Did Anyone Travel the US for a Few Months after Retiring?

[2lhasas]

I'll preface this by saying my husband and I already do backpacking and kayak camping trips where we live in a tent for up to a week at a stretch, so we are perhaps more prepared for minimalist travel. I retired 2 years ago, and my husband retires on Friday! There are a number of places that we would like to travel that are not easily accessible, and so we might combine some roadtrip travel with backpacking.

Our plan is to do a van conversion - something my engineer husband is quite excited about. We considered doing a larger van (Sprinter or similar) but decided to go with a minivan to maximize our ability to stealth park and to keep fuel costs lower. We'll intersperse with hotel stays, and couple with an Anytime Fitness membership which will allow us to shower regularly. Our van plans include a solar shower for when we are wilderness camping, but a girl needs a good hot shower sometimes. We don't plan to live in the van full time, as seems to be a trend these days, but could be out for a month or so at a time exploring different areas of the country.

 

[rk911]

I would buy a class B motorhome. It's a fully equipped van. New if you can afford it but there are lots of used class B motorhomes out there too. With a class B you can go anywhere a car can go and you can stop whenever and wherever you want. Need a break from the small space, get a hotel room for a night or two.
If you take this suggestion, do one more thing, take your time and look at a lot of class B motorhomes before you buy. Write down what you like and what you don't. Refer back to this list frequently because we humans do forget.
You can sell it when you get back or not. It might cost you a little more or it might cost a little less than going some other way but you will never regret the versatility.
Aaron

a small-er class c MH would be more comfortable.

 

[dixter]

We use a Mercedes Sprinter Van... it has two front seats and nothing in the back... we put a blow up mattress for sleeping, have a pop up screen for outdoors cover and a mat and two lawn chairs... a small BBQ, Good size Ice chest a couple lamps... if we are going on a trip thats close to scuba diving spots we pack the scuba equipment... if we are going kayaking we pack the kayaks... if we are paragliding we pack those... we normally stay at rest stops or camp out in the parks/beach... we make sandwiches or cook on the BBQ...if you get too tired you can check into a motel about one night a week... we try to get camp places that have showers... A sprinter van can be bought for around $35K and they are great on the hiway... anyone can drive them...

 

[Lvus101]

My wife and I retired back in 2014. We ordered a Motorcoach to be built for us and have traveled the United States since April of 2015. Each year we leave home between the middle of March and first week of April. We don't typically return home until the end of October .
We have been to just about every state in the Union. We live in Nevada so we either go east or north and then East again. We make sure that we map out relatives and Friends along each of those routes. Family members and friends we haven't seen since we were working all these years.
We tow our Rubicon Jeep that gives us the freedom when we arrive at any one of our destinations. We live in the comfort of our rolling condo. This gives us the ability to sleep in our own king-size bed and enjoy the Comforts of home.

Fuel costs are minimal. The only real cost was the price of the Motorcoach. We knew it was an investment in us and not something we would make money off of.
After working all of those years we decided this was our best option and most affordable other than the startup. If you want more info let me know. Best wishes on what every choice you make. Once you retire I believe it's time to get moving stay moving and live the rest of your life enjoying the freedom that you work so hard for.

 

[Canoeboy]

Best mode of travel depends upon what you want to see/visit. If big cities are your thing than planes/trains/automobiles and using AirBnB is best option. If you want to see/explore the countryside, then consider buying a smaller used class B or C motorhome - 22 to 25 foot, 3-5 years old - and sell it when you are done. Most RV rental companies sell their units after 3 years/40,000 miles. National Park pass is $80. Best camping is at state, provincial, national parks/forests/grasslands IMHO. This approach allows you to explore in some comfort and make your own meals (due to remoteness or frugality). May want to consider campground reservations during peak seasons, especially weekends.

 

[NoMoreJob]

I retired in the spring a few years ago. The following fall we took a two month 14,000+ mile driving trip around the country on 2-lane highways. The plan was for 3 months but a family member passed away so we had to cut it short. The trip was fantastic! We've taken many driving trips since but this one was the longest and probably the best.

