Community Forums

Solask · 03-15-2019, 07:13 AM

Been traveling in a class A for 10 years, 75,000 miles all over the country. Spend 3-4 months a year in the MH. We are 70 years old and are worn out after returning from our winter trip in San Diego to Indiana. Been sitting on these feelings for over a week now, trying to put my finger on the issues.
1) Weather stress. Maybe I’m crazy but I don’t think I had to plan so carefully around weather. And weather scares me. It seems tornados or violent weather is a year round thing now. I swear I used to be able to travel in the summer and fall with hardly a care about the weather.
2) I think the increase in MH traffic has outpaced RV resort development. Difficult to find places and prices have gone through the roof..
3) While less of a concern, I believe our highways road condition has deteriorated significantly over the years.
4) Planning and maintaining the MH lifestyle used to a passion. Now it feels like a burden.

Probably gonna sell the 2012 36LA and I buy a nice touring SUV.

bruceisla · 03-15-2019, 07:23 AM

I understand ... I now lay out Plan A/B/C instead of Plan A/B. I carefully follow The Weather Channel. Unfortunately, it's not likely things will change if you are anchored to one place.

Bigd9 · 03-15-2019, 07:36 AM

I can feel your pain. (1) But I like to believe the weather disasters we are seeing have always been around. It is just the news outlets make every storm and major storm, and we are constantly bombarded with one major storm after another blown all out of proportion. We watch the weather and try and plan accordingly, but I don't let it control us.

(2) I can remember the good old days went we never made reservations. Today it seems to be the norm. We have shifted out trips to the early spring and late fall. That has helped, but we still see the congestion you are taking about.

(3) Roadway deterioration is real but it too has been around for a long time. Old highways, coupled with heavier loads and much more traffic amount to faster deterioration. More money is needed, but that will never happen.

(4) At 70 I still love to plan and maintain the MH lifestyle, but I can see those days are numbered. Funny my wife of 45 years and I were just discussing the points you brought up. We want to make at least one more big trip to Alaska, which will be the last state for us to visit. Several of us coach owners have been hoping to get together for the trip, and having others heading in the same direction will help with the trip. But at 70 year old, I can look into the future and see this lifestyle won't last for ever.

Best of luck with your decision. If you do give up RV'ing maybe travel by train, or buss will work for you.

lce3 · 03-15-2019, 07:41 AM

So interesting to read this. You're a bit older than we are and we've only been fulltime for 2 years but the things you wrote about are similar to what I've been feeling. Not enough campgrounds, planning everything around the weather. We don't boondock and lately I've been feeling like a sardine in the campgrounds that are available. And finding a decent place in winter was tough.

We weren't planning on it but while at our current campground, we found the house that fits what we wanted for a home base and we'll be closing on Tuesday. We still want to travel but now we have a place to hang out when we need a break and a place to park in winter.

Mr_D · 03-15-2019, 07:54 AM

Your stories are kind of distressing to me as I'm 72 and want to sell the house and go full timing. Maybe I'll keep the house and travel in the shoulder months. You raise some valid points.

Unplanned Tourist · 03-15-2019, 08:10 AM

My wife and I agree that eventually we will switch to a smaller rig, like a van conversion.
I can understand the frustration regarding finding decent places to stay. It seems that there are more RVs than ever out there, and the land is so valuable that it is being sold off. Houses going up in places that used to be RV sites all around here.
The younger generation is not willing to put in the long hours for not a lot of profit. So when mom and dad stop running the campground, it goes on the market.
With a smaller rig, we will be able to find spots that are a bit more off the beaten path. And hopefully not so busy. We Never will go full time, like our own space too much.
Happy Glamping.

lce3 · 03-15-2019, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Your stories are kind of distressing to me as I'm 72 and want to sell the house and go full timing. Maybe I'll keep the house and travel in the shoulder months. You raise some valid points.

Hard to say. Even though it was only 2 years, I wouldn't give up the fulltime adventure. We were able to explore the country in ways we wouldn't have been able with the sticks & bricks. It's an amazing country.

Before we went fulltime, we had been using vacations to look for where we wanted to retire. That didn't work at all. But after seeing the country the way we did, it helped us recognize where we felt most comfortable. So glad we didn't have to be worrying about S&B while we traveled.

Our new (to us) house will be about half as big as the one we left and we think of it as our casita. I'm not sure we would have been able to downsize without the time out. Getting rid of the "stuff" wasn't easy but when we were done it was freeing.

Fulltiming helped us reassess our priorities. And, it turns out that one of them, for me, is to not be cramped in a campground or having to "settle" for a place to stay in winter.

We didn't want to think about it until we got too old to try it. And we aren't at all sorry.

