Tam n pups winter trip 2022

I'm also having a few doubts with location for winter. I really wanted to go back to Greece and then Turkey and perhaps Georgia. But everyone else seems to be going to Spain and morroco again ...and I'm concerned I might be on my own for entirely the next 6 months which may be harder this year for obvious reasons. But I'm not sure I want to go back to morroco and definitely not sure I'd want to do 3 months.

The weather in Turkey can also be hit or a miss I think ....

But Greece has a lot more non shengen countries around it than Spain does
 
Tam. Just a thought. Maybe you need a breathing space to settle your emotions a bit. Would it be better to delay for a short while and, hopefully, get a new place you can concentrate on doing up. Either as your new home or something to sell on later.
 
StephandJohn said:
Tam. Just a thought. Maybe you need a breathing space to settle your emotions a bit. Would it be better to delay for a short while and, hopefully, get a new place you can concentrate on doing up. Either as your new home or something to sell on later.
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No I can already feel the cloud of depression coming down... I really suffer from SAD over winter and I'm just needing to get away now. Haven't decided what I want to do longterm which is a little unnerving as for the first time I will be truly homeless ( houseless) but I may or may not be fine with all that in 6 months time. My head is really all over the place just now so not the time to make any rash decisions. Don't want to buy something I later regret . So I've a budget ( with mums help) to travel up to next July if I want to without me dipping in to my major funds and after the house sells ill have a bigger pot if I decide I want to invest in a small flat or house again. But with that comes the fact I'd need a proper job and of course there's the dogs to consider. I might decide to head to Portugal next springtime and maybe look at some land seriously and see about getting residency etc ...who knows. I did have a distant dream I just need to find out if I still have that.

I think to be honest mums death hasn't fully hit me yet and when I slow down and have time that's when it will and I'm worried about how ill handle that if alone somewhere strange . But I also just have to deal with it as I don't have a support network here at home either.

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Aren't all the people you talk about going to Spain and Morocco people you have met previously on your travels?
Maybe the 2023/2024 friends are out there waiting to be added to the list.
There are so many ways of looking at it, you will just have to go with your gut, I'm sure you will make the right decision.
Might see you in Portugal, I have 4 weeks off work middle of Feb to middle of March, may also look at land while I'm there.
 
Onemanandhisdog said:
Aren't all the people you talk about going to Spain and Morocco people you have met previously on your travels?
Maybe the 2023/2024 friends are out there waiting to be added to the list.
There are so many ways of looking at it, you will just have to go with your gut, I'm sure you will make the right decision.
Might see you in Portugal, I have 4 weeks off work middle of Feb to middle of March, may also look at land while I'm there.
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Yeah it is , I suppose the last few years I kinda got used to meeting up with Jackie here and there etc. I like my own company a lot of the time but not all of the time. Single males are often the hardest to meet folk when travelling as a lot of solo women may see me as a threat and then couples often have their own company etc.

Usually fine ..... maybe I've overthinking it.. will see what happens
 
It may be as simple as going for a daily cup of coffee at the nearest bar/taverna & chatting to folk there. Sometimes a short chat is enough? I know you don’t drink in bars much, but coffee & a pastry never hurt anyone!
 
I'm up at the garage now waiting on my van, they've got it all back together have also changed the alternator belts etc . Just having their lunch then going to take it another test drive and final checkover.


Apparently they'd been supplied the wrong belt originally it was fir the later mark 3 engine and mine is the mark 2 iveco. With it being an import it seems I've always got this problem with parts as the chassis number throws up discrepancies.


But hopefully it's all sorted now. I get these things done for peace of mind and I end up more worried than I did before getting them done lol.


When it's not just a van but is your home it's just really stressful

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Stonemags76 said:
It may be as simple as going for a daily cup of coffee at the nearest bar/taverna & chatting to folk there. Sometimes a short chat is enough? I know you don’t drink in bars much, but coffee & a pastry never hurt anyone!
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Very true
 
Northernraider said:
Yeah it is , I suppose the last few years I kinda got used to meeting up with Jackie here and there etc. I like my own company a lot of the time but not all of the time. Single males are often the hardest to meet folk when travelling as a lot of solo women may see me as a threat and then couples often have their own company etc.

Usually fine ..... maybe I've overthinking it.. will see what happens
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I'd forgotten about Jackie, lost touch after last years falling out then?
The dogs are the ultimate ice breakers, I travel on my own and can't imagine how little interaction I'd have without a dog or two.
Lost the last of my two Ridgebacks in April but now have a 5 month old pup as life was too quiet and security seriously degraded!
 
