Simplifying life?

[oatmeal]

I thought I'd update this thread with my latest mail delivery experience.

We're in the Phoenix area, and called the Chandler post office to ask about general delivery. They said they accept it, and gave the address to use.

Mail was sent via flat-rate box from Texas on Monday.

I went to the post office on Thursday afternoon to pick it up. The guy went to the back and came out and said it wasn't there yet. I said it should be, and he said it takes 2-3 days. I said it was mailed from Texas on Monday, and we had kind of a stand-off. He asked if it was sent "priority" and I said it was in a "flat-rate box," and he eventually went to look again, and came out with the box.

There was a form of some sort taped to it, and he and another employee started asking if I'd filled out the paperwork, and I headed them off and said I'm just getting this one package, nothing else, and that was enough for them to hand over the package.

This reminds me that the same thing happened once before--the post office employee said it hadn't come in yet, but I wasn't taking "no" for an answer, and insisted he go back and look again, and he found it.

I acknowledge that this isn't the biggest hassle in the world, but it is a hassle, and if I hadn't been persistent, I would have had to return to both post offices to pick up a box that actually had been there when I went the first time.

It was a lot easier to get mail when I had a house.

[SunnyAZgirl]

We are no full time yet, but plan to be in about two years. We do travel a lot now, though. We tend to stay in places that have kitchens or kitchenettes where we can prepare basic meals. We have found an app called "keyring" where we can scan all sorts of loyalty and membership cards. It works well for us. Just thought I would throw that out there.

[ianschneider]

Hi - I get your approach to answering the OP's question. You have taken a very objective view which is totally fair.

We're about to go full time in the late summer, early fall. We are in the process of prepping our house for sale and getting rid of EVERYTHING. We both will be retired and over 65 (on Medicare). We have not done any RVing, except once, for a few weeks 25 years ago. But the fantasy of traveling where and when you like is overwhelming and we want to have that experience while we're still "relatively" young and are physically able. I've been reading blogs and going to RV shows for a number of years and we're going to the Escapade in Tucson next month for 10 days. We've rented a 36 ft. DP for our time there and we hope to learn how these babies work and to get some advice from the hundreds of folks attending before we take the plunge.

So I'd like to get your NON-objective perspective. I know you've been doing this a long time, but the way your posts read, though it might not be intended, it doesn't seem like you're very happy with your decision. I'm wondering if, in the end, the added complexity (and frustrations) have been worth the trade-off for the experiences you've had in your travels?

Thanks,

Ian

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by ianschneider

Hi - I get your approach to answering the OP's question. You have taken a very objective view which is totally fair.



We're about to go full time in the late summer, early fall. We are in the process of prepping our house for sale and getting rid of EVERYTHING. We both will be retired and over 65 (on Medicare). We have not done any RVing, except once, for a few weeks 25 years ago. But the fantasy of traveling where and when you like is overwhelming and we want to have that experience while we're still "relatively" young and are physically able. I've been reading blogs and going to RV shows for a number of years and we're going to the Escapade in Tucson next month for 10 days. We've rented a 36 ft. DP for our time there and we hope to learn how these babies work and to get some advice from the hundreds of folks attending before we take the plunge.



So I'd like to get your NON-objective perspective. I know you've been doing this a long time, but the way your posts read, though it might not be intended, it doesn't seem like you're very happy with your decision. I'm wondering if, in the end, the added complexity (and frustrations) have been worth the trade-off for the experiences you've had in your travels?



Thanks,



Ian

Our perspective:
5 years FT. We dreamed of it for over 40 years!
At the outset it was much better than expected, and gets better every day.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by oatmeal

I thought I'd update this thread with my latest mail delivery experience.


It was a lot easier to get mail when I had a house.

Why not have the mail sent to the RV park you are staying at or going to?

Another option is to have the package sent to a UPS location and you pick it up there.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by SunnyAZgirl

We have found an app called "keyring" where we can scan all sorts of loyalty and membership cards. It works well for us. Just thought I would throw that out there.

How does it work? My understanding is that check out scanners can not read off a smart phone. So do you still have to carry the plastic card to get the discounts and points?

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by ianschneider

Hi - I get your approach to answering the OP's question. You have taken a very objective view which is totally fair.

We're about to go full time in the late summer, early fall. We are in the process of prepping our house for sale and getting rid of EVERYTHING. We both will be retired and over 65 (on Medicare). We have not done any RVing, except once, for a few weeks 25 years ago. But the fantasy of traveling where and when you like is overwhelming and we want to have that experience while we're still "relatively" young and are physically able. I've been reading blogs and going to RV shows for a number of years and we're going to the Escapade in Tucson next month for 10 days. We've rented a 36 ft. DP for our time there and we hope to learn how these babies work and to get some advice from the hundreds of folks attending before we take the plunge.

So I'd like to get your NON-objective perspective. I know you've been doing this a long time, but the way your posts read, though it might not be intended, it doesn't seem like you're very happy with your decision. I'm wondering if, in the end, the added complexity (and frustrations) have been worth the trade-off for the experiences you've had in your travels?

