Don't Wait

[jplante4]

As an "older American", I am used to giving sage advise to the younger generations. I'm a flight instructor as well, and I get these kids with "shiny jet syndrome" wanting to learn to fly so they can fly an Airbus for American Airlines next year when they finish high school. I gently as possible inform them that that's not quite how it works.

I try to tell family members how important it is to have a nut for retirement because I can see how big a difference even our small 'nut' has made in our lifestyle.

I advise young pilots on the best way to build quality flight time so that an airline will hire you. Most don't listen (they already have it figured out) but the few that do listen have been very successful in aviation.

So it is with this mindset I advise everyone here, especially the lurkers trying to figure out if the RV lifestyle is for them,
DO NOT WAIT
The older you get, the harder this stuff gets. My favorite saying theses days - Things I used to do all day now takes me all day to do.

There are memories to be made and places you need to see. Finagle a way to do this as early in life as you possibly can.

[ParkCountry]

MarkTwain wrote:

JoyNoelle wrote:
I have to weigh in. I am a 42 yr old single female. I wanted to RV but knew the funds would not buy new and flashy. Invested in a 1983 travel trailer that I remodeled on the inside and an older tow vehicle. Enjoying the life without killing the bank

Good on you!!! I admire your creativity and willingness to risk.

X2!

[Grit_dog]

Only read the first post, but OP, it appears you're all full of sage advice. Very well put and something everyone should strive for!
Thanks for that post!

[Parrothead_Mike]

A lady that once worked for me retired early. Her husband was younger and still working so she volunteered for hospice. She came back for a visit and told me something that I have repeated many times.

She told me that when she's sitting with her patients, all waiting to die, they either tell her "I'm glad I did (whatever it was)" or "I wish I would have (whatever it was)".

She told me this about 20+ years ago while I was still about 10 years from retirement. I retired at 57 and for the past 10 years my wife & I have tried our best to be in the "glad we did" category. Thankfully we're still in good physical condition and young enough to "see the USA in our Chevrolet".

The best financial advice I can offer to those younger than myself is to pay off your debt as soon as you can. Then save as much as you can. Do not go into retirement with debt. Keep your wants to a modest level, paying cash or not buying the next best thing (good used things are very acceptable), and learn to live at a level relative to your income.

Experiences, regardless of what they may be, are worth more than things will ever be. And experiences with the ones you love will likely be your most prized "possessions".

[CavemanCharlie]

Maybe, we should take other, younger, people with us as we "do it now". That way they will learn this philosophy and pass it on . !!!

[free_radical]

jplante4 wrote:
As an "older American", I am used to giving sage advise to the younger generations. I'm a flight instructor as well, and I get these kids with "shiny jet syndrome" wanting to learn to fly so they can fly an Airbus for American Airlines next year when they finish high school. I gently as possible inform them that that's not quite how it works.

I try to tell family members how important it is to have a nut for retirement because I can see how big a difference even our small 'nut' has made in our lifestyle.

I advise young pilots on the best way to build quality flight time so that an airline will hire you. Most don't listen (they already have it figured out) but the few that do listen have been very successful in aviation.

So it is with this mindset I advise everyone here, especially the lurkers trying to figure out if the RV lifestyle is for them,
DO NOT WAIT
The older you get, the harder this stuff gets. My favorite saying theses days - Things I used to do all day now takes me all day to do.

There are memories to be made and places you need to see. Finagle a way to do this as early in life as you possibly can.

Yeah,but nowadays one can see most anything and anyplace on the net,and much cheaper then buying RV and traveling,, 🙂
And thats the way it is with so many people who are either lazy or poor unable to buy an RV..
Ive traveled plenty,in my younger days mostly looking for work as carpenter jobs never last and economy slows and improves..I always made sure to save enough money to never be broke though..
I also made sure my health comes first,exercise,eat right,healthy foods..
I honestly dont care for traveling too much in my retirement as I like to keep busy,do my hobbies,gardening,auto mods,etc..
I learned to fly long time ago too,even got a comercial ticket,but never did find any flying jobs,,thats for military guys with thousands of hours experience who get hired first..
All in all life is good and I have enough memories to fill a huge book,lol
Also there arent many places I would care to go nowadays,mostly Canada north,,and that faraway place where the sun rises

[RGar974417]

tomman58 wrote:
I have preached this notion for years and although most of the younger set agree they make little effort to do it.
I really preach the union thing especially in this economy. My union gives me a pension based on hours worked, I get another pension based on years worked, I get a third pension based on years also but at a lower rate. I also get health care and an entity. Sounds unreal doesn't it. Well then you never meet a union electrician from Detroit.
Unions provide normally some form of pension plan that is hard to beat otherwise. It is just easier to save when someone else does it for you.
.

