Planning to RV full-time this spring

[brewer12345]

Wow, that was a fast transition! Don't think we will ever full-time, but DW and I increasingly like the idea of a home base that we roam from for at least a few weeks at a time once we check out of the worklife. Just got back from a weekend trip with the kids, dogs and the trailer and although it wasn't the greatest place we have ever camped (Lum's Pond SP in DE), it was decent and we still enjoyed it. Managed to do a 7.5 mile hike yesterday while the kids were napping.

Definately think about travel trailers in addition to motorhomes. And let us know how the planning and final experience go. Very curious.

 

[winger]

We spent most of 2 years planning our escape. I think we went to every RV show within a hundred miles of home.

 

[Sarah in SC]

That is fantastic news--we are quite jealous!

I think that our personal problem is that one of us (me) wants to travel in the Airstream MH and the other (DH) wants to travel in a boat. I suspect that we will need to accommodate both of us at different points in our FIRE plan, as well as keeping the house for all the animals that won't fit on either a boat or an RV.

I look forward to hearing more about what you decide on for a vehicle and how you manage to shed your beloved possessions--a tough thing.

And I second that the Airforums are a great resource!

 

[ls99]

Alright, so put an Airstream on a barge and travel the inland waterways.

 

[Janet H]

Alright, so put an Airstream on a barge and travel the inland waterways.

It's been done...

 

[jambo101]

I've been on the Rv.net forum for years gaining knowledge and wisdom about Rv's for the day i eventually go full timing instead of weekend tent camping,couple of things i've learned is if you are living in an Rv fulltime bigger is better as a small rig will start to feel cramped after a few months,, also fulltiming is a lifestyle and you need to rid yourself of all those tiedowns and hassles that go with the sticks and bricks lifestyle,its hard to be living the carefree life of a fulltime RVer but still have to worry about paying all the bills on a house somewhere.

 

[ls99]

It's been done...

Cool. If I could get DW interested that's one setup I have not tried yet. Unfortunately DW's idea of camping is a hotel balcony on the beach. Without wheels or oars.

 

[Gone4Good]

Definately think about travel trailers in addition to motorhomes.

So give some thought to travel trailers too before you decide on a motorhome.

We considered travel trailers and 5th wheels. They have their merits, but we decided against it, in part, because of our wee-beasties. We aren't going to be comfortable letting them ride in the trailer while we are in transit. And trying to move them to and from the tow vehicle every time we relocate would be terribly unpleasant for everyone. Unfortunately they aren't as adaptable as dogs are. We're uncertain how they'll cope as it is.

 

[NW-Bound]

None of our cats ever liked to be in a car. But then, they were house cats that never left the home, except for the trips to the vets. One was paralyzed with fear. Another went bonkers. Hopefully, yours can be trained in the parked motorhome for them to get used to their new home.

 

[brewer12345]

We considered travel trailers and 5th wheels. They have their merits, but we decided against it, in part, because of our wee-beasties. We aren't going to be comfortable letting them ride in the trailer while we are in transit. And trying to move them to and from the tow vehicle every time we relocate would be terribly unpleasant for everyone. Unfortunately they aren't as adaptable as dogs are. We're uncertain how they'll cope as it is.

Gotcha. These are cats, right? Can see how that would be a pretty big issue.

Make sure you look at diesel pushers. I see lots of obvious fulltimers in those and they seem to work out pretty well for the fulltime set.

 

[Orchidflower]

I swim with a fellow who's 67 now, but right after he retired he and his wife did nothing but travel the States for 6 years in an RV. He said it was the best time of their lives together, which was a long time as they had married at 17 and 18. Anyway, now she's dying and in the last stage of cancer; but they have some wonderful memories that they shared doing this trip. Bravo for planning this RV tour ...and I, too, am jealous as all get-out!

 

[REWahoo]

Make sure you look at diesel pushers. I see lots of obvious fulltimers in those and they seem to work out pretty well for the fulltime set.

Agreed. However, Yrs... mentioned looking at "a small class A". I don't think anyone makes a diesel pusher less than 35' or so - not exactly in the small category.

While I'm certainly not unbiased (we have a 40' diesel pusher), I think Class A gassers have come a long way in recent years. We've met several folks full-timing and snowbirding in them and they seem to be doing fine.

 

[Gone4Good]

Hopefully, yours can be trained in the parked motorhome for them to get used to their new home.

That's the idea. I'm planning to get all of us moved in to the RV and just sit for a little while to let everyone adjust. I fully expect them to punish us mercilessly. Hopefully that will only last a couple of day, but then it's time to move it on them.

 

[simple girl]

That's the idea. I'm planning to get all of us moved in to the RV and just sit for a little while to let everyone adjust. I fully expect them to punish us mercilessly. Hopefully that will only last a couple of day, but then it's time to move it on them.

Keep us posted as to how the transition with the kitties goes...we are thinking of taking our two along with us someday!

 

[audreyh1]

It does seem like gasser class A motorhomes do well enough and we know plenty of fulltimers in them - just make sure you don't overload it. Diesel pushers are great driving machines and more fuel efficient for their size, but they are much more expensive. Of course, we love ours!

Audrey

P.S. We see lots of folks RVing with cats. Cats just love to curl up at a window and watch the campground goings on.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Your vet should be able to come up with some good ideas on acclimating the kitties. My sister just drove from SC to Vermont with her six cats, small dog, and three children in a Suburban. Frankly, if that can be done, anything is possible.

