BeckyIO
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Re: Full time/South Dakota insurance question.
I'm a pre-retirement full-timer based out of SD and plans are hard to find for us, but it seems like retirement-aged folks have less of a problem in SD. When the Affordable Care Act turned the health insurance scene on it's head, I learned what I needed to know from Kyle over at http://www.rverinsuranceexchange.com/, I'm not affiliated with them in any way, I just found it to be a useful site from personal experience. Hope this helps.871Views0likes0CommentsRe: Full time in smaller RV
As you've probably already figured out, everyone's space requirements are different. Most full-timers decide they need more space, but some decide they'd rather have the flexibility of less. I can't speak for anyone else, but I've been full-timing for 3.5 years (solo) in a 17' travel trailer, and I would never want something larger for the kind of camping I do. Like you, I like state and national park campgrounds that tend to have smaller sites. I prefer a natural atmosphere to the amenities of an RV park, and I chose my RV accordingly. I do a lot of boondocking and like tiny, out of the way places way out in the desert or high in the mountains that big rigs can't get to. In the end, no one knows what's best for you but you, but all of these varied answers should give you food for thought to come up with the right answer. Best of luck!469Views0likes0CommentsRe: Working on the road
I had no skills or experience that would easily translate into a mobile friendly job and what I'd gone to school for (vet tech) wasn't something I could do from the road either. So my first year on the road I paid my way exclusively through work-camping jobs. Yes, the majority of them are at or near minimum wage but it's certainly doable if you're frugal, and if you're wife is bringing in income it could work - just make sure you're staying places that have good internet access for her work. I did National Parks in the summer (Badlands first year, Zion second year, Yellowstone last year) and Amazon.com's CamperForce program in the fall, which is hard physical labor and long hours but I grossed $6,100 in just shy of 10 weeks last year. Building mobile income streams is something you can work on as you go. Between work-camping jobs I got serious with my writing, released an e-book last spring (second one is almost done now) and have a blog and now in my fourth year on the road I shouldn't have to work a seasonal job this summer because the income from my writing is finally getting to the point where I can live on it. It takes time to build a business from scratch. But if you pick something and stick with it it's certainly doable. Good luck!357Views0likes0CommentsRe: Finding work while on the road or at a site?
As others have mentioned, a lot of RV parks are adverse to people even cleaning their RVs at their site so finding a campground that'll let you weld on site might be challenging, but that's not to say it's impossible. If your friends' place will let you do the work there it could be viable. I know you could set up "shop" while boondocking in places like Quartzsite where there aren't as many rules, so you may want to think about that. Sadly I know little about welding myself so I can't give you specific tips. As for the people who say full-timing can't be done before retirement, they're wrong. My first year of full-timing was funded entirely by work-camping. Now I bring in some money through writing, but the majority still comes from seasonal jobs. I work National Parks in the summer (Badlands, Zion, and most recently Yellowstone) and in Amazon's CamperForce program in the fall (one of the CamperForce sites is in Texas, something to think about). As others have mentioned, Workamper News is a good place to find seasonal jobs, but that one does have a subscription fee. Coolworks.com is how I find my gigs, it's free (no, I'm not affiliated with them in any way). Not all jobs listed there are for RVers, but there's a filter you can turn on to make the RVing ones stand out. Hope this helps, good luck!515Views0likes0CommentsRe: looking for a used 17' fiber glass trailer
Hello! Bought my 17' Casita used from a private seller, I love these little fiberglass egg trailers, they hold their value so well that buying used makes sense. As others have already said, forums specifically for fiberglass trailers are going to be your best best. http://www.fiberglassrv.com is a general one but every brand (Casita, Scamp, Oliver, Escape, Bigfoot, etc.) will have their own owner's forum too which will likely have a "for sale" section. You'll also want to keep an eye on Craigslist, that's where I eventually found mine. Because they're so sought after it can take a while to find one close enough to you at the right price point with the features you're looking for, but it's worth the wait. Be diligent and don't give up. Good luck!456Views0likes0CommentsRe: Yellowstone
2gypsies - You must be using Internet Explorer. For some reason it decided it didn't like IO although all other internet browsers are still able to load it just fine. I've not been able to figure out why or find a solution thus far, as it seems different for everyone. For some people updating IE fixed the problem and for others it didn't. I'm not a tech person sadly. Alice and Terry - It went well! Got a lot of overtime and saved up some money. How is your winter going? I'm actually boondocking just west of Phoenix at Saddle Mountain which I don't think is too terribly far from where you're park hosting.591Views0likes0CommentsRe: camping in yellowstone
I work-camped at Yellowstone last season from May until the end of September at the visitor center at Old Faithful and have work-camped at two other National Parks in previous years. It was a record breaking year for visitation with 3.7 million visitors already by the time I left. As everyone else has said the campgrounds fill up very fast (some of the ones run by the NPS are first-come-first-served but those are mostly dry-camping or elec only, the ones run by Xanterra all take reservations). September is getting busier and busier for the national parks. More retirees are coming out then to avoid the families (and foreigners don't have the same schedules so they're visiting spring through fall) so that it's not as much of a way to avoid the crowds as it use to be. There will still be plenty of people, just a different age demographic. Traditionally, Yellowstone's busiest months are: July, August, June, September, and May in that order. This year is the 100 year anniversary for the NPS and there are special events going on, so the NPS is predicting it'll be even busier than last year. My best advice to avoid the crowds is to get up early and start your sightseeing in the morning. Any day of the week can be busy, but if you're on the road by 8 am you have a good three hours or so before the bulk of the day visitors drive in from Grand Teton, West Yellowstone, and Cody. Stay at Fishing Bridge so you don't have as far to drive to see the sights. Understand that Yellowstone is 2.2 million acres and that in good traffic it takes about two hours to drive from the north entrance to the south entrance. You're going to want more than one day to do it right. Hope this helps.395Views0likes0CommentsRe: For those who have a small vehicle and love camping
Not a Runaway owner myself but I find them fascinating. I belong to an owner's group on Facebook and have seen some pretty clever things done with the interior, can't post the pictures directly here since the group is closed but for those interested here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RunawayCamperOwners/ Last month the company introduced a model that is tall enough to stand up in, the other two options are 4x8 and 6x8 and sitting room only. I'd call traveling in it "camping" over "RVing", but the benefit of that bare interior is you can customize it to have everything you want and nothing you don't, and you can always use a cot and plastic bins and such to get started with and upgrade as you go.294Views0likes0CommentsRe: Annual Budgets?
I am a young solo full-timer, on the road for 3 years now. In 2015, my cost of living was $15,693 or about $1,308 a month. Might not be as applicable to you two, but helpful for other younger folks who're looking to travel. I work-camp for a living so my travel style is several months in one place working (national parks in the summer, Amazon.com in teh fall), and then "vacation" time at the start of the new year January - April. If you'd like more details or to see my numbers for every year I've been on the road, they're here: http://www.interstellarorchard.com/2016/01/29/2015-full-timer-cost-of-living-and-income-report/433Views0likes0Comments
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