If you had Eight Years to Plan
I posted this topic in another forum and wanted to use it again to introduce myself. My wife and I are planning to retire to an RV in 2023 and are using the time to plan. I've been browsing these fo...
Forum Discussion
We retired (actually got downsized) at age 52. We knew we wanted to travel so we bought a 27' travel trailer and spent the first winter in Florida. We never heard of the word 'full-timing'. We met so many happy full-timers and on our return to Michigan we said "we spent 5 months in this little RV and never needed all that 'stuff' back in the 2500 sq. ft. home. Let's go full-time". That was in May.
By August we had sold everything, bought a 33' 5th wheel and never looked back. We never gave ourselves a deadline like "we'll try it for a year or two". We made the commitment that this will be our new lifestyle - and it is a lifestyle - not a vacation. We spent 8 years in the 5th wheel and friends got us into Jeeping so we got the motorhome to tow the Jeep and spent another 8 extremely happy years of traveling this gorgeous country and volunteering in national and state parks along the way.
I would highly recommend joining the Escapees RV Club and taking an active part in it. It was started 35 years ago by full-timers and that is it's base today. They have gone to bat for full-timers in government issues and have won every time. This is where we got our social base. We met up with friends constantly and formed great lasting relationships.
Our family and friends were behind us 100% and we easily maintained a great relationship with the grandkids - being there for their special moments like the first day of school, school plays, concerts, sports games, etc. They took trips with us and sometimes met us at special places. They have great memories, as do we.
We had invested the sale of our house and after 16 years of full-timing we found the perfect spot for us and in a place we would have never dreamed of living. We bought a small 1100 sq. ft. townhouse in a 55+ community that has any kind of activity one might want. We are so active here and our days are as full as we choose. It came completely furnished in matching Southwestrn style. Had we kept a storage unit all those years our furniture wouldn't even have fit in our new house. Appliances and electronics would be outdated. Plus, we'd be out of a lot of money storing it.
We wintered many years with a large group of fellow full-timers and now 23 of us have bought in the same community so we have a strong base of good friends for any help needed. The community has many age-related services and medical facilities.
I tell you this so you don't feel you have to have a definite 'exit plan'. None of our friends had one. As you travel you'll find the right place for you.
There are many young full-timers nowdays who continue to work while traveling due to technology. When we began we had no internet, no email. We relied on telephone booths and letters. Over the years we easily dealt with many medical issues including replacement surgeries and cancer. Full-timers can go to the best medical facilities, if needed and it's very easy to recoup in a RV. Everything is so close.
I do think a lot of folks leave full-timing because they gave themselves a 'year or two' to see if they liked it. You need that amount of time to work out all the kinks of the new lifestyle. Things happen and some aren't good, but that doesn't mean it won't get better. It did for us!
By August we had sold everything, bought a 33' 5th wheel and never looked back. We never gave ourselves a deadline like "we'll try it for a year or two". We made the commitment that this will be our new lifestyle - and it is a lifestyle - not a vacation. We spent 8 years in the 5th wheel and friends got us into Jeeping so we got the motorhome to tow the Jeep and spent another 8 extremely happy years of traveling this gorgeous country and volunteering in national and state parks along the way.
I would highly recommend joining the Escapees RV Club and taking an active part in it. It was started 35 years ago by full-timers and that is it's base today. They have gone to bat for full-timers in government issues and have won every time. This is where we got our social base. We met up with friends constantly and formed great lasting relationships.
Our family and friends were behind us 100% and we easily maintained a great relationship with the grandkids - being there for their special moments like the first day of school, school plays, concerts, sports games, etc. They took trips with us and sometimes met us at special places. They have great memories, as do we.
We had invested the sale of our house and after 16 years of full-timing we found the perfect spot for us and in a place we would have never dreamed of living. We bought a small 1100 sq. ft. townhouse in a 55+ community that has any kind of activity one might want. We are so active here and our days are as full as we choose. It came completely furnished in matching Southwestrn style. Had we kept a storage unit all those years our furniture wouldn't even have fit in our new house. Appliances and electronics would be outdated. Plus, we'd be out of a lot of money storing it.
We wintered many years with a large group of fellow full-timers and now 23 of us have bought in the same community so we have a strong base of good friends for any help needed. The community has many age-related services and medical facilities.
I tell you this so you don't feel you have to have a definite 'exit plan'. None of our friends had one. As you travel you'll find the right place for you.
There are many young full-timers nowdays who continue to work while traveling due to technology. When we began we had no internet, no email. We relied on telephone booths and letters. Over the years we easily dealt with many medical issues including replacement surgeries and cancer. Full-timers can go to the best medical facilities, if needed and it's very easy to recoup in a RV. Everything is so close.
I do think a lot of folks leave full-timing because they gave themselves a 'year or two' to see if they liked it. You need that amount of time to work out all the kinks of the new lifestyle. Things happen and some aren't good, but that doesn't mean it won't get better. It did for us!
