Like thousands of older Australians, Graeme Kuchel has spent the latter years of his life travelling the country as part of his retirement.
But, as the cost-of-living rises, the 74-year-old said moving from one place to the next was becoming increasingly difficult.
"With the cost of fuel, everything else has gone up, like your supermarket stuff and any vehicle repairs," Mr Kuchel said.
"It's tight, very tight at times."
Originally from Langhorne Creek, 60 kilometres south-east of Adelaide, Mr Kuchel lived in Queensland for the past four years.
He travelled to Western Australia via the Northern Territory.
He said as the cost to fill his converted bus rose above $500 a tank, he'd been forced to stay in the state for longer than expected.
"I came over in February, and now I'm going to do probably nearly 12 months here in Western Australia because it's just got too expensive to travel all the way back," he said.
Fuel or medicine
Mr Kuchel worked as a farmer and truck driver for most of his life and now lives off a pension that he says has failed to keep up with rising inflation.
Suffering from osteoarthritis and a heart condition, the South Australian said access to healthcare and medication has also become a concern — particularly in rural areas.
"I do rely on the public system and while I'm living out in the bush, those services are not freely available," he said.
"When you start looking at cardiologists, and the various specialists, unless they come to a regional area, you've got to travel perhaps a thousand kilometres."
Mr Kuchel has been able to stay on top of his treatment by teleconferencing his doctor back in Cairns and having scripts sent west, but the government support he receives for his treatment is about to end.
"I've only got three months roughly left of this particular government assistant and then I'll have to pay the extra and this worries me because once you start paying extra it usually snowballs," he said.
Limited services
Rural Doctors Association of Australia chief executive Peta Rutherford said for people on a fixed income, healthcare was often one of the first casualties of rising costs, often leading to worse health outcomes.
"The reality is that if there is an out-of-pocket expense, and even for a prescription, we certainly get many, many reports that when things are tight, that will be the thing they put off," she said.
"If something doesn't go right, we could end up seeing them in the emergency department, as opposed to a regular appointment with their GP."
Ms Rutherford said it was not uncommon for older people travelling around the country to fall ill, but people with known health conditions should take precautions.
She said country GPs and pharmacists did their best to accommodate travellers, but many rural communities had limited medical resources, or none at all.
"Most of our small rural communities certainly don't have access to consultant specialists, they don't have access to things like MRI or CT machines," she said.
"The local doctor and the community nurse will try to accommodate, but sometimes it's just not possible."
Health considerations
Caravan Industry Association of WA chief executive Julian Barry said for people travelling long distances on a budget — preparation was key.
He said travelling shorter distances or staying within a set area meant if an accident occurred, or costs started to rise, travellers would be closer to support.
For people with known health conditions, having adequate medication to complete the journey was essential, however, Mr Barry said most people did plan ahead.
"We're actually seeing manufacturers produce defibrillators that can fit in the glove box and are relatively cheap," he said.
"People are getting to that level of planning when they're doing a trip."
