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recreational nomad


fitkid

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We have lived full time in our motorhome since 2003 in the summer we are usually in the uk but once the weather starts to turn and the sun disapears we move south chasing the sun.Does anyone else on the forum travel extensively in a motorhome (RV)

fitkid are you a pikey :lol:

 

How do you make your money?

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We have lived full time in our motorhome since 2003 in the summer we are usually in the uk but once the weather starts to turn and the sun disapears we move south chasing the sun.Does anyone else on the forum travel extensively in a motorhome (RV)

 

That sounds like a very interesting way to live. I know many retired Americans live this way but far fewer in the UK. I would be interested to hear how you can find places to park without being hassled. Do you use expensive camping sites?

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That sounds like a very interesting way to live. I know many retired Americans live this way but far fewer in the UK. I would be interested to hear how you can find places to park without being hassled. Do you use expensive camping sites?

we have a freind whith a farm where we stay whilst in the uk no hassle and cheap.if you look around you will find lots of similar setups 5 miles from me there is a farm that charges £30 per week + whatever electricity you might use.whilst travelling abroad we never use campsites we are self contained and much prefer wild camping.

hth

 

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we have a freind whith a farm where we stay whilst in the uk no hassle and cheap.if you look around you will find lots of similar setups 5 miles from me there is a farm that charges £30 per week + whatever electricity you might use.whilst travelling abroad we never use campsites we are self contained and much prefer wild camping.

hth

 

That's useful to know. The idea of a few years with a camper van travelling arouns europe and wider appeals to me after I retire. In fact we (partner and I) tried it out by hiring a camper van for a couple of weeks just to find out what it might be like in practice. We enjoyed a lot of the experience but what annoyed me was the hassle of getting around once we had found somewhere we wanted to stay for a few days. It is a pain packing the van up and securing everything when all you want to do is go to visit somewhere 20 miles away. Seems to me you need some additional transport with the camper van - bikes, motor bikes, micro car? Do you feel the same and how do you manage this problem?

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i dont mind being whatever you want me to be gypsy pikey new age traveller.

i have made all the money i need got property got gold got fiat and got one hell of a great life.

Fantastic, I would love to do the same but from a boat and before that I have to get rid of the kids :D

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Sounds like a great life. If you don't have a fixed address, how do you get around things like setting up bank accounts, getting money, etc? I just wonder, because here in the UK you often have to provide evidence of your address to prove your identity. I assume you have a property home address somewhere?

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That's useful to know. The idea of a few years with a camper van travelling arouns europe and wider appeals to me after I retire. In fact we (partner and I) tried it out by hiring a camper van for a couple of weeks just to find out what it might be like in practice. We enjoyed a lot of the experience but what annoyed me was the hassle of getting around once we had found somewhere we wanted to stay for a few days. It is a pain packing the van up and securing everything when all you want to do is go to visit somewhere 20 miles away. Seems to me you need some additional transport with the camper van - bikes, motor bikes, micro car? Do you feel the same and how do you manage this problem?

Yes it can be a bind especially with a larger camper ours is 8 metres long a german manafactured euramobil integra 726 hb on a merc chasis depending on the trip i will either a frame tow a peugeot 206 and we always carry bicycles on the rear rack.last october we went down to our wildcamping spot in marbella spain right on the beach (a freinds beach bar car park which is closed in the winter)we stayed there until mid jan then went over to morocco for 3 months we left the car in spain with a freind as we were travelling throughout morocco so didnt intend parking anywhere for long but ended up staying for 5 weeks in Dhakla in the western sahara so could have used the car there a bit.

hth

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Sounds like a great life. If you don't have a fixed address, how do you get around things like setting up bank accounts, getting money, etc? I just wonder, because here in the UK you often have to provide evidence of your address to prove your identity. I assume you have a property home address somewhere?

i do still have property myself which is rented out but could use that if i wanted but i tend to use my parents address.

hth

 

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If I could have reliable internet wherever I went, I would give it a shot. That's what stops me doing similar in my big old scruffy camper.

I use a usb wifi antenna which in clear line of sight can give you 1.5 miles radius to a wifi link if you either no the password or ideally if it is unsecured no probs .when we were in dhakla we were using a wifi link across a lagoon to a kitesurfing hotel you needed binoculars to see across so it was a fair distance but the connection was great and in africa to.the radiation from the antenna is a concern to me though so be aware of that certainly dont sit in front of it.

For antenna look here

www.batlink.de

spak to markus(german speaks good english)

http://uk.wifi-link.com/product.php?class1...p;class3_id=474

based in derby uk lovely people taiwanese

hth

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Fantastic, I would love to do the same but from a boat and before that I have to get rid of the kids :D

absolutely i would like to try that myself have spoken to people who do but would need to get some/alot of experience first though.

The best advice I have had so far is to stop feeding them and then they are meant to just go away on there own, or are your talking about sailing :lol:

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Think you have created an envy thread! Sounds absolutely great life if you have no kids, not sure how suitable it would be otherwise as much as anything due to education needs.

 

What do you currently see as the drawbacks out of curiosity? Can think of an higher oil price having a bit of an effect at some point, depending on your means of income?

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Think you have created an envy thread! Sounds absolutely great life if you have no kids, not sure how suitable it would be otherwise as much as anything due to education needs.

 

What do you currently see as the drawbacks out of curiosity? Can think of an higher oil price having a bit of an effect at some point, depending on your means of income?

