Jump to content

Fulltimers: On the average how many times do you move in a year?


Fulltimers: On the average how many times do you move in a year?  

83 members have voted

  1. 1. Fulltimers: On the average how many times do you move in a year?

    • 36+ times
      22
    • 26-35 times
      11
    • 15-25 times
      10
    • 7-14 times
      22
    • 3-6 times
      12
    • 1-2 times
      4
    • 0 (we're stationary)
      2


Recommended Posts

I also think the answers vary based upon where an RV'er is in the lifecycle of RV'ing.

Newer into the group, quite often are out seeing the states and neighboring countries.

After many years of travels, some have picked out favorite locations, and groups of friends, and that can easily reduce the number of moves.

We're also not actual Full Timers, we're what I call Permanent Part Time Full Timers. Where we go out and travel for 6-8 months a year, but still visit S&B vacation home (Vacation from traveling:)!). Just as many Escapees are COOP members, and have one or two home bases they may go to that could include park models/casitas. 

Lots of variables, and variables change, and one style does not fit all...

Best,

Smitty

Be safe, have fun,

Smitty

04 CC Allure "RooII" - Our "E" ride for life!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 79
  • Created
  • Last Reply

It is so subjective to individual style.

I just got off a plane yesterday.  The couple sitting next to me commented that they had Full-Timed for 18 months and had seen it all.......

So did you see the Lewis and Clark exhibit in North Dakota...... well no.

How about some of the presidential museum's........ well no

Yellowstone?...... Too crowded that day.....

Yup- you saw it all.......

 

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

It is so subjective to individual style.

I just got off a plane yesterday.  The couple sitting next to me commented that they had Full-Timed for 18 months and had seen it all.......

So did you see the Lewis and Clark exhibit in North Dakota...... well no.

How about some of the presidential museum's........ well no

Yellowstone?...... Too crowded that day.....

Yup- you saw it all.......

 

I've come across a few that were having a great time touring the country doing one night stops.  I'm happy for them, but it made me tired just thinking about it and I imagine that their fulltiming style will either change or they'll be ready to leave the lifestyle.  Really, that's fine if it makes them happy.

I note that the responses have evened out a bit as more people notice the poll and decide to chime in.  

Let me say that as the poll creator that I have no real purpose.  We're doing a month at Rainbow Plantation and running into a lot of nice folks who have been here all winter and will soon be either returning to a stix and brix or going to another long term summer spot and it got me to wondering just how often people tend to move.  

Our "Here and There" Blog

 

2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

It is so subjective to individual style.

I just got off a plane yesterday.  The couple sitting next to me commented that they had Full-Timed for 18 months and had seen it all.......

So did you see the Lewis and Clark exhibit in North Dakota...... well no.

How about some of the presidential museum's........ well no

Yellowstone?...... Too crowded that day.....

Yup- you saw it all.......

 

Different people do have widely divergent views of what it means "to have seen a place" and that strongly affects this sort of poll.  To us, when we find places we like we enjoy setting down for a while and really getting to know the people and the culture.  For example, last summer we spent 3 months at a campground on PEI almost exclusively populated by islanders who used their trailers as weekend get-aways.  We had a delightful time and weren't bored even at the end of the summer.  In contrast, another American couple rolled in in their big RV in mid-summer and told us that they had just done half the island in two days and were here for another day so they could see the rest of it. All I could think was that this was just about enough time to have driven over the island's main roads without any stops at all!  But, they probably did see it all!!

For us, after 6 years of 10-12,000 miles per year travel we've settled down a bit and fully expect to stay 5-6 months a year on our own site in Rockport TX.  We'll still go places but our intense urge to "go everywhere" has moderated.  No, we haven't been "everywhere" but we sure have been to a heck of a lot of places, to the point where finding someplace new to explore is becoming more difficult.   I think we're close to settling on a "summer place" to mate with our winter place.  But if those two places are ~2500 miles apart and it takes us ~7-8 days to move from one to another, one could choose to interpret that as meaning we only move twice a year or you could saywe move ~15-16 times a year.  I'll let others decide which it should be.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am no longer fulltime but for the years I was I would guess my average was about twice the high end of the estimates I see above.  I would guess maybe 75 or more moves during the year.  My goal in RV travel was to see the national parks and great scenic areas.  When traveling between destinations, I typically stopped at a Walmart or similar and then moved on.  Even at destination areas, I tended to move.  I spent close to a month in Yellowstone, but even then I camped at Canyon, Norris, Madison, Fishing Bridge, and Mammoth.  I think I had two different stays at Mammoth and Madison, plus I stayed outside of the park for a few nights.

