The dream of travelling the wide brown land finds its reality for many people in the retirement purchase of a
caravan or campertrailer and a towing vehicle, and then itineraries that circumnavigate or criss-cross the country
in either short or long trips. But dreams have costs.
A caravan and a suitable towing represents a significant outlay, particularly for first time buyers in a climate
of financial uncertainty, and a climate in which self-funded retirees and pensioners face a reduction in the
value of their capital savings and incomes. Before the excitement of buying takes over,
it makes good sense to think carefully about your costs.
A Suggested Way of Looking at the Costs
What costs do you need to estimate? Try completing following table:
| Costs |
Year 1 |
Year 5 |
Year 10 |
| Vehicle + Caravan |
|
|
|
| Replacement vehicle (Year 5?) |
|
|
|
| Vehicle annual operating cost (available from most motoring organisations, and surprisingly high) |
|
|
|
| Caravan annual maintenance cost |
|
|
|
| Driver training (for 4WD, towing, etc) |
|
|
|
| Accommodation and food |
|
|
|
| Entry fees, local tours, flights, gifts |
|
|
|
| Fuel (remember that towing uses significantly more litres per 100km than normal driving) |
|
|
|
| Total |
|
|
|
|
