It’s Getting Real

For those that are interested in following along, I’m in the planning and organising stage of becoming a full time ‘Not Grey Nomad’.

I’ve successfully negotiated with my boss to work remotely full time, much to my delight.

Spent hours and hours researching caravans; off-road, semi off-road, touring, motor homes and even tiny houses that live permanently on a trailer, that can be moved anywhere, anytime.

I decided on a 16 FT off-road caravan that will allow me to spend considerable time off grid.

Why?

Australia is a huge country and some of the most pristine, natural, untouched beauty is in the middle of nowhere. This is a rugged country and a large part of it is in its natural state, untouched, unharmed by man. Places that 90% of Australian’s will never get to see or to appreciate.

I want to explore some of that rugged and beautiful country and I want some of my creature comforts when I do so.

Don’t get me wrong! I love camping, but I’m getting too old to enjoy sleeping on hard, rocky ground and I am happy not to have to fully set up and pack down a camp, every time I want to move. I’m also conscious that since I’ll be travelling solo, I need to be safety conscious — which means I need to be able to contact the outside world in case of an emergency.

Therefore, I need internet at the very least and I’ll need power to run that internet.

So, why not take enough power generating equipment to live comfortably?

I ordered my caravan back in January and it is in the process of being built. Should be ready about mid April.

Many more hours on the internet searching for the perfect car to tow my caravan. It couldn’t be just any old car because my caravan weighs 2,490 kgs empty.

I needed a ‘Beast’ to do the job.

I also spent many hours researching how I could access the internet from the remotest, desolate, rugged and beautiful parts of Australia.

That’s when I discovered Starlink. After reading everything I could get my hands on, I made my decision, ordered my dish and it’s now sitting in front of me as I speak.

I’ve still to research how to convert it to 12V, to minimalise the amount of electricity it needs to run, but I’m another step closer.

Then, I made my final decision on the car I wanted and placed an order a month ago.

Of course, they weren’t yet available in Australia, so I had to wait. Not to mention, they had not been fully unveiled at the time, so everything was “hush hush” but I did have enough information to make an informed decision.

I was absolutely delighted to receive a telephone call on 1 March informing me that my car had hit Australia’s shores and was being unloaded from the ship that day.

Excitement pounded through my veins, but I knew I had to be patient!

Unfortunately, my car did not come standard with a tow bar, Andersen plug, 12 pin trailer plug or the electronic trailer brakes. These all had to be added and installed.

With bated breath, I longed for my phone to ring; for a voice to tell me my car was ready; to see my car in real life for the very first time.

Not only had I not seen this model in the flesh, so to speak, but I couldn’t even test drive one. I did consider test driving a previous model, but they were so vastly different that I believed it would be a waste of time.

No, I bit the bullet and ordered my car sight unseen and untested!

Wednesday, 13 March, that phone call was received and my car was ready to be picked up. They did mention that the tonneau cover ordered for the back of the Ute, had not arrived and wouldn’t do so for another month, but I could pick up my car and have that fitted at a later stage.

Hell yeah!!!

Yesterday, I finally got to unveil my ‘Beast’ and see it with my very own eyes, touch it with my own hands and drive it home.

Things are starting to get real now!

I’d like to introduce you to the Beast that will be my workhorse to get me to where I want to go.

My Mitsubishi 2024 New-Gen GLS Dual Cab Triton.

Goes without saying that I enjoyed the ride home.

AND

As a bonus, my car was the very first 2024 New-Gen Triton to drive away from the dealership.

Now that was pretty damn special to me!

Please click the link below my name to read more of my work. I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read this today and for all your support.

If you enjoy this piece, you may enjoy this one too.

Please visit my website if you'd like more information on my newly published book, Battle Angel : The Ultimate She Warrior.

Originally published on Medium