Your comments and tips

No room to publish it all, but here are some extracts from a few of the emails received - some have interesting tips of their own!

Hi Sandy/Sid,
Robyn and I have decided to try out this caravan holiday lifestyle for a while after selling our business in Gladstone Queensland.(last holiday 1979) Purchased your triple DVD pack in Rockhampton at the caravan show and now wish we had purchased it before we purchased our rig but I am sure that after trying out the lifestyle and gathering more knowledge an upgrade would be possible.............. Please let us know if any further DVD editions become available.
Thanks for a great resource
Regards
Rodney

 

Just received my DVD today and watched the first few chapters..very impressed so far! Exactly what we were looking for as we are gearing up for early retirement and want to start planning for “The Big One”. Actually, I’m hoping we’ll love it so much, it will turn in to “The Big 20” as we plan to travel over many years...  Paul

 

Have to say the DVD is worth its weight in gold, (we brought one on the weekend) partner and I have looked at it twice and slowly perusing it with a notepad close. Thanks, and will recommend it to all we speak to.  One thing, you mention a few ways to light a fire and all are valid but if you have trouble with the flame throwing white sugar on it cranks it up, thought you might wanna know that.   Karin

 

I watched the DVD last night and was quite impressed with what you have done as a "one man production"! Very easy on the ear conversational style and quite interesting, even for someone like me not really contemplating doing this sort of thing.   Kate  (who now stocks the DVD in her shop).

 

Hi Sid …just a quick line or two about the DVD I purchased at the Show last w/end…I thought it was great and very much look forward to number 2?? I’m a relatively younger Caravaner at 43 y.o and I find it quite amazing the “Lack of” information DVD’s available….so I found yours great! I spoke to you at the show and mentioned how I watched all the Kedron dvd’s…and can’t wait for their next adventure. I’m finding that Caravans are becoming more popular with the younger folk  …    Ken      (Gall Boys have just returned from their latest adventure to Arnhemland and Canning Stock Route - in a caravan???? - stay tuned! - Sid)

 

We’ve nearly finished watching the DVD and it’s great.  We found that a lot of what you learnt with your first van we had actually thought of and rejected, so we’re well on the way down your path. We love your fire bucket and I remembered that we had to replace the washing machine drum and the service man suggested to store it “just in case”.  Well, the “just in case” is on its way, but I don’t think it’s how he envisioned the drum would be used! Thanks for producing such a factual and useful DVD.    Jules & Stu  (People say the sweetest things! - Sid)

 

Just to say that we found a lot of tips that make sense and useful hints thank you. The best thing is you told us in simple language which for beginners is always good . . . . . Suggestion - In your DVD you use fire lighters and kerosene for starting your fires. We had a wood chip heater in a guest house we had and fire lighters were expensive compared to a we were given. The tip was "Save your tea bags and allow them to dry then put them in a container with kerosene, this works we found as well as fire lighters" . . .. . .More info on the coffee would be good in next news letter or sooner . . . Thank you again for a very interesting DVD.  Brian & Lyn

 

Hi Sid & Sandie.  We have watched your dvd 3 times now and taken a lot of notes from it, we are doing our home work and the dvd is spot on for us.    We are going to retire October 2010,  early next year will look for a second hand  20ft caravan simular to yours but on road only as i need to keep the tare weight to 2000kg or less as my Prado has a towing limit of 2500kg.  We have looked at a couple of vans and realy like the east/west bed set up with a tiolet/shower combo as we dont think we will use the shower very much,  that combo set up makes for more wardrob/cupboard space where the separate shower would be.  
       There are a lot of different vans out there and are a lot cheaper to buy in the eastern states when you look on the internet.   
       You wouldnt beleve it,  we have just replaced our front loader washing machine and was about to toss out the old one so i ripped out the tumbler as soon as i saw yours on the dvd.  
        Thanks for the dvd it is a must see for any one buying a van and heading off to see this great land of ours. Take care and happy travelling,         Geoff & denise.

