Any Regrets For Starting Extended Travel Early?

I am in the start early camp. You never know when circumstances will change, and take away the opportunity for extensive RV travel!

We started early - at 47 last year. I can't imagine doing the things I am doing now at 68. We could have had more money had we waited but we could have also been dead by then. I wouldn't trade my current full time life for more money and security. We have been lucky - our 457s are bigger now than they were when we started over a year and a half ago, even though we have been drawing them down for living expenses. If the market suddenly crashed and we started tapping our reserve fund, we could always start working again. Since we have downsized so much, even minimum wage jobs would be enough to live on in the right climate.

Nope, don't regret it for a minute. There is always a job somewhere if we need one. And there are plenty of fulltimers in their 20s and 30s who work and RV.

Do it ASAP if you wait for the "right time" you will never go.
PLAN, allow for contingencies and crisis then go for it.

YOU will never regret going only feel sad if you never go.

We're in the go early group. We retired at 48 and hit the road fulltiming (6 years now). We figured if we got in a pinch we could always work for awhile. There is always volunteering along the way to help with expenses. We just wanted to see the country while we were young enough to really enjoy it!

I fully agree to start as early as you can. However, I'd really advise you to be responsible. Full-timing and traveling and having a lot of bills and little savings will not work.

We always lived below our means and saved, saved, saved. We took off in our early 50's and full-timed for 16 years without having to worry about money.

There are many young full-timers nowadays who are able to work from their RV while traveling due to technology. That is awesome! It's the best of both worlds.

Roadlover wrote:
Many folks put off extended RV travel so they can save enough money to do so. But I have heard many Full-timers and Part-timers say, start as early as you can or others say they regret they didn't start earlier. So, I'm curious if there are those who regret starting when they did because they could no longer afford health insurance or the funds just ran out?

Thanks

I bought my 1st coach @ age 35. That was almost 30 years ago. It was a very nice pre-owned diesel Class A. I still drive a diesel coach, but it's a lot newer and nicer. Not made any better, but maybe the next one will be better. Buy what you can pay cash for, and you won't go wrong. Finance 'em, and you're biting off more than you can comfortably pay for. I believe that's the right way for me anyways.

It's all a gamble. Life is a gamble. What we want to do and what we are able to do are two different things. It doesn't mean through caution to the wind. You should have a definite plan in place and an answer to all the "what ifs" and have alternative options in mind.

Naturally, here on this site we will most likely hear from all the early successes. Opinions here are going to be very skewed. People who have started too early and have regretted it are too busy trying to put their finances and/or lives back together than to be spending idle time on this site.

In life, if you put things off because you think you cannot afford them, you'll never do anything. Be practical, but go for it! I retired and we began our journey last year at 60 and should have done it years ago!

arhayes wrote:
In life, if you put things off because you think you cannot afford them, you'll never do anything. Be practical, but go for it! I retired and we began our journey last year at 60 and should have done it years ago!

Good that it works for you.

However I disagree with your first statement. Maybe because I am older and was raised in a different era. We were brought up with the principal that if we could not afford it, we did get. We always saved for what we wanted. I lived with that principal all my life and I thank my parents every day, although they have passed on years ago, for the great retirement I am enjoying today. :)

I've waited and I've saved and now I can afford to take the risk. If I try living in an RV full-time and I don't like it I can sell the rig and go back to life in a fixed home and if I lose $10,000 giving it a try it won't wreck my retirement.

I don't agree that financing is bad. I could pay cash for an RV, but I'd rather make a down-payment equal to the initial depreciation plus some cushion and then feel like if I had to sell at any point in time I could get about what is left on the note and my true savings is still what is still in the bank.