Mid Life Crisis Or Just Ready To Live?

[DMalone]

Ya know what...it's clear now that some have utterly missed the actual question and gotten the seriously off the wall impression this was a dire, desperate sort of question when it wasn't.

If you ask a house dweller about full timing in an RV, you'll get one of two likely answers:

I'd love to/wish I could, and
You're crazy!

As it happens, my entire family fall into group 2. I fall into group 1.

Now...being close to a point in time where I will need to pick a direction on residence, I've considered full time RV vs house. I also have a homeschooled 16 y/o.

IF you are a family with teens and you roadschool, and go full time in an RV, please share your suggestions on how you handle some of the typical teenager issues while residing in an RV, and things for them to do.

IF you deal with group 2 sorts and you'e a group 1 sort, please share advice on how you deal/dealt with people who are terrified of risk, change, or living.

IF you don't do either, then I don't need to hear from you because you don't have relatable relevant experience.


My original question regarding "mid life crisis" was not a severe mental issue. It was a nod to making unconventional choices and the reactions of people in group 2 who inevitably think it's nuts ANYWAY.

My original question regarding teens still stands. There are worse things he'll experience in life than spending a couple years living in an RV and seeing the country. I'm not worried about that. I was for a bit but it's been sorted out. I don't need your BS armchair pseudo psych evaluation nor is one warranted just because I make a decision to make my home an RV.

Now..carry on.

[DianneOK]

Vaya con dios......when the thread degenerates into swearing and name calling....I close it.....

The op asked a few questions, changed her statements, didn't like the advice given, started swearing, still disliked....gone.....

[ITguy]

If you do something that you are hoping will make your life better, and you don't feel any fear, it's not going to work.

[Escargot]

ncrowley wrote:
I do not full time in an RV but I have a class A and travel quite a bit. But my response is not related to the RV. In my life, I have found that my greatest rewards have been when I have taken a calculated risk. I say calculated because you need to try and take an unbiased look at the pros and cons and then decide. Do not let anyone, including the people here, tell you what to do. Listen to what everyone says and decide for yourself what applies to you. Use that knowledge to make your decision. Do not decide because you are afraid to fail or because your family is against it. It is your life and it is too short. Do not look back and regret this opportunity. As long and you can financially take care of yourself and your son, you should go on this adventure. Enjoy the ride and create bonding moments with your son. After a few years, you may decide to go back to a stick and bricks home, or you may decide that you want to continue. But you have taken a risk and opened up the world for you and your son.

Anyone that full times in an RV is definitely marching to a different drummer. Personally, I love people that have heard that different drummer and did not allow the clamors of those less courageous to drown it out.

What this woman said!

[ITguy]

Spleenstomper wrote:
You don't have kids, do you? Just a guess...

Yep, I do.

I stand by my statement. If we were talking about a 4 year old, or an 11 year old, in public school, my opinion might (would) be different.

[ITguy]

ncrowley wrote:
I do not full time in an RV but I have a class A and travel quite a bit. But my response is not related to the RV. In my life, I have found that my greatest rewards have been when I have taken a calculated risk. I say calculated because you need to try and take an unbiased look at the pros and cons and then decide. Do not let anyone, including the people here, tell you what to do. Listen to what everyone says and decide for yourself what applies to you. Use that knowledge to make your decision. Do not decide because you are afraid to fail or because your family is against it. It is your life and it is too short. Do not look back and regret this opportunity. As long and you can financially take care of yourself and your son, you should go on this adventure. Enjoy the ride and create bonding moments with your son. After a few years, you may decide to go back to a stick and bricks home, or you may decide that you want to continue. But you have taken a risk and opened up the world for you and your son.

Anyone that full times in an RV is definitely marching to a different drummer. Personally, I love people that have heard that different drummer and did not allow the clamors of those less courageous to drown it out.

What this guy said. X 1,000,000

[Escargot]

I'm so glad you edited your original post / query, and I support the edited version.

My take: Go for it! Nothing is carved in stone. After a year, or even sooner, you may decide it isn't working as well as you envisioned. If that turns out to be the case, return to home base and create Plan B.

There are plenty of single parents living / traveling / adventuring fulltime in RVs. And, there are RV communities created for that demographic.

You're doing the right thing by sorting out the personal details for yourself and for / with your son. Financial needs can be calculated once you figure out if you and your son are ready to commit to the fulltime lifestyle.

Good luck! Remember, no matter what you decide, you canalways change your mind!

[ncrowley]

I do not full time in an RV but I have a class A and travel quite a bit. But my response is not related to the RV. In my life, I have found that my greatest rewards have been when I have taken a calculated risk. I say calculated because you need to try and take an unbiased look at the pros and cons and then decide. Do not let anyone, including the people here, tell you what to do. Listen to what everyone says and decide for yourself what applies to you. Use that knowledge to make your decision. Do not decide because you are afraid to fail or because your family is against it. It is your life and it is too short. Do not look back and regret this opportunity. As long and you can financially take care of yourself and your son, you should go on this adventure. Enjoy the ride and create bonding moments with your son. After a few years, you may decide to go back to a stick and bricks home, or you may decide that you want to continue. But you have taken a risk and opened up the world for you and your son.

