What does it REALLY feel like to full-time?

FT'ng isn't for everyone.
It's a different lifestyle

You have to turn loose of that 'stuff'

For us it's all about the travel...point to the map and going.
We'll go back to a S&B house one day. Life has a way of throwing curves so an 'exit plan' is good planning.

We got to go on the road for two six month long trips a couple of years before we went full time. There was a point we needed to choose because we were never going to be able to go on another six month long trip and still own the house, too. It was one or the other. We choose to sell the house and the stuff.
1. We loved spending time together and the house, the church activities, the jobs all pulled us apart rather than allowed us to spend time together.

2. We realized that our stuff owned us. We did not own our stuff. It needed to be housed and watched over. Enough of that... we sold the stuff that was holding us back. Kept the stuff that we were tied to emotionally and gave the heirlooms to those that we wanted to have it. Now we go visit our stuff and see the enjoyment it's brought to others.

3. The reality was that each time we had gone on a trip we never ever wished we were home and not on the road. We'd drag out the last two or three nights, camping 20 miles from the house just because we did not want to go back to it.
We were camping for a month in Glacier Park when 9/11 hit. When we got back to the house we actually stayed in the RV, hooked up to water/electric/sewer in our backyard.. for over a week. Listening to the news. Listening to the sirens going off every time someone found baby powder in a public area... ready to bolt. (We were near Chicago and it was nuts for days and days as everyone thought downtown Chicago was going to be attacked next.)

RVing is relaxing for us. We are comfortable in our RV. We can do most repairs ourselves. We know what to expect and we are prepared for the unexpected.

The one thing I encourage you to do is search out a purpose for living the way you do. (Are you waiting to take care of an elderly parent? Do your kids need to be settled in one place?) If it's to mow the lawn... you need a different purpose.

We volunteer on the road and we are Blessed to be a Blessing to others. We could do that anywhere but we love being able to roll the wheels to the next project... things to see... things to do... new people to meet... but we have a purpose and feel we are exactly where we should be. We are content.

I don't think you will know until you try it. At 1st it might feel like a dream vacation but reality will set in soon enough as you evolve through the process. The outcome is up to you.

We part timed then sold our house and lived in our rig fulltime for over 2 years. But when we were parked it was in the barnyard across the road from our future home site so it wasn't at an RV park.

Out on the road it is different. As you become familiar with your RV it will become comfortable. For me, it was home both on the road and parked but...yes there is a BIG HOWEVER! It is so easy to become comfortable, sitting to watch TV then look out the window and realize you are somewhere else, maybe different location than you were a few days ago. Now for some folks that is "adventurous" for some it is not. I was never 100% at home in RV parks...strange noises, people out walking through your campsite, different water, it just felt weird. I did miss my own "ground" and surroundings. I don't mind going on our annual trips to visit family long term and doing some adventuring out and about the country but for me...there is no place like home! I want my garden, my ATV to go out and check the cattle, go for hikes in the hills, etc.

We made the mistake of taking out on our maiden voyage for 6 months the 1st year then another 6 months the next year. It was too much...even though we did and saw some amazing things...I would not repeat that for anything.

But we met some wonderful people. However the sad fact was out of the hundred of folks we met and enjoyed visiting with only 3 have become friends we still stay in contact with. Fulltimers are on the go so you meet, greet, laugh, part and lots of times never see them again. If you'd like to enjoy a group of people you will be able to see again, I'd suggest joining a club like Good Sam, FMCA, Escapees, etc. then meet at local rallies and larger gathering so you have a more long term connections.

RVing will change you, how, well like I said...it's up to you! You will either love it fulltime, hate it, opt to go part time, or maybe like us...only use the rig for visiting family in other regions. After you've been "out" for a while, let us know how it felt to you!

One thing you have to remember...fulltiming isn't permanent...at some point in time you will get out of the rig for one reason or another so have a good back up plan when that reality occurs. So, spread your wings and see what happens!

I think it depends a lot on how you spent your working years. Both DW and I have hobbies not easily transformed into full time life style. Gardening, welding, wine making. We miss traveling but we also miss our stick home. We do both. We tried full timing for 4 years. Didn't work out for us. For example, most RV parks frown on working on your RV. That can be frustrating. We did realiized one thing when we were full timing. We did not want to be couped up in the city, trapped, where we had to store our RV miles away in a storage lot. Been there done that. We ended the city life and live in very rural WY on a ranch where the dog can run without being on a leash. Where we can walk until we're tired and still be on our property. About 15 miles out of Cody. We love just sitting on our porch, no noise, just watching the wildlife as we enjoy a glass of home made wine. That said. If I had to live in the city I would be full timing again by this afternoon.

The life style is different for everyone and we can’t predict how you will do with it. For us, it is total freedom! The freedom to go where we want, when we want and to stay how long we want.

Top Ten:
1. Freedom to go where we want, when we want and to avoid weather extremes
2. The excitement of seeing what is around the next corner
3. NO grass to mow, snow to remove, or all that other maintenance stuff.
4. The ability to have a mountain cabin or a beach front house within one unit.
5. Not having an alarm clock dictate my life.
6. Flexible planning. Plans written in Jell-O.
7. NO Real Estate taxes.
8. NO Small town politics
9. A smaller space. Everything is in its place and easy to find.
10. A feeling of contentment I have never felt in my life before.
These are the top ten. I could easily cite 100 more.

The cons:
1. Small shower area and limited hot water.
2. No Pizza delivery in most areas
3. No daily newspaper delivery in most places

You must have a sense of adventure.

"Attitude makes the difference between an ordeal and an adventure."--Unknown

We have not retired yet, two more years. But we do have a Class A and usually take two long trips a year (one month) and every weekend we can. Coming home after a trip is so hard and all we think about is the next trip. I can see this is not for everyone but for us it is the life we look forward to.

In a word, FREE!

We have been full-time for 2 1/2 years now and do not miss having the house or our own piece of land. It all meant work and extra expense vs now. This is a much more relaxed lifestyle and we have only been in 1 rv park where we did not feel totally comfortable. There have been a few that we wouldn't go to again, but only because of the layout, sites too close or something like that. When we are in our rv, we are home no matter where we are parked. We are comfortable and not ready to stop anytime soon.

Really, full time is the ability to change scenery at the drop of a hat. If you have the need for your own place to escape the RV, in my opinion you're not full time or full time material. We love the RV'ing life and all that comes with it. Planned and un-planned stops, great & not so great stops, rain and shine, full hook up or not, etc.. Love it all. We'll settle down when we can't do this any more. Some like long vacations; we're on a permanent vacation. Maybe it's all in your perspective whether you can be full time.

Just like doxiemom11 we always feel like we're home no matter where we're parked which is probably why many people stress that the floor plan is the most important thing about a RV. You have to comfortable with the living arrangement. A little annoyance that bothers you on a daily basis could make you hate fulltiming.

If you're not sure about fulltiming save enough money so that you can go back to a house. A huge expensive RV isn't necessary for fulltiming.