Thinking of Full Time would love some advice

Put on the brakes little lady.
Never owned an RV to me is a big red light. Start by renting and see if this a lifestyle you actually like.
Next, figure out what kind of RV you like best. There is no one ideal style for everybody. Next you consider buying something. Remember these things are huge deepreciating assets. So let someone else take the big hit in the first 3-5 years.

Don't buy new whatever you do. If either decide you don't like TV ingredients or the model you bought, you'll be out a lot of money.

Bill

John and Kathy Huggins wrote a book that helped us - So, You Want to be an RVer?: Celebrating the RV Lifestyle - you can find it on Amazon.

I wouldn't recommend putting a lot of money into a RV and trying to travel full-time if you've never RV'd before. At least rent for a couple weeks (which is expensive) or preferably buy a used one and traveling in it for at least 6 months to see if full-timing is for you. Don't jump into this lifestyle!

Read these forums and you'll find there can be a lot of problems and 'how-to-do' issues that you haven't even thought about. A big one nowadays is medical insurance that you can travel with. You'll have to domicile in the correct state and even in the correct county to obtain reasonable insurance - unless you're on Medicare.

Yes, a mobile hotspot is the way to go and if working on the internet it will be expensive.

Yes, you can easily install solar or there are many places that do it.

Abledturtle,

Those are all great questions. I've spent the last two years studying up on fulltiming and will learn more till we hit the road in about three years. Some detailed questions can be asked closer to when you hit the road, such as technical aspects like mobile hotspots because that's subject to change.

My wife and I started off just thinking about what we would like to do in retirement other than sitting around on the porch. We never planned to retire in our current home because there is too much yard to take care of and too many stairs. Learned a lot about that by watching the elderly lady next door as she attempts it. So we decided traveling would be nice. And then we figured fulltime RVing could be the less expensive way to do it. It all came together when I sat down and looked at our financial plan which set the date for us to go. From there learning about the lifestyle really starts. I've oversimplified this in suggesting a starting point but you have to begin somewhere.

For us it went like this so far - and I realize it's different than for those working remotely and looking for a way to travel:

1. Decided we did not want to stay in our current home when retired.
2. Decided we want to travel the country - affordably.
3. Sat down and looked at a financial plan which include workamping at times to make our budget.
4. Came up with an estimated retirement date. Started at eight years out and shrank to five years.
5. Knowing we had five years to plan we are not in a rush to learn it all right away, if that's ever possible.
6. Decided on a fifth wheel after much thought. This was based on our expected style of travel with includes longer stays in spots. Fifth wheels are nice for longer stays and motorhomes are nice when you move a lot.
7. Now we are deciding on floor plans.

The list goes on. During these two years I took advantage of reading forums, blogs and whatever else I could get my hands on. Karen and I both tent camped when younger, owned a popup camper and a 30' travel trailer. Last year we rented a class C and hit the road for a couple weeks.

That does not answer your questions, but might be a better starting point. That is unless you are past all those decisions and are just looking for more specifics. If that's the case then I'll try and point you towards the answers:

What kind of insurance are you asking about?

We are buying used or new based on our budget. The more expensive units we would have to buy a couple years old. Some also suggest buy a quality used unit and upgrade it.

Start buy reading blogs and forums instead of books. You can search books on Amazon but a lot of what you learned can be found elsewhere.

For mobile connectivity take a look at what http://www.technomadia.com/2014/08/how-we-keep-online-illustrated-tour-of-our-rv-mobile-internet-setup/Technomadia posts.

https://ourfutureinanrv.wordpress.com/construction-methods/electrical/solar/Here is a link to some solar stuff and how I'll most likely handle it. Lots of things you can do here. But you will need to figure out your electrical requirements first, such as do you plan to have a residential fridge.

Best of luck,

My cousin and her husband retired two years ago, sold their San Diego home, and bought a 2008 40' Allegro Bus. They were brand-new to any sort of RV'ing and had lots to learn. After two years they are still loving the full-time lifestyle.

Thank you for all your responses.

I guess I should have explained. I've grown up with dad camping, multiple times a year in a travel trailer. On top of that my husband and I live in 400 sq ft as it is in the basement of my parents house. We've done that for five years now and it's small but has no kitchen. This is something we are going to do, because we're young with no real real bills.
As far as health insurance, we don't visit doctors a lot, and if we do we can always come back. We will also be keeping our address at my parents so is traveling an issue for health insurance?

Having fulltimed for 10 yrs now, I'll share a few items for you to think about.

First - go rent an RV, say a Class C for at least a week. Yes, it will cost money but since you don't have experience, you need to see how you feel being in a small space 24/7.

There are several forums out there - read them and then look at those who post frequently and see if they have a blog (usually in their signature line). Go read as many blogs as possible - - everyone fulltimes differently.

We bought used because we could get more bang for our buck. If we had gone new, we would have had to have settled for a entry level DP, buying used meant we could get a higher end (better fit and finish) coach for the same $$$.

Unless you know that you are going to boondock a GREAT deal of the time, solar is not a good return on investment.

We have Version and a MiFi with 20G/month. Adequate for our needs, but have no idea how much bandwidth you need. Do NOT depend upon park WiFis. Some good, some bad, you just never know.

We've had National Interstate for 10 yrs for insurance. Bought through a broker. There are several out there, Escapees has some insurance brokers who are commerical members you might want to talk to.

Traveling is definitely a problem for health insurance as there is little that is ACA compliant and allows nationwide coverage. BUT, if you're healthy, will be only needing emergency care, and will be going home yearly for physicals that might be fine for you.

As far as a rig, I echo buying used since this will be your first one. You can also buy a newer one later. You need to decide if you want a trailer or 5th wheel, both of which mean you'll need a tow vehicle, or a Motor Home. All have their pluses and minuses. We're retired, sold our home in Dallas and have been Full TImers for 2 1/2 years and love the lifestyle because we're travelling and sightseeing. Once those days are over, we'll definitely buy or build a house or condo. I cannot see a reason to sit stationary in an RV.

Also check out (I recommend joining) these forums:

Escapees RV Club Forums

Escapees RV Club. Joining is well worth the cost to get access to all the educational and support materials.

RV-Dreams forums

RV-Dreams web site (lots of educational material here)