Advantages of full time RVing?

Thanks everyone for all the good advice. We are taking it all in and working on doing some good planning for our future on the road and putting down some roots here in Florida with a smaller place to call our home base.

Everything sounds good from this end for hitting the road as a full timer but with family still here in Florida we feel we do need some roots here as well.

We are working going to sell our "big house" and do some major downsizing, build us something for a home base when not on the road and do our best to see how we like it.

Our rig is a Allegro, 28ft., with our jeep we will use for our off road trails and adventure riding, both paid for as we want to take it on a slower pace to see how we do before we decide if full timing is for us. Now if I can only learn that I will not need "everything" from my kitchen to go along with us and can make myself leave much of what I think I will need at home we might make it. I am one to think I would rather have it with me than need it later, this will be a big adjustment for me.

Thanks again for all the help.

Happy Travels, God Bless & Be Safe

dogvetia wrote:
Love Motorhoming but like many also like some "roots". My biggest fear if fulltiming with no "stick" house to return to is what happens when one has a heart attack, cancer strikes, need some type of surgery with several weeks etc recover? I suppose you can do it in a MH but what do most of you full timers do in this scenario? tom

I can answer the question about surgery. I have had leg surgery twice and an amputation once, while living in our trailer. I have found it was actually BETTER than in a house. My surgeon once started discussing crutches, as I would not be able to use my right leg for 6 weeks. I told him I would not need them.

He countered with: "Oh yeah, how far is it from your bed to the bathroom?" I could honesty respond: “About two feet from the end of the bed to the potty." I found that the close quarters actually helped. There was always a hand hold to steady myself, and everything was close by.

If I have limited mobility in the future, give me our travel trailer over a house any day.

..and for the 'what if' statements: they certainly don't apply to everyone. We have been full-timing for 16 years. Decided to do it one May and began in August of that year. Sold the house and everything in it. All we knew is that we wanted to travel and it didn't make sense to keep the house. It was a BIG weight off our shoulders. We invested the money from the sale of the house and 'stuff' we didn't need. We didn't store anything. Our kids and families and friends were all for us. We have never regretted a minute of it. We had no 'exit plans'. We're not 'what if' kinds of folks. :)

Over the years we have happily volunteered for many national and state parks and fish hatcheries. We've had terrific experiences and have met many friends along the way. We have had multiple surgeries, including cancer. Being mobile we are free to go to the best medical facilities in the country. It's extremely easy to recoup from surgery in an RV and the small space. Everything is nearby. It has definitely not been any kind of problem.

We stay (or try to) in perfect climates year-round. We visit with our kids in big chuncks of time but they have their own lives now and are busy themselves. We've maintained a great relationship with the grandkids.

After 16 years we bought a very small townhouse (1100 sq ft) in a new state from our retiring state that we fell in love with. We paid cash using the proceeds from the sale of our past home. We knew we would never go back to our original state or to a 3000 sq ft home filled with 'stuff' that controls you. We will winter in our new digs and still travel the other months. This past winter we were 'antsy' - wanting to hit the road again. Stayng put is not for us. There are too many unique opportunities out there in which to partake. We're in our mid-70's now and still have no complete 'exit plan'. We'll keep going like the bunny!

Bottom line, if you're not an 'what if' kind of person, full-timing will work for you!

Love Motorhoming but like many also like some "roots". My biggest fear if fulltiming with no "stick" house to return to is what happens when one has a heart attack, cancer strikes, need some type of surgery with several weeks etc recover? I suppose you can do it in a MH but what do most of you full timers do in this scenario? tom

I think RonDeb have it the way I like it. Love to travel in the motorhome and stay on the road for two to three months and then home for awhile. Full-timing would not work for me for a whole variety of reasons most of which have been presented. I do think the biggest caution is the one made by so many. Don't sell out completely so you can't move back to a more traditional life style if and when you wish.

dahkota wrote:
advantages: no matter where you are, you are home.

tax advantages: no property tax. One can be a resident of a no income tax state such as South Dakota.

Don't. Forget about TX.!

rondeb wrote:
The only thing I can add and it is not by experience as we leave for around 7 months in the RV and then come home for the summer to our stick built home. Wouldn't give up the stick built for anything. We have had a couple of health issues that required surgery and then recoup and I just can't imagine doing all that being only in an RV.

At some point, you will have to quit traveling and will you have the funds to repurchase a stick built or will you have to rent. The motorhome will not last like a stick built and will decline in value so you have to plan for the future also. You are fairly young, so you could possibly go through 2 to 3 RV's as they are not meant to full time in them and if you travel a lot, they will have to be replaced.

There are benefits but there are also those things to think about down the road.

We have met lots of people that are in situations that they can't repurchase a home and they do not want to full time any longer. Others started out with no payment on their RV, but then had to replace it and then all of a sudden have payments.

Just lots of things to consider. Keeping your stick built does add quite an expense, but to us, we want that security to be able to come home and we actually love the 4 or so months at home between our excursions in the RV

I did state that my comments were not by experience of full timing in my first sentence.

We started planning for our retirement and after work years when we were in our 30's so yes we are definitely future planners and I guess by your statement WhatIFrs Most of the what if's above are going to become reality if you haven't thought about them in advance. I'm just saying there are lots of things to think about before you sell out, get rid of everything and head out.

We live in the Pacific Northwest and the summer here is the most beautiful and perfect weather in the country at this time,(why we come home for the summer rather that sweat in other parts of the country) We just head south and visit as much of this wonderful country as we can when the weather turns cold here. We have been doing this for 5 years and love it. We have lots of other hobbies and toys that we enjoy during the months we are home and do not want to give up. We have a large fishing boat, a motorcycle, oil painting etc. Just can't do all the other things we enjoy not having our stick built.

It is what works for us. I wasn't saying it is for everyone.

I was pointing out those issues that Full Timers have expressed to us in regrets they have. These are all a possibilities and people need to think about them if they are wanting input.

The OP wanted reasons why and why not to full time. We have traveled enough and met enough people that have regretted some of their decisions that I feel I could add some things to think about.

Not trying to say our way is the only way, just one way.

rockhillmanor wrote:
I guess starting next year I will officially have to change my title from Full Timer to Reverse Snowbird!

We leave FL in April and return in October - I believe that makes us Sunbirds!! :B

Just make sure you and your wife have a strong marriage, cause it will take a toll on it. It did mine.

rockhillmanor wrote:

I guess starting next year I will officially have to change my title from Full Timer to Reverse Snowbird!

Here in AZ we would call you a Sunbird, there are many here that do as you do. We only have three months here in AZ I don't care for, June (too hot) and Jan/Feb (too Cold). We live in our stick home the rest of the year and travel to the mountains in June and Mexico in Jan/Feb. There is no way in HECK anyone full-timing is having more fun than I am just because I enjoy taking care of my stick home.

Everyone has to do what THEY enjoy. Just be careful as it is easier to become a full-timer than it is to become a home owner again. AND purely from an investment prospective, a RV (doesn't matter what kind it is) is a horrible investment. You will never recover your purchase price and you will never/rarely offset the taxes & expenses you think you are saving by converting from a stick home to a RV. You maybe able to offset ongoing expense dollars but NEVER the Capital investment. If you amortize over the length you think you will own the RV, you have spent more than you had hoped to save. If you don't care about burning down your nest egg with the purchase of the RV so there is nothing left, it WORKS! For most it is a Lifestyle choice.

Rent a studio apartment for two months and see how you feel about it at the end of the rental period. Or maybe an apartment would be a better investment than an RV? Good Luck!

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico