Having a hard time with full timing

Executive wrote:
We are in our fifth year of full timing and love it. That said, we did some things a little differently. Some background...when I turned 65 I decided to retire for the third time. First time I was 35 and not ready...second time I was 52 and still not ready. At 65 I was ready. We sold the house in Ca. 3500 sqft and bought our current coach. It took four months to sell and that time was spent mostly planning our adventure along with disposing of whatever we could.

I believe it's important to have an EXIT plan in case something happens where you can no longer travel. With that in mind we began looking for opportunities. My dad and my in laws both live in Arizona so it was natural to look there. We purchased a used mobile home in a nice park and paid cash for it. The space rent is cheap enough that if something were to happen to either one of us, our retirement checks would easily cover our expenses. We planned on wintering in Az anyway so owning this home allows us to get out of the coach for a couple months, get our annual physicals, dentals etc. out of the way and 'reconnect' with our parents and relatives.

Because family is important, another thing we learned is to keep in touch with them as much as possible. Since they are young and have decent jobs, we are their 'vacation home'. Wherever we are, they are invited to join us. Many campgrounds have cabins they can stay in. They pay the freight to get to us, we pay for their 'stay'. Our oldest two grandchildren have spent their last four summer vacations traveling the US with us. Great for them, great for us. They're both 14 and can't wait for school to end. We let them choose what they want to do for the summer and try to accommodate them. Last year, they both asked if they could swim in all the Great Lakes, so that's what we did. The parents flew them into wherever we were at the time. Our GS flew into Memphis and our GD into Chicago. We all had a great time and they returned to school in the fall full of precious memories.

A 'mistake' we made early on was not getting out of the 'vacation' mode. We, too, wanted to see as much of this country as possible, so we made a 'list'. By doing so, we found ourselves trying to get from point A to point B without enjoying all there was to see in between. Our second year, we threw away the list and simply decided to enjoy each state as we came through. We try to visit each state for six weeks, spending two in the northern part, two in the southern part and two in the middle. We rarely travel more than three hours and spend up to a week in a campground. Many CGs offer, stay 7 pay for 6 so we save money that way. In five years, we've visited 41 States and shared experiences we never thought we would. Stop in the CG office and find out what's around from the locals. They're usually proud of their area and you'll get more of the local flavor rather than the commercial flair.

Start a BLOG. They are free and you will learn to share your experiences with those you love and/or simply connect with. Since my dad doesn't 'get' computers, he's 96, everytime I post a new page on my blog, I print it off and send it to him. He looks forward to getting mail from me often. The rest of my family and friends, including many from this forum, also read the blog and get ideas and some insight on where they may want to visit.

In summary,

Don't forget your friends and family. Invite them to come to you for their vacations. They see new places and you can catch up on everything.

Invite the grandkids to travel with you for their summer vacations. You'll be surprised how fast the time flies. At 14 we thought last year was their last, but they've already said, "No Way! we're coming!"

A blog is a great way to stay in touch with family and friends and interact with them on places you've visited. They may give you pointers too, about places they've gone that you haven't.

And most importantly, have an EXIT plan. Know where you'll go if/when the inevitable happens...that day when you no longer can/want to travel. It also gives you the security of knowing where you will be "down the road". Meanwhile, sit back, relax and enjoy the life. If you don't like your neighbors, turn the key...if the weather's going to be bad, turn the key, if they decide to build a sewage treatment plant next door, turn the key....you can't do that with a S&B house. Oh! and enjoy letting someone else do the gardening, pool cleaning, taking out the trash etc. IMHO there is no "perfect" place to live year round. Cold weather is not natural to man...and remember, you don't shovel sunshine.........Dennis

Well said!! We look forward to doing the same thing, as you, in a few years. Although we don't have the family ties that you do, we do look forward to living this life style. Your plans are in line with ours and we hope to enjoy them as you have.

Thank you for the post.

-paul