Camping means different things to different people.  Some like to sit around the campground or a view area and "relax".  I am good for about 10 minutes at that.  I even stopped carrying the zero gravity chairs since they were virtually never used.  Some people seem to spend a great deal of time on the mechanics of camping such as fixing food and cleaning up.  When I travel I want to spend my time outdoors hiking and doing photography.  I am extremely efficient on fixing good but quick meals with minimal clean up needed.  Some people like to sit around the campfire or the BBQ.  I can only remember trying to cook outdoors a couple of times or even having campfires more than a couple of times the first full year of travel.  I was usually out well past sundown which in the summer can be well past 9pm.  Then I returned to the campground, fixed a meal, charged camera batteries, reviewed the day's photography and planned the next day's activities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have sons and their families (with young grandchildren) on both sides of the continent, so I make a loop around once a year.  Plus, I prefer to stay in state and national/federal campgrounds, so that keeps me moving.  There are still places I haven't been to and other places I like to return to for a few days. I also visit friends and family around the country.  And, I guess I just get bored sitting in one place, which is why I started out doing this five years ago. 

I still work part-time, but online only, so as long as I can be anywhere, that's where I want to be!!   I have been putting about 20,000 miles a year on my motorhome, although possibly less this year.  And next year, I am flying over to the UK, and spending a few weeks traveling around there and in Malta.  I definitely have the travel bug.  Heading back to Grand Canyon and Zion for 4th time this summer, and have also visited other national parks multiple times.  There is always something different to see or do.  Grand Canyon is great for bike riding, by the way, and I love the elk in Trailer Village! 

Oh, and like JimK, I never have campfires or cook out unless my grandkids are with me.  When I am not working inside on my laptop, I am riding my bike or walking around or visiting a museum or exploring.  Almost never get my chairs out and just sit outside. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely, I do have chairs for company!  And not the zero gravity ones.  So if you ever see a 2012 multi-color, Tioga Ranger with a beat-up bike rack on the back and Ohio plates, knock on my door! 

I think the hard thing about looking at everyone's style is that, at least for me, it can be so variable.  I can spend two weeks someplace, and then spend one night at three campgrounds in a row because I am on my way to someplace and have driven that route before.  I try not to drive too many miles in a day because it is tiring and also to leave time for unplanned stops. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Been a great thread to read through.  It appears that most that have responded are not work campers or volunteers which is what we plan to do when I retire later this year.

Four to six months in one place sounds ideal to thourghley explore the area on our Harley during our off time.  20 hours a week will be just about right for me to keep from getting to bored.

2017 Grand Design Momentum 376TH pulled by a 2014 Ford F-350 Lariat, FX-4, dually, longbed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎3‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 1:13 PM, remoandiris said:

I'm surprised that so many move almost weekly.

Me too.  Greatly surprised.

 

On ‎3‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 8:51 PM, gjhunter01 said:

I like the slower pace to stay a month or longer and get to see and know the area.

That's more the pace I was thinking of.  The 'moving 7 to 14 times' answer.

 

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 10:04 AM, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

One of the most common bits of advice I see here is "slow down and enjoy the lifestyle" - because of that I expected the poll to reflect Escapees taking it easy, moving every 2 or 3 weeks at the most.

Yes.  Now I'm honestly confused.  How does moving 36+ times a year equal "slow down and enjoy"?

 

Cheers,
Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, SecondWind said:

Now I'm honestly confused.  How does moving 36+ times a year equal "slow down and enjoy"?

 

It just depends on how you count the moves. Keep in mind that 36 moves in 365 days would mean an average of 10+ nights per stop. In our fulltime years we spent much of our time as RV volunteers, sitting in one location for periods of between 1 & 4 months. In a typical year, we would make two to three such volunteer stays. We usually stopped in a wildlife refuge, park, or historic site and would stay there for about 3 months, then travel between 500 & 1000 miles, sometimes more and we would spend a month or longer in that trip. In travel periods we usually stopped completely by whim and moved when the mood struck or stayed if the weather was bad. When it rained, I usually just waited for it to end and rarely unhooked in bad weather and if we stopped for a night and heard of a place to see, we would stay another day or two. In such a travel period we might move 12 times over a period of one month to 6 weeks, then stop again for as long as 3 months, travel again for a month and then sit for 3 months. Doing the math, this would mean that we would make 36 moves in a year, yet we traveled with no set schedule when moving and stayed for 3 months at 3 different locations with no moves at all. The result was that most years our RV was not moving at all for about 9 months out of the year, yet we might move it easily 36 times. Our motorhome averaged just under 7,000 miles per year for 11 1/2 years. In that same period, we put about 250,000 miles on a total of 3 towed vehicles. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Kirk Wood said:

 

It just depends on how you count the moves. 

