3 Months on - What Life On The Road Has Taught Us.

Can you believe it!  We have been on the road for over 3 months now.  As we prepare to leave Northland and Far North and soon start out on our next leg of travels, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of the lessons we have learnt from our life so far on the road.

Life on the road has taught us to slow down and enjoy life.

It is good to wake up every day with no expectations, no plans and no routine.  It is good to be in no rush to do anything quickly.  

It is good to be able to go for a walk at any time of the day.  It is good to feel the grass beneath your bare feet and feel the sun on your face.  It is good to be able to sit quietly in a peaceful place and just appreciate the beauty of the world around you .... and not feel guilty about .... doing absolutely nothing.

Lovely old bench at Hihi Beach campsite

Life on the road has taught us that we actually need very little.

As we grow up and as we progress along the paths of normal life, ie education, work, family, success …. bigger and better seems to be the standards we set for our lives.  So we strive for more money, more power, more possessions.  And then we can sometimes lose our true selves in all this stuff.

Contrary to what people think, giving all this up is not a step backwards.  It does not make you poorer but enriches your life.

We have a tiny home now with not much cupboard space and weight restrictions so we can only carry the absolute necessities for our lifestyle.  Yet we lack for nothing.  We have all we need.  

Our choice is simply to have the lifestyle we want over possessions and stuff.  Simple and basic.

Beautiful sunrise at Hihi Beach

Life on the road has taught us to ride out the storms that life can throw at you.

We started our journey at the end of autumn, knowing well that we would be living in our caravan in exposed areas in winter.  New Zealand winters are usually extremely wet, windy and prone to all sorts of storms and weather bombs.  So we figured if we could get through the extreme winter weather conditions in our small home in good spirits then we will be just fine.  If we can stay strong and upright and still be loving our lifestyle despite all this, then we can survive anything.  And we have so far.

Fascinating dead tree - stayed upright despite all the wind 

and stormy seas we experienced at Hihi Beach

Life on the road has taught us to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Living this lifestyle has transported us right into nature.  Our backyards have no walls, no fences and no real boundaries and change with every move of our home.  

We have stepped out of our front door right into beautiful backyards of green lawns and park-like campsites with views of the ocean on our doorstep.  We have been surrounded by native trees full of Tuis and other birds in happy birdsong.  We have walked on beautiful beaches, explored around rocks and crevices and sat and watched amazing sunsets evening after evening.

Our life on the road has taken us out of cities and away from the rut and grind of the norm to be able to experience all of this to the fullest.

A peek out a cave at Hihi Beach

Life on the road has taught us to appreciate life.

Going full time on the road has set us free to enjoy life as we should.  It is wonderful to finally be able to spend all our time together as a couple.  It seems like it has taken us years and years of work and slog to finally have the experience of retirement.  Yes it is a lot sooner than we had planned and yes we are still working part-time on the road, but this all feels good and just as it should be right here and now.

We are living the best life we can at the moment and we love it!