We found a book that helped make the trip more enjoyable and was very useful to have with us. We had a few other books with us but this was the one we found ourselves constantly referring to....

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=road+trip+usa&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

We prefer to stay at hotels. We have a couple of preferred brands and stay at one or the other wherever we go to consolidate points. We've become pretty proficient at reading reviews, looking at maps, etc. and figuring out which will provide the best experience depending upon where we will be.

 

[Badger]

We use a Mercedes Sprinter Van... it has two front seats and nothing in the back... we put a blow up mattress for sleeping, have a pop up screen for outdoors cover and a mat and two lawn chairs... a small BBQ, Good size Ice chest a couple lamps... if we are going on a trip thats close to scuba diving spots we pack the scuba equipment... if we are going kayaking we pack the kayaks... if we are paragliding we pack those... we normally stay at rest stops or camp out in the parks/beach... we make sandwiches or cook on the BBQ...if you get too tired you can check into a motel about one night a week... we try to get camp places that have showers... A sprinter van can be bought for around $35K and they are great on the hiway... anyone can drive them...

+1
This is the way I traveled in the 70s but in a VW bus. For the past 30 years since I have been married it has been tent camping around the country (sold the VW bus in the late 80s) except for one time a couple of decades ago in a very small RV while we were in New Zealand.
For years I thought about converting a Sprinter but a few physical issues prevent me. I'm sure glad I had the chance to see the country the way I did. Just thinking about it puts a satisfied smile on my face - every time!


Cheers!

 

[Bamaman]

Years ago we thought of getting a teardrop until we laid in one. It’s like being in a coffin.

A teardrop trailer is really built to travel in. It's quicker and easier to setup (and more private) than a popup camper. Either style are quick sales on the used camper market when you're used with it.

We have a 36' fifth wheel trailer with 4 slides--a bunkhouse and outside kitchen. It's nice having all the comforts of home, including 3 big screen tv's. But it's a unit that you'd tow to Florida and spend the winter in at one campground. Ours stays in storage @ $1 a day in a campground in the mountains.

My cousin has a 41' diesel pusher motorhome. He's put 7,000 miles on it this year going to equestrian competitions. MSRP was $385K. After spending so much on a "toy", it's something to keep moving from place to place.

 

[simple girl]

I’ve done one stay with evergreen and it went very well. We’ve gotten two calls for stays with us- but could not host for various reasons.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Is there a way to see reviews of hosts/people who stay once you join? How did you assess safety/security? DH is very open to the idea, but a friend of mine thinks I am crazy to consider hosting perfect strangers in our home. I have mixed feelings and can see both sides.

 

[MultiEventer]

I have traveled the US pretty extensively, but my spouse hasn't. So we'd like to travel around the country for, say, 6 months after we're both retired.

What do people who've done this think is the best mode of travel if you want to make your own itinerary, just sort of gambol around, and stop whenever/wherever/for however long you want?

I've gleaned from this forum that going by RV may not be the best way, and that just driving and staying in different hotels along the way turns out to be just about the same cost. (We don't own an RV and would have to rent one if we went that route.)

Any thoughts/advice from anyone who did something similar? Thanks.

P.S. I MAY NOT REPLY IMMEDIATELY TO RESPONSES TO THIS POST, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN I'M NOT LISTENING. THANK YOU.

