THEY call themselves the Grey Nomads and it’s easy to see why. Their roving lifestyle means they travel from place to place every month or two and they’re, well, pretty grey.
Retirees Hendrik and Glynis Hollenbach decided to sell their home, get rid of their belongings and pack up their caravan to permanently hit the road in 2016.
And they’re still loving it, the couple say when we catch up with them at the home of their eldest son, Jan Hendrik, in Roodepoort, Gauteng.
Their journey started in 2013 when Hendrik retired from his job as national sales manager for a large bakery brand. He was 55 and knew that he wanted to leave behind the demands of his career. Glynis resigned from her job as a teacher at a primary school in Randburg, Gauteng, because they’d always wanted to retire together.
“What are we going to do now?” Hendrik asked her in December 2013.
The couple decided to go on an extended caravan tour the next year. They’d spent many years camping with their three sons and hopped into the caravan at every opportunity while they were still working so it made sense to do more of it now that they had the time.
“When the three boys were young, the choice of caravan parks usually involved locations with swimming pools and super tubes,” Hendrik (64) recalls.
“Once they’d left home, Glynis and I increasingly started camping in game reserves and remote camping grounds, but with her still working, we were limited to school holidays.”
But that initial trip opened up a new world – they enjoyed their newfound freedom so much they locked up their Roodepoort home to go camping for extended periods.
They did this for three years then decided to make their nomadic existence permanent.
この記事は YOU South Africa の 8 June 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は YOU South Africa の 8 June 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
OUR BRAVE LITTLE FIGHTER
Like her late sister, little Elana was born with a rare lung condition and can't breathe without a ventilator, but her parents are walking this familiar path with courage and hope
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
With his new film, The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling put stunt doubles centre stage but how hard is it for a complete amateur to master the trade? Journalist Simon Usborne decided to find out
INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE
Irish writer Cecelia Ahern chats to YOU about writing her novels in longhand, her love of Lego and looking forward to her first wine-tasting in South Africa
THE KIDS ARE NOT OKAY
Something happened around 2010 that's had a huge impact on Gen Z, says a new book. It was the start of the phone-based childhood, and it's resulted in a rewiring of kids' brains - and a surge in depression and anxiety
HE'S ON THE BALL
Despite having no lower legs, -Grayton's prowess on the rugby field has made him a social media star
THIS ISN'T JUSTICE
A woman was shot dead by her fiancé, who said he thought she was an intruder. Now her family believe he got off lightly
THE BOSS IN CHARGE OF YOUR CROSS
As chief electoral officer of the IEC, Sy Mamabolo has his hands full these days!
HEARTBREAK AND HOPE
Relatives and loved ones share their stories as rescue efforts continue for the people still trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in George
BLOOMING!
Shes adored by fans and loathed by haters, but like the character she plays in her new movie, Anne Hathaway says shes putting her own Joy first
SUSSEXES' AFRICAN ADVENTURE
Meghan and Harry took Nigeria by storm – but relations with the royal family remain icy
