Gray Nomad,  gray with an a for active seniors lifestyle.
 
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Many of the new design caravans and fifth wheelers  such as the Travelhome Macquarie 29 foot, 5th Wheeler, have an office space incorporated in the design to accommodate the need for today’s gray-nomad to earn the costs of regular touring.

Reg and I are having out ‘Troopy’ serviced at Toyota in Shepparton Victoria, today. It is the 40 thousand service, end even with nothing needing to be done, this is an $1,100.00 to $1,200.00 service they tell me. That is a lot of fridge magnets, bookmarks or cards from my art works at $5. each or small gift cards, post cards, or packs of mini gift cards at $2. Each, I need to sell, to cover the cost of keeping our vehicle touring to painting the on location art work and also cover the fuel, increased food costs away from main cities and the additional accommodation costs as we review the dog friendly caravan parks this year.  I will need to begin doing my figures and work out our break-even budget costs. If we ever make a profit from an art tour, I do donate this to charity.

Gray-nomads, who like to keep rolling on the road, find many ingenious ways to cover travel costs. Currently here in the Goulburn Valley where I am staying for summer, there is work picking and packing fruit for the SPC Ardmona cannery and the local orchards.  I love hard work and exercise but for me J, I like to be my own boss and be able to pace myself, knock off when I want to, I doubt that fruit picking would be something my back could hold up to. Even though art is a non-essential and not a guaranteed way to earn travel costs, it is my way of choice.

We are touring up the more populated east coast of Australia this year and even far north Queensland is now getting good internet access and as we will be travelling with our wireless internet connection this opens up a lot of new ways for gray nomads to clear n an income while touring.

There is an opportunity to earn money if you are a good writer through people paying you to write reviews or place advertisements in your blogs.

You can sell your own services like hairdressing, dog grooming, dressmaking from your caravan or sell other people’s services, for instance you can do touring sales work, approaching businesses to sell merchant account services. There are many ways you can lead a touring life and take a business on the road. You do not have to be retired to lead the gray nomad life.

 
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Office desk, built in to the 29' travelhome
 
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