I don't know why people 'poo poo' the rv route but like all things, the answer is, 'it depends'. We became FI at age 52 but decided to wait until our 3rd child graduated from college before RE, which came later at age 54. We were planning on downsizing the home anyway so the break was perfect at that moment in time. With all 3 kids now independent, we sold the home one week after I quit my job, bought a 42' 5th wheel and dually dodge Ram 3500 and began our adventures touring the US. We are both fit and active. We hike, mountain bike (aggressively I might add doing expert trails) kayak and whatever sparks our interest as we travel north in the summer and south during the winter. It's been 3 1/2 years. COL is low without the hassle of a home, but we do whatever we want such as taking helicopter tours over the SD Badlands, backpacking trips through the national parks or like our side trip to Niagara Falls last summer while we were touring the Great Lake states along the shorelines. So many things we have done. We love it. We are maybe about half way done touring the US. Next year starting in April, we leave our Texas coastal winter RV park (4 months total) and then leave for a southwest tour of west Texas, southern NM, southern AZ, then 6 weeks around the grand canyon area and southern UT, then eastern AZ and western NM before we arrive back in south Texas to spend the fall and holidays to watch our 3 grandsons play football and basketball. So it's been great for us. When I sold our home, I put the equity in various stock investments so they continue to grow until we decide to settle down again, which as of now will most likely be the Texas Hill country west of Austin Tx. Until that day, we still have a lot of US and Canada to explore. It's hard to say when we will stop this lifestyle but we will know when we have had enough. Right now, our home is in this RV. We have a residential refridge, 65" flat screen tv, plenty of storage space, washer and dryer etc.. Pretty much everything we need and had when we lived in a home except the organic veggie garden and swimming pool. While we travel, we try to stay in state parks so we get the wilderness experience and have a nice view of a river, lake, mountain, valley forest etc... for a week or month at a time. Our view constantly changes without having to do any landscaping or lawn mowing (we had 2 acres before we retired). Every state we visit has something unique and unexpected for us. The US is truly diverse and remarkable. We learn as much as we can and see as much as we can in an area about 2 hours driving time of our RV before we move on. Usually after 5 or 6 months of a particular tour, we are ready to come home and just be with family for a while. We spend a lot of time with our kids and grandkids. We teach them about our trips, whether it be geographical info or historical. They love it as we bring them or send them an abundant amount of gifts particular to the places we have been. Right now, we winter near the Texas gulf coast where all 4 (soon to be 5) grandchildren live. They are just starting basketball season now so we go to all their games and of course, being a former baller myself, play as much as I can with them in their driveway. We take them on mountain biking excursions. Take them to movies (star wars last week). I'm going to teach them how to build rockets this winter as there is a hobby shop nearby where I can pick up all the necessary tools and materials. But as I said, in April we start the 2020 SW US tour with the pinnacle being the Grand Canyon which we have never seen. We plan on doing a rafting trip down the CO river as well as hike down into the canyon for an overnight backpacking trip. Then you have all the other marvels in that area to see like Zion NP and Lake Powell. We are never bored. In fact, I often need some down time and just like to spend all day in my RV to read a sci-fi book or play a video game (Halo, Borderlands, etc..) My wife is a naturalist and will spend hours walking around the state or national parks. I prefer to mountain bike or hike it then come back to the rv and do my thing while she does her's.

 

[I am He]

11 weeks, 11,000 miles

I guess the money wasn't that important as I can't remember...about $100/day inclusive for 2.5 of us.

 

[I am He]

I've been thinking about buying a teardrop trailer, with a plan of spending half of our nights in parks, and half in hotels.

Anyone have experience in this?

I've seen people pull in late and out early. But what I really don't like is that I can see in my rear view mirror with a modest popup and the teardrops are quite a bit taller.

 

[38Chevy454]

We spent the first 6 months of retirement living in our motorhome. We built a new house and it was not completed until the 6 months was done. We stayed mostly in the area to keep eye on the build and be available for questions or inspections. But we did head south for about 1 month in Jan when it was too cold to stay in the area.


We also have done many 1500+ mile trips in the RV. Recently downsized from the previous 45 ft to the new 37 ft length motorhome. The 45 ft was nice for the space, but it limited our ability to go to state parks and national campgrounds, many of which were designed back when RVs were smaller. So the new 37 ft is still good size for long stays and long trips; and be able to fit better in some of the parks. We prefer the parks vs private campgrounds when we can. We also boondock a lot depending on the location and what we want to see. I always tow a vehicle behind to drive around the area once arrived at the camping location.

