I often receive notes from newbies who are just starting out in the lifestyle, or from wannabees who are anxious to get started in the lifestyle. These notes always take me back to that nostalgic place that I lived in for about three years, that place where I researched the lifestyle, absorbing everything I could find about it, so I know exactly how these folks feel. . .the excitement. . .the fear. . .the feeling of not knowing exactly what we may be getting ourselves in to. . .oh yes, it all comes back.
Now we had camped for years, starting out in tents, progressing to pop ups, then to an 18 foot bumper pull, and finally, our ultimate vacation rig. . .a 30 foot Jayco Fifth Wheel with a slideout.
We were uptown then, living the good life. . .so when we decided to sell everything we owned, and it all happened a little quicker than we anticipated, we determined that we could live in the Jayco while we continued researching and shopping for a full time rig.
Oh my goodness. . .that WAS a transition. . .going from a four bedroom, three bath home to a less than 400 square foot rig that was designed to go on vacation in. . .and while it was the ultimate for what it was designed for, we quickly decided that having NO closets, NO storage. . .and especially, NO washer, dryer. . .just was NOT going to work.
We were both still working full time jobs, hubby on rotating shifts, and I worked a rotating week which almost always included working Saturdays. Going to the laundromat was not on our list of fun things to do on our day off, so I started dropping the laundry off at one of those full service laundromats. Oh I can feel the eyes rolling. . .LOL, but that was what we needed to do to survive, and we quickly decided living in survival mode was just NOT going to work.
Had we already been retired, we may have coped a little better, but in addition to our jobs, we also volunteered at our church and were in charge of a large Children’s Ministry Department and staff, so adding a lifestyle change in the midst of our other responsibilities was probably not the smartest decision. . .however, we had been researching FULL TIME rigs for quite a while, and had narrowed our choices down to about four brands which met our criteria.
Our criteria list consisted of basement air, two refrigerators, or at least one oversized one, washer/dryer, and a built in desk. Not much to ask for right? Dave would make the rounds of the RV lots on his day off, looking, looking, looking. . .as you can imagine, in Houston TX there were a lot of choices. . .and then, by the grace of God, there it was. . .the perfect rig. . .a brand that was on our list. We knew they built quality full time rigs that would stand up to the rigors of the lifestyle. . .with absolutely everything on our wish list. . .and MORE. God is so good! . . .and although we were looking for used, this one was their RV show model. . .had never been lived in. . .but was being sold as a used unit. . .only took a few minutes to make that decision. . .and take that miracle home.
Now, almost ten years later, in the next phase of our RV journey as we begin searching for a motorhome, we still know we made a great decision. . .even with the trials and tribulations of the constant maintenance that comes with living in an RV full time. . .it has been the perfect “home”. . .and we would do it all over again. . .in a heartbeat!
What about you?
How did you get started in the lifestyle?
Did you make the right decision, or do you have regrets?
Have you reached a transition mode, where you are thinking of bigger or smaller, or perhaps even a more permanent address?
I would love to hear your stories! Please share your comments below and feel free to email me any time at JaniceLEvans1015@gmail.com
Safe and Happy Travels,
Janice
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| From Blogger Pictures |
Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle.
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As a matter of fact, Jim and I are looking at moving into the next phase of our lives. We have been full time RV’ers for more than 11 years. But we feel led to buy a small house in Georgia this winter. We have some definite plans about what we want to accomplish when we do, and it does not necessarily mean we’ll be coming off the road. It does feel like the right thing to do for us at this time. I have been dreaming of making curtains….
It’s amazing how our brains retain a few fleeting, fairy-tale snapshots of scenes from our earliest childhood. I hold maybe a dozen of those odd images which, for whatever reason, were burned into my memory. My younger brother is included in each of those mental snapshots, and in each one he is wearing diapers. Because he is 18 months younger than me, I can accurately date my mental snapshots from the age of 3-4 years old. Most of those memories involve my parents taking us on summertime tent-camping trips to various places in Oklahoma.
Later memories involve the family camping in an 18-foot Nomad travel trailer. I don’t remember when or why or how my Dad wound up with the trailer; all I know is my mental snapshots change from summertime camping in a tent and my little brother wearing diapers, to more luxurious 3-season camping in the Nomad with my newly-obnoxious younger brother no longer wearing diapers.
