New to Forum AND RVing

[RVGrammy]

Hello-
My husband and I are downsizing and plan on being full-time RV-ers. We are doing this partly out of necessity (the downsizing, anyway), and also realizing that life is too short to work your life away. We have 7 children who are grown and scattered from one end of the United States to the other. We miss seeing them and our grandchildren. I have been very fortunate to have had a job where I can take a couple weeks off every few months so that we have been able to drive to go and visit our family, but once we drive there and back home, it never leaves enough time to do the all that we would like to do.

My husband is disabled and we are hoping to be able to budget his Disability income so that I wont have to work very much. We plan on buying a 5th wheel and pickup with the money that we clear from the sale of our home--Hopefully we will get enough out of it for what we would like to buy.

I'm excited to be part of this forum and learn all that we can about full-time RVing, because we basically know nothing much about it. We've only watched lots of You-Tube videos about it.

I would like to buy a 1/2 acre of land to use as our "home base"--seems that would be cheaper than paying to park it at an "RV Park"--this is something I really need some advice about!--My husband and I have differing opinions about this...mostly because we don't really know many facts about this.

We do want to travel and see some sites, but most of our traveling will be to visit our family and friends. We are excited to start our new adventure, but it is kinda scary too--going into a world of unknown experiences!

Looking forward to lots of good advice that can help us throughout our journey!

So glad to be part of this forum!

[Mr_D]

from WA State!
I've been RV'ing since 1957 and I still don't know everything about it.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Hope you find the perfect rig for your needs!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[G_R Travels]

Originally Posted by RVGrammy

Hello-
My husband and I are downsizing and plan on being full-time RV-ers. We are doing this partly out of necessity (the downsizing, anyway), and also realizing that life is too short to work your life away. We have 7 children who are grown and scattered from one end of the United States to the other. We miss seeing them and our grandchildren. I have been very fortunate to have had a job where I can take a couple weeks off every few months so that we have been able to drive to go and visit our family, but once we drive there and back home, it never leaves enough time to do the all that we would like to do.

My husband is disabled and we are hoping to be able to budget his Disability income so that I wont have to work very much. We plan on buying a 5th wheel and pickup with the money that we clear from the sale of our home--Hopefully we will get enough out of it for what we would like to buy.

I'm excited to be part of this forum and learn all that we can about full-time RVing, because we basically know nothing much about it. We've only watched lots of You-Tube videos about it.

I would like to buy a 1/2 acre of land to use as our "home base"--seems that would be cheaper than paying to park it at an "RV Park"--this is something I really need some advice about!--My husband and I have differing opinions about this...mostly because we don't really know many facts about this.

We do want to travel and see some sites, but most of our traveling will be to visit our family and friends. We are excited to start our new adventure, but it is kinda scary too--going into a world of unknown experiences!

Looking forward to lots of good advice that can help us throughout our journey!

So glad to be part of this forum!

Congrats RVGranny, I just joined myself though I have been RVing on and off for about 3 years and have owned two RV's myself.

You mentioned you have watched RV shows on Youtube, I have one myself I just started called "The GW Channel" are you getting the info that you are looking for off of the shows and if not what is it that they are missing that you are in need of?

Are you looking for visual info on trips or technical info on RVing?
Some people like to meet other people to RV in groups, I believe forums are a good source for that as well as a good source of info on various topics, they will also have links to great deals on equipment you might be interested in for your own purposes.

Since you are completely new to RVing I would be very interested in hearing what you have to say as far as your needs go and would be happy to offer any advice I can to assist you in being more comfortable in your transition.

I know my other have Rita had a hard time in the beginning driving our truck as she likes to drive small vehicles, I needed her to be able to do it just incase something happened to me on a trip or just in case I got tired, anyway she does fine now which makes it much easier on me, you also mentioned your husband was disabled so that might be an issue you are dealing with.

As I said earlier I would be more than happy to offer any input you may require that I am familiar with. Have a great day.

[Vanslam]

Hi, welcome to the forum. There is lots of helpful information and people here.

[TonyDi]

Glad to have you here in the forum with us.

If you decide to buy a piece of property to keep the 5er on, remember that you will need the same things you would have in a campground. Water, electricity, sewer hookups and you will need to develop the site so that your rig and stay on it long term. Make sure to allow for all that in the financial side of your planning.

Good luck with your search.

Happy Trails!!!

[nothermark]

Welcome aboard.

Couple of thoughts.

Why a fiver over a class A? Will the steps be a problem for your husband? Can you handle setup on either one? The cost of a full setup of an A and a fiver with an adequate truck are in the same ballpark. You will want a higher end unit with either one for full time living. I'm not saying not to do it, i am saying not to close the door on either one. They both have their good and bad points.

FWIW buying a half acre to live on part time will be a problem a lot of places. You will need more than that for a well and septic in the country while zoning will block you in a lot of communities. If you want to own you might be better off with a deeded lot in an established park.

