Thread: Could you actually live long-term in a van?

Not just for blokes or retirees...

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Well in a way Ken and I are doing it, or will be when pick up the new van in December. Meanwhile we’re leaving today to manage the Gawler C/P until Xmas, then we come back home for a week, then back to Gawler till just after Easter.
Plenty of work out there for us too👍

We live in South Australia in Southern Yorke Peninsula. We get grey nomads to look after our old farmhouse when we wish to travel. Feed the cats and goldfish and live in their van. The feedback we get is it is best to keep your house as a fallback option as its not so easy to find a place to free park long term and fuel is always going up. If you have a major breakdown (the last people blew a motor $25,000) it is hard to find a long term park while you recoup your money. You cant even legally park on your own block of undeveloped land. Caravan parks are fine but not long term as they can get expensive. Just my thoughts. Cheers

Originally Posted by Zeros

Thanks for sharing. ...all the more reason not to wait until retirement / old age to hit the road.

My advice to all is to retire the instant you think you can afford it. Don't hang in there toiling until you are old and sick. Retire whilst you are still healthy. I saw too many colleagues who wouldn't retire when they should have and could have then were old and sick within a few short years. Usual statement was "I don't think I've got enough. I will have to keep on working for a few more years." This from people who had been in the public service for 20 or more years banking up Commonwealth Superannuation. I was 56 when I paid the last semester's school fees at Churchie for my youngest and put in my retirement notice a few days later. Never regretted it for a minute.

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

My advice to all is to retire the instant you think you can afford it. Don't hang in there toiling until you are old and sick. Retire whilst you are still healthy. I saw too many colleagues who wouldn't retire when they should have and could have then were old and sick within a few short years. Usual statement was "I don't think I've got enough. I will have to keep on working for a few more years." This from people who had been in the public service for 20 or more years banking up Commonwealth Superannuation. I was 56 when I paid the last semester's school fees at Churchie for my youngest and put in my retirement notice a few days later. Never regretted it for a minute.

It can be a tough call depending on how much super you have! Not everyone works in an industry where super is paid. Many who work in the creative sector, community sector, not for profit, self-employed are in this position. Ultimately many who retire on the road, will be living on a pension with a little super top-up. It can be a difficult decision to make.

The magical $250-$270wk nomad budget is based on pension income. If you're fortunate to own your house with no mortgage and have the necessary vehicle to hit the road it's doable on the pension. But pension age is steadily moving towards 67+. Not everyone has enough super to retire before then.

Well, we'd have to work for another 20 years to be able to "afford" to retire! As for keeping the house, rates here are around $5K per year. Add insurance and even a minimum amount for maintenance, and a van park out west looks real attractive. Especially if you do some caretaking or running parks out of season.
All depends on what you think is right for you. If you want to live on the coast, costs will be much higher than out bush.

BTW, we’ve bought a Mars Hybrid for our accom. Light weight and has everything we need (shower/toilet etc). We like to cook outside anyway and it has an elec awning (with a manual override&#128512.
To buy an equivalent off-road capable van would have cost at least double

We are doing it right now. Have done for the last 8 months. Best decision we made, and we intend to travel and work as the business is up for sale.

Jc