If i had kids i would certainly not put them through the national DE-EDUCATION system.I would self-school them and believe me a 12 month trip through europe and north africa would provide more real and valuable education than they would recieve in the whole 5 years in comprehensive school.What can anyone else do that you cant do better yourself if you really want to.People make excuses not to do anything.I had several businessses and property which i had to deal with B4 travelling so i could have made plenty of excuses not to.

There are no drawbacks at all for me.Obviously you might have a different view but would have to suck and see.Like i said we have been living like this for 7 years to be honest it would be very difficult for me to want to go back into being a stationary house dweller THE HOUSE PRICES WOULD HAVE TO COLLAPSE.I would see myself buying agricultural land and staying in a mobile capacity as i enjoy it so much. OR MAYBE I AM TURNING INTO A PIKKEY "MUSH"

Obviously for travelling whith any combustion engine the oil price will make it more or less expensive depending on the price of oil,but when we arrive at a destination ie spain we stayed there 4 3 months and used a small car also fuel is cheaper there anyway.In morocco diesel was 60p a litre in the western sahara it was 30p a litre so i think if there is an oil crisis good old blighty will be just about the worst place you would want to be other than probably norway.

when we travelled down to cyprus across eastern europe and through turkey i was shocked at the price of fuel in Turkey in fact i came out of bulgaria whith a nearly empty tank thinking it would be much cheaper in turkey i was totally wrong the fuel in turkey is the same price as the uk very heavily taxed.I based my incorrect assumption on the fact it was bordering iraq /iran and a freind of mine had travelled across iran a few years earlier in a unimog on silk route club trip and when he filled up all his jerry cans and vehicle he went inside and the attendant asked him how much diesel he had.There was no measuring dials on the pump it was so cheap a guess was good enough.

 

just as a side note the best countries i have travelled through whith a motorhome have been 99.9% muslim populated countries ie morocco and turkey the hospitality and culture was superb the sights to see both natural and man made were awseome.

 

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I use a usb wifi antenna which in clear line of sight can give you 1.5 miles radius to a wifi link if you either no the password or ideally if it is unsecured no probs .when we were in dhakla we were using a wifi link across a lagoon to a kitesurfing hotel you needed binoculars to see across so it was a fair distance but the connection was great and in africa to.the radiation from the antenna is a concern to me though so be aware of that certainly dont sit in front of it.

For antenna look here

www.batlink.de

spak to markus(german speaks good english)

http://uk.wifi-link.com/product.php?class1...p;class3_id=474

based in derby uk lovely people taiwanese

hth

 

Cheers for that.

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If i had kids i would certainly not put them through the national DE-EDUCATION system.I would self-school them and believe me a 12 month trip through europe and north africa would provide more real and valuable education than they would recieve in the whole 5 years in comprehensive school

....

just as a side note the best countries i have travelled through whith a motorhome have been 99.9% muslim populated countries ie morocco and turkey the hospitality and culture was superb the sights to see both natural and man made were awseome.

Friends of ours took a year out to circumnavigate the world with their two when their eldest was 9. They had the support of the head teacher at their school who though that it would stand the children in good stead and as the eldest was two years away from the 11+ as long as they kept up with basic schooling foresaw no problems. They had a fantastic time, seeing all the continents using plane, train, boats, motor homes, caravans and cars. The trip gave confidence to the both of their children and had no measurable effect on their education in either a positive or negative way.

 

They too found the majority of people friendly and very helpful regardless of nationality, race or religion but they did find a difference between those who lived in cities and those who live in the country regardless of wealth or lack of it. Those in the country were often willing to help and share often without limit but those in the city often didn’t even reply when spoken to let alone help.

 

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Friends of ours took a year out to circumnavigate the world with their two when their eldest was 9. They had the support of the head teacher at their school who though that it would stand the children in good stead and as the eldest was two years away from the 11+ as long as they kept up with basic schooling foresaw no problems. They had a fantastic time, seeing all the continents using plane, train, boats, motor homes, caravans and cars. The trip gave confidence to the both of their children and had no measurable effect on their education in either a positive or negative way.

 

They too found the majority of people friendly and very helpful regardless of nationality, race or religion but they did find a difference between those who lived in cities and those who live in the country regardless of wealth or lack of it. Those in the country were often willing to help and share often without limit but those in the city often didn’t even reply when spoken to let alone help.

You are'nt thinking about becoming a PIKEY mush (id5) :blink:

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You're right often forget our over taxed oil price unless travelling, was thinking more longer term with oil. Sounds absolutely great though and do envy your nomadic lifestyle as always have a yearning to experience different cultures. Found likewise in some Muslim countries and wouldn't diasagree with id5 on city/country perspective, always seems the case wherever you go.

 

Wish I was braver on the baggage though(kids :lol: ) or rather their needs; as i'd be unsure about the Education aspect, other than the experience itself would definately be of considerable reward. Alas as stated I will likely remain envious.

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Never again fitkid, I used to live in one as a kid, I still remember frozen teabags in the pot, not fun :(

Live in WHAT ? a cave :lol:

so u where a pikey then.

no truth in the old saying you can take id5 out of the caravan but you cant take the caravan out of id5. :lol::lol:

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i dont mind being whatever you want me to be gypsy pikey new age traveller.

i have made all the money i need got property got gold got fiat and got one hell of a great life.

 

I can remember hearing a story about the "grey vagabonds" in Australia (sorry couldn't find a weblink) who sell up thier property, buy a camper van to do circuits of the coast after they retire.

 

Sounds like you're well ahead of the "game" there :)

 

 

Alas, a young family and my personal project of "building up capital" would prevent me from having this life style at the moment, but I've not ruled it out just yet. It would indeed be nice to be in a position where one could choose to have a life like this.

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