Not for us

[Alex_and_Tee]

Well, I’m sad to say I think my wife and I have decided that, after 6 months of full timing, it is not for us. Neither is living in a 55+ resort.

We are in Palm Creek in Casa Grande, AZ. The park is beautiful and there is lots to do here but my wife is 54 and works from home 40 hours a week. I started a machinery distributorship with a partner and I am out 3-4 days a week making sales calls during the day. So, other than the occasional show in the evening we really can’t take advantage of all there is to offer. Plus everyone here is at least 10 years older than me and probably 15-20 years older than my wife so we really don’t fit in.

As far as the motor home goes, it’s a 2022 Allegro Open Road 36LA. It’s nice enough but we miss not having the space that a home provides. Yes, I know we should have probably rented something and tried it first before buying but even spending a week or two doesn’t compare to full time living. I never thought there would be so much to do to the motor home. It’s always dumping black tanks every 4 days, recharging the soft water system every two weeks, descaling the Truma every few weeks, refilling the propane tank every other week, etc., etc.

I’m sure if I had done more homework prior to diving in I would have been better prepared but, it is what it is.

[Alex_and_Tee]

Well the saga is almost over. La Mesa has agreed to buy back our motor home for what we owe on it and that is only 10K less than we paid for it (not counting sales tax). So it cost us a bit to realize that RV’ing is not for us and we will go back to a sticks and bricks lifestyle that offers more living space and comfort. We’ll do our traveling on cruise ships from here on out.

Thanks for everyone’s input and insight during this journey of deciding what to buy and what to do. At the end of the day we could have spent a lot more money on a coach and still not been happy. All the best to everyone.

[Lantley]

2oldman wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
After 2 1/2 weeks on the road I love getting home, and we have a nice size class A.

I like that nobody's going to be pulling in my driveway, starting a fire and firing up a generator.

Part of the appeal of full timing is giving up that driveway and backyard.
There is a point where less is more. Some want to give up all the maintenace,taxes, and chores that come with having a driveway and backyard.
Being free of all the stuff we accumalate, including yards,driveways and houses is often the driving force behind hitting the road.

[2oldman]

dodge guy wrote:
After 2 1/2 weeks on the road I love getting home, and we have a nice size class A.

I like that nobody's going to be pulling in my driveway, starting a fire and firing up a generator.

[dodge_guy]

To add to this. It’s nice to get home to a real kitchen and bathroom. Having my own yard with a pool and hot tub. Letting the dog run the yard and not having to pick it up immediately is something you don’t know you miss till they are gone. After 2 1/2 weeks on the road I love getting home, and we have a nice size class A.

[Dutch_12078]

My wife and I have been fulltiming and quite mobile since 2010 after buying our first motorhome in 2005. Until we scaled back in 2017, we were both putting in 40-50 hours week working online from our motorhome. In 2017 we decided to cut back to just a few select clients that took no more than 10-15 hours a week combined. Now that I'm a few weeks shy of turning 79, and my wife's health is failing, we've dropped all work and are just enjoying our travels while we still can. We're quite in agreement that we're not ready to hang up the keys just yet, but we know it's coming. Our "exit plan" is waiting for us in the form of our lakeside family cottage in the Southern Adirondacks near our two daughters.

The point of all this is that our first year fulltiming we questioned our decision to do it several times and almost quit a couple of times, usually after fixing some significant problem with our motorhome. Every time we sat down and weighed the pros and cons though, the pros came out on top. All these years later, we would not give up the many great memories and experiences along with some really fantastic friends we've made along the way for anything. I agree with others that fulltiming certainly is not for everyone, but we are very grateful that we didn't give in to the moment during that first year and give it up.

[Alex_and_Tee]

I won’t sell it for a loss. Don’t think there is any reason to. It’s a 2022 with the 26,000 lb chassis and liquid springs and only has 5000 miles on it. If I can’t at least get what I owe on it I’ll continue to suck it up and live in it for awhile longer. We aren’t desperate and our site is paid until November with options for two more years at $4500 per year.

[lap527]

At least you now know what you know. We lease a seasonal site in NC but we do own the rv up there but after a month we do enjoy coming home to our nest. 9 hour drive and we are there or home. Good Luck!

[Matt_Colie]

Alex and Tee,

You will take a loss if you sell the coach, or you might just find a storage lot and only use it a few thousand miles a year like most of the owners...

