newbie from CA

[ocean view]

Hi - I'm new here from CA. I discovered the forum about 6 months ago and was SO glad to find like-minded folks...those who understand that age has nothing to do with being retired and/or those who like a like a bargain.

I retired almost 2 years ago, a few months before 50. My DH was the stay-at-home parent in our house so now we call him retired too. We also have a kid in high school. We are hoping to become RVers and see the US once high school is behind us. Would love for DS to take a gap year before college and join us, but right now the thought of living in an RV is not as exciting as the social life he would leave behind. In the meantime, we are taking life at our pace -- working on our hobbies, getting outside, getting the house in shape (oh the list of projects), and not stressing about anything. it really is wonderful.

thanks for listening!

 

[Katiek]

Welcome Ocean View! Glad you found the forum.

 

[aaronc879]

Maybe your DS would be willing to do 8 weeks in an RV between HS graduation and start of college. Then once you get him off to school you can continue to explore for as long as you like.

 

[Rambler]

Welcome! We are about 2 hrs east of you. I retired at 51, four years ago. DW had been a stay at home mom, but we'd been empty nesters for 3 years when I retired. DD graduated university 4 months after I retired, and DS graduated a year after that. We bought a large travel trailer and a diesel pickup and enjoyed it so much that we upgraded to a motorhome about two years ago. I'm certain you'll enjoy RVing, but I'd caution you to consider carefully the type of RVing you want to do. Our motorhome (and the trailer before it) is/was great for cross country trips, and stays in RV parks, but wayyyy too big for state park type camping in California, or at least my favorite campgrounds anyway. We enjoy the motorhome immensely, but at least once a week DW and I discuss the subject of buying a small towable for local (2-3 hour drive) state park/mountain/lake/river camping. We can afford it, and we have a place to keep it, but DW is not a big fan of relaxed, mountain camping. RV parks are her preferred version, but to me that isn't camping...it's RVing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy her version, but I also like to just chill in the mountains from time to time as well. Anyway, it would be worth your while to have that discussion with your family before deciding on which towable or motorhome to buy, or even which class/size you are willing to peruse.

 

[brucethebroker]

Welcome. Retired at 48 on one income-good for the two of you!

 

[EastWest Gal]

Welcome to the forum! This is my favorite online hangout.

 

[ocean view]

Rambler - thanks for your thoughts on RVing. Always appreciate the input. We are mountain camping type people too. RV parks are too crowded for our liking. We think we want a truck and trailer set-up so we don't have to uproot camp to just go exploring for the day. Not yet decided on length of trailer, recognizing that smaller is optimal for many state parks, but for longer trips we may want more room.

thanks to everyone for the welcome.

 

[Retirement Nerd]

Welcome! We've been looking at the 16-25' foot trailers ourselves. We have the truck with hitch already. Started looking at "tear drop trailers" for really small, simple convenience, but realized they weren't much cheaper than the really nice used 16-25' campers that have a bunch of amenities.

 

[Dreaming of Freedom]

Don't forget to look at the fiberglass egg travel trailers! They hold their value well, and are very low maintenance. Casita, Scamp, Escape, Oliver, Bigfoot, and many others.

 

[kimcdougc]

Welcome ocean view.