My wife was a union worker for 30 years.For the first 10 years she worked, her union (BTC) had their pension. Then her company was bought out by Hershey Foods and the workers voted to move to Hershey's pension. My wife gets letters from the union saying the money will run out about 2025. But the Hershey Pension is sound and she also had an ESSIP with Hershey"s. When the plant closed, they handed her a check for $88,000.Now she works for a non union company and will get a pension from them too. So I hope your union's pension is in better shape than my wife's.

[cross21114]

Good luck, Mr. Ed.

[mr__ed]

I started fulltiming sometime in my mid forties,IIRC. I'm 72 now, but had to leave fulltiming after suffering a stroke almost 3 years ago. I had planned to continue the lifestyle until my 90's, if health permitted. Anyhow, stuff happens, but at least I got to enjoy many years of fulltiming and if I ever become well enough, I'll no doubt go back to it. Living in a brick & mortar environment just isn't for me! 😉

[Addy15]

time2roll wrote:
The "Don't Wait" idea is what has me going to Glacier this Summer.
May not be much of the old ice to see by the time I retire.
Not even much now from what I read.

Unfortunately Alaska in an RV will need to wait 😞

Us too.

[DallasSteve]

jplante4 wrote:
I was in software engineering for 35 years and saw the kids come in with the barest minimum of training making almost as much as me (the hiring manager), drinking $6 cups of coffee and standing in line to pay $700 for the latest iPhone. Just throwing money away on nothing. Virtual reality, User Experiences.

If someone needs to save money one of the best ways is to avoid the super-expensive names like Apple, Lexus, and Airstream. I'm not saying they aren't good products; they just aren't good value for the dollar. You can find good quality products at much lower prices.

[Jetstreamer]

jplante4 wrote:
As an "older American", I am used to giving sage advise to the younger generations. I'm a flight instructor as well, and I get these kids with "shiny jet syndrome" wanting to learn to fly so they can fly an Airbus for American Airlines next year when they finish high school. I gently as possible inform them that that's not quite how it works.

I try to tell family members how important it is to have a nut for retirement because I can see how big a difference even our small 'nut' has made in our lifestyle.

I advise young pilots on the best way to build quality flight time so that an airline will hire you. Most don't listen (they already have it figured out) but the few that do listen have been very successful in aviation.

So it is with this mindset I advise everyone here, especially the lurkers trying to figure out if the RV lifestyle is for them,
DO NOT WAIT
The older you get, the harder this stuff gets. My favorite saying theses days - Things I used to do all day now takes me all day to do.

There are memories to be made and places you need to see. Finagle a way to do this as early in life as you possibly can.

Couldn't help but to chime in on this one... I learned how to fly right out of high school.... It took me till I was 50 to fly the Airbus for American.. LOL..
When I took up flying I did it for the fun and adventure and I had no direction in mind initially on where to go with it. I had the time of my life doing all sorts of fun stuff flying around. Like you said, I too have run into people who just get into aviation only as a means to an end as their parents shell out big bucks to fast track them to an airline career.
The point I'm trying to make with this is I've been one to enjoy the journey of life, and not worry about the destination so much.
Kinda like some of my Better RV trips...

[time2roll]

The "Don't Wait" idea is what has me going to Glacier this Summer.
May not be much of the old ice to see by the time I retire.
Not even much now from what I read.

Unfortunately Alaska in an RV will need to wait 😞

[toedtoes]

jplante4 wrote:
I was in software engineering for 35 years and saw the kids come in with the barest minimum of training making almost as much as me (the hiring manager), drinking $6 cups of coffee and standing in line to pay $700 for the latest iPhone. Just throwing money away on nothing. Virtual reality, User Experiences. This is the generation that's really in trouble. As soon as the shine wears off their apple (pun intended), they won't have a clue how to recover.

They don't see any further than their phone. If there was an app that they could watch to go the places we've seen, that would satisfy them. Nose stuck in the phone; a poor excuse for life.

It's funny, but I know a lot of older folks who do the same thing. They have to have the newest, shiniest, name brand, "status symbol". Some have the money to afford it, but others just can't resist buying that new toy regardless of finances.

[jplante4]

I was in software engineering for 35 years and saw the kids come in with the barest minimum of training making almost as much as me (the hiring manager), drinking $6 cups of coffee and standing in line to pay $700 for the latest iPhone. Just throwing money away on nothing. Virtual reality, User Experiences. This is the generation that's really in trouble. As soon as the shine wears off their apple (pun intended), they won't have a clue how to recover.

They don't see any further than their phone. If there was an app that they could watch to go the places we've seen, that would satisfy them. Nose stuck in the phone; a poor excuse for life.