Therefore, it is no surprise that I now choose, almost 50 years later, to live full-time in my rig. I believe I have an advantage sometimes, over those folks who never had the privilege of growing up camping. Many folks struggle with skills and facts I find rudimentary. For example,
* I don’t have a problem with “navy showers”–that has been a simple fact of life, when camping, for 50 years of my life. The six-gallon water heater can provide ample hot water, if you know how to use it wisely.
* I always stock a few bars of Ivory soap, in case I decide to bathe in a stream on a warm summer evening. (For younger readers, you need to know a bar of Ivory soap floats, and all other bars of soap sink.)
* I can cook an entire Thanksgiving meal in spite of the RV’s less-than-desirable oven, and the limited counter space.
* The best tools/utensils/pans are the ones which serve more than one purpose.
* Old-fashioned cast iron cookware is, simply, the best cookware available. (A well-seasoned cast iron skillet is the most effective non-stick cookware available on the market, even today.)
* One doesn’t need a TV for entertainment. Many activities, much more enjoyable than watching TV, await just outside the RV’s front door.
* When winterizing the RV, take extra time to do the job right. You’ll save yourself hours of work the following spring.
I remember envying my friends, when I was young. Some would return to school in September talking about family vacations to Six Flags or Disneyland. It seemed the only thing my family ever did was work hard on the ranch, then drag the travel trailer to the river a few weekends during the summer. At the time, I wished I could tell big stories of great adventures to far-off theme parks, instead of simply saying “we went camping this summer.” I was a full-grown man before I began to appreciate my parents “growing me up” in a camping environment.
As a young teenager, whenever I’d have a friend stay over for the weekend, my Dad would drag the Nomad out to the middle of the ranch, set it up alongside a large stock pond, then head back to the house, leaving us kids to find our own fun for the weekend. My buddy and I would fish, swim, cook over an open fire, shoot guns, ride motorcycles, etc. Staying in the Nomad was much more fun than “camping in the back yard.” And, if there ever were an emergency, my grandparents lived on the hill a half-mile away, or my parents on the next hill past that. But I never remember heading back to the house before the weekend was over.
As an older teenager, after I “got wheels,” my buddy and I would leave the girlfriends alone one weekend a month, load the tent-camping gear, and head deep into the mountains for a “guy-weekend.” Sometimes, if my parents were camping somewhere in the Nomad, we overgrown teenagers would meet up with them for part of the weekend.
I tried to instill in my own kids a deep love of camping. But in this age of video games, cell phones, and movies-on-demand, I doubt they appreciate the past-time as much as I did. I took my family camping several times a year. When the wife and kids decided they would rather spend the bi-monthly camping weekends at home, I sold the camping gear in a garage sell and bought ultra-lightweight backpacking gear. For the next 15 years, six or eight weekends a year I would be found hiking deep in a mountain range, living out of my backpack, with only my dog or the occasional backpacking buddy to keep me company.
There are many stories to tell about my backpacking in heavy snow, and hail, and thunderstorms, and in hot deserts. There are stories of bears, and mountain lions, and assorted poisonous vipers. There are stories of how it feels to spend two days climbing a mountain, and the exhilaration one feels when finally standing on the top. But those stories can be told on the backpacking sites; this is an RV site.
After my divorce (eleven years ago), I continued my regular backpacking trips. I dated several women, but eventually began dating a single lady who owned a fifth-wheel travel trailer. (It seems the only thing we had in common was the love of camping.) For a few months we dragged that fiver every second weekend, all over the states of Oklahoma and the northern half of Texas. She and I didn’t last long together but that experience convinced me that, some day, I wanted to eventually retire to a full-time RV’ing lifestyle. A week after she and I broke up, I had purchased my current rig, an older model Pace Arrow motorhome, with the intention of traveling in it one or two weekends a month.
Shortly thereafter, in the bad economy, I lost my job. I was offered a “temporary” job in western Oklahoma, which is a relatively flat plain devoid of trees or anything resembling a mountain range. It was then I moved full-time into the motorhome and drove it to western Oklahoma, planning to live in it for about four months until the job ended.
