Settling down AFTER life on the road. Anyone done it?

[Redcherokee]

I keep seeing threads from folk who are selling up and going on the road, or been living on the road for a while.  They all make it sound idyllic.

Is there anyone out there who has settled back down after doing the big trip?  What made you settle down, decide where to settle, and how did that process work out?    I can imagine missing all sorts of things that you had gotten rid of in the prep for the trip.  And having trouble with the adjustment.

[chester ver2.0]

I did 5 month on the rd and then another 6 months in a furnished unit before i got all my stuff shipped over

There was some nice suprises in our own stuff yes but nothing i truly missed

The biggest problem that i had when coming off the road was simply going back to being managed by someone elses timetable rather than my own as i am in a management position i live by a diary and i was nice on the road that it was my diary that i put things in that i wanted to do and see and then you go back to work and it is others that are putting commitment in your diary

The other thing is now we are planning out next stint i cannot go back to 10 years in the same job and just my 2 to 3 weeks of holiday. After the experiences i have had on the road my life willl now proably be work for 4 to 5 years then take a year off

[poidda]

Life goes on in stages.

I spent 8 years on the "road" travelling the world and loved every minute of it.  It did take some time to adjust when I came home, but start working a 9-5 job again, but such is life (for now).

The next stage of life, kids etc, was the main reason to "settle down".

[Reddirtroaming]

We are also going to struggle. With only a few weeks left to go on our 12 month trip. We still aren't completely sure about jobs or the place we will live yet so that is causing a bit of anxiety. We have options but the not knowing is hard as we can't make plans.

We kept most of our things in a shipping container. But after a year on the road in a camper trailer I wish we had of got rid of more before we left. Now we have to sort it all out. At least we won't have any costs in setting a house up again.

Travelling has made us realise that we want to control our own destiny & working life. So we will be only going back to our old jobs so we can afford to do just that in a few years to have our own business or the like. Or maybe just travel again.

Settling down for us will only be happening because of the same reason as Poidda below. It's time for that next stage of life i.e. Kids. If not for that we would definitely keep going for another year.

[chester ver2.0]

We are also going to struggle. With only a few weeks left to go on our 12 month trip. We still aren't completely sure about jobs or the place we will live yet so that is causing a bit of anxiety. We have options but the not knowing is hard as we can't make plans.

We kept most of our things in a shipping container. But after a year on the road in a camper trailer I wish we had of got rid of more before we left. Now we have to sort it all out. At least we won't have any costs in setting a house up again.

Travelling has made us realise that we want to control our own destiny & working life. So we will be only going back to our old jobs so we can afford to do just that in a few years to have our own business or the like. Or maybe just travel again.

Settling down for us will only be happening because of the same reason as Poidda below. It's time for that next stage of life i.e. Kids. If not for that we would definitely keep going for another year.

I hear ya re the shipping container our stuff was in storage for 4 years and then i unloaded 42 boxes and then repacked 18 boxes of rubbish and either gave it away or threw it out

So gut as hard as you can before you leave

[tk421]

I've done a few big trips since leaving Uni. 3mths in Africa,  Backpacking across the USA, 12 months travelling in Asia/Australia.  8 years ago we moved back to Oz  after 18 months working in UK. Coming back, my Partner and I were ruthless and sold off everything we didn't need. We only had 3 tea chests full of belongings and a wad of cash.  No kids, no mortgage. So we left the boxes with the sister in law,   bought an old 60 series and took off in a lap round Aus.  (we'd already been up the centre and east coast so did the South and West). You realise you don't really need a lot of stuff. Sell the TV, buy a new one when you get back. DVD's & CD's rip them onto a hard drive - saves heaps of space

Each time its hard to go back to work and be on someone else's timeline. You also realise you've moved on and have heaps of stories to tell but everyone is still the same daily grind and not interested. (this was pre-facebook). But pretty soon you settle back in but the thoughts of going off again are never far from your mind.

Unfortunately in my line of work once it was over, it was back to the big city to settle down. Since getting back we've got the mortgage, got the kids and are 9-5'ing. But the thought of packing up and going again is never far from our minds. We are starting to think about 12mths round Oz again to revisit places and go to place we haven't seen yet.   We're also just about over Sydney and are thinking of making a tree change.  We kind of regret not finding somewhere else on the trip to settle. Uprooting 3 kids now also makes it a bit harder along with all the crap we seem to have accumulated again along the way that we'd have to get rid of.

[speewa158]

After 3.5 years on the Wallaby , you never really settle down . You will be somewhere doing whatever when a place name will pop up , your there reliving the trip . Even if only for a second , but you there .
l went back to 9 to 5 & found looking at a map almost made we weep . Watching a CT heading up the road ahead of my made me want to follow & still dose .Thinking of all the miles & Smiles & beers   just made the turn toward humdrum so much harder .


Make the way to go  , &  ,   Go .         Live your life as it wont go on for ever , build the memory banks ,,,till you forget