So you want to be a full timer, huh? Now that we have been on the road nearly five years it gives me time to reflect on just exactly what the heck we have done! I remember back in 2010 when we first conceived this crazy idea of buying an RV and traveling all over the USA. What were we thinking back then?
When we first thought about RV’ing full time we had some idea of what it would entail and what we would get from it all. Now of course we had absolutely ZERO experience with an RV. Sharon’s idea of roughing it was to stay in less than a three star hotel whereas I was a backpacker and liked the solace of camping in the wilderness alone. So what did we hope that this lifestyle would be?
At first we thought that it would offer us the freedom to come and go as we please. We retired from the workforce just before we embarked on this grand adventure so FREEDOM was the single most desirable trait that this new lifestyle would offer us. With this new found freedom we chose to follow our daughter’s collegiate softball team her entire senior year to watch all of her remaining collegiate games.Of course we found this experience was PRICELESS and we are so glad we did it.
Having sold our house and all our worldly possessions (we put nothing in storage) we also expected financial freedom as well. With the sale of our home we were able to purchase our motorhome outright so we had no loans to pay. We were also fortunate in that we had health insurance covered at a very reasonable rate through my former employment as a retiree benefit. Health insurance is likely the biggest impediment for those wanting to full time in an RV especially now that many states are dropping their PPO coverage.
Well our time on the road has been everything we ever thought it would be and more. We have learned a few things about the lifestyle as we have evolved over time. So what would I tell someone who was wanting to do what we are doing?
First make sure you have your ducks in a row. Clear as much debt as you can before hitting the road. Less financial worries mean more time to enjoy life in general. Don’t rush into it if you aren’t financially able. We were financially able.... but just barely. We might have been wiser to work one or two more years. But having said that the one thing most long term fulltimers will say when asked “what is the one thing you regret not doing.” The most inevitable answer has been “We wish we would have retired sooner and started full timing sooner.”
The second piece of advice I would offer to new full timers is to not be in a hurry. You don’t have to see all fifty states in one year! Stay calm and take your time. After all there is about a six month learning curve in figuring out how to get the most out of this lifestyle. I remember before we retired and would be traveling, we would hurriedly pass places on the road thinking that one day we would be back to fully explore it some other day. Don’t do that in this lifestyle. Go slow, stop frequently and take your time.
We have learned that nearly every town big or small has a story to tell. Some of our most cherished experiences have come when we least expected when pausing along the road to stay two or three days in between planned destinations. An example of this is our stay in Ashland Wisconsin where we booked a site at a city park online which turned out to be a wonderfully scenic waterfront site within walking distance to town. As we walked the streets of the small town a passerby stopped us knowing we were new to town to tell us where to spend happy hour and shared some interesting history of the town. It turns out two elderly resident ladies painted wonderful murals all over town depicting the town's history. What a delight it was to see each one and then later reflecting on our day at the wonderful recommended happy hour spot. Had we zoomed through we would have missed this memorable experience.
We live in a large and diverse country with so much to see and experience. Don’t miss out on any opportunity because you are in a hurry to get from point A to point B. There will be plenty of time to see and experience all that you desire if you simply slow down and take it all in…
Great minds think alike...that would be yours and ours. We could have wrote this review...great job!
ReplyDeleteI notice there is no traveling in the midwest on the map. Better get to some of those states. They have a ton to offer.
yeah we know, but the edges have more beaches and mountains...
DeleteWell said!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You really do need to check out the Midwest:)
ReplyDeletePerfect advice. Retire sooner than later. We remember the day you hit the road,we were so close to you at that time. But did not meet up for a couple years in Rock Port Texas.
ReplyDeleteTake your time experience all you can and don't be in a hurry.
In our 10th year fulltime and have been loving every minute of it. Nothing else that we would rather do.
Life is short do it now.
Good info. I hope you still have your retiree health coverage. Unfortunately, due to the upcoming employee mandate from Obamacare, we will lose ours after this year.
ReplyDeletewe renew every August so we are hoping nothing changes as I have heard Texas State systems will keep their PPO - hope that is correct
DeleteGreat advice....you hit all the important points.
ReplyDeleteReally nice post Heyduke with very good advice. Love your map. How in the world did you do it? You must be a google maps wizard if you did it with the "new" google maps. Looks like you've got a big hole in the middle. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe map is a screen shot from the now defunct Microsoft Streets and Trips program that I still use...
DeleteYup! Ditto to all you said, especially about being financially stable. If we didn't have a good cushion we would be in deep do-do now with the big market swings.
ReplyDelete...us too
DeleteGreat post, but two comments come to mind as I was reading it. We've been following your travels since day one and so I remember when you bought your RV and I was thinking "why are you buying such a big expensive RV as a first time purchase?". Especially since you now mention that you were "just barely" financially able to do so. So my first comment would be directed to people thinking about going full time. You don't need a big expensive rig.
ReplyDeleteMy second comment relates to travel in general. There is much more to see in your RV than just the United States. Sure, I know that's where most of you feel comfortable, and there certainly is lots to see, but it's easy to expand your horizons to include both Canada and Mexico. Especially since you currently benefit from an abnormally high exchange rate.
Like I said, great post...we enjoy reading about your travels.
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
"just barely" is in the eye of the beholder - given that we purchased exactly the RV we wanted (no more no less) the lesson there is stay within your budget. As for travel outside the USA you are correct but there is a heck of a lot to see here too. We spent some time in Ontario and explored Toronto. Also had plans this year to explore much of eastern Canada but weather changed our plans.
DeleteYes, the weather in eastern Canada will often do that!
DeleteWell said. We consider ourselves fortunate (worked hard and saved for 35+ years) to be full time at 55. Great map but it looks like you have a hole in the middle of your map, lots of great places in that hole.
ReplyDeleteBoy, we do have soooo much in common with our RV fulltiming experience, John and Sharon! We could have signed our name to this post. We are now in our sixth year, as well. While we did plan for eight years prior to our retirement once we discovered this cool idea, we were totally debt free, used our house sale for our MH purchase, had medical insurance help and coverage from my job, are financial secure, and take it real easy on the road:) We learned about month out that this isn't a typical week vacation. We didn't need to go, go, go every day. This is life...enjoy all aspects of it. Small town America is wonderful and has been some of our favorite stops. We don't travel in the rain, we extend visits if the weather is bad, change plans at the last minute when something interesting presents itself...flexibility is the name of the game. Sure hope it is cooling down for you in Florida:)
ReplyDeleteIt finally cooled down today but man I can't believe how un-acclimated I have become to the humidity!!!
DeleteLoved the post. We agree whole heartedly, we too are starting year 6 and loving it. Next time we meet we will have to toast this life with a great craft brew. Cheers!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you stay out west we will head that way next spring... so maybe then we can share some good times together again...
DeleteNice post. Some people discover this isn't the life for them and hang up the keys within the first year. They realize doing what they want, where they want isn't quite as inexpensive as what they had planned for. Folks have to like travel and being on the go. It just doesn't work for all.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed Ashland... very very pretty place! All along the Superior shoreline it's so rugged and scenic! Soooo wrapping up five years into one post..., and hoping for many more to come!
ReplyDeleteKarenInTheWoods and Steveio
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(our Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
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Good advice for people thinking of going fulltime and also us who have been on the road a few years.
ReplyDeleteAnd drink lots of craft beer at breweries all over the country!
ReplyDelete