Solask · 03-15-2019, 08:43 AM

Appreciate all the thoughtful responses/perspectives. I realize that our situations are all different. What bothers some, will be a minor challenge for others. For us, home base will always be the Indy area as we have kids and grandkids here. For me, and like MrD, traveling the US gave us a greater appreciation of our country and peoples. But searching for a place to settle was never a consideration.

Nasdaqsam · 03-15-2019, 09:30 AM

I think we each need to decide when enough is enough. I remember back when we got out of RVing some years ago some of it was in part to the kids getting into sports but a bigger part of the reason was 911 had just happened and no one was flying so everybody was driving. Before this it seemed like there were a lot more respectful drivers on the road. You passed and pulled back in no hanging in the passing lane, it was rare to have a vehicle cut you right off or just doing really stupid things. After 911 it was like a free for all, the last trip we made form NY to Fl and back. As soon as we go back I emptied the RV, washed/waxed it, cleaned it all up and put it out for sale. It was only 2 years old with very low miles.

That was quite a while ago but as retirement neared we decided to give it another go and bought our current coach with the intentions of shaking out all the bugs and getting it the way we wanted it before hitting the road for extended trips. I can say with the most recent trips not a lot has changed since then other than the roads are worse. The drivers are still rude. But must be age mellowing me a bit as it doesn't seem to bother as much as it did. I am sure it will catch up at some point but we really will be using the RV very sparingly so plenty of time prep between trips and we will be going off season from the crowds which should help.

MRUSA14 · 03-15-2019, 09:44 AM

The problems are real, especially the campground issue. But I am a traveler at heart, I love to roam. At 74 I still can't travel enough to suit my wanderlust, and an RV is still the best way to do it if you have the time. So I will deal with the problems, as long our health allows and as long as there are Walmarts, etc. willing to host us for a night when we can't find a place to stay. If it weren't for that I might call it quits, because the campground situation keeps getting worse. But calling it quits might mean downsizing from our 45 footer to a small class C or a Class B in which we could alternate between camping and hotels.

MSHappyCampers · 03-15-2019, 09:54 AM

I certainly understand where you're coming from. My only suggestion would be to not rush into a decision, but maybe lay back and take it easy for a while to see if you still feel the same.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

doc · 03-15-2019, 10:42 AM

We feel for you brother. We both are 72 and our last trip was not so much fun as they used to be. We planned to be gone for a couple or three months, just traveling around the West and re-visiting areas we had enjoyed in previous years. We pretty much had given up over my wife's physical problems of getting in and out of the coach. I guess it was depression for both of us. It was this way for nearly 3 years until I realized that neither of us wanted to stop traveling and seeing things, that the coach was the problem that stood in the way. I began looking at handicap coaches and finally came up with a Canyon Star 3911 by Newmar. We had only seen these coaches in pictures and videos, After numerous attempts to find one locally and having not luck other than "we can build you one and you can fit it like you want it" we decided to go that route. Then they tell it us it would be about 5 months,
We ended up driving from the Atlanta area to Knoxville to actually see one in person (a 2016) We both liked it and she was excited when we lowered the wheelchair lift and she rode her mobility scooter on and into the coach. We ended up buying it, even though I had never owned a gasser in three previous coaches. We are both excited with the promise of sunshine in a few more days and an end to this incessant rain we have had for so many weeks now.
I tell you all that to say this - Give it a break for a while. In a few months if you feel you miss it, then give it another shot. If you feel a relief, then you may make the right decision to just be finished.
Right now we are not planning any marathon trips to the Wet, just the southeast area. There is a group here on iRV2 that has a small rally at Mayberry CG in NC. It will be good to see old friends and make some new ones,
Either choice you make, God Bless You and ride with you.

Solask · 03-15-2019, 10:53 AM

Thanks Doc.. enjoyed reading your response. Yes, wanderlust is a strong motivator and it sounds like you found a way to extend your RV travel style. Fantastic!

GoneToTheDog · 03-15-2019, 11:20 AM

I can relate also. I used to be truly RV enthusiastic. Just loved it. Did a few years of fulltime RV living/traveling. Great fun. Good times. Enjoyed it.

We just have a small Class C now, which I dearly love. Comfortable, easy to drive. Easy to maintain. Even saying that....at times I really do think about selling it.

We are early 60's, and retired....although my partner still very much enjoys working for H&R Block during tax season, January thru April 15. Then we usually have a couple of extended trips planned, well in advance.
This year, we haven't even talked about a trip yet. Not even to see family. I don't think either of us is really looking forward to it, like we used to. It seems to become more of a hassle every year.
I have scheduled to have the motorhome detailed early April. Maybe that will get me motivated.