Bumps in the road on the way to full-timing?

[Roads_Less_Trav]

We went full-time 6 years ago, and it was a wild ride as we got rid of all our stuff, rented out our place, and jumped in our truck to drive away from home forever and on to a new life of adventure.

Now we find ourselves doing it all over again as we rearrange our full-time traveling lifestyle. Yikes!

I've written some notes about this experience and have some words of encouragement for anyone else that's going through this transition:

On the Road to your Dreams, Stay the Course

Anyone else in the throes of endless garage sales and downsizing???

[themothership]

Roads Less Traveled wrote:


Anyone else in the throes of endless garage sales and downsizing???

yes
it is a process
kind of like weight loss

"it took me 35 years to accumulate all this excess, it's going to take a while to get rid of it"

beginning to see the light at the end

[Roads_Less_Trav]

Hi Becky!!

How great to connect with you here!! We would be so thrilled to meet you in person and see your lovely casita. It seems that you have really taken to the full-timer's life and that you are blossoming in every way. What a wonderful description of your early morning moments today.

We will definitely keep track of where you are, and I'm sure we will find each other before long. Mark and I have lots of logistics ahead as we transition back to our trailer, but once there, we will be free on the road once more!!

You have a great perspective on full-timing since you are younger than many and traveling solo too. I hope all future and new full-timers have a look at your blog and learn from your wise and thoughtful posts.

Happy travels... and here's hopes for many more inspiring sunrises outside your trailer window!!

-Emily

[colliehauler]

BeckyIO wrote:
Heya Emily!

I didn't realize you were getting off the seas and back on the road full-time. If we ever happen to be in the same area at the same time we really should try to meet up - how I'd love to meet two of my original RV heroes. 🙂

While I certainly had my ups and downs preparing to go full-timing (although excellent advice from people who were already on the road like you sure helped!) downsizing was much less of a hassle for me than it was for a lot of folks because I'd lived in apartments all my adult life and never accumulated as much "stuff".

Having been on the road as a full-timer for a year now, I think I can safely say that I don't miss all of the things I use to have. Like others have said, the things that really meant a lot to me I sort of 'loaned out' to friends and relatives with the understanding that if I ever get off the road I might want them back. Everything I own fits into my 17' travel trailer, and it feels great!

I woke up this morning to mooing and watched the sun come up over the badlands in a clear blue sky with the cows from the field behind the Inn. Sometimes it still amazes me: I'm working at Badlands National Park. I was near Savannah, GA on the ocean this past winter, this coming winter I'll be in either Texas or Florida. Man, I love my life!

I thought of a winter you worked for Amazon ?

[BeckyIO]

Heya Emily!

I didn't realize you were getting off the seas and back on the road full-time. If we ever happen to be in the same area at the same time we really should try to meet up - how I'd love to meet two of my original RV heroes. 🙂

While I certainly had my ups and downs preparing to go full-timing (although excellent advice from people who were already on the road like you sure helped!) downsizing was much less of a hassle for me than it was for a lot of folks because I'd lived in apartments all my adult life and never accumulated as much "stuff".

Having been on the road as a full-timer for a year now, I think I can safely say that I don't miss all of the things I use to have. Like others have said, the things that really meant a lot to me I sort of 'loaned out' to friends and relatives with the understanding that if I ever get off the road I might want them back. Everything I own fits into my 17' travel trailer, and it feels great!

I woke up this morning to mooing and watched the sun come up over the badlands in a clear blue sky with the cows from the field behind the Inn. Sometimes it still amazes me: I'm working at Badlands National Park. I was near Savannah, GA on the ocean this past winter, this coming winter I'll be in either Texas or Florida. Man, I love my life!

[2gypsies1]

SUPERPAP2013: Best of luck and much happiness in your future. You seem to really 'get it'!!