Thanks,

Ian

We FTnd for 7 yrs and it was absolutely amazing/wonderful/exciting and something we miss now.
As for MAIL......
Never was it a BIG deal just different.
First off we got rid of junk mail........just set up with our mail forwarding service the TYPE of mail accepted.
Secondly we 'minimized' the amount of snail mail by going 'paperless' as much as possible. Almost ALL bills where via on-line banking with E-Billing.
What little mail we did get we just had our mail forwarding service do a couple of things:
Forward using USPS 'Priority' mail.....we always got it within 3-4 days
It would be sent to CG if they accepted visitors mail (always check )
Sent 'General Delivery' to local Post Office (always check----not ALL POs accept 'GD'. Smaller the town/better the odds)
Sent to Local UPS Store/Fed-X Store that will HOLD MAIL for pickup (always check---not all do)

Boxes/packages they were not sent to our mail forwarding service....buy something off internet and need it NOW
Pay for express/overnight etc and have drop shipped to where-ever we were...using 'GD' or UPS/FED-X Stores etc.

Like I said.........not a BIG deal just different and forward planning.
Good thing was WE decided WHEN mail was forwarded. And with type of mail minimized we only had it forwarded every 2-3 months.

FT RVng is a NEW Lifestyle.....
Embrace it, enjoy it and travel the secondary/back-roads as much as possible. Get OFF the Interstates and SEE the real USA

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by ianschneider

So I'd like to get your NON-objective perspective. I know you've been doing this a long time, but the way your posts read, though it might not be intended, it doesn't seem like you're very happy with your decision. I'm wondering if, in the end, the added complexity (and frustrations) have been worth the trade-off for the experiences you've had in your travels?

You didn't state who you're referring to but recently 'Oatmeal' has been seemingly very unhappy to me, also.

His recent mail problem is definitely not the norm and we would never pick Chandler, AZ general delivery to have mail sent there. We'd pick a smaller town - Sun Lakes or Queen Creek.

In 16 years of full-timing and using General Delivery throughout the country we've never had one small issue with getting our mail promptly and effortlessly - even in Alaska.

Just like living in a house you have glitches. Things don't always go smoothly but their correctable. To answer your direct question, yes, any problem was worth it to be able to see this wonderful country.

[firedoc]

Originally Posted by ianschneider

Hi - I get your approach to answering the OP's question. You have taken a very objective view which is totally fair.



We're about to go full time in the late summer, early fall. We are in the process of prepping our house for sale and getting rid of EVERYTHING. We both will be retired and over 65 (on Medicare). We have not done any RVing, except once, for a few weeks 25 years ago. But the fantasy of traveling where and when you like is overwhelming and we want to have that experience while we're still "relatively" young and are physically able. I've been reading blogs and going to RV shows for a number of years and we're going to the Escapade in Tucson next month for 10 days. We've rented a 36 ft. DP for our time there and we hope to learn how these babies work and to get some advice from the hundreds of folks attending before we take the plunge.



So I'd like to get your NON-objective perspective. I know you've been doing this a long time, but the way your posts read, though it might not be intended, it doesn't seem like you're very happy with your decision. I'm wondering if, in the end, the added complexity (and frustrations) have been worth the trade-off for the experiences you've had in your travels?



Thanks,



Ian

Didn't know you could rent a dp. Thought only gas. Where was this?

[ianschneider]

Originally Posted by firedoc

Didn't know you could rent a dp. Thought only gas. Where was this?

We were able to rent 36 DP Winnebago Journey. IT IS super expensive to rent. But we felt it was worth it for the "test"..

[ianschneider]

Originally Posted by oatmeal

I thought I'd update this thread with my latest mail delivery experience.

We're in the Phoenix area, and called the Chandler post office to ask about general delivery. They said they accept it, and gave the address to use.

Mail was sent via flat-rate box from Texas on Monday.

I went to the post office on Thursday afternoon to pick it up. The guy went to the back and came out and said it wasn't there yet. I said it should be, and he said it takes 2-3 days. I said it was mailed from Texas on Monday, and we had kind of a stand-off. He asked if it was sent "priority" and I said it was in a "flat-rate box," and he eventually went to look again, and came out with the box.

There was a form of some sort taped to it, and he and another employee started asking if I'd filled out the paperwork, and I headed them off and said I'm just getting this one package, nothing else, and that was enough for them to hand over the package.

This reminds me that the same thing happened once before--the post office employee said it hadn't come in yet, but I wasn't taking "no" for an answer, and insisted he go back and look again, and he found it.

I acknowledge that this isn't the biggest hassle in the world, but it is a hassle, and if I hadn't been persistent, I would have had to return to both post offices to pick up a box that actually had been there when I went the first time.

It was a lot easier to get mail when I had a house.

Oatmeal - I would love to get your response to my post #45.

Thanks

[cruzbill]

About UPS; we picked up a box at a UPS store in MT-not a big box, was a replacement part for our Fantastic fan. UPS charged us $20; just to pick up a box!!

