Advice on long-term plan

RVTravel wrote:

RVing is a long-term desire of mine, and will have to fit with everything else.

Do what you want to do. Think about sacrifices in the past you have done for the sake of your family.

blackeyed1 wrote:
Maybe start out renting an RV for a week and take it out to campgrounds locally and see how your wife reacts. You need to do alot of research first.

Good advice. Thank you.

Merrykalia wrote:
Is there a firm reason why you and your wife won't be going together; does she just not want to be in a camper? or does she just not want to be with you?

Not sure if there is a "firm" reason. We've never been in an RV. Our vacations are fly+Hotel+rental Car often, and many short / regional trips together to hotels. We both work, and can't travel much more than vacation days.

Campers are alien to friends and family. We just drive or fly. And no one in my family or circle of friends has taken a 6-month road-trip / travel in US.

Merrykalia wrote:
You asked about a MH or a TT. A 5 yr old MH will cost you about 70K, but a 5 yr old TT will cost you less than 10K. It all depends on how much you want to expend to follow your dream. I would also suggest you check out fifth wheels since you get a little more luxury, plus they are more open and provide better full-time living than MOST travel trailers.

You will have to have an extra vehicle, most likely a pickup truck if you choose a TT or 5'er or a smaller vehicle if you choose a motorhome.

Understood.

NYCgrrl wrote:
You live in a cubicle in Manhattan with your wife and children yet can do/are aware of van conversions?
Interesting life history :).

We have used conversion vans for regional travel to hotels and attractions, and it's the perfect tool for that kind of travel for us. I have another friend from Flushing who also has a conversion van for family travel.

Van stays at the house, although it has been parked many times in Manhattan. Its footprint is not larger than a full-size car though.

NYCgrrl wrote:
After surveying my surroundings and taking into account my ability to make more less I'll be buying an Alto Safari Condo. Parks well here.

I do notice RVs on the UWS, so good for you. Are you the one to park on 86th, between Columbus and Amsterdam, FL plates?

toedtoes wrote:
Not to get personal, but with what you've thrown out here, it really sounds like you need to have a sitdown with your wife and discuss it with her.

No problem with asking personal questions. I wouldn't expect you to advise without knowing more personal info.

Yes, we have discussed it, and even if she was RV's biggest fan, which she is not -- there are variables, which may not allow her / us. First, we will be taking care of my MIL very soon, and not sure where, and how long that'll be. Besides, my younger daughter is a Performer, and not sure how her career will look-like in few / several years. Besides, my wife is contemplating becoming her Agent.

RVing is a long-term desire of mine, and will have to fit with everything else. So no, being non-committal right now is logical for my wife.

Would I travel alone? Maybe, maybe not. If my wife needs to be in months-long engagements with my daughter, she may be away too.

Older daughter will be working then, and who knows maybe having kids of her own. If that's the case, we may help, just like my in-laws helped. For example, my wife had our 2nd child just before she went to Law School. Her mother moved in with us for some time to help raise the baby. FIL stayed away. FIL traveled extensively while he was alone. Which was the opposite when our 1st was born. Then he helped, and she traveled to cousins, family etc.

In-laws had an excellent marriage, but they lived for months apart, in the service of grandkids. My own parents did the same with my sister and her kids. We would do the same, if duty calls.

Jayco-noslide wrote:
Don't know your $$$ situation. But, before jumping into an RV of any kind which will cost a lot and depreciate quickly I would consider renting a small motor home for a 1 or 2 week RV trip to see if you actually like it. Expensive but less than buying one and wanting to get out of it in a short time. There is so much to learn especially about the parts of RVing which are not fun.

Understood.

Trackrig wrote:
You may have used the term "buy a home" as a general one, but my best advice is don't rush out an buy a home anywhere. Go rent one for a while.

I've seen way too many people retire and leave Alaska to go buy a retirement home someplace. It may be a place they visited on vacation, it's where the relatives or kids are, it's where they grew up, etc. Then after they've been then for a year, they figure out they really don't like the place, so they go through the hassle of selling the new house and moving someplace else. Lease a place for at least a year so you see what it's like there year round (some day you won't be traveling) also the heat, humidity, sales tax, state taxes, local politics and other oddities before you commit to buying and you're stuck with it.

Lease something, then go travel to see the rest of the country. If you find something you like better, lease there before buying.

