grey nomad

Definition

A retired person who travels independently and for an extended period within their own country, particularly in a caravan or motor home.

Etymology

Coined by documentary filmmakers Catherine Marciniak and Steve Westh for the documentary Grey Nomads screened on the Australian public broadcaster ABC on September 23rd 1997.

Example Sentences

• "Every year Grey Nomad migration sees the little Gulf town of Karumba stretched creaseless with sunbirds and fisherfolk."
• "I suppose I only became conscious of the grey nomads when I became one.[…]Some grey nomads are on the road for up to two years as they follow the seasons — Broome and the Kimberley during the dry season, or Far North Queensland from the Gold Coast up to escape the southern winter. Then a stately migration south — most caravanners only notch up about 300 kilometres a day — to Victoria and Tasmania, or the Margaret River area of Western Australia, for the cooler climes in high summer."
• "2011, Alan Carter, Prime Cut, Large Print 16pt Edition, page 103, Constable Greg Fisher reported on the trip to Mason and Starvation bays and the chat with Billy Mather, none of which had generated anything of real interest except for the tip about the grey nomads who′d passed through."