Anyone that full times in an RV is definitely marching to a different drummer. Personally, I love people that have heard that different drummer and did not allow the clamors of those less courageous to drown it out.

[ITguy]

Spleenstomper wrote:
Except that she posted that she wants to live full time in the RV in a spot in Arizona.

That must have been mentioned in the "modified" original post that I haven't seen.

Even still, I don't see a problem. My wife and I have been in our current spot for nearly a year now and it's working out great. We'd like to travel more, but I have a job here that, for the moment, is just too good to leave. We'll probably sit tight for about another year, then move on (and, yes, that means living in the motorhome through another Iowa winter).

I can hear a lot of people asking "If you're not travelling, why not just get a "real" house?". First and foremost, neither one of us wants to. We live in beautiful surroundings, we get to sleep under dark skies with no street lights glaring through the windows, no screaming sirens at 3am, and we're surrounded by happy people.

None of those things have been true when we've lived in the city. Or even when we've lived in a small town.

I spent 20 years of my life living the "bigger, better, more" crap. A house is not "security", and you can't buy peace of mind and happiness at WalMart.

Here's my point. We are free. In the true sense of the word. If I get tired of this job, or management tells me they've outsourced my position, I'm only a tank of gas and one week from pretty much any opportunity anywhere in the country. No house to sell, no storage units to rent, no movers to hire. We can break camp and be on the highway in an afternoon.

To me, that's real security. I feel more stable and secure now than I ever did when I was a homeowner.

[Spleenstomper]

ITguy wrote:


Your son has *already* been uprooted from his friends, so that's a non-issue. Lots of the people commenting clearly have not bothered to even read your post.

You don't have kids, do you? Just a guess...

[2lazy4U]

Wow. So many good people trying to give helpful responses to someone who accuses them of trolling. The OP appears to only listen to what she wants to hear.

[Spleenstomper]

Except that she posted that she wants to live full time in the RV in a spot in Arizona. It doesn't seem as if she is going to travel with him around the country, but live in a RV instead of a house. Actually, I'm now confused about what she wants as she has posted that she can't stay in one spot and that she wants to stay in one spot.

[ITguy]

Wow... Just wow...

I'm astounded that on a message board section dedicated to living full-time in an RV, there are so many people that think that living full-time in an RV with a 16 year old kid is tantamount to child abuse. Or that considering the idea is a sign of severe mental illness necessitating medical care.

I suppose that there are people in this world who have lived charmed lives and never found themselves in an undesirable situation. I'm not one of those. It sounds to me like the OP is also not one of those.

As a grown-up, able-bodied adult, I give her credit for taking the bull by the horns and doing something about it. That's what people SHOULD do, not run to the Dr. for a pill that will numb them into accepting whatever... There are far too many people in this world who are happy to whine and cry over their circumstances, but don't have the grit to actually DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I give the OP credit for at least giving serious thought to doing something about it.

To the OP: I noticed in one of your posts that you said one of the things your son has found frustrating about travelling is not staying in one spot long enough to "smell the roses". An RV can be a great solution to that problem. When you're travelling in your living quarters instead of a car, you can spend more time in those great spots and really take it all in. It also greatly reduces expenses if you stay in one spot for a month or two, rather than driving a couple hundred miles every day at 8 MPG.

Your son has *already* been uprooted from his friends, so that's a non-issue. Lots of the people commenting clearly have not bothered to even read your post.

Living full-time in an RV is a great lifestyle, with many advantages over more traditional ways of living. It can be VERY expensive, or it can be far cheaper than a house/apartment. It all depends on how you choose to do it. If the bank account is well stocked, you can travel, and if money is tight this month, you can find a cozy spot and sit tight for awhile (and explore/smell the roses) until the fuel budget is in better shape.

I'm happy for the people who have done well for themselves, have nearly unlimited funds, and can fill up their million dollar "rock star tour bus" with a thousand dollars worth of fuel on a whim. With a little luck, and lots of hard work, I hope to join their ranks one day. But those folks seem to have a tendency to think that the way they do it is the *only* way to do it. Despite what they tell you about how much full-timing costs, their way is most definitely NOT the only way. Nor is it the only fulfilling way.

Buy an RV that's a few years old and has already taken the initial depreciation hit. Get it from a reputable dealer (not private sale), and buy the extended warranty. Worst case scenario if things don't work out is you bail out, get a house, and get 90% of your investment back out of the RV.

All this fear mongering is ridiculous. Yes, there are adjustments to make with the RV lifestyle, but nothing earth-shattering.

And wanting to make a change because one is not happy with their current situation is certainly not a sign of mental illness. It's common sense.

[Wanderlust3]

"Nomadic Fanatic could well be a fraud. And he's a kid. Willing to hold off judgement until further developments. He certainly seems quite the dreamer from my POV but to each his own. "

He's not a kid. He's in his mid-30s, and he bailed again.

[Spleenstomper]

Well, she edited/deleted the original post where the son isn't really on board but after she basically told him that life consists of making minimum wage before retiring on social security, he told her what she wanted to hear.

Whether or not the son is on board with this is the large question mark.

ETA: the original, edited/deleted post about the son was on her post called something like "full timing with teens"....