This Nomadic Life

This is a list of things we’ve noticed are common to the travelling fraternity – I’m guessing we’ll build on this list as we travel and experience more. We’d like to share this with you so you can get a bit of a feel for how it is to be a gypsy/nomad/traveller on a day to day basis.

A community of wavers – before we left home, someone mentioned that we’d recognise the seasoned travellers/nomads because they generally wave/raise a few fingers off the steering wheel as they pass you on the road. This is true – there’s a real community out there on the road, especially  in remote areas. We’ve noticed that, on the whole, fellow travellers are ready to help, and will go out of their way to help, particularly in remote areas. The wave from the steering wheel says -‘I see you and will help if needed’. Well, that’s the way I see it anyway. We’ve already had the opportunity to help a young couple stranded in a remote, roadside rest area – and we’ve experienced many people offering help, at different times. It’s heart warming. We’re currently perfecting the wave-from-the-steering-wheel technique without endangering the passing traffic – down from a frantic, side-to-side full hand wave (with smile) to a lazy one finger off the wheel.

Sitting in camp chairs – well of course you would, you say. You are essentially camping so what else are you going to sit in? This is true – but what we’ve noticed, particularly with our  fellow ‘grey’ nomads, is the tendency to sit around in camp chairs for many, many hours. Sometimes not doing much at all, other than watching the day go by and passing the odd comment with a fellow sitter. Sometimes the upright chairs actually convert to sun-lounges so you can lay around for hours not doing much at all. Ours do.

Happy hour – follows on from the above, as the day draws to a close. Thirsty work, sitting or laying around all day – so we are all very happy to have a few drinks around sunset.

Tinkering – around the campsite, van, whatever. There may not really be anything that needs tinkering with, but we’ve noticed that people do a lot of it, anyway. And they are happy to come and help you tinker as well, or find something for you to tinker with if they feel you are looking a little lost. I would think this is a natural follow on from the phenomenon of ‘the backyard shed’ – all men love to tinker, don’t they?

Life slogans on the van – this is a true art form, the ability to capture, in a few words on the back of the van, your life’s mission or purpose. A few we’ve noticed – ‘Adventure not dementia’, ‘Got a life – no plan B’, ‘One day’s here’, and the very common ‘Living the dream‘. We don’t have one – yet….. Whaddayareckon we should put on KK?