[oatmeal]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

You didn't state who you're referring to but recently 'Oatmeal' has been seemingly very unhappy to me, also.

Yes he did. He said, "Oatmeal I've just read through this thread"

Originally Posted by twogypsies

His recent mail problem is definitely not the norm and we would never pick Chandler, AZ general delivery to have mail sent there. We'd pick a smaller town - Sun Lakes or Queen Creek.

Originally Posted by twogypsies;

RE: mail - we never called a post office to see if they would accept our mail.

I just checked usps.gov and for Sun Lakes, Arizona, the closest post office is called "Ocotillo," and it doesn't list General Delivery in its services. Since you never verified General Delivery in advance, I assume you would have just had yours sent to the Ocotillo one listed, which doesn't accept it. I don't think that's a wise plan, and I'm glad I didn't do it.

The next closest post office to Sun Lakes is Chandler, which does accept General Delivery, and that's the one I used. The employee there was the problem.

Queen Creek is 15 miles away. I don't consider that a hassle-free mail pickup.

I just don't see any failure on my part in this recent experience.

A frequent suggestion is to have mail sent to an RV park (assuming they allow that). Since we never make reservations, we never know where we're going to be staying. In fact, we often don't even know what the next town will be, or the one after that.

If you're the type of person who plans a week or more in advance, and makes reservations at RV parks, then having mail sent there might be an option. That's not how we travel, and I'd suggest that for people whose goal is to roam the country as the travel itch hits them, then sending mail to RV parks might not work very well.

Originally Posted by ianschneider

Hi - I get your approach to answering the OP's question. You have taken a very objective view which is totally fair.
...
So I'd like to get your NON-objective perspective. I know you've been doing this a long time, but the way your posts read, though it might not be intended, it doesn't seem like you're very happy with your decision. I'm wondering if, in the end, the added complexity (and frustrations) have been worth the trade-off for the experiences you've had in your travels?

I appreciate your understanding of an objective vs. subjective perspective. It drives me crazy when someone asks, "Should I start fulltiming"? and people say, "Yes, it's great! You'll love it!" Well, they don't know that.

I think people should make their own decisions, based on accurate information. I don't know why people are reluctant to just admit certain truths--truths that might be important to someone making a decision.

Like, is it harder to find campsites for a 40-foot motorhome than a 25-foot motorhome? The absolute, true answer is, "Yes." That's just physics. Is it worth the hassle if you want/need a 40-foot motorhome? That's for the person to decide for himself, and it just doesn't help to make him think that what he chooses isn't going to affect his ability to find campsites.

So, really, whether I'm happy with my decision shouldn't matter to anybody, and certainly shouldn't convince someone one way or the other on whether to go fulltime. But since you asked, I'll say yes, the frustrations and complexities have been worth it, for me.

Just the other day I was thumbing through somebody's road atlas, and was in the section where they have the detailed maps of major cities. I recognized, and really knew, every one I looked at, because I'd been there, and had probably spent some time there, and had probably ridden around it on a bicycle, which makes you really know a place.

I value that sort of knowledge, and fulltiming has afforded me the opportunity to experience those places.

I actually did something like that before I fulltimed--I had a free plane ticket that was about to expire, so I flew to Chicago and rented a car and did my "midwest tour" in a big circle, going to places like Indianapolis, Toledo, Cincinnati, Detroit, which I figured I'd never go to otherwise. When I told people my plans for my plane ticket, a lot of them thought I was crazy.

I loved that trip. It was a whirlwind because I spent just one day at each stop, but I got a decent feel for each place. I was on a ski lift once and a guy said he was from Cincinnati, and I said, "Oh, that's where they have chili spaghetti." I like knowing things like that.

So that's how I roll, and fulltiming has been great for really getting to know places, and is actually the only practical way I can think of to do it. But that's what's important to me, and I don't think it will necessarily apply to anyone else, which is why I don't use it as a basis for advocating for the lifestyle.

I usually don't bother to participate in "Should I fulltime?" threads because if somebody's stupid enough to ask a bunch of strangers who don't know him how he should live his life, and if he's stupid enough to let answers like "It's great, you'll never regret it" influence him, then I just let him be.

But in this case, the OP was quite specific with his question, so I thought he deserved an actual answer, and took the time to address it. If I came off as unhappy, then it's only because I didn't try to minimize the complexities. For one, I don't need to put a good spin on complexities in order to justify my lifestyle to anyone else, or to myself, even. And for another, the OP specifically asked about the complexities he might not have thought about, and I responded with the complexities he might not have thought about.

I think if I came of as unhappy it's because I didn't engage in the "but it's all worth it" soothing that most people do.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by cruzbill

About UPS; we picked up a box at a UPS store in MT-not a big box, was a replacement part for our Fantastic fan. UPS charged us $20; just to pick up a box!!

Sending a box to a UPS store is different then sending it to the UPS distribution point. Look up UPS Customer Centers or distribution points.

I've picked up several packages at UPS Customer Centers for no additional fee.