The worst one I saw was one of my old bosses. He grew up in South Carolina and had only been back a couple of times during his adult life. He retired, moved down, got busy finding a piece of land and then a builder. He never took time to really look around and absorb the area. When the builder started building, he had a chance to slow down and look around the around the area. Before the house was done, he decided he didn't like the area, put the house up for sale and left S. Carolina.

Bill

That's very true. We bought the vacation home in CT over a decade ago, and things have changed, at least in that town. It used to be inexpensive and traffic was bearable. Now it takes us almost 4 hours on Friday nights to drive 97 miles away on I-95.

Property taxes have almost tripled. Going there has become a real chore. We're seriously considering selling, maybe next year and buying another one in a very different location.

We not only want to have it long-term, but also be able to enjoy it in the short and medium-term. Maybe "enjoy" is not the correct term. Keep in mind that we live in an apartment, in one of the most dense areas in the country (Manhattan), and getting away is really necessary, as much as one can afford it.

You may have used the term "buy a home" as a general one, but my best advice is don't rush out an buy a home anywhere. Go rent one for a while.

I've seen way too many people retire and leave Alaska to go buy a retirement home someplace. It may be a place they visited on vacation, it's where the relatives or kids are, it's where they grew up, etc. Then after they've been then for a year, they figure out they really don't like the place, so they go through the hassle of selling the new house and moving someplace else. Lease a place for at least a year so you see what it's like there year round (some day you won't be traveling) also the heat, humidity, sales tax, state taxes, local politics and other oddities before you commit to buying and you're stuck with it.

Lease something, then go travel to see the rest of the country. If you find something you like better, lease there before buying.

The worst one I saw was one of my old bosses. He grew up in South Carolina and had only been back a couple of times during his adult life. He retired, moved down, got busy finding a piece of land and then a builder. He never took time to really look around and absorb the area. When the builder started building, he had a chance to slow down and look around the around the area. Before the house was done, he decided he didn't like the area, put the house up for sale and left S. Carolina.

Bill

Don't know your $$$ situation. But, before jumping into an RV of any kind which will cost a lot and depreciate quickly I would consider renting a small motor home for a 1 or 2 week RV trip to see if you actually like it. Expensive but less than buying one and wanting to get out of it in a short time. There is so much to learn especially about the parts of RVing which are not fun.

Not to get personal, but with what you've thrown out here, it really sounds like you need to have a sitdown with your wife and discuss it with her.

You mention moving, but don't indicate your wife's preferences (or even that she has an opinion).
You mention a 50% chance she'll go with you, but that she doesn't like RVs. But you seem set on going for 6 months at a stretch without her. How does she feel about that?
You mention the kids will be "out of the house by then". If your wife does not go with you for the 6 months, is she OK with moving to one of these two "places" and potentially being far away from the kids AND having you gone for 6 months?

There is a lot of "I want" in your post, but it doesn't sound like you've put any thought into what your wife wants. That's a red flag to me suggesting you perhaps aren't happy in your current situation. If that's the case, I would recommend figuring out what you really want (do you really want to travel, or are you using this to push things with your wife to a head?) before you start making plans for your RVing life.

You live in a cubicle in Manhattan with your wife and children yet can do/are aware of van conversions?
Interesting life history :).

Currently on the UWS, formerly of the South Bronx, downtown Bklyn and Park Slope. Born and raised here as well. Given my past I only go to Queens for airports, visiting elderly relatives and cemeteries; SI is for ferry rides......oops.

After surveying my surroundings and taking into account my ability to make more less I'll be buying an Alto Safari Condo. Parks well here.

I do camp nowadays and have rented an RV to better understand what I can/cannot do without.

I suggest you do the same;).

It can get pretty lonely if you are out traveling alone from place to place and changing every 3-4 days.

Is there a firm reason why you and your wife won't be going together; does she just not want to be in a camper? or does she just not want to be with you?

You asked about a MH or a TT. A 5 yr old MH will cost you about 70K, but a 5 yr old TT will cost you less than 10K. It all depends on how much you want to expend to follow your dream. I would also suggest you check out fifth wheels since you get a little more luxury, plus they are more open and provide better full-time living than MOST travel trailers.

You will have to have an extra vehicle, most likely a pickup truck if you choose a TT or 5'er or a smaller vehicle if you choose a motorhome.

To purchase a new residence to stay in, check out AARP's best places to live. They compare cost of living to availability of services, activities, etc.

Maybe start out renting an RV for a week and take it out to campgrounds locally and see how your wife reacts. You need to do alot of research first.