A couple of things happened in what feels like quick succession. Shane Warne passed away suddenly (he was my age). The politician, Kimberley Kitching who also died suddenly – her death was around my age. And yet there were more – near enough to 50ish and they were dropping out of the game.
Their deaths were the jolting shock that just added to the changes from COVID and enough for me to say – that’s it! I am going to travel, one way or another. I am not waiting one more minute – f*%k waiting for retirement – what if I never get there? Do I really want to put these things off for another 5 years? What if I only make it to 60 – then I will have only 5 years to delight in this country.
So I took stock – I had a campervan (that admittedly needed thousands of dollars of work), the company I work for, and am grateful for each and every working day, that did not care where I work, as long as I get my job done. And a fully furnished property with enough equity that I could rent it or not and could still afford to travel. So, I realised how truly fortunate a position I was in. So, I was just about all set up and ready to go. Then Duck arrived …
For decades that I have been reading, I have been a really big fan of Dean Koontz. And he is a really big fan of Golden Retrievers. Through his writing and my own interactions with goldens, I knew that they were the breed of dog that I would love to share my home with. But with all my previous jobs I knew that I worked long days away from home and so would not be a good environment for them.
Given my situation I knew I wanted to travel with a dog and really wanted it to be a golden retriever. So, here I was, looking at Gumtree and there is this beautiful female golden adult who needed a home. I met her and somehow, we instantly bonded. Within 3 days, we went away camping and she just settled into my life easily. Yes, Duck is sometimes naughty but I can honestly say she is a true delight to live with. And yes, her name is now Duck (she started out as Crystal but it just did not suit her.)
So after another short stock take of life again, I confirmed that travelling was ok with work, set it all up, got the campervan fixed and away I went.
Well, after 3 months into this new life, I noted that the vehicle is great as a weekender. But to work 5 days a week, it’s a little squishy. The daily pack up/down of office equipment and not being able to have adequate space for Duck and me has meant that I have spent extra time each day on organising/reorganising etc.
I really needed a vehicle that could have a dedicated office space as well as room for Duck and me to store everything. Also, I didn’t realise how much I really love having a microwave. So, reassessed again and, after a chat with work where they confirmed that they would like me to stay on beyond my current contract, I decided to size up to a motorhome.
I have now been living in the motorhome for about 4 weeks and genuinely love it. It has all the fantastic benefits of the campervan with the added benefit of an onboard bathroom and microwave – both of which have been used as I managed to twist my ankle very badly recently.
I am glad I tried it in the smaller/cheaper campervan first and then when I was sure that this lifestyle will work well for me, only then did I commit to a much larger purchase. What can I say but, pure luxury in the size and storage capacity of this vehicle. I love it and am decorating it in a yellow and white colour scheme.
Each and every day has aspects of delight – beautiful and noisy birds, stunning flora that is different in every place, lovely travellers to meet, lovely dogs for Duck to play with, brisk mornings where I get to watch the sun come up and stunning sunsets where I get to see the sun go down. Wonderful little country towns to explore in a slow travel way.
There have been challenges as well – vehicle issues, twisted ankles which makes it hard to get to the shops. Duck being sick, and living in a VERY small space but those things could well have happened while staying at home. There really is a truth in that the #vanlife is not just travelling and fun, there is beauty etc but that in reality it is life, so mundane and challenging things will happen anyway.
The upshot of all the above is that I now find myself in the truly fortunate position of travelling and working and living a life I never dreamed could be this good. Yes, there are mundane and challenging parts about it, as there are in every life. But would I trade it – not on Duck’s life.