You are still ahead of some friends of mine. They sold out of their real estate and were going to live aboard (full time) on his sailboat. Then we heard that she was back in town on her own. I still hear from him, but I have never asked what happened. I do know that they are still on speaking terms.

Matt

[ferndaleflyer]

We don’t exactly full time. With 2 houses in NC, one in WV, and 2 in the Baltimore area we have plenty to go home to. But for 21 years since I retired we wore out one DP and this one is near 100K. Work?, forget it and give someone else a chance.

[toedtoes]

Alex and Tee wrote:
The resort we are in is fabulous if you are a full time retiree. 4 pools, hot tub, bistro, library, 18 hole par 3 golf course, wood shop, lapidary shop, silversmith shop, pottery shop, sewing building, billiard and dart room, softball field, tennis, pickle ball, lawn bowling, card rooms horse shoes. I’m sure I am missing things but if you are bored here it’s your own fault.

Being bored at such a resort isn't anybody's fault. There are many people who simply do not enjoy the social part of resorts. For me, the only item on that list that is attractive to me is the library and I can get that from my kindle anywhere I go. My interests lie in different areas that are not common in resort settings. Not the fault of the resort and not my fault.

But that doesn't mean resorts are bad. They are great for those who enjoy them.

The OP never said they didn't like the resort. He simply noted that due to their work, they weren't able to enjoy what the resort had to offer. No fault laid.

[Alex_and_Tee]

The resort we are in is fabulous if you are a full time retiree. 4 pools, hot tub, bistro, library, 18 hole par 3 golf course, wood shop, lapidary shop, silversmith shop, pottery shop, sewing building, billiard and dart room, softball field, tennis, pickle ball, lawn bowling, card rooms horse shoes. I’m sure I am missing things but if you are bored here it’s your own fault.

There are many homes being put in here (12-1300 sq ft) and I think it will become more homes than RV spots at some point. The biggest down side to me is you can only rent your lot, never own like where my parents live in FL. People are super friendly. Most from the midwest and Canada. I think if we were both full time retired it would be a great place. We considered getting a house here but what they are charging ( around $200,000 - -$240,000) we could by a couple of acres and the same manufactured home for $75,000 less.

[winnietrey]

I think being retired and full timing would not be a good thing for me.
but I can see how it would appeal to others

[toedtoes]

I know fulltiming is not for me. While I love to go off and see the world, I also love coming home. I love my campers as they let me get away. But I love my house too.

When I drive off with my campers, I have a sense of adventure and excitement. When I arrive home, I have a sense of contentment and peace. I prefer to keep both senses.

[toedtoes]

Lantley wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
Yes full timing sounds great. But for me the fun of traveling and planning would wear out quickly. I would rather have a home base and then travel from there 1-2 months at a time. Get home stretch out and relax from the MH and then plan for the next big trip.

Good point.Golfing is a fun relaxing thing to do until you turn pro and it becomes your job.
RV travel is a fun enjoyable lifestyle until it becomes your life and the only way you live!
I'm not a pro golfer and I'm not a full timer. But I am aware that the lustre wears off real quick when there is no escape!

Whenever I hear the advice "find something you love to do and make it your career", I point out that in many cases, you love doing "that" because you have the choice. When "that" is suddenly mandated and put on a schedule, it very often becomes unenjoyable. And if "that" professionally includes a boss with ideas of their own, it can make things even less enjoyable.

[rlw999]

When we bought our RV a few years back, I'd read up on fulltiming, working while fulltiming, etc. We'd mostly gone on weekend trips but with COVID leaving us both working from home, we thought we were ready to go out on the road full time.

But then when we went on a few 1 - 3 week trips, we realized that it wasn't for us, neither of us really wanted to live in the RV full time, we missed the comforts of home, or even a hotel. This was a relatively spacious Class C with slides, but not quite as spacious as the OP's Class A.

I thought I'd done the research and knew what to expect, but turns out that the reality doesn't always live up to the expectation. We still enjoy RV'ing, but not full time or months on end. I'm not sure that any amount of research can really tell you whether or not fulltiming is right for you, unless you already have a lot of extended RV experience.

We've recently downsized to a Class B, and are planning 45 day cross country trip this summer, but with the smaller Class B, we can stop at a hotel easily without worrying about parking.