Figaro said:
Must have missed it, what have you had done, new cambelt ?
It'll be fine.
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Yeah full cambelt kit fitted.

But I so wish I had asked for a quote instead if just booking it in as I feel I've been robbed on this one. It's a fairly simple job on this van as its rear wheel drive so belt is right at the front and a gates cambelt kit online is approximately £65 , they've charged me £185 for the belt and 5 hours labour so £540 all in which is the most I've ever paid for a cambelt change. So I'm a bit gutted.


Add to that I drove the 25 minute journey back from the garage and thought I'd check how much charge the b2b had put in , discovered it wasn't working at all so had to strip all the cushions etc out to access it , found the red fault light on . Dug out the instructions and found the trouble shooting guide , discovered the garage had the battery disconnected and hadn't tightened the positive terminal properly , tightened that and had to disconnect the b2b to reset it ... so I've got it working now hopefully it was just the loose terminal that did it but will find out soon I guess.


I just hope it's all OK as I really need a stress free trip this time ....don't really have the spoons this year for a lot of drama and mishaps.
 
Onemanandhisdog said:
I'd forgotten about Jackie, lost touch after last years falling out then?
The dogs are the ultimate ice breakers, I travel on my own and can't imagine how little interaction I'd have without a dog or two.
Lost the last of my two Ridgebacks in April but now have a 5 month old pup as life was too quiet and security seriously degraded!
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Yeah I've not heard a peep from her this year , maybe for the best but we had some good times travelling together too.

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Langtoftlad said:
Personally, I'd keep to your Greece, Turkey, Georgia plan until such time as you choose to change it... Turkey is a big place.
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Yeah I think that's what I'm sticking to. I know I don't want to return to Morocco so I'll stick to my plan and see how it goes.
 
Only thing I can add from my experience is I agree your mams passing hasn’t really hit you yet.
It didn’t hit me immediately either just before and just after the funeral.
It fully hit me when you realise in the following months she’s not there to ring, to talk to, to see.

I agree no big decisions should be made for a good few months.
 
Northernraider said:
Yeah I think that's what I'm sticking to. I know I don't want to return to Morocco so I'll stick to my plan and see how it goes.
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Beauty of having your home on wheels

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Northernraider said:
Yeah full cambelt kit fitted.

But I so wish I had asked for a quote instead if just booking it in as I feel I've been robbed on this one. It's a fairly simple job on this van as its rear wheel drive so belt is right at the front and a gates cambelt kit online is approximately £65 , they've charged me £185 for the belt and 5 hours labour so £540 all in which is the most I've ever paid for a cambelt change. So I'm a bit gutted.


Add to that I drove the 25 minute journey back from the garage and thought I'd check how much charge the b2b had put in , discovered it wasn't working at all so had to strip all the cushions etc out to access it , found the red fault light on . Dug out the instructions and found the trouble shooting guide , discovered the garage had the battery disconnected and hadn't tightened the positive terminal properly , tightened that and had to disconnect the b2b to reset it ... so I've got it working now hopefully it was just the loose terminal that did it but will find out soon I guess.


I just hope it's all OK as I really need a stress free trip this time ....don't really have the spoons this year for a lot of drama and mishaps.
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£540 is a little bit steep. But it's not a massive rip off either. I'd just put it down to experience.
 
gpat said:
£540 is a little bit steep. But it's not a massive rip off either. I'd just put it down to experience.
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Yeah for this van it seems pretty high , I expected between 3 and 400 . But its done now . Hopefully all is well with it. I just never trust garages these days , always bleeding issues.
 
Northernraider said:
Yeah I think that's what I'm sticking to. I know I don't want to return to Morocco so I'll stick to my plan and see how it goes.
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Alright big yin!
Just thought I'd check in to see what the feck your at now lol
As regards your trip to Greece, Turkey etc I reckon you'll be fine, as you know we did a few months in Greece/Turkey over the winter 2021 (February to May) and although Greece was fairly quiet there was still various nationalities of motorhomers about the place for a chat and Turkey had plenty of folk about especially down through the resorts, Bodrum, Marmaris etc and it got busier from Kusadasi and further south, lots of back packers with tents as well as plenty of motorhomers it did get quieter again on down near Syria and the northern Black Sea coast but there was still a few folk about and the Turks are friendly so I reckon you'll be grand 👍
 
After you’ve done the EasternCountries 🚐…use Spain as fall back
Me,Janice and the dogs will be there 😄🍻👍

02A69F6F-FA5E-4C8C-B496-704DB3D4A12A.jpeg
 
Would look a bit different today, Pont Aven is hiding from the storm in Plymouth as yesterdays crossing to Santander was cancelled

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