Life On The Road

[FastEagle]

Just about everybody traveling around the country on a full time agenda have an agenda. America is the capitalist country it always has been and inflation just has to factored into the budget. Someone already said it. Everybody full-timing wants FHUs with 50 amps. We meandered around the country for nearly five years and never stayed at a Walmart or boondocked. We wintered in the south and summered in the north. We used military campgrounds whenever they were in our path. Now days more than half of the state and national parks can handle rigs to 40' and many even longer than that. Some of the nicest places along the good old secondary roads are not in any book or the internet. These mom and pop places may only have 30 amps and you will have to back in. But they will be clean and friendly places to stay and the prices will be very reasonable. Get off the beaten path and look around. We are staying in FL for the months of Jan & Feb this year and our site rent will be less than $500.00 + elect. ( Pacetti's Marina RV Campground and Fishing Resort ) . We did the AZ thing and the sandy winds blew us away. South or central TX is more comfortable and much less expensive. There are loads of FHU places all across the country for less than $20.00 a night and west of the Mississippi there are a lot of Indian Casino sites for $10.00 or less. In May we stayed at Natches Trace State Park just off I-40 in TN. $25.00 a night for a 50 amp FHU but look at the size of it ( Everest Owners Photo Gallery - Site_77_-_NTSP - Powered by PhotoPost ) . The perk was the site fee allows you to fish all the parks waters while there with no extra costs. We stayed at a campground with monster sites in Dickerson, ND that was $22.00 a night for a 50 amp FHU but got a 50% discount because of our National Parks card . So you wanna talk full timing? I could go on all night but it would take all the fun out of it for you. Besides that, others have great stories to tell and recommendations to give. Just do it. It's fun and if you're retired it's a safe addiction.

FastEagle

[read & learn]

As Chickadee stated in his post, Camp Ground fees are going up. This is one of the biggest expense of RVing. So how do we as Rvers keep this as low as possible.
Join discount clubs
Passport America
Coast to Coast
Thousand trails/NACO
Use Indian Casinos or any Casino that has discount rates
Army Corp of Engineers-hey where else can you look out of your RV overlooking a beautiful lake or sunset for $10 a night.
Yes, some of these places are off the beaten path, but as Full Timers that what it is all about, just sitting back and enjoying this great country of ours.
Steve enjoy the Key West Festival and our prayer are with your son's safe return and Thank him from us, for helping to keep us safe.
Joe

Are you staying at Tampa East this year?

[Chickadee]

Hi Joe: Nope, not at Tampa East this year but decided to move down to a little rustic RV Park called "Sun Lake" at Ruskin which is more convenient for both visiting our son in Riverside AND getting over to the Gulf beaches (Anna Maria, Fort Desoto, Treasure Island, etc.) all of which are places we like to visit. ALSO, "Sun Lake" is less expensive.

We'll be headin West at the end of January this year so will be out toward Texas, then Arizona for the rest of the winter. Hope to meet up with ya somewhere. Steve & Lynette

[Beep-Beep]

Yes the RV park sites are getting up there in price. Sites have gone up about 100% in are almost 20 years of full timing. But back in the days that I was working for a living in 20 years my wages more than doubled also. I do a lot of reading on the internet and always know the prices way before I go any place. We lower coast bu staying generally at each place 2 weeks to 6 weeks at a time depending on what meets our life style. We do not boondock, except for traveling through. I and the wife dislike citys and citified RV parks with all their not used perks. I must say we spent 80% of our time in jeep 4-wheeling up high in the Rockies. I paid once, in all the almost 20 years full timing, $50 or over. If some one wants to spend the high prices in those crowded resorts packed with people in Florida, great. Glad to have you packing in tight with those folks as it leaves us free in the scenic and no crowds areas. If you want to be in a less crowded area you will find the prices cheaper.

Al & Jan
Semper Fi

[MtManLee]

I would love to tour Florida but every time I look at the prices for rv parks and see the crowds as well I figure that is one state I will just have to avoid. Been there many times not as an rv'er.

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

We planned but our plan did not execute. We sold a business for .08 cents on the dollar a few years ago that should of been part of our retirement. We sold our old house at the peak but made the mistake of buying an other.......at the peak. That one we sold for 50% of the purchase price. That was also equity that was intended for retirement. Our 401k turned in to a 101k. So..... today we full time with plan "B", our own business without walls. This may not be for everyone but is for us and thousands of other who have the same story. You can explore what we do but only if it may be time for your plan "B". Live Life Without Limits. It saved us from the disaster of our plan "A". It's pretty tough to be 55 without a plan "B" in todays economy.

[tworootless]

For a few minutes; I thought I was reading the Escapees Forum

[Chickadee]

tworootless:

Ha! Yup, know what ya mean.

Steve & Lynette

[RJay]

We can attribute the rising cost of Rving to our insatiable desire for luxury and convenience and technological advances.

The first convenience we asked for was a phone line at the power pedistal. The park owners reponded and the cost was reflected in the site fee. Later as technology progressed and cell phones became available and the use of this feature diminished but the site fee didn't change.

Next Rvers wanted cable TV at the pedistal. The park owners responded again, not with just local channels but with a selection of 80 or more channels. The cost was again reflected in the site fee. As technology progressed satellite TV companies became available providing 200 channels or more to anyone who had a tripod antenna. Then dome antennas were available to anyone who could afford them. As a result the demand for this service diminished and now some parks are providing nothing more than basic cable, but the site fees remained the same.

The next convenience was WiFi. We wanted it at every site and we want it to be fast. The park owner responded by investing thousands of dollars stringing wire, mounting antennas and installing repeaters. The cost was again reflected in the site fee. As technology progressed satellite internet companies emerged and we could sign up with DirecWay or Hughsnet allowing us to have internet whenever we wanted it. Technology progressed further to provide us with aircards through our cell phone companies making internet service fast and convenient. The demand for internet service from the Parks diminished and some parks are not repairing their WiFi systems and other are just providing WiFi service at their office, but the site fees remain the same.

The RV Parks provided all the conveniences and luxuries we asked them to and when they did we left them and now we are still paying. And so it goes. It's not anyone's fault, it's just the natrual evolution of a prosperous society.

[RickO]

Well said RJay...

[Chickadee]

RJay:

Yup, ya got a point there. Guess if the pioneers had to use full amenity campgrounds each night along the way, they could never have afforded to pull their wagons West....or....they would have had to.."boondock" it.

Steve

[Chuck 1935]

I also have noticed that people are getting uptight with attempts at humor or just plain museing as Cickadee was doing, and feel they must jump into the fray and be nasty.
In my opinion many folks have reached the stage in life that Willy Nelson commented on and it is causing them great anxiety. To quote Willy "I never thought I would outlive my pecker"
So there you are folks, thats my take on all of this !!

[FATMANAR]

I really don't see how CG owners make a profit. There is a nice CG across the street from my home base that is very clean and has2/3 pull through sites and only charges 25-30 bucks a night for FHUs and Wifi. i guess he is doing ok, he told me yesterday he was starting his expansion to the rear of his CG to double the spaces. I will be leaving for Fl in another week and will be on the road 3 days down and 3 or 4 days back. It's about 500 miles and I will be staying at several of the Casinos on the coast along the way to our destination where we will stay for a week. Cost for the week is $250 and only 3 spots from the sound. I still think that's a bargin after living on the beach for 10 years on the OBX. Property values are killing the CGs. JMHO...Happy Trails..