 

Hi Sid, We received the DVD today and have just finished watching it. Very well done we enjoyed it very much, like you we have a small Jayco 16' caravan and Travelled from Brisbane to Tasmania for 5 weeks and  now planning our trip  around Australia and we are looking for a bigger van so that we may become self sufficient also.
Thanks again and well done Sid and Sandie, may see you on the road.  Ray and Cathy

P.S. I get the same as you got from Sandie the dreaded finger when I stir her mate or have a go at her hahahhaha.

 

Hi Sid
        you did a grand "sales job" selling me your DVD at the Melbourne show. Having watched it twice so far, my wife and I agree that the DVD represents true value for money.
        Before coming to Australia in the '90s, I had  some 15 years caravanning experience in the UK and Western Europe.  Here in Australia, I had to re-learn a lot about camping, caravans and life in general.  Unfortunately, there is still one common denominator, Murphy's Law.  I will therefore thank you in advance for saving me from some stuff-ups I would probably have made and  the subsequent frustration.
        Regardless of whether you are going on a circumnavigation of Australia, a longish trip or just going on a short holiday, Grey Nomad 101 - The  DVD should be regarded as essential viewing.  The advice in most instances is generic, valid and should be carefully considered.  The same can be said of the web site, a most valuable resource.
Once again, thank you Sid.
Kind regards
and
Safe Journeys.

Richard & Linda Kemp

 

Hi Sid and Sandy
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your experiences on the DVD. I saw you both last weekend at the Brissy show have watched the DVD 3 times so far and still picking up stuff....and Julz my partner is enjoying it to on her first viewing. Certainly money well spent and hoped you had an enjoyable time at it too selling heaps of DVD's..!!!!
 We are still in the research phase in buying a van...still avid campers though.... having attended our 3rd Brissy show and as you said you pick up different ideas every time. A van we liked last year has been superseded this year !!
Anyway keep up the good work and again thanks for sharing your experiences. I particularly enjoyed your solar panels/ pure sine wave segment.
Cheers............Mike (& Julz)

 

Hi S&S,
I have just finished watching your DVD 'Grey Nomad 101' and was very interested in the things you had to say about setting up for long term travelling. I wish something like this had been available when we first started living on the road in 1997. We travelled for a total of 12 years and have only just come back to a more settled lifestyle. We had our own trials and tribulations as we wandered round and I have to say that I am in total agreement with everything you said on the DVD. We did things the hard way, total green-horns with no practical skills, but we survived and had great times on the road.      Marc

 

Have recvd our DVDS Grey Nomad 1 & 2 and were really impressed with all the tips and info that was given.Also places where you had been were also very interesting. Hope you are going to do some more. Thankyou     
Kathryn Wheeler

 

Hi! Sid,   Just to let you know that we were thrilled with the DVD'S. We're hoping to do some travelling now that we have our Caravan. We were heading off to Townsville to see our family over Christmas but due to the weather we cancelled the trip.
Hope you both had a lovely Christmas.
Cheers,
Sandy:)

 

Hi Sid and Sandie --- Thank you so much for your reply. Had a play around with the DVD and not only did it start to play on our laptop but I also found the ‘camping-equipment-checklist’ and ‘copy of our stuff’ documents. The link you sent us was very helpful. We are half way through our second viewing and enjoying every minute. Anne & Garry

 

Hi Sid and Sandy,

We purchased your video set last weekend at the 4wd expo. After watching the three videos, it would not be right if I didn’t tell you how much my wife, Kaye and I enjoyed watching them.

Over a beer or wine, there is still many questions that I would love to ask you but it is quite amazing how much info that you have fitted into 3 discs. If there is such a thing as an email list, please remind me as your new DVD’s become available as I am a very likely customer for the new ones.

As a North Qld cattle station jackeroo, who became a surveyor, who became a  mining foreman, who became a retailer at 35 years of age, who planned to retire at 50 but then started up a race horse agistment property at 362 Johnson Road, Wellard WA, I am, at this time, ordering a new Toyota Landcruiser that will hopefully be delivered in March. That is the next step for me to hopefully retire, so the info that I gleaned from your videos may actually be used, to some extent, anyway.

This leads me to comment that I just LOVE that Great Australian Spirit and your obvious entrepreneurial talents, drive and persistence that has led to your “GREY NOMAD” business. I find it absolutely GREAT. Thanks again, Cheers Bob & Kaye Baxter