For those that travel. (1 Viewer)

[Snowbird]

I was asked today why I started to travel and the answer for me was simple. I always travelled for work from leaving school. I was never a settled person and was never really happy when in four walls. I worked in some pretty inhospitable environments through choice, not necessity. Houses for me were just somewhere to bring up the kids and somewhere with a letter box for the mail, so after retirement it was just a natural progression to buy a motorhome and visit the places I visited when working but did not have the time to explore.
I got to thinking that although there are a few truck drivers on here that are used to living in cramped spaces, most members are from more stable backgrounds. So why did you start this crazy lifestyle of living in something the size of your home bathroom for months on end.

 

[DBK]

30 years in the army helped for us, but moves slowed down as we got older (more senior = more office) and the MH has given us the opportunity to relive the old days. The sad part is some of the places we could have visited 30 years ago such as Afghanistan are now closed to us.

 

[Snowbird]

30 years in the army helped for us, but moves slowed down as we got older (more senior = more office) and the MH has given us the opportunity to relive the old days. The sad part is some of the places we could have visited 30 years ago such as Afghanistan are now closed to us.

I too would have loved to relive the old routes down to Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, but alas no longer possible. Also I think the older we get, the more conservative we become with our travelling. Twenty years ago if someone had asked for a price to travel to the other side of the globe I would have given them one in a couple of days.

 

[Jaws]

It took Woman donkeys years to convince me to go abroad.. we went to Corfu in 1987.. real cheap to say the least

After that I just wanted to spend as little time in the UK as possible....

 

[sedge]

Well it's months-on-end holiday, isn't it? (Unless you F/T in which case it's life, but I don't want to F/T)

Never been able to afford like suites in 5 * hotels, so you have a room. Or an apartment. Or a caravan or tent. How big are they? Not very, but you don't spend too much time in em usually, do you? But, in the space available, you have it as comfy as you can for you, to suit your lifestyle within your tent, caravan or motorhome, accepting that you don't have huge kitchen floors to clean or acres of carpet to hoover !

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[busby]

I dont like to be confined within 4 walls and i love sunshine and have always travelled from an early age. Motorhoming combines all my life style choices. BUSBY

 

[Electraglide]

I have always enjoyed the travelling more than the arriving. We have spent the last twenty five years riding our bikes all over Europe to rallies, the journey there and back is always the best part for me. Hope to go further a field when we retire soon, bikes on a trailer and for a lot more than three weeks at a time. Get fed up with eating out every night so the van will perfect for our needs.

 

[Snowbird]

Well it's months-on-end holiday, isn't it? (Unless you F/T in which case it's life, but I don't want to F/T)

Never been able to afford like suites in 5 * hotels, so you have a room. Or an apartment. Or a caravan or tent. How big are they? Not very, but you don't spend too much time in em usually, do you? But, in the space available, you have it as comfy as you can for you, to suit your lifestyle within your tent, caravan or motorhome, accepting that you don't have huge kitchen floors to clean or acres of carpet to hoover !

Hi Jenny, we still have an apartment overlooking the Black sea but have not been for 2 years now. The only time I ever used hotels was when I working was to take a shower etc. We just love the motorhome lifestyle so much, maybe its the laid back lifestyle where you dont have to get dressed for dinner and I can take my morning coffee sitting outside in my dressing gown and still feel comfortable. Maybe its the ability to have all your "stuff" with you instead of trying to pack it all into a suitcase. We even considered renting a bungalow on site next winter, and even paid a deposit on it, but changed our minds as we are so comfortable in the van. It would have been considerably cheaper to rent a bungalow long term than bring the van down, but its not always about saving money. After some thought, the bungalow would have felt like being at home, four walls and all that stuff. I have a few friends that still think I am a little crazy to want to spend so much time in a "caravanette" instead of a nice hotel, but hey ho, its a waste of time trying to explain as they would never understand.

 

[simsy56]

Ex trucker, says it all.

Craig

 

[Padraigpost]

Another ex trucker here, for me it never felt like work, I loved every day of it right up to retirement day so It was the desire to carry on traveling I suppose, and after living in a truck cab the motorhome feels quite spacious
Don

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[old-mo]

Ex trucker, says it all.

Craig

"Likewise".......... But mainly UK and a few NATO ports..

 

[Tincataylor]

I Went to sea in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a youngster and got the bug for far off places with strange sounding names. Ultimately traveling for both of us is about the people we have met along the way, and the sometimes amazing acts of kindness we have experienced,

The Tinca's

 

[HARESBY]

I always wanted to be a truck driver. I was and still call myself one(retired now).Right from the start I got to go places I had heard about and enjoyed the experience greatly driving to them. I recall years ago a tugger asked me how far it was to a certain place from where we were, I replied, about four hours. The question came back but how far in miles. To be honest I hadn't a clue,mileage I think is not really in a drivers mind only time. So to a lot ,the destination is is not the prime, its the A-to-B where the enjoyment is and to me it still is. Where time is not an issue the journey is in my opinion the the most pleasing. Good co-pilot,good comfortable set of wheels just sums it up.