I don't give a crap about the mileage or that the RV is a depreciating asset. It enables us to do things we could not do with car and hotels. one of those big items is taking our dogs with us. They love going camping. RV's a choice and there is no right answer for everybody. For us the motorhome is great and we enjoy our time out on the road and seeing the country at road level instead of 35,000 ft flying over it.

 

[2017ish]

Our domestic travel has been via car. We've traveled mostly the western US for a bit more than six months over 2018-19. Mostly 1 month trips, but the last one was 7 weeks and 8400 miles.

We often set off before sunrise for a good hike or national park, but not knowing where we will stay the next night. Many times, my wife will pull up the best looking restaurant within an hour or two when it hits 1500-1600 hours, then we will arrange lodgings nearby. Usually quality Inn or Best Westerns. If we plan in advance for a multiday location, airBnB. Driving a Honda Fit with lunch in the cooler makes it very affordable.

The National Parks annual pass quickly pays for itself...

 

[grasshopper]

The closest thing I have come to RV travel is during the 70s as I traveled around in my converted VW bus and tent camping for a month at a time.
My wife and I discussed traveling in the US again but now it is in a comfortable car and stopping at hotels/motels for the night. The cost of an RV or a rental would be more than what we would spend in lodging as well as having to shlep around in a big RV, the added gas expense, maneuvering parking sites, and parking for the night. Preparing meals and clean up would not be an issue either.Cheers!

Ms G missed my life in the 70's traveling around the country in my 62 VW Bus. I show her $25K micro buses from South America, and tell her that that is the way to see the USA. She reminds me that they didn't have A/C, only went 60 mph, and cruise control was a stick holding down the gas pedal. Groove off.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Maybe some teardrops are bigger but the ones we looked at you could only sit or lay down. No standing at all. The kitchen was outside.

 

[GypsyGrasshopper]

We retired quite early - in 1986 when we were in our 40s, and have been traveling most of the past 34 years. First on our sailboat, which we sold in Singapore in 2004. Then on a power catamaran until about a couple years ago.

We didn't last very long as "settled" dirt-dwellers, so we took a cross-country (and back) tour of the USA with an Amtrak rail pass. This was a wonderful, leisurely way to see a whole lot of the USA without doing much driving.

We got a 45-day rail pass (for coach. We would pay extra for a sleeper car for the occasional long stretch), we started in New York City, and traveled (with many stops) to San Francisco and back again. We'd set a destination (Atlanta, Georgia was our first stop), reserve a rental car and a motel room, and visit as many tourist attractions as caught our attention, some in Atlanta, some further afield. When we had "touristed out" the area, we got back on the train someplace further from Atlanta and traveled to our next destination "hub" (which was New Orleans). We crossed the southern US to California making stops along the way - get off the train, sightsee for one or two states, turn in the car and get back on the train for the next long trek. In San Francisco we started our return train ride visiting the northern and central states back to New York. All told, we spent a bit more than 2 months doing this (we had to pay for the last leg of the return to NY because our 45-day pass expired - worth it to not rush).

For us, we got to visit the highlights of the U.S. without exhausting ourselves driving between them. Train travel meant we could sightsee while on the train - so much safer and more comfortable with the train doing the "driving" while we sat back and enjoyed the view.

When one is retired, time is one thing we have plenty of, and it was a very leisurely way to see it all.

One can always do it in segments rather than our "see it all" approach. I do encourage you to see as much of the US as you can. It is a beautiful country, and so varied. Lots of OMG sights, so many wonderful people to meet along the way.

 

[travelover]

.............. But what I really don't like is that I can see in my rear view mirror with a modest popup and the teardrops are quite a bit taller.

My solution to that is a camera in the back window of my travel trailer that is hard wired to a little monitor that clips to my rear view mirror. When I glance up to the mirror, it feels entirely natural seeing what is behind. Way better even than towing mirrors.