and the fun goes on, the past 2 birthdays at Greens have been excellent with so many GN friends around. Blue I think Gary has said it true, if you need so much reassurance then the time is not right for you but don't wait too long you never know what is round the corner and it may be too late.

I had few options at the start but a positive attitude has made it all happen very well for me, just read my posts and blog to see how I have been able to upgrade to a Coaster and live on the road whilst on a pension. If I had taken notice of the wot ifs I wouldn't have the memories and lifestyle that I have now. John

Birthday+006.JPG

Phil C · Guru

Hi guys

Blue you face the same set of circumstances we did 2 years ago. We bit the bullet, sold/gave away everything including 40 years of tradesman tools (to my apprentice students that made me very happy to do that.

We sold the house, for no other reason that our working lives had ended, I became ill and my wife was retrenched a week after I resigned from the school. We seriously downsized and we are still doing so (more junk to give away). But this lifestyle is worth it.

The big "wot if" has been asked and well answered, so heres my pitch.

We are lucky enough to be living in our eldest daughters backyard (a big one) on a property in the sticks. This is a great arrangement as we get to see one set of grandkids and family every day (except when we are on the road like now).

Our other daughter has us pick up the other grandkids from school every Thursday so we have contact with them as well.

This is something we planned for as family far outweighs the need to explore (in our opinion). Now I am the first to admit not all families share the same bonds as ours. However, we were the ones who engineered this scenario, bought a caravan and decided to explore.

If gerty the parachute (the caravan) decides to wheels up then I hope we are old enough to get a slot in a nursing home... OR rich enough to buy a new van..

We have enjoyed our first big trip, met some fantastic people like Billeeeeee, Jules, MSG, Darryl and Sandy, etc. you guys made this trip. There is nothing like the happy hour and us enjoying ourselves. Our lives have changed since gerty came along, we do stuff for us now, our kids are top priority and will allways be so.

As this trip comes to an end, we have fantastic memories, great photos and new friendships Thanks guys.
Safe travels

-- Edited by Phil C on Saturday 25th of October 2014 09:33:57 AM

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Glad we met you guys Phil and Pam - keep in touch - never know when we may meet again!!!

GaryKelly · Guru

Imagine that! A 74 y/o bloke with '79 pop-top Hi Ace and a dream to travel Oz on a pension. No wonder Billeeeeeee calls him a fruit loop. Hehe. The guy would need to be stark raving nuts to pull off a stunt like that, right?

You're an inspiration, John. A picnic minus a sandwich or two but an inspiration nonetheless.

Blue · Senior Member

GaryKelly wrote:
Blue, if you're worried about the 'what ifs' and constantly seeking reassurance, then you're not ready for life on the road yet.

no, im far from it..

I would say 10 to 15 years away for me and it would be a big IF then..

at the moment I ask these questions because of you guys... I have travelled a lot around Australian via Motorcycle and Van and them come back home to roost again..

I read your stories and can't fathom what it would take to walk out of this place with the amount of "stuff" we have...

when I read about someone's house burning down, one of the things that always comes up is how they lost all of their "treasures", their photo's etc etc and yet here you guys are throwing it all out.. biggrin

I guess they need to be more like you guys... don't worry about the "stuff" as long as you have your health and are ok..