[SuperPap2013]

I have spent the last few days on this topic mostly researching other FT'S opinions, experiences, that sort of thing. I was, so to speak 'on the fence' concerning selling our home, and hitting the road full-time until I read on another closed topic about a member's father who had passed away after a walk in the desert and sitting down for a nap. Well, we are putting our home up for sale first thing Monday morning and I will post our progress as it happens. I, myself am a man in my middle 50's who had a heart attack 6 years ago mostly from a very stressful job, and am now totally disabled from an on the job accident and additional 11 surgeries in the last 3 years. My wife in her mid 40's also had a heart attack 4 years ago. We are both now 100% on-board together now with this and have concluded that the bottom line is:
LIFE IS TOO SHORT!
Hope to see you on the road soon. Thank you all for sharing. It means a lot.

[Roads_Less_Trav]

So great to see all the stories here -- and in the end it is so worth it to take whatever plunge is needed to embark on a lifestyle of adventure, whether full-time RVing or boating or a combination. We're still doing the yard sales off the back of the boat, but we're down to the nitty gritty stuff at last.

One of the things that has helped us most with letting go of the sentimental items that are so hard to part with is to give them to special friends. It is so fun now to visit our friends and see our old treasures in their homes. If we ever get a place of our own, they've all said they'll give them back, but in the meantime our friends are having a chance to enjoy our goodies for the years we are on the road.

Congrats to everyone that has jumped into their new lives with both feet!!

[Devonm2012]

We have been on the road fulltime for about 1.5 years. Sold everything we own. Love it!! Travel blog is www.blakesrvadventure.blogspot.com if you want to take a look. I try and rate campgrounds too! Enjoy the ride and never look back!!

[Dog_Folks]

"Anyone else in the throes of endless garage sales and downsizing???"

Sorry no. We sold everything the first time, including the house, as we did not want that millstone around our necks.

Of course it is your life, but it appears that owning the house is causing you the most "bumps." It may well be time to get rid of it. No disrespect meant, just saying.

[NCWriter]

Interesting blog. I've never felt any qualms at major life changes, though I know many people find change of any kind difficult. So many rich experiences came as those new doors opened. One key, of course, is to be debt-free as early in your adulthood as possible...build a solid base of savings you don't touch...and let go of the mindset to overdo it buying more shiny new stuff as you discard the old.

We spend a few months of each year living in our 22 foot van (bought used) and exploring the US and Canada. We've also had enough life experience to avoid buying things we don't really need, like fancy barbecues our fellow RVers want to sell us on their blogs to finance their own dreams!

Seriously, full timing works for some, but not all, of us. We like having a home base to return to...and during the months we are there, we work a little and have fun planning and anticipating the next great adventure.

[dahkota]

I retired at the end of June. I spent the last two months renovating and purging the house so we could put it up for sale. DH retires in 90 days and our plan is to leave in 120 days.

Yesterday, a relative came to us asking to rent our house for at least a year. We don't need the cash from the sale and we always help family in need so we immediately said yes. Because they need the furniture and kitchen appliances, etc., I have been saved the hassle of further donating and garage sales. We have also been saved the worry and work of selling the house. Of course, we are really just delaying it for a year, but the loss of all the stress involved is worth it!

Right now, our plan is to spend at least a year or two rving, then a year or two navigating the Great Loop and Bahamas. After that, who knows. I will check our your blog; I'm sure there are many things I can learn from your experiences.

[Old-Biscuit]

When we decided to GO!

We called all family members.......want anything get it now

We called friends........want anything get it now

Then we had an estate auction and sold everything that we hadn't giving away or packed into rig.

Hit the road...and for the first 6 mos. we felt like the pioneers and their conestoga wagons as we got rid of more stuff.

IF we didn't use it in 6 mos. we didn't need it.

Downsized big time.
Then we used the 1 bag in 2 bags out rule to keep from becoming pack rats with stuff.

I can still open a compartment and see everything inside. NO extras needed.
Plus we run the scales every year