What does it REALLY feel like to full-time?

2gypsies wrote:
We were 'downsized' from our jobs when we were in our early 50's. We were always very frugal with our finances so we knew we didn't have to look for jobs again. We always enjoyed tent and pop-up camping with the kids. Now they were out of the house. We bought a 27' travel trailer and took off that first winter. We met so many happy full-timers. On the drive home we discussed it and said "we haven't missed or needed anything in that 3,000 sq. house all winter. Let's go full-timing". Sold everything that summer - 16+ years ago. We kept nothing in storage. We had no deadline or exit plans. We never looked back.

Everyone is different in their thinking but for us, we've always been very active so that just carried to our travels. We also began volunteering for national and state parks and giving lighthouse tours was our speciality. We've had many great experiences that we had never dreamed could happen. We also volunteered in the communities we stayed - helping with reading programs in schools. We enjoy moving around and exploring new areas. The best thing we've done was to join the Escapees RV Club and participate in their rallies in our early years of full-timing, and staying in their owned-parks is like homecoming to us - especially around the holidays. We have met life-long friends through the Club.

Our kids were 100% for our new lifestyle and they, too, moved from our former hometown - not because of us leaving but because of jobs. Our grandchildren know no other way than our lifestyle. As they're teens now they think it's awesome of the things we've seen and done. We visited with them for big chunks of time - not just for a few hours for dinner. They have vacationed with us and there are so many ways nowdays to stay in touch. When we began full-timing we didn't even have a cell phone or computer. Things are much easier now.

As someone mentioned that one of their hobbies is winemaking which is one of the reasons for not full-timing. We were winemakers, too. However, now we're able to tour any winery in the U.S and relax in beautiful vineyards. Winemaking and our other hobbies was not our life. We created new things to do.

We've had multiple surgeries, including cancer. However, now we're able to go to the best hospitals in the country.

We can choose where we live summer or winter. It's a fantastic lifestyle....no regrets here!

I'm a winemaker and I do it on the road, you just have to use different sources and work in smaller batches.

Freedom period. We volunteer in state parks.
1. Always the best campsites in the state vs private parks.
2. Not much real work involved but it keeps us active and helps the park. All parks are underfunded and need our help.
3. NON stop scenery, fishing, hiking.
4. Meet great people wherever we are.
5. South for the winter, North for the summer.
As I sit looking out at a great view thinking this is the life for us.

tsetsaf wrote:
Amazing discussion so far thanks for sharing everyone! We went ft 4.5 years ago, my wife was 25 and I was 30, with plans to travel for 1-2 years max; now we don't know if we will ever stop. Nothing and I mean nothing in life compares to being able to go almost anywhere in the US and bring your home along. 42 states, the last night launch of a shuttle, aurora borealis over Glacier NP, reading Shelby Footes Civil War while travelling the east coast, summer monsoons in the desert southwest with rainbows over Zion NP, and now the last 14 months with our son joining the journey... amazing.

As an internet marketer and web designer I have adapted my skills to start giving back to the RV community with the development and launch of Campgroundviews.com. We have lived the lifestyle and found that the single most difficult aspect of rving is trying to figure out which of our many campground options down that unknown road will be right for us. Me, I want to see it; so we have built it. For my family and our future we are all in on the camping lifestyle; FT enabled it. OP go for it!

I am totally jealous!

tsetsaf wrote:

As an internet marketer and web designer I have adapted my skills to start giving back to the RV community with the development and launch of Campgroundviews.com.

Very nice site you have created. I like that you plug in the city you're at and all the nearby campgrounds pop up. Good job!

Amazing discussion so far thanks for sharing everyone! We went ft 4.5 years ago, my wife was 25 and I was 30, with plans to travel for 1-2 years max; now we don't know if we will ever stop. Nothing and I mean nothing in life compares to being able to go almost anywhere in the US and bring your home along. 42 states, the last night launch of a shuttle, aurora borealis over Glacier NP, reading Shelby Footes Civil War while travelling the east coast, summer monsoons in the desert southwest with rainbows over Zion NP, and now the last 14 months with our son joining the journey... amazing.

As an internet marketer and web designer I have adapted my skills to start giving back to the RV community with the development and launch of Campgroundviews.com. We have lived the lifestyle and found that the single most difficult aspect of rving is trying to figure out which of our many campground options down that unknown road will be right for us. Me, I want to see it; so we have built it. For my family and our future we are all in on the camping lifestyle; FT enabled it. OP go for it!

