Why Did You Go Where You Went And When

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Appreciate some patience and understanding here if you will but as best we can describe it .............

Picture this: Just retired, have familiar RV, been RVing for many years but now totally "Free To Roam" with zero commitments to be anywhere at any specific time. YEAH!

With so very many places and regions/areas that you want to see (on your bucket list), assuming weather aside, what made you turn left or right when you left your driveway for the very last time?

Restricted on our time allowed in the USA to under 6 months, naturally we would be snowbirds for the most part, but why would we target say Arizona over the RGV or California or Louisiana, or even Florida (there's something that appeals to us about ALL these areas and more)?

I guess what we are trying to establish is what makes non-working, uncommitted to any area FTers go where they go, why, and when they decide to? Obvious on North in the summer and south in the winter, we get that for weather comfort typically but with so many choices what makes you chose where you go, why and when you do? Sometimes we just feel overwhelmed with choices, and where to take the first bite of the elephant on the outset. For example, why would you chose to say do the California Coast over Utah State Parks over Alaska this summer versus another if all appeal equally to you on wanting to visit?

Commonsense tells us from a financial viewpoint of stretching our budget to try to pick a region and cover that as much as possible rather than zig zagging, but which region first and why?

Purely curious, but do so many folks spend the majority of the winters boon docking at Imperial Dam/Quartzite BLM etc purely from a financial aspect or is there genuinely other reasons and if so what are they? For sure we can appreciate the opportunity for geocaching, ATVing, Hiking etc, but to stay in one location doing that day in day out for maybe a couple months or more is it for the joy of or as suggested budgeting purposes primarily?

Thanks for sharing where, how and why you travel the way you do? It's so appreciated to gain a true understanding and settle yet more nerves that seem to crop up the closer and closer we get to the off.

[stickdog]

Our first year we were camp hosts at a local state park from there we made our first snowbird journey to Florida again as camp hosts.
I had never been to the PNW so we sought and found a volunteer position in Oregon the following summer. We enjoyed it so much we returned the following year after spending the winter in Texas.
We toured while traveling between these locations.
After our second summer in Oregon we returned to Florida for the winter the following summer we volunteered with USACE in West Virginia then returned to Florida for the winter.
The following summer we volunteered in New Jersey and then headed to Kansas and Amazon for their busy Christmas season then on to Texas for the winter.
We headed to Alaska last spring and spent 3 1/2 months before heading south visiting family before another stint at Amazon in Tennessee then Florida for the winter.
Right now we're in eastern West Virginia/Maryland checking out some of the history before a return to New Jersey for a summer volunteer position.
Our plans for next winter is to travel I10 from Florida to the west coast because we can. We're looking for a location next summer that will be in the line of the eclipse next August most likely Wyoming because we want to.

[rexlion]

My ideal place has a high temp around 65*-80*. It's so great to feel that pleasant breeze on the skin. Preferably coupled with the fragrance of a wooded area and/or beautiful scenery, and sounds of the outdoors (without too many man-made sounds). These are the things I pursue when I go camping.

[Naio]

FULLTIMEWANABE wrote:

With so very many places and regions/areas that you want to see (on your bucket list), assuming weather aside, what made you turn left or right when you left your driveway for the very last time?

I had to call my dad and ask him this same question, when I was starting out. How do you choose?

There's definitely an element of randomness. Maybe a friend invites you to visit, so you plan the route that includes their place, plus a bunch of bucket list spots on the way.

My google map has thousands of stars, so wherever I end up I know what I want to see that is near there, and I can plan a connect-the-stars route.

[tonyandkaren]

We like to be warm so we're either in southern Arizona or Florida for the winter but we're not much for staying in one spot for a long time so if we're in Arizona we may drift over to California and if we're in Florida we travel all over the state. We like Florida for the greenness, the tropical gardens, state parks and historic sites. We like Arizona for the desert scenery and great boondocking.

The rest of the year we could be anywhere. We don't do a lot of planning and we're not in a hurry. All the places that we want to see will still be there next year and the year after so we just enjoy being in the moment wherever we are.

[jplante4]

Our retirement trip had a goal. We didn't want to see any snow. We left Cape Cod on Oct. 31st and returned on May 4th. Success.

Here's where we went.

[2gypsies1]

Mix it up and don't go to the same place time after time. We wanted to see the countryside so we chose different places. Sometimes during a summer we'd just stay in one state but cover that state fully. Other times we'd add more states. We enjoy it all - oceans, lakes, rivers, deserts. There's beauty in all - (except big cities and interstates). 🙂

[Jay_Pat]

We have been traveling around the states for things that interest us.
Photographing: state capitals, lighthouses, rugged mountains and national parks.
For me only, working steam locomotives. Wife will ride trains.
My wife, stitching stores. She enjoys cross stitching.
I think have 8 state capitals left to visit.
Pat

[Old-Biscuit]

We FTd for 7 yrs. Traveling weekly (or bi-monthly occasionally)

We started out in So Cal and traveled N/E to tip of Maine then down East Coast to FL.
Then from Fl traveled N/W to top of WA then down West Coast to So. Cal.

Then we back to up state NY via a zig-zag route..........north then south then north etc.
Followed the Fall colors south via inland route back to FL

Then westward via southern route to CA
Then north to WY then eastward across center section of US to east coast.

Then we just meandered by westward..where we landed in Central AZ.

Traveled roughly 200-250 miles on travel day.......spend week to explore the area or 2 weeks then move on.
No real destinations.......just whatever we happened upon using secondary/backroads (hate Interstate travel)

One time we only moved 4 miles.........most we traveled was 345 miles

Point your nose and GO!

[TexasShadow]

we do not do Q because we don't like deserts much. a day or two is fine, but that's enough.
we would spend about 5 or 6 months in the Tetons, but the park won't allow that unless you want to work camp.

[2oldman]

FULLTIMEWANABE wrote:
Purely curious, but do so many folks spend the majority of the winters boon docking at Imperial Dam/Quartzite BLM etc purely from a financial aspect or is there genuinely other reasons and if so what are they? .. but to stay in one location doing that day in day out for maybe a couple months or more is it for the joy of or as suggested budgeting purposes primarily?

I spend time boondocking in Q because I'm a musician and I attend the jams (well, some of them.) Plus, I like being away from people, the self-sufficiency and the physical labor involved in providing for myself. (dumping, water, garbage..etc). There's always something in the way of housekeeping to do. I like poking around the solar store, visiting the bakery and of course, seeing who shows up at Mcdonalds. I rarely attend the big tent or purchase much of anything at the junk stands.

I get good value at the Q - and many other boondocking places in the SW. I didn't put thousands of dollars worth of solar and batteries and inverter in my rig to be in an RV park or the forest.

I do see quite a few there for what I would consider "financial reasons". I can stand it for a couple weeks, but for months?. not for me.