Since they are indoor cats, they will probably view the RV like mine do--as a great place to find cool hidey-holes and places to perch. The key will be to find/create a perfect space for their litter boxes that is out of traffic but convenient. I would put a coach that offers some nice little closet you could outfit with a cat door at the top of my shopping list if I were you.

We plan to use our old coach as an evacuation pod should a hurricane threaten. I just hope our numbers are lower then than now, with 6 dogs and 6 cats. And heaven help us if the sheep is still alive then!

I am so excited for you--the kitties will adapt and probably love it. Be sure you get them microchipped and have several collars for each one made that include cell numbers and your status as RVers. Keep some good clear pictures handy as well, just in case the unimaginable happens and they get away from you at a campground somewhere.

 

[audreyh1]

One more fulltimer tip. This might be unique! We stumbled across it ourselves and now we swear by it.

When Amazon offered it's new "Prime" membership a couple of years ago, we decided to go for the free trial. For a flat annual fee of $79, you (and anyone else in your household) pays NO SHIPPING for 2-day shipping all year, no minimum orders.

Anything marked "Amazon Prime" provides this benefit - it covers anything Amazon sells plus several other companies for whom Amazon does the order fulfillment.

And anything you order to send to someone else is covered too - great for gifts, etc.

And Amazon is not just for books. We buy appliances, software, computer stuff, non-perishable groceries, kitchen utensils, other household items, etc. It's amazing what they carry, and a lot of it qualifies.

So, as you can imagine, for fulltimers moving around quite a bit, the ability to order something and get it 2 days later is pretty handy! $3.99 per item to upgrade to overnight, so if you really need something fast and you are strapped, it can be a good solution.

And Amazon has also been offering 4-for-3 deals and other discounts on lots of items. We take advantage of that quite often.

Amazon is also very flexible about where they ship. They are super easy to deal with in terms of returns or other problems. You can order pretty late in the day and still something will ship that day - they let you know how many hours you have left. They are really good about expediting shipment.

I think the only complaint I have is that sometimes Amazon does not do a good job on the packaging, so we are pretty careful about ordering sensitive electronics from Amazon unless we know the manufacturer itself has super robust packaging.

So it's been super useful to us. Once our coffee maker went out. It's not something easy to find and we were too far from a town with big enough stores to carry a good selection of appliances. Ordered and had new coffeemaker in 2 days - no problem. This is a typical story for us.

Just wanted to pass that along. It might come in handy. Ordering stuff on the road can be quite tricky, especially from vendors who only ship inexpensively via UPS/Fedex ground and others who get very strict about shipping to a place that appears to be a campground or some type of "resort".

Audrey

 

[Gone4Good]

So, as you can imagine, for fulltimers moving around quite a bit, the ability to order something and get it 2 days later is pretty handy! $3.99 per item to upgrade to overnight, so if you really need something fast and you are strapped, it can be a good solution.

Interesting. I kind of thought my days of ordering from Amazon were over. I didn't realize you could have stuff shipped to campgrounds.

Good tip.

 

[audreyh1]

Companies vary widely with where they will ship if it's different from your billing address. Amazon is the most flexible we have ever dealt with. I probably have 25+ addresses saved in my on-line Amazon address book.

Ordering stuff does actually become more important when living on the road because you will find yourself in areas where you can't buy what you want, or you don't have the time to go find it. At least that seems to happen to us often. We have traded out the convenience of urban living for the peace, quiet and beauty of being in the country most of the time. Fortunately Fedex and UPS go almost anywhere.

Another reason why we love our larger refrigerator/freezer - stock up with decent groceries when we are near an urban area, then live off it for several weeks when we are out in the beautiful boonies. We often stay places where it is 20 miles or more to get to a decent grocery store.

Audrey

 

[Gone4Good]

Thanks again Audrey. And keep the tips coming. I'm starting to feel like I'm getting my arms around this, which probably just means I'm missing something.

 

[REWahoo]

If you knew everything you needed to know the entire experience would be boring...

 

[Bram]

DH & I have been "semi" full-timing for the past 6 years in a 38' travel trailer pulled with a heavy duty truck. I am retired, dh still working. We had our old kitty with us for the first 4 years (had to have her euthanized 2 yrs ago @ age 15). Sometimes we had her crated & with us in the truck & sometimes we kept her crated in the travel trailer. Either way, whenever we stopped for a meal or an extended rest we would turn her loose in the tt to eat/drink/potty/roam. I won't say she liked traveling, but she did fine & was none the worse for wear. I tell you this so you won't discount the other RV type options simply because of your cats.

And a tip: if you have slide outs, be sure your cats are crated before sliding in or out. I've read where people have had tragic results because of their pets being in unexpected places.

 

[Kronk]

DH & I have been "semi" full-timing for the past 6 years in a 38' travel trailer pulled with a heavy duty truck.

Gotta say, I think that's the coolest setup going. Not that I have ever been RV'ing in my life, but just the HDT thing seems like fun. And even topping the straight HDT/5th wheel setup are those that carry a Smart car on the bed of the HDT.

 

[Bram]

Gotta say, I think that's the coolest setup going. Not that I have ever been RV'ing in my life, but just the HDT thing seems like fun. And even topping the straight HDT/5th wheel setup are those that carry a Smart car on the bed of the HDT.

Actually our HDT has a "box" on the back & that's where our 4x4 suv & dh's Harley are stored for travel, then the tt is hitched to it. Our total length is 84' (or so, whatever is legal length?,,, I'm not sure). Needless to say, *I* don't drive it!

 

[REWahoo]

84 feet!!! Wow, that is some train you're pulling down the road. I thought my 62' motor home and toad were pretty long, but you guys are getting to the point you can turn in a circle and check your own brake lights...