The Idea

“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have”

September 2018 was our deciding moment that it was time our lives were given a shakeup.

We were on holiday in Sardinia with our best friends Michelle and John when they got the news that their house had sold and they could now make their permanent home move to live in Italy. During much celebration of the liquid kind they asked- ” so what are you two planning for the future” We looked at each other, looked back at them, looked back at each other again and realised that that was a very good question and one we needed to work out an answer to.

We had been thinking for some time that we couldn’t envisage ourselves staying in our current jobs until we were officially due for retirement at 67, or even longer if funds dictated. Although they were a secure, comfortable option, we always chased the idea of freedom, travel, and more time together. But what should we do? What could we do?

We still needed a regular wage to pay bills and a mortgage, and an obligation to provide a roof over our youngests head for the immediate future, so “upping and offing” wasn’t a viable option for us at the current time.

We made a tick list of requirements we wanted from our new life, and set about thinking of jobs that could fulfill if not all then most of them.

Although we have been fortunate to visit many countries and stayed in beautiful places around the globe our happy place was always in a caravan/campervan/tent, of which we had rotated through each of them a number of times in our 30 years together. So it didn’t take long before the eureka moment arrived. How about becoming Caravan Site Wardens?

Enthused by the idea we set about exploring what that actually meant. What did the job entail? what skills were required? what were the hours? pay? What did a warden actually do? We had 101 questions and we needed answers. We made phone calls, researched online, visited sites, spoke to wardens and in October headed to the Caravan and Motorhome Show in Birmingham. There we were able to speak to real people doing the real job and living the real lifestyle. It was so inspiring we came away with heads buzzing and a very real excitement that it all might be possible.

November and December was spent doing yet more fact finding, working out finances, exploring our pension options and broaching the ldea with friends and family. Mostly swinging daily ( and often several times a day) between the “shall we- shan’t we” “can we- can’t we” dilemma.

New Year 2019 arrived and what better time to decide to change your life than that. Saturday 4th January was spent applying online. It took 8 hours to fill in all the sections and after several deep breaths we hit the send button.

We had started the journey.

“…and then there is the greatest danger of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later”