What is your exit plan? At some point you will most likely need to get off the road. What then? A lot of folks do not consider that going in and end up in trouble when they have to exit.

[Stever53]

Hi


this place is great

Safe travels

[RVGrammy]

Thank you to all for the warm welcome to the forum!

[RVGrammy]

The reason that we have chosen a 5th wheel over a Class A is that if we broke down, that is our "house" and I don't know how we would afford to stay in a hotel while we waited for our "house" to be repaired. Also, if we stay in an area for a while, we will need a smaller vehicle to "run around" with.

We have done a great deal of research on how well different factories build their RVs and we will most likely purchase an Ambition.

As far as driving a big rig, I used to drive a full size school bus, and for 18 years we owned our own landscaping company, so I have experience driving with a trailer too--- So, I'm not too worried about driving a large vehicle/load.

One question we have is what is the cheapest, yet RELIABLE way to get internet and television in our RV? I watched a few You Tube videos last night and I am TOTALLY confused---mostly because I'm not electronically/tech-smart.

I have found some small pieces of land that have been approved for 2/3 bedroom septic systems, and electric close by to hook up to, but we would need to have a well drilled... AND have NO Restrictions. It is difficult to find it though--

Is there a book on how to build on your land with the correct permanent hookups that you would need to easily attach/detach your RV to?

I am sure there are some past files here on the forum where I can read about home/RV insurance ...... and what kind of medical insurance can you get if you travel a lot, that is not too expensive if you are out of Network--

Lots of questions that don't need immediate answers, but just wondering about budgeting issues to be able to plan ahead.

Thanks again for the friendly welcome wagon!! I appreciate it, as this is a big, scary, exciting step in our lives!!!

[jarata]

Originally Posted by RVGrammy

Hello-
My husband and I are downsizing and plan on being full-time RV-ers. We are doing this partly out of necessity (the downsizing, anyway), and also realizing that life is too short to work your life away. We have 7 children who are grown and scattered from one end of the United States to the other. We miss seeing them and our grandchildren. I have been very fortunate to have had a job where I can take a couple weeks off every few months so that we have been able to drive to go and visit our family, but once we drive there and back home, it never leaves enough time to do the all that we would like to do.

My husband is disabled and we are hoping to be able to budget his Disability income so that I wont have to work very much. We plan on buying a 5th wheel and pickup with the money that we clear from the sale of our home--Hopefully we will get enough out of it for what we would like to buy.

I'm excited to be part of this forum and learn all that we can about full-time RVing, because we basically know nothing much about it. We've only watched lots of You-Tube videos about it.

I would like to buy a 1/2 acre of land to use as our "home base"--seems that would be cheaper than paying to park it at an "RV Park"--this is something I really need some advice about!--My husband and I have differing opinions about this...mostly because we don't really know many facts about this.

We do want to travel and see some sites, but most of our traveling will be to visit our family and friends. We are excited to start our new adventure, but it is kinda scary too--going into a world of unknown experiences!

Looking forward to lots of good advice that can help us throughout our journey!

So glad to be part of this forum!

Someone else posted a story like this and they stated check your local ordinance about putting a camper on a purchased lot they said there is a lot of restrictions about doing it

[G_R Travels]

Originally Posted by RVGrammy

The reason that we have chosen a 5th wheel over a Class A is that if we broke down, that is our "house" and I don't know how we would afford to stay in a hotel while we waited for our "house" to be repaired. Also, if we stay in an area for a while, we will need a smaller vehicle to "run around" with.

We have done a great deal of research on how well different factories build their RVs and we will most likely purchase an Ambition.

As far as driving a big rig, I used to drive a full size school bus, and for 18 years we owned our own landscaping company, so I have experience driving with a trailer too--- So, I'm not too worried about driving a large vehicle/load.

One question we have is what is the cheapest, yet RELIABLE way to get internet and television in our RV? I watched a few You Tube videos last night and I am TOTALLY confused---mostly because I'm not electronically/tech-smart.

I have found some small pieces of land that have been approved for 2/3 bedroom septic systems, and electric close by to hook up to, but we would need to have a well drilled... AND have NO Restrictions. It is difficult to find it though--

Is there a book on how to build on your land with the correct permanent hookups that you would need to easily attach/detach your RV to?

I am sure there are some past files here on the forum where I can read about home/RV insurance ...... and what kind of medical insurance can you get if you travel a lot, that is not too expensive if you are out of Network--

Lots of questions that don't need immediate answers, but just wondering about budgeting issues to be able to plan ahead.

Thanks again for the friendly welcome wagon!! I appreciate it, as this is a big, scary, exciting step in our lives!!!

You could always google it I'm sure there is a lot of information on that topic, would be kind of curious myself as to what you might find. I also sure it varies for state to state.

[nothermark]

If you put a search term into the box at the top of the page it will search this forum instead of the Internet. That should give you some ideas. If you get a specific question post it and see what happens. There are a lot of folks here with similar thoughts. Some thinking about doing it and some who have done it or figured out why not.