That job, however, has since turned into a permanent position but I have remained living full-time in the motorhome. I find I don’t want the responsibilities of a traditional home. I desire to remain in an RV the rest of my life. In fact, I recently gave away everything–the furniture, appliances, and other stuff–which remained in storage.
I will soon observe one year of full-time living in the RV. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. The old Pace Arrow, the Boogie-dog, and I (all three of us beginning to show our age!) have lived through knee-deep snow, negative six degree nights, and the hottest summer on record, with few-to-no inconveniences. Because I am employed full-time, we are only able to get the motorhome on the road for a long weekend about every six weeks.
I plan to remain in this rig for several years. Although it is 26 years old, the rig has been well-maintained by previous owners and only has 47,000 miles on the engine. In any RV, you should stay on top of the minor maintenance issues, before they become major. So I do drop a few hundred dollars a month into servicing the rig, or new window coverings, etc. It is my full-time home, so I want to feel it is well-maintained. When I get closer to retirement, I plan to get a newer rig, in anticipation of living a true gypsy on-the-road lifestyle.
Karen, I think it’s a decision we will all come to at some point. We went into the lifestyle knowing what the progression would be. . .and even though we think we will continue to RV for several years, God willing, we always discuss options. . .the park we are in right now has awesome park models set up. I could definitely see us transitioning to one of those in a great location someday.
I think you guys are wise to make decisions now. . .go for it!
We’ve just started (since August 31) the fulltimer lifestyle. My DH is 65, I’m 54. He’s been retired 10 years while I’ve flitted from one “career” to another. We’d often talked about this lifestyle and this year I said… it’s now or never. We do it now or we may find that there are health or other reasons that keep us from doing it. So we traded our Prius for a Ford F250 and put our Arizona home on the market (where it is stagnating). And we bought a brand new Jayco Eagle Fifth Wheel.
Initial impressions? I very quickly felt at home in the RV. It feels like “my place” and I can cook, watch tv, sleep, knit etc. comfortably. Packing up and “moving” is still stressful, but we are just learning. We mourn after each chip to the wood of a cabinet or scratch to a piece of furniture, as a result of either the moving or the tight spaces. We’re trying to keep it all perfect and new but it’s just not possible. We’ve been in some really nice campgrounds and are learning what’s important to us (and not). Right now we’re on Long Island (an hour from Manhattan) in a county park and loving it (except for having to use a portable tank to “dump”).
We also recognize that change is a constant and that we will have to make adjustments as we age and “as the world turns”. We’ll go with the flow as we travel through life together… because the together part is what is most important to us.
Happy and safe travels to all.
We have a blog about the adventures of two women from the Midwest who ended up, unintentionally gate guarding in Texas. We first managed (intentionally) a resort on the beach in southern Oregon, then followed one of our front desk employees into this new adventure. It’s been full of fun and trials. I enjoy reading your blog and the comments here. Thank you
Myra, thanks for reading our blog. . .we know the feeling of dreading the bumps and bruises. . .unfortunately, they will come.
Keep us updated as to your comings and goings. . .we love to keep up!
Heidi, we have friends who are working a gate keeping job this winter for the very first time. It will be interesting to see what their overall assessment is. . .we’re letting them be the guinea pigs for the rest of us : )
Tried to add your blog to my Google Reader. . .said it was a private blog and I need a password. . .did I link to the wrong thing?
Send me the correct link at janicelevans@gmail.com Would love to follow your adventures. . .
We are looking to buy a 350 or 3500 4×4 truck and 5th wheel for fulltiming. I have been reading blogs and sites like IRV2 and can never find anyone to give direct advice. My question to you is, if you went today to buy a truck and 5er, what would you buy? I read where you said that the 5er you got was on your list and you knew it was of good quality. I have no way of knowing which ones are good quality. I would love to have your thoughts on this as you have been there and dont that. Thanks so much.
Steve, I sent you an email. . .but I loved your question so much, that I ended up sharing the question and my answer as a blog post. . .I sure hope others enjoy the dialogue. . .thanks for asking!