Escapees?

[Tsronco]

Looking into going full time within the year. Has anyone used escapees? Pros /cons? Do you use a different service?

Also I would be selling my sticks what would do then about drivers licenses, registrions all that good stuff?

Thanks you all have been huge helps to us

[FlyingDiver]

We use Escapees. If you want to establish (or maintain) Texas residency, then they're probably the best choice. If you want to be a resident somewhere else, then there are other choices. Are you planning on remaining with an Arizona domicile, or move?

joe

[Tsronco]

Currently we live NJ we staying in AZ for the foreseen future

[Barbaraok]

When you say staying in Arizona, what do you mean? Are you in an apartment/house and plan on staying there? Are you in an RV in a park? Arizona lets you 'visit' for 6 months, after that they want you to register and become residents which means paying state income tax.

If you are going to fulltime, then moving your domicile to Texas, South Dakota, or Florida is a good idea. Each state has good mail forwarding services and does not have a state income tax.

We have been with Escapees for almost 6 years. They are the best mail forwarding company in the country and they have, in addition to the mail service, RV Parks, support a forum, have a strong members organization, have their own rally each summer, etc. Also the Escapees address has been adjudicated through the courts as a legal, PHYSICAL address for registration, voting, etc.

The con that everyone will mention about Texas is that if you have a MH weighing greater than 26,001# you need to do a written and driving test to get a higher classification of license. But if you can't pass that simple test, then you shouldn't be driving a big rig. The other thing that is necessary is to have safety inspection done each year IF you are in the state. Otherwise you have the inspection done whenever you get back into the state. Some people go years without having inspections done because they aren't in the state.

I would suggest you go over to the Escapees forum and read some of the threads and
ask questions about how people like the services they receive. Also make sure you read the blogs of people who post on the different forums - you will get an idea of all of the different types of fulltimers there are and how each one of them does it a bit differently.

Barb

[Tsronco]

Thank you Barb , we are staying in an RV park no income coming in so I'm not worried about taxes

[paz]

We are members of Escapees. We joined a few months before we went full-time. They are an excellent organization that provides all kinds of support for RVers and full-timers. They also have campgrounds and co-ops, mostly in the west and south, that provide economical accommodations for members.

When we first joined Escapees, we though we would take advantage of their excellent mail forwarding service that is based in Texas and that we would become Texans. However, we found vehicle insurance costs for us to be significantly less in SD, so we went with Alternative Resources in Sioux Falls. Neither TX or SD have state income tax, but there are other things to consider such as vehicle insurance and health insurance. You will need to evaluate possible domiciles based on your personal situation. Escapees is still a worthwhile organization regardless of what mail forwarding service you go with.

[WheelingIt]

Like the others said Escapees is an excellent organization and definitely the choice if you want to domicile in TX. Other popular domicile choices are SD (we use Alternative Resources there) and FL (MyRVMail is a resource there). My advice is to check requirements and costs in each state. So check

- Health insurance rates
- RV + car insurance rates
- Tag/licensing fees
- Registration, license and inspection requirements

In our case insurance was significantly cheaper in SD plus they required no inspection or special license.

Also with regards to Taxes be aware that ANY income you have coming in can be taxed. So if you have investments or dividends or retirement income these are all taxable in state unless you chose one if the true tax free states (TX, SD, FL)

[RickO]

I'll second all of Barb's remarks. We've been very happy with the support we've gotten from Escapees. I don't know if they have the absolute best mail service since I haven't tried the others, but it sure works well for us. They also have a nicely documented process on how to establish a Texas domicile and since they're based in a small town, public officials are familiar with full timers and are very helpful in getting all the paperwork done.

Good luck...

Rick

[Bob and Inga]

We use Good Sam mail forwarding which gives us a legal address in Pensacola. We had Escapees, but as mentioned most of the CG's are in the west. We dropped them as the $60 wasn't worth it for us. For CG's we always found a PA or public CG nearby. FL has low tag fees, no income tax and no annual inspections. But insurance is high, but we also have GMAC through Good Sam which gives a very good discount. It all boils down to where you want to call home.

Bob

[jzick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsronco Thank you Barb , we are staying in an RV park no income coming in so I'm not worried about taxes

You may wish to reconsider this thought. Even without income from a paycheck, some states will expect taxes from pensions, etc. Personal property taxes, registration fees, and estate taxes might be an issue. None of this stuff is very complicated (a lot of others have been through it and shared their learnings) but a little research on your part can make life a lot simpler. Enjoy your life change. Good luck.

[jpharley]

We use MyDakotaAddress in Madison, SD. Terri is wonderful and we have never had an issues. She recently took care of the registration of a new truck and 5th wheel. We provided the fees and the info and she registered them for us. Great service! If you change your domicile to SD, you must go there to obtain a drivers license. Decide which state works for you and contact a mail forwarding service. They will make your transition easy.

[bronk]

We have been a member of ESCAPEES for more than 15 years and believe that is one of, if not the best, RV organizations. Granted, most or many of the membership consists of full-timers, but that is certainly not a requirement for joining. One of the great benefits that we derived from belonging while full-timing and presently (not full-timing at this time) is the support and assistance derived from fellow ESCAPEES, not to mention the relationships that can be developed through meeting fellow members. Since all members have in common the love of RV travel, they become very reliable resources for information, as well as potentially friends or travelling companions. As mentioned, although most of the ESCAPEES parks are in the western part of the country, there are two parks in FL, one in AL (our favorite) and one in TN. Good luck in your travels and we hope that you consider ESCAPEES for future consideration. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me. rlcousins@windstream.net

Bronk

[nrc1963]

I saw them on TV a few times. They are a Great bunch of people . People helping People. I know. I do not live in texas but when I get on the road would like to become one of there members. They are very caring Like a family.

[RickO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bronk As mentioned, although most of the ESCAPEES parks are in the western part of the country, there are two parks in FL, one in AL (our favorite) and one in TN. rlcousins@windstream.net Bronk

The park in Alabama is our favorite too! Can't beat it for $85/week.

Rick