Tales of a Freelance Nomad
Christina Scurr
The Epiphany
Single woman of a certain age . . .
on liquidating a Sticks & Bricks life to go on the road NZ.
Did you ever get fed up with paying bills? The mortgage, the rates, the insurance & all the other outgoings. Did that drain all the fun out of life and stop you actually living?
The Epiphany, was the third in my life . . . . to work less and live more.
The first epiphany led to divorce in 2002 . . . should have done it sooner (18yr sentence but two lovely handsome Son’s to be proud of)
The second led to emigration from Wales to NZ . . . with both sons Russell and Gareth back in 2010, a good move!
The third and hopefully final, came over Christmas 2017.
Whilst Sweating (oh sorry, ladies just glow) in the summer heat, working at the Beach in Whangamata, part time - four days a week selling bait, tackle, LPG refills and general hire. Every other moment was spent tending to my real business as a professional picture framer from my studio at home (but, I’m an just an Artist really honest! )
However the picture framing industry at the beach did fluctuate a little too much seasonally, to make the bank comfortable, therefore a job of some sort was required. As you may or may not know a single female of a certain age is lucky to get a mortgage, TBH, so thank you BNZ. The sobering realisation that I would have to keep working like that for another 20 odd years to pay off the home loan in order to live in my 3 bed house at the beach and that to be honest it was now far too big for me, it was an empty nest, my fledglings flown.
Burdens: It’s not just the bills being a burden, it’s the gardening, I love growing my own organic food, but it is a full time job. The lawns, the maintenance, it is so much space to fill, to clean and to look after.
In recent years I noticed that I tended to live in just two rooms, what more did I need? After over five years in that house there were bookshelves, decor, stuff, more stuff, even whole rooms almost untouched or needed in all that time.
What I need is enough, not more or different, but, just enough . . .
Next?
The ideas came & went like the tide in the night, all carefully considered of course . . .
Just Downsize - Nah, still got home loan & bills to pay, still no time for fishing
Errm, Tiny House - Nah, hard to move around, change the scenery, work from, still no time for fishing.
Sell up and buy a slice of land - Build a studio (work & income) and live in a caravan - Nah too expensive, so, not round here . . . where then? Somewhere, but do I really need to work all the hours and still have no time for fishing?
Hmmm, Motor Home, RV, Bus, Camper Van whatever you like to call them . . . . Yeah? Nah? Pro’s Con’s - Mobile, self contained, few bills, would have to give up my precious studio space and sell the business, could freelance work for the next few years until investments mature to provide an income. Happy to work here and there, because I want to, not have to.
Hmmmm, lets run the numbers on that one . . . so I did, the numbers added up.
So, being awesomely inspired by people who have actually done it and are still doing it, happily and successfully. I have to give my thanks to:
Riches Have Wheels https://www.facebook.com/richeshavewheels/
Bus Life NZ https://buslifenz.com
Traveling K http://travellingk.com
The Bus NZ http://thebus.nz
Last but not least: Timber Hawkeye (Buddhist Boot Camp) https://www.buddhistbootcamp.com
Liquidating my assets!
Epiphany at Christmas, by June the house is sold, sold the business, sold all my stuff, thats actually lots of stuff. Having shipped a forty foot container full of a four bed late Victorian Manse and Studio workshop from Wales to NZ 2010, there was lets be honest lots of stuff.
Local Face Book Buy Sell was my friend, listed one minute gone the next. Sounds hard, but it was all very easy and so liberating. Absolutely liberating, like sloughing of an invisible skin. Maybe that was the shell of normality going, going, gone. No more sticks and bricks, hello New Zealand lets go explore.
In what then?
Where to start:
There are plenty of words written about how to choose a motor home considerations are not least of all the budget.
Layout - I started there . . . that bit is pretty easy. A big comfy bed, always there to lounge on, nap on, snuggle down in.
Kitchen - an oven, a decent hob, some space. I like to cook from scratch, so I know whats in my food, that takes a little space and some equipment. Too many of the European Motor homes (in my humble Opinion) had not enough space available for this important part of living in a minimalistic way.
Then I looked online, at loads, heaps, masses, of available Motorhomes in NZ. I did not want second hand, didn’t want used, unless pristine, because there is always a reason why a vehicle is being traded, my concerns were about reliability and unseen condition.
The Funny thing is, after so much research I narrowed it down to a short list of three, then eventually stepped into what I thought was going to be my prime contender only to be disappointed with the build quality. Rapidly followed by chassis, servicing, getting parts, etc. For me it was all about getting the near perfect vehicle/home on wheels with all the warranties, back up and more.
Now arrrgghh! The Wait . . .
Just one catch, even when you make a decision you got to wait.
My choice of choices, after much deliberating over pro’s con’s advantages, cost, benefits analysis and many, many short lists, getting shorter, was . . . . drum roll please . . . .
TrailLite :
Yes, I know! Not the cheapest on the market, hopelessly over my initial budget of $100-120k but, when your living in it, not just weekending you have to get it right, right? Something that will not need upgrading or tinkering with in the near future, fully warranted and guaranteed. Lets hope - I’m right (wink!)
I signed on the dotted line back at the Covi Motorhome show back in March for the all new TrailLite 300+ Oakura on the VW Crafter Chassis.
Currently I am house sitting for friends, working on my rest & relaxation techniques and of course fishing . . . will be on the road October 2018, so watch this space for updates.
TrailLite Oakura 300+ on VW Crafter chassis in construction August/September 2018
