Hardest part of full timing... haven't found it yet but we are newbies

[deandec]

Being divorced from her stuff which was in storage was the most difficult.

My stuff is/was just yard and house care tools.

Walking the dog at 115 degrees or in the blowing rain was low on my list of daily recreation ideas.

We only lasted 8 months, which was longer than was originally intended.

[Keener50]

Originally Posted by Jake21

Arsenic in your coffee. I made sure that the DW doesn’t know how to drive the MH, so she has to keep me around for that. Maybe...

[emoji23]🤣[emoji106]

[Coldjensens]

Adding to the question rather than providing an answer:

How do you maintain adult relationships when you are never in one place for long? Do you just have temporary friendships, or do you somehow maintain connections with other adults in multiple locations? Alternately, do you just end up isolated from other people?

My in-laws said it became very difficult for them after they retired and especially after they moved from their hometown of 50 years to another location. After three years in a new location, they have no been able to establish new adult relationships. They told my wife they were concerned it would be impossible for us if we start moving around every month or three.

(By adult relationships I mean friendship relationships with other adults who are not your children or grandchildren - mind out of the gutter please).

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

How do you maintain adult relationships when you are never in one place for long? Do you just have temporary friendships, or do you somehow maintain connections with other adults in multiple locations? Alternately, do you just end up isolated from other people?

We joined the Escapees RV Club and became active in it. There are some side groups based on interests. We joined the Boomers (you don't have to be any specific age; just have a friendly attitude). The group as a whole would meet up in various places in the country. A newsletter is published stating a place and date and people just show up. Nothing is planned. It just happens. Through them we met many friends whom we still see regularly after 20+ years. We all started full-timing around the same time and quite a few were 4-wheelers so we met up with them often to do the trails. We kept in touch with email stating where we were and where we're heading. Others did the same. We met up often. It wasn't difficult to acquire lasting friendships. You need to work at it a little but it can be done. We stayed at Gulf State Park, AL a few times and played volleyball. We met this one couple whom we hit it off with good. Later we were in a museum in Flagstaff, AZ; turned around and there they were! We still see them a couple times a year.

[Barbaraok]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Adding to the question rather than providing an answer:

How do you maintain adult relationships when you are never in one place for long? Do you just have temporary friendships, or do you somehow maintain connections with other adults in multiple locations? Alternately, do you just end up isolated from other people?

My in-laws said it became very difficult for them after they retired and especially after they moved from their hometown of 50 years to another location. After three years in a new location, they have no been able to establish new adult relationships. They told my wife they were concerned it would be impossible for us if we start moving around every month or three.

(By adult relationships I mean friendship relationships with other adults who are not your children or grandchildren - mind out of the gutter please).

We joined Escapees for the mail service and gained so much more because of that. We are part of the Class of '06 - not many of us still out there. A lot of us are now part-time traveling, usually spending the winter somewhere warm. The friendships we made through that group are kept alive through emails, blogs, Escapee forum, and getting to meet up with different couples through out the year. It all depends upon how much effort you put into keeping connected.

We actually don't worry about forming 'fast' friendship. We moved 9 times in 40 years while going to grad school/working, so we always knew that things were transient for us. Luckily, I'm always with my best friend and our interests match - which might be why we've been together for 53 years.

[TriMoot]

Originally Posted by saddlesore

Hmmmm.... following..........

Mee too!

[RVPioneer]

We aren’t full timers, but the hardest part would have to be telling your kids that you live in a camper.

I’m kidding people. Have you no sense of humor?

[larliebler]

Originally Posted by brandss

A little history on us, I'm sure it's not a lot different than many of you. We became empty nesters 6 years ago, maybe more, sold the larger house and downsized to a smaller ranch. After living in the ranch on two acres for 5 years we decided to take a look at how we were living. The yard and landscape became a chore, cleaning the house became a chore, and because the DW worked all week for the Governor, and I traveled almost every week, we decided to go buy a coach and go full time.

Now, understand, we are only two months into our new life style, but, we thought it would be a lot harder, more of an adjustment than it has been. We are simple people that go with the flow pretty easily. We don't require much, and love being home, spending time with each other.

I guess my question is what has been the hardest thing for other full timers to deal with, overcome. The short list for us, and again we are total newbies, is maybe a smaller washer and dryer, not having a garage for the cars but we had an auto start added to each of our cars for cold, snow days, and maybe the smaller shower than the large walk in shower we had at the house.

At the end of the day we have found this lifestyle so freeing, flexible, and fun. Not sure we could ever go back to the old way of life.

As someone else responded, bringing your coach in for service and being homeless, even the thought of something breaking that is significant enough that would displace us is by far the worst part of full timing for us. We're approaching a year now full timing, and the two weeks we spent sleeping on the blow up mattress in our office was no fun. I suppose I'm fortunate that I have an office to sleep in and a gym across the street I belong to that I can take showers.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by RVPioneer

We aren’t full timers, but the hardest part would have to be telling your kids that you live in a camper.

I’m kidding people. Have you no sense of humor?

I thought it would telling the kids you've spent their inheritance on a DP...

[Riley1]

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

I thought it would telling the kids you've spent their inheritance on a DP...

After paying for his college education that one was easy.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by RVPioneer

We aren’t full timers, but the hardest part would have to be telling your kids that you live in a camper.

I’m kidding people. Have you no sense of humor?

Nope.... telling them you slept under a bridge last night! We really did on the trip to Alaska.... a beautiful boondocking spot along a stream under a bridge!

[Barbaraok]

Originally Posted by larliebler

As someone else responded, bringing your coach in for service and being homeless, even the thought of something breaking that is significant enough that would displace us is by far the worst part of full timing for us. We're approaching a year now full timing, and the two weeks we spent sleeping on the blow up mattress in our office was no fun. I suppose I'm fortunate that I have an office to sleep in and a gym across the street I belong to that I can take showers.

We've had our coach for 13 years. When we need repairs/service, we sleep in it at night and they take it back into the shop during the day. I assume that since you still have a business, you are living in your RV in a stationery situation?

[stepside454]

So far the hardest part revolves around money , story of my life . Lack of money while fulltiming hasn’t been an issue until our rig was heavily damaged in 2 major hail storms while in Colorado Springs last summer . Now hoping it’ll last another year or so when we can possibly buy a replacement.

[larliebler]

Originally Posted by Barbaraok

We've had our coach for 13 years. When we need repairs/service, we sleep in it at night and they take it back into the shop during the day. I assume that since you still have a business, you are living in your RV in a stationery situation?

Yes that's correct, we're in an over 55 park until we sell our business. I like the idea of taking it in for service during the day and sleeping in it at night,. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work for us because we need to work each day. Hopefully we'll sell soon, go back to our Florida home and retirement.