I have been having a discussion with a co-worker regarding retirement and RVing (Camping). My thoughts are to have a home base(sticks and Bricks) located in the north for use in the summer months and traveling south to warmer climates for some of the colder months. My co-worker believes the opposite, live in the warmer south and travel northerly during the warmer months.Curious as to what other forum members think regarding the pros and cons of each scenario. The home base necessity has already been determined.

Since we already have a home base in central Illinois, we travel south in the winter (currently Winter Texans) and return home when the weather warms up. Enjoy!

IMO, your co-worker has it right. The rub comes from where your family is located. If you don't have family then all you need are friends and neighbors and you can build that wherever you land. For us home is north because that is where the kids and grandkids are. They are the support network that we'll need when we get to that age where we depend on others. If it wasn't for that, I would buy south in a low tax/cost of living/crime state and be a sunbird.

IMMHO you are right and your co-worker has it backwards.

Home base has to be near family. But as we get older ready access to afordable health care also becomes a top priority.

I'll throw in one more thing that isn't so obvious when you're working. Most want to travel when they retire. RV'ing is just one form of that. A mobile RV sunbird has a much larger area to explore during their summer travel time. A mobile RV snowbird needs to stay below I10 (roughly) during a large amount of their travel months. Fun for the first few winters (it's great) but you run out of places to explore unless you're into really deeply exploring a state.

Home Base for Winter or Summer | Good Sam Community

Me_Again
Explorer III
Feb 03, 2017
We sold our home in Washington last summer and are currently building a new park model with Arizona room. We will travel to the NW to a membership RV park where we have two lots in the summer months. Easier to story and better for the 5th wheel in the South then the wed cold NW.
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Feb 02, 2017
bighatnohorse wrote:
#4 Daylight.

X2
Boy do you have that right. Up North the sun goes down around 4:00.
You go to work in the dark and come home in the dark.

When I got down here in Florida blew me away what time the sun goes down in the Summer months, like around 9:00!!! Even in the winter months sunset is WAAAY later than up North.

I call it a 2fer.
It's almost like getting almost another extra day to live in each day! :c

Been here awhile now and it STILL makes me chuckle every time the weather man says it is going down in the 30's tonite!!

Ya it goes down in the 30's for all of 2 whole hours BEFORE sunrise. I sure can handle that. :B
cmcdar
Explorer
Feb 02, 2017
I just retired 2 years ago. I was absolutley going to move to Florida and visit north during the summer months. This is what I had seen plenty of retired people do.

Turns out - now that I was ready to join the preveous generation in the south, they are moving back north. Folks that had lived there for decades are now leaving to go back to be near FAMILY.

OH, and for the notion that you do not need to worry about water lines - you had better pray that your air conditioner does not stop running!

My MIL would always leave Florida and camp around the northern states for the summer. One year her air condition stopped working while they were gone. They came home to a house interior covered in MOLD!

I have since decided to continue to snowbird for now. I do love my home, friends, and family. The weather is ok here 9 months out of the year. So I guess there is no rush for now.
bighatnohorse
Explorer II
Feb 02, 2017
#4 Daylight. Usable daylight.
We typically get 90 minutes of more usable daylight in AZ than in WA during winter months.

In northern climes. . .Anchorage for example, summer means enormous daylight. In fact, according to healthcare officials there, sleep-deprivation is a bigger problem than drugs.

1) Family, 2)taxes, 3)healthcare - the top three considerations come first.

If affordable, I would visit a southern hemisphere country for the winter months.
pawatt
Explorer
Feb 02, 2017
Agree, there are only 3 or 4 good snowbird States and only the southern most parts of those states if you want really warm winters. Hundreds of places north to explore in the shoulder seasons and Summer.
pawatt
Explorer
Feb 02, 2017
John&Joey wrote:
I'll throw in one more thing that isn't so obvious when you're working. Most want to travel when they retire. RV'ing is just one form of that.

A mobile RV sunbird has a much larger area to explore during their summer travel time. A mobile RV snowbird needs to stay below I10 (roughly) during a large amount of their travel months. Fun for the first few winters (it's great) but you run out of places to explore unless you're into really deeply exploring a state.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Feb 02, 2017
If only buying one S&B house, buy it in a moderate climate with good medical facilities. Then when you give up RVing you'll have the perfect place to live. Spending winters in the cold states is hard on your body and mind. You'll be healthier if you can get out and walk, be able to drive without snow issues, and see sun during the winter, etc.
korbe
Explorer
Feb 02, 2017
Appreciate the comments. A lot of things to think about. And bringing up the topic means that retirement is getting closer. Oh yes.
GoPackGo
Explorer
Feb 01, 2017
rockhillmanor wrote:
If I had do overs I would definitely be a reverse snowbird.

Florida has 6 months of real pleasant weather and 4 months of dreaded hot. Up North you are darn lucky to have 3 months of a nice summer.

IMHO Live in Florida and Snowbird to the North for the hottest part of the summer. The cost of Real estate taxes in Florida alone tips the scale of savings. Not to mention no State Taxes.

AND more importantly you don't have to worry about frozen pipes when close up the house to leave to Snowbird north. :W

I fulltime and this is what I'm thinking of doing when I decide to set up a home base. I am already domiciled in Florida and stay here for the winter.so it would be easy to do. I may consider a condo/townhouse in Florida and then move the fiver to a lake in Wisconsin permanently.
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Feb 01, 2017
If I had do overs I would definitely be a reverse snowbird.

Florida has 6 months of real pleasant weather and 4 months of dreaded hot. Up North you are darn lucky to have 3 months of a nice summer.

IMHO Live in Florida and Snowbird to the North for the hottest part of the summer. The cost of Real estate taxes in Florida alone tips the scale of savings. Not to mention no State Taxes.

AND more importantly you don't have to worry about frozen pipes when close up the house to leave to Snowbird north. :W

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