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I say “Yes lets go” my wife says “not so fast Sparky”!

Mondooker
Explorer
Explorer
For a number of years I’ve been reading up and doing my do-diligence on motorhomes and the motorhome life. Any time I come upon an interesting article I read it to my wife so she learns as I do. I’ve also shown her motorhome brochures on Diesel Pushers in the 32 to 36 foot range. She likes the look of the motorhomes and all they offer but is not sure its for her.

There seems to be two reoccurring themes and both have to do with her being a home body! We enjoy travel and enjoy each others company and have always enjoyed “road trips” together. Her concern is an extended period of time (summer months) in something that isn’t home. The concern being that even as nice as motorhomes are you could not make one homey!

I don’t completely get that but then again I was never a mother and had the responsibility of making a house a home. And frankly she’s very good at it! But there is one thing I do know and that is there are those out there reading this who know exactly what I’m talking about and I’d love hearing from you!

As a sidebar, I was looking at the Thor website last evening and happened to click on the “Diesel Club” video. Its funny how things hit you sometimes because I was watching the video and saw that 99.9% of the members are older and retired! Watching it made something explode in my mind, “Retired folks just like us do motorhomes”! I knew that of course, but the video really put it into perspective. This is done by people like us who are our age, there is great power in that for me because I know if they can do it, so can we!

We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you guys already did it!

I look forward to hearing from you and by the way. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
44 REPLIES 44

Mondooker
Explorer
Explorer
I would just like to thank you again for your responses. I said in an earlier post that I've read your posts to my wife and she found them very interesting. I'd also like to tell you what she said she got the most, "how nice you all seem to be!" I agree with her and what a great thing to get from the very folks we're talking about being around. Thank you all

427435
Explorer
Explorer
My wife wasn't keen on traveling in a motorhome at first. I told her to get a set of dishes, pots, pans, silverware, toaster etc that could just stay in the MH. She then did some decoration (pictures etc). We are both good for up to two months before we are ready to go home. She quilts (and does some while we travel) and I like spending time in my gardens and garage, so it's good to get home too.
Mark

2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35U on a Ford chassis, 80,000 miles
2003 Ford Explorer toad with Ready Brake supplemental brakes,
Ready Brute tow bar, and Demco base plate.

Ivylog
Explorer III
Explorer III
Welcome to the class A forum although you other post helped me get a better feel on how to answer. "We would most likely be on the road a few months a year stopping at places of interest for a week or so. We also have friends and family around the country, most where we can park the motorhome during our stay. From what I’ve seen and checked out so far the 30 to 34 feet should give us enough room without giving cabin fever yet small enough to get in and out of places." Pretty sure you figured out you need a toad by the answers in that post. Also, it helps that we now know you will be keeping the house near the space center.

I would start by reading Johnny T's post on first time buyers by clicking on Class A in the box at the top on the right. The joke about retirement, well actually it's not a joke: Twice the husband on 1/2 the money in 1/10th the space. Oops, at 30' that's 1/20th the space. It worries me when I see first timers looking at short MHs. I learned the expensive way $$$$ that you should buy more USED MH than you think you need ...ONE TIME. Fortunately my first was a used 36' and too soon after a 40' and now for 11 years... 42' as half timers. The shorter the rig the smaller the tanks... have to dump and refill more often. Cuts down on how long you can go off the grid... boondocking. After many rainy days and regardless of how lovey dovey you'll wish you had a bigger MH. There are not many diesel MH's that short... lot's more at 36'+. It's a lot easier to make it homey when you have plenty of CCC and the storage compartments to haul the stuff.

Hope this helps as I learned the $$$$$ way.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Sold 04 Dynasty to our son after 14 great years.
Upgraded with a 08 HR Navigator 45’...

dcason
Explorer
Explorer
Home is where the pillow is!

Rwake901
Explorer
Explorer
To the OP, boy does this sound familiar. We looked for over three years before we bought. Toured the Thor plant and the Tiffin plant. It was like pulling teeth to get my wife to go look at Motorhomes. We finally bought our first Motorhome and within a year and a half traded it for a bigger nicer one. Now all my wife talks about is where are we going next. She's ready to quit our jobs and sell the house and move into the Motorhome full time now. LOL Good luck I hope you get her to come around.

RayChez
Explorer
Explorer
RVing is not for everybody. My wife and I enjoy it but I would not go full time. I still enjoy my stick house. But we do use it about six months of the year.

But I have a friend that would like to do the same thing that I do, but his wife is absolutely against it. So now he has cancer and he probably will never enjoy what he always wanted to do.

So it can be a problem when the partner does not want to try it.

