Completing 4 years of of Fulltiming -- What a great life!

[rv rick]

We started our fulltime life in the motorhome by first holding an auction to sell everything we had accumulated in 35 years of married life -- which was a lot of stuff! This was a big decision for us and took about 6 weeks of hard work to get everything organized and ready for the big auction. We engaged a great auctioneer who handled all the advertising, and pre-auction publicity. The auction worked out great for us and we left in our coach from South Dakota in December -- in the snow!

We subsequently traveled all over the country and we saw things we had only dreamed about. From crewing in a hot air balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta to several RV rallies around the country, we have had a blast. We have found that we enjoy traveling a fairly shot distance (usually 100 -150 miles) then checking out the area for a few days. Very relaxing lifestyle.

We are now on our second coach and have covered over 50,000 miles which amazes us. The 40' Tour made its way to the Pacific coast twice over the three years that we had it and we greatly enjoyed the trips. What a great way to travel and to take in the sights such as the Oregon coast, the Grand Canyon, and the Great Lakes.

The 40' Tour was great, but then Winnebago came out with the 42' tag axle model and we were amazed at the extra space and features it offered. The king bed, stacked washer/dryer, dishwasher and 4 slides sold the wife, while I was taken with the large holding tanks and tag axle which helped seal the deal. This rig is great to drive and live in. I can also report that both coaches were very reliable and a pleasure to use.

Of course, there have been challenges. We have needed surgery (worked out great, since we could go to the location that specialized in what we needed), routine medical care and the like, but with minor planning, these issues have worked out well.

After 4 full years of fulltime living in a motorhome, we can say with certainty it is a great lifestyle. We have met hundreds of great people, seen amazing things, and participated in events that we could only dream about. Plus, we have found that we have not missed the house and the stuff!

Finally, I have been surprised at the number of folks that wistfully tell us how much they wish they could try the fulltime life -- BUT ........ There is always some issue such as family, work, the house, etc. etc. Usually, it seems to be inertia that holds them back as they see only the challenge of getting rid of the "stuff" so they can hit the road.

I would suggest that if you are interested in this life style, be sure to check it out as it is a whole new world that awaits you.

[smack2020]

Great story. I am looking forward to FTing starting December of 2014, god willing.

[Bee950]

I dont know how you do it. I regret having to spend 60-75 days on the road this year, and yes it will be in my MH. I bought the MH to be more comfortable on the road, not because I wanted to spend more time on it. Now the freedom to pick up and go anywhere is a nice thought, but living in an RV park isnt what I would consider at all if I had a choice.

I commend you for doing what you enjoy and wish you the best. Life is short, and it comes with an experation date, so enjoy it while it lasts.

[Deek]

Rick --

Thanks for your excellent post. This RV stuff we do is ALL about adventure, ALL about the dream. When I was negotiating with the young salesman on our MH deal, I told him exactly that -- for you, I said, this might be about diesel motors, slide outs and re-sale. For us, I said, it's about our dream!

Not sure if he ever figured that out (I kind of suspect he'll have to be knocked around a lot more in life -- and live a lot more life -- before he really gets that), but we did manage to get the deal we wanted anyhow.

Our only problem is figuring how to arrive at your hallowed place -- being retired to be in the position where we can pick up and take however long it takes to do those many 100-150 mile a day trips to see and witness these gorgeous United States.

We just can't wait till that day arrives. It truly cannot come too soon for either of us!

Again, thanks for an inspiring post.

Happy New Year and Happy Motoring!

Deek

[zoemorn]

Rick,
Maybe I didn't read thoroughly enough but did you give the reason for stopping :O
Somewhat being facetious but also interested as to if that was part of the fulltiming plan for you guys or just wanted to settle back down.

[Road Ranger]

Last July 2011, sold most of our stuff, gave away a lot of stuff, stored some stuff that would be hard to replace (or maybe just afraid to part with it yet and playing it safe), then sold the house and moved from Ontario to Alberta in a pickup with a trailer and motorcycle behind. Bought a 38' motorhome in August and have been living in it ever since. Red Deer AB in August, Vernon BC in September, Osoyoos BC in October, and now in Apache Junction AZ for November and December with plans for Texas in February and taking the month of March to work our way back up to Ontario Canada to visit family and friends for a few weeks. At last. Doing this has been on my mind for many years awaiting retirement. Retired twice before and it just didn't catch. Third time's a charm. So, we are just newbies at this full-timing gig but we are still happy living in it. One of the things we're finding out is how little stiff we need to be happy. And how many nice folks there are out and about.

[rv rick]

Actually, we have not stopped fulltiming -- still "hard" at it. We have found that we enjoy spending a few months of winter at a nice RV park and have gotten to know many great folks who are also wintering there. This gives us kind of the best of both worlds -- we have a cadre of friends, a sort of "roots" and still have the freedom to hit the road when we want.

[smack2020]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rv rick Actually, we have not stopped fulltiming -- still "hard" at it. We have found that we enjoy spending a few months of winter at a nice RV park and have gotten to know many great folks who are also wintering there. This gives us kind of the best of both worlds -- we have a cadre of friends, a sort of "roots" and still have the freedom to hit the road when we want.

Glad to hear you are still at it.

[zoemorn]

Ah good then! Still RVing just not FullTiming, gotcha. I think this is what my family would like to do, have an inexpensive 'home base' with the mobility/flexibility of RVing for several weeks or months at a time. But we're not at the retirement phase, and have kids at home, so factors like mobile income, healthcare are big hurdles we're trying to figure out.