 

[Snowbird]

I always wanted to be a truck driver. I was and still call myself one(retired now).Right from the start I got to go places I had heard about and enjoyed the experience greatly driving to them. I recall years ago a tugger asked me how far it was to a certain place from where we were, I replied, about four hours. The question came back but how far in miles. To be honest I hadn't a clue,mileage I think is not really in a drivers mind only time. So to a lot ,the destination is is not the prime, its the A-to-B where the enjoyment is and to me it still is. Where time is not an issue the journey is in my opinion the the most pleasing. Good co-pilot,good comfortable set of wheels just sums it up.

Strange you should say that. I still talk in distances as in time, not mileage. It must be a drivers mindset. I have no idea how far it is from home to Dover, but I know its 6 hours, and I must have travelled that route thousands of times. When I was working I remember sometimes getting off a ferry and very little else till The Blue Boar, stop for my break and then remember little else till I pulled into the yard.

 

[simsy56]

I am exactly the same! Time not miles. From Dover to S.I.F.T. Sutton in Ashfield, 3 hours plus. From Zeebrugge to Munich, 2 days, etc;

Craig

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[Tea Bag]

Hi.
Another retired Juggernaut jockey here..... Reason for travel bug ?
I missed the ever changing views from a. "Window on the world". You cannot buy some of the views i have seen. Go back? Like a shot,however,the first wife has had enough,so i play truckers in the M/home with her consent LOL
Tea Bag

 

[Puddleduck]

So much to see, so many hobbies.

I never liked hotels much, would rather have my own territory no matter how small.

 

[hilldweller]

So why did you start this crazy lifestyle of living in something the size of your home bathroom for months on end.

For years our "thing" was to tour Europe on a bike. Using hotels. Then "we should try Scotland". On the way back, before we had even dried out, we were looking at motorhomes. Within the month we were Burstner owners and heading back to Scotland in luxury.

So an age thing, getting past hauling luggage into hotels, getting past getting wet.

On the whole, 50,000 miles of huge success so far.

But I still prefer riding the bike.

 

[MitchandJenny]

These vans we ride around in cost a lot.. Some people choose to buy a "little place in the sun"... But we thought about going back to the same place, and decided, with the same views and the same bars and the same restaurants, that the pleasure would soon lose its "allure".. So we, like the rest of you decided on the "ever-changing view" and the expectation of what lies "just around the corner" and the total feeling of freedom that this lifestyle gives us.. Roll on the next adventure !!!!

 

[mpdcymru]

Your own things around you, go where and when you please, mo need to conform to restaurant times/menus etc. What is there not to like?

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[Wildman]

I always wanted to see new places try different food and meet new people without spending a fortune on hotels.

 

[busby]

I am exactly the same! Time not miles. From Dover to S.I.F.T. Sutton in Ashfield, 3 hours plus. From Zeebrugge to Munich, 2 days, etc;

Craig

I USED TO SUB CONTRACT TO TOM AND JERRY AT SIFT. My wife worked there in reception in the 70 s BUSBY.

 

[Badknee]

The distance in time not mileage May stem from the traffic manager always asking how long will it take from A to B, you would never say I'll be there in 200 mls, it would always be in hours.

 

[Badknee]

The distance in time not mileage May stem from the traffic manager always asking how long will it take from A to B, you would never say I'll be there in 200 mls, it would always be in hours.

Or if it was 200 mls he would expect it to be in minutes

 

[Snowbird]

The distance in time not mileage May stem from the traffic manager always asking how long will it take from A to B, you would never say I'll be there in 200 mls, it would always be in hours.

Haha, How many times have you had them say "Before you do that, just nip here and do this". How long is a nip, I once had a nip of 800 kilometres .

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[busby]

Haha, How many times have you had them say "Before you do that, just nip here and do this". How long is a nip, I once had a nip of 800 kilometres .

Transport managers favourite word or I know its late but they will wait for you. Can remember being told this when leaving The Isle of Wight about five o.clock one fri in winter. Just nip to Folkstone to a farm and load 20 tons of bagged barley. Got there very very late but he was correct, two guys were waiting to hand ball the load on. Got away about midnight. Good old days. BUSBY

 

[rikfos]

Was in the merchant navy for a few years. Came ashore and hated being in the same place all the time.
Changed jobs so many times- maybe 30- 40 jobs until I retired, could never settle down. Am now retired and love travelling in my Motorhome. Until 5 years ago had never travelled on the continent, now we are away for 6 months at a time. Even when we come home, we then travel around this country.

 

[Judge Mental]

I was always self employed working in mainly rail construction, wife in adult education. and every opportunity we travel. We are out of kilter at the moment because Mrs Mental still works as she is younger and loves it

so we have a long summer trip to Italy and tour on the way down or from there.. and I travel down on my own last 2 years to Benidorm, she flys over for term breaks. it works in a sense but when she turns up in full on holiday mode for a few weeks and its, shops till I drop, out all the time etc.....it can be a bit of a relief when she returns home and normality returns! (not really - not that great on my own)

Has never been worried re needing lots of stuff, a panel van suits us..as long as you have the weather and living mainly outside its fine...need my e bikes though!lol

benidorm in 2 days for me

 

[Funnymunny]

That urge to always see what's around the next corner

 

[hilldweller]

Your own things around you, go where and when you please, mo need to conform to restaurant times/menus etc. What is there not to like?

Cooking according to 'er indoors.

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