GingerZello wrote:
We are new to full-timing =skipped= We love it so far. We've spent 3 weeks in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont and it is so beautiful in the fall. My biggest problem is family. =skipped= I am so torn between loving this life and traveling with my husband and staying close to home and helping my parents and spending time with our grand kids. Is this a problem for anyone else and if so, how do you deal with it? Our family is very supportive. The problem is all mine and I feel guilty and I feel like I am abandoning my family and I'm making myself crazy.

We are nearing the time to come off 'the road' ... think after years of being 'supportive helper to help everyone' it is hard ... time started slipping away for us and since our children/gr-children/gr-grandchildren are in two different states one in the East and one in the West.
And one family in Canada. With texting, Facebook, cell phones, etc. it is so much easier to keep in touch with family now than it was 10 years ago. We just tell ourselves that if we are REALLY needed then yes, we can go back to our home-base or to their places and stay awhile, then go back on the road. Yes, we have stopped for months to be there for some of the family. AND can always travel across the U.S. to see them with our mobile lifestyle.
We see ourselves 'settled' down in three years - either in a larger rv or an apartment .... don't know if this helped you or not.

PS: maybe I am more comfortable with our Lifestyle because in all these past years I have never had my children or grand-children tell me they felt guilty when moving across the U.S. away from where we live and they grew up. (hope this helps).

Go for it....you just never know. With technology today, it is easy to stay in touch and you are only a plane ride away if someone should truely need you.....

We are new to full-timing and are still adjusting. We lived in the same house for 30 years, raised our kids and now have grand kids. My husband is older than I am, he's 68 and I'm 53 so we had to decide whether we should wait until I retired or do something now. We decided it would be now. Put our house on the market and thought we would think about what we would do next. Our house sold in 2 days for full price so the craziness began and we started moving, throwing stuff out, giving things away and getting rid of a lifetime of "stuff" in 30 days. We now have a 36' Winnebago and a small storage area for things we saved for our next home (not on wheels). We bought a used RV (it's in fabulous condition and the diesel motor has 23K miles, almost like new) so we could test out this lifestyle without spending a fortune. We love it so far. We've spent 3 weeks in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont and it is so beautiful in the fall. My biggest problem is family. I am one of 7 children in a large, close family. My parents are still living and are in their 90s, my older sister just lost her husband who dropped dead one day of a massive heart attack, no warning, no health issues (that was one of the reasons we didn't wait to do this, tomorrow is never guaranteed) and we have 3 new grandchildren. I am so torn between loving this life and traveling with my husband and staying close to home and helping my parents and spending time with our grand kids. Is this a problem for anyone else and if so, how do you deal with it? Our family is very supportive. The problem is all mine and I feel guilty and I feel like I am abandoning my family and I'm making myself crazy.

My sister 'loved' her house so much, she refused to go South for the winter despite it being best for her husband, and maybe that soured me a bit, but I don't think I ever 'loved' my stick/brick house ..
So far our "home" is where we are - we are living in a travel trailer and have for 10 years .. not sure what the next 2 years will bring, but as for the past few years have been volunteering at state & national parks. The best part for us was the option of staying put somewhere or hitting the road. We were able to stay put twice to be near family members who needed a bit of help, and we were able to help.

Will admit it was a great deal of adjustments, including going from a 10x10 storage unit to a 5x10 which is getting smaller and smaller. We are not sure if an apartment is for us or will buy a larger RV which is already sited in an RV Park and 'come off the road' .. we just can't see ourselves buying a house or staying in an apartment ..
As for this Fall/Winter/Spring we are volunteering up and down the Oregon Coast and seeing places we have promised ourselves we would see for awhile now.
May even consider choosing two places and staying summer/early Fall in South Eastern Washington State (where our daughters/grandchildren live) and Winters in South Western Oregon or North Central California in the winter to get out of cold days/nights, who knows.

This is such a tough question, because everyone's ideal full-timing lifestyle looks different and no two people go about it the same way or have the same needs regarding it.

I'm young, single, and have had wanderlust from a young age. I bought my RV with the goal to be living in it in less than a month having never RVed before in my life. I made the switch to full-timing over a year ago now, and love it a lot more than my old lifestyle. :)

I think the biggest key is to accept that unless you're wealthy or retired and receiving a good pension, it can't be like an endless vacation or you won't be able to afford it for long. Also it's not all butterflies and roses: RVs are complicated and things will break on them. Frequently. Your well thought out plans will get thrown to the wind occasionally by forces out of your control (congress, I'm looking at you!). Bad days still happen, just like in real life. In fact it is just another real life, just a different kind of one.