Good luck!
2002 Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser
330 HP Caterpillar 3126-E
3000 Allison Transmission
Neway Freightliner chassis
2017 Buick Envision

Mondooker
Explorer
Explorer
I'd like to thank you all again and Heavy Metal Doctor how right you are when you said "I've always been a structured / scheduled kinda guy". So am I. Then you said "She's not so much a home body as she is into "no stress" while away from our normal routine at home. She wants to get up whenever she feels like, sit around and read, take naps, fix meals". That is so true! She is a home body, but one of the reasons she is, is because of exactly what you just said!

Plus if truth were told even after all these years she still values our time together! Hey, she can't be both beautiful and smart!

Thanks all and a Very Merry Christmas

Heavy_Metal_Doc
Explorer
Explorer
It can be struggle and everyone needs to find their way of making it work for all involved......As I sit here reading and thinking of next years RV travels.....In may case DW loves the tt we bought because it's nicer than our old shack of a S&B fixxer-upper. She actually came up with the idea of just living in it this spring / summer while we renovate the house to make that work easier.
Her biggest issue while traveling, which makes her hesitant to go at all on some trips, is quality time together. She gets frustrated with me when we are on the road and I want to GO GO GO!! and see / do everything around the location at the time. She's not so much a home body as she is into "no stress" while away from our normal routine at home. She wants to get up whenever she feels like, sit around and read, take naps, fix meals whenever (better yet go out to eat and save the work). I've always been a structured / scheduled kinda guy. I want ot get the Most out of my time every day, especially when I'm out somewhere new / different. Some days I leave her at the CG and go explore - she gets a good nap, I see the stuff I want (I reserve these outings for the things she has no interest in which we discuss / agree on ahead of time).
As for making the RV itself homey, we often camp in a group of friends / family, and last summer, on sucha trip, I learned from my sister how much work she puts into decorating her then brand new 5-er. I hadn't really paid much attention before , but she has put up family pictures and a picture or 2 from each major destination trip they have taken and has pre-set arangement of decorative items she stores away in a cabinet for transport and then put out in place within minutes during camp set-up....feels like any "home" you would step into anywhere.

Merry Christmas to all!!

J-Rooster
Explorer
Explorer
Merry Christmas to you. Just keep in mind that if Momma is not happy no one in the household will be happy. Us men IMHO, have two choices do we want to be right or do we want to be happy.

azrving
Explorer
Explorer
Dale.Traveling wrote:
rjxj wrote:
Yes indeed, DON'T buy her a cheap saw either! Buy Stihl and be sure the log splitter is easy for her to start. Cheapest way to buy wood is usually a semi load in 8 foot lengths. 😉


Wow we have Walter E. Williams on the forum.

Unless you've heard him talk about late Mrs. Williams you'll never understand.;)


Professor Walter is right on and I know his stuff well. 🙂

Seriously though I believe they can both be happy. They just need to build with what works. I know people who travel alone and it works out just fine. On top of it all there is good reason to have someone at home keeping things under control at the ranch. Keeps the squatters out. She is armed isn't she?

Dale_Traveling
Explorer II
Explorer II
rjxj wrote:
Yes indeed, DON'T buy her a cheap saw either! Buy Stihl and be sure the log splitter is easy for her to start. Cheapest way to buy wood is usually a semi load in 8 foot lengths. 😉


Wow we have Walter E. Williams on the forum.

Unless you've heard him talk about late Mrs. Williams you'll never understand.;)
2006 Hurricane 31D built on a 2006 Ford F53

azrving
Explorer
Explorer
JetAonly wrote:
The most difficult thing to open in the world is a closed mind. If she can't get excited going to an RV show, then better cut wood for the home fires.


Yes indeed, DON'T buy her a cheap saw either! Buy Stihl and be sure the log splitter is easy for her to start. Cheapest way to buy wood is usually a semi load in 8 foot lengths. 😉

JetAonly
Explorer
Explorer
The most difficult thing to open in the world is a closed mind. If she can't get excited going to an RV show, then better cut wood for the home fires.
2000 Monaco Dynasty
ISC350

Captain_Happy
Explorer
Explorer
If your wife's a home body, It ain't going to happen, ever. I was going through the same thing with wife when she was still alive. she liked taking trip (Casinos), and the mountains of Colorado for a week or so. But when I brought up the idea of us selling off everything and going full-time Rving, she informed me that she was not going to give up her house for anything. The sad thing about the whole thing, she past away 3 years ago from cancer. I sure didn't care about keeping the house. So started re-thinking the idea of going full-timing. So got busy reading just about everything I could find on the subject. Had a couple of garage sales. Sold a lot f stuff to friends. Put the house on the marker the first of August this year. By the end of the first day we had a contract for more then the asking price. so far so good.