Lisa Jansen met with Cheryl Tyler, whose plans to travel the world were interrupted by COVID – so she decided to travel locally in her motorhome instead.
Imagine spending years planning a big trip around the world. You’ve sold your house, made plans and can barely contain the excitement – only for a global pandemic to hit just as you’re primed and ready to take off. This is what happened to Cheryl Tyler.
Having always loved travel, Cheryl had long planned to spend extended time seeing the world once her son left home. However, just as she was ready to go, COVID came along. Undaunted, and determined to fulfil her dream, Cheryl wasn’t going to let something like a pandemic stop her. After all, who needs international destinations when you live in an amazing country like New Zealand? As Cheryl says, “I have always liked the idea of travelling locally in my camper. I thought maybe that’s something I would do after my trip around the world. So in a way, I just swapped things around.”
Camping had been a big part of Cheryl’s life for many years. “My son and I were on our own, and I decided that I didn’t want him to miss out on the Kiwi camping childhood. So, we got a tent and would go camping all the time,” she says.
After their tent was ruined during a big storm, Cheryl and her son were forced to sleep in the car – and thus she discovered the convenience of car camping without having to bother with tents. Not long after that, she bought her first camper, a small Toyota Hiace van, and she has never looked back.
When COVID hit, and Cheryl decided to travel in New Zealand until the borders opened again, she upgraded to a Mitsubishi L300, which was bigger, but still relatively small for permanent living. “At the time, I thought it would only be for a few months before I could head off on my international travels. When it became clear that the global situation wasn’t going to change any time soon, I decided to upgrade once again to have a permanent bed and more room.”
The 1990 Mazda T3500 Cheryl now calls home offers enough space for comfortable full time living – while it’s still easy to drive around towns and narrow roads.
What Cheryl has done over the 18 months since setting off in her camper can best be described as living life to the fullest. She has travelled from Cape Reinga to Bluff – and on to Stewart Island (although without her camper). On her way she’s met lots of people, made new friends, and collected experiences along the way that many can only dream of.
“I like to keep busy and engage with locals wherever I go. I use Eventfinda and Facebook to find things that interest me, and it’s been amazing. I have made herbal balms in Kaitaia, shoes on Waiheke Island and glass casting in Kumeu. I drew cartoons in Fielding, did male life drawing in Collingwood, memoir writing in Nelson, painting in Christchurch, vision boarding in Hokitika, astrophotography in Lake Tekapo and Heli hiking in Fox Glacier.”
Being a solo traveller has never been an issue for Cheryl, in part because it’s so easy to meet other people on the road – at times she thinks it’s much easier than when you’re living a more traditional life. Her favourite example of this is when she got chatting with a woman at a campground in Greymouth only to find out that they had been neighbours for 11 years but never met because they were each too busy with their lives. Since meeting on the road, they’ve become friends and stay in touch.
Cheryl values the Facebook groups Motorhome Babes and Female Travel Buddies as a great way to connect with other women on the road. She says solo travelling is not as lonely as some might think. “I’ve probably had more moments of loneliness in my 3-bedroom house after my son moved out than I had since I’ve been on the road. Now I feel like there are usually people around to connect with. I have also caught up with old friends whom I haven’t seen in years, and it’s been lovely to reconnect in person.”
Like so many other fulltime nomads, what Cheryl enjoys most about the lifestyle is the freedom and flexibility. She likes to explore places off the beaten track and loves that she has the flexibility to change plans whenever she feels like it.
“Some of my favourite places are ones I found by accident or by turning off a road and following a random sign.”
Cheryl also points out how the lifestyle has given her the chance to think about what she really wants from life and to go after it. “I’ve become much more staunch about the fact that I can do whatever I want, and nothing will hold me back. I don’t want to grow old sitting on the couch watching TV waiting for the end. I want to be constantly challenging myself and finding new adventures.”
Cheryl still hopes to head overseas for some extended travels at some point, but she is also glad that COVID disrupted her plans. The pandemic has given her a chance to explore closer to home – and she’s discovered a whole new lifestyle along the way. “I think this is my life now. I see no reason to return to the old way of living and working to pay bills and buy possessions. I may have to pick up some contract work now and then, but I think I will keep travelling for as long as I’m able to drive.”
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