Before the Shakedown Trip

The First Big Trip:
Before We Leave for ‘The ShakeDown’

 

The countdown to our first big adventure is officially on!

After months of planning, prepping, and the usual hurdles, we’re finally about to embark on our long-awaited three-week road trip, but before we hit the road, there’s a lot to do – not just with the motorhome, but also making sure everything is in order at home.

Finding the Perfect House Sitter

One of the most important tasks before leaving for an extended period is ensuring our beloved Farm, dogs, cats, and chickens are well taken care of.

We’re so fortunate to have found a wonderful house sitter who not only understands our animals but genuinely loves them.

Our dogs, Molly and Hamish, our cats, Blaze and Dusk, and of course, the chickens, will be in good hands.

The fact that a trusted friend has stepped up to take care of our home and animals is a huge weight off our shoulders.
It’s one of those unexpected blessings that makes everything else feel like it’s falling into place.

The Uncertainty of Health

But while everything at home seems to be sorted, there’s one big unknown: one of us is scheduled for a fairly large operation in the last week of October.

We’re hoping that recovery goes smoothly and that by mid-November, we’ll be good to go on our trip.

Will she be well enough to travel?
It’s a bit of a gamble, but we’re taking it one day at a time, staying hopeful that everything will line up as planned.

Mabi, the Furry Co-Pilot

Of course, our travel plans wouldn’t be complete without Mabi, our furry canine copilot, and as many are aware, she has her own set of medical challenges – specifically Addisons disease – which requires her to take medication twice a day and have regular blood tests.

It’s going to be a little extra work to manage her health on the road, but we wouldn’t leave her behind for the world.
We’re packing her meds, making sure we have access to veterinary care on the road if necessary, and planning around her needs as well as our own, to make the trip as smooth as possible.

The Henry Saga

Then, there’s our motorhome Henry.
We’re excited to be hitting the road in our home-on-wheels, but the process has been anything but smooth.
The company we purchased it from has caused us a fair bit of stress and frustration, and honestly, we wouldn’t recommend them.

However, we can’t say enough good things about the warranty service team – they’ve been incredibly helpful in getting things sorted, which has gone a long way in making up for the initial hiccups.

At the moment, we’re still waiting on the installation of a new air conditioner.
It’s one of those “fingers crossed” situations.
Will it be installed in time for our departure?
Only time will tell…

Upgrades and Adjustments

We’ve also got big plans to upgrade the entire 12V system and battery setup in Henry.
While the current system works fine, we’re looking to future-proof things with a more robust setup for longer trips and better energy efficiency.

The upgrade isn’t urgent, but it’s one of those things we want to get done sooner rather than later.

Another project we’ve been tackling is going through everything we initially packed into the bus and really paring it down.
As with any big adventure, we’ve learned that less is more.

We’re ditching the excess containers, random items that just aren’t necessary, and focusing on the essentials.
We don’t want to end up with a cramped, cluttered space when we’re living out of it for weeks on end, and weight is an always important consideration when on the road.

The Journey Ahead

Despite all the preparation and challenges, we’re feeling incredibly excited about the trip ahead.
There’s a sense of adventure in the air, and we can’t wait to hit the road and explore new places, meet new people, and create unforgettable memories.

Stay tuned for the next part of our Shakedown Trip, where we’ll share how everything comes together; and whether we managed to pull off this ambitious journey!

Until then, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a smooth recovery, timely installations, and a road trip full of good vibes and great experiences.

Wishing you all happy travels, and make the moments matter.

Update:

The insurance aircon guy managed to do the installation of the new compressor for the motorhome aircon just over a week before we were due to leave.
It’s lovely, cool and quiet now!!
Of course it didn’t go without a hitch…

When he tossed the aircon up onto the roof from the back of his Ute, it landed on the bathroom hatch and cracked it.
He ‘fixed it for us’ – with gaffa tape (!!) – but we’re not wild about that idea, and would like a replacement cover.

When we checked out the roof the next day, we found another spot where he’d had his ladder leaning, that also had another crack.
We have since taped that one up to make sure it doesn’t become a water ingress.