DING, DING, DING, DING!!!!!  Some people counted a move each time they left an RV park even if it was an overnight.  Others counted a move from one long term stop to the next, even if it took 3 overnights in between to get there, they didn't count the overnights.

Creating survey questions is as much an art as a science.  It seems like a simple concept, but it is not.  I am sure the OP did NOT want to count overnight stops.  Why would anyone want that data point?  It completely skews the results. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're not, and never will be, full timers, but it's so interesting to read how others approach the life style.  With all our grand kids close to our home base, a S/B will always be in the picture.

Years ago, we were taking the kids to Yellowstone/Tetons with our Apache pop-up.  My dad said to figure on two days to see both parks.  But, after driving I-80 across Iowa, he said he'd seen the whole state..........

Last year, my bride and I pulled into a campground in Study Butte, TX and paid for 4 nights.  We left 9 days later, and wished we could stay longer.  We find that sitting out in the evening gives us an opportunity to meet other travelers who can give us suggestions to make our stay more interesting.  A little time sitting out with a beverage and a cigar has paid great dividends in finding things to do in the days ahead.

KW T-680, POPEMOBILE
Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN
Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row
Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer.
contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, remoandiris said:

DING, DING, DING, DING!!!!!  Some people counted a move each time they left an RV park even if it was an overnight.  Others counted a move from one long term stop to the next, even if it took 3 overnights in between to get there, they didn't count the overnights.

Creating survey questions is as much an art as a science.  It seems like a simple concept, but it is not.  I am sure the OP did NOT want to count overnight stops.  Why would anyone want that data point?  It completely skews the results. 

 

As the sample size increases the more unique interpretations to the question are nulled out, making the results more representative of the practices of those who respond.

However, taking into account that a few don't count a one night stop as a move, the result is to increase the move frequency response a bit.  

Apparently, Escapees like moving rather often.

Our "Here and There" Blog

 

2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've stayed at 22 parks since January.  Not usual for us but we spent the winter cruising I 10 from Florida to Arizona and back to Texas. We normally volunteer in the winter down in Texas or Florida. Every year is different we just go with the flow. 

John

2017 F350 King Ranch DRW 6.7 4.10 B&W hitch

2017 DRV MS 36RSSB3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, SecondWind said:

Now I'm honestly confused.  How does moving 36+ times a year equal "slow down and enjoy"?

We drove Historic Route 66 in a Class C motorhome. We moved pretty much every day. Yet it took us an entire month to drive from Chicago to Santa Monica. Because we stopped at lots of museums, sights and diners along the way. Moving a lot does not preclude slow down and enjoy.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

 

As the sample size increases the more unique interpretations to the question are nulled out, making the results more representative of the practices of those who respond.

 

Except, the sample size is WAY to small to null out anything and make a more valid representation.  There is far too much anecdotal evidence in forum posts throughout the years to state Escapees move frequently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, sandsys said:

We drove Historic Route 66 in a Class C motorhome. We moved pretty much every day. Yet it took us an entire month to drive from Chicago to Santa Monica. Because we stopped at lots of museums, sights and diners along the way. Moving a lot does not preclude slow down and enjoy.

1

Linda also makes a good point. If you move only a short distance each move, you can actually change campsite many times and experience lots of different places with very little travel. Part of the slowing down process is the number of hours spent driving and distance traveled. One of our moves was only 32 miles and our typical travel day was no more than 4 hours of actual driving time. We usually pulled out between 9 & 10 am, then took a nice leisurely lunch break, and were stopped for the night no later than 3 pm. Most days we would cover somewhere between 100 & 200 miles, but distance covered was never our priority while seeing the country we were passing through was. We stayed off of the interstate highways most of the time using the US routes as our primary route of travel. Passing through the small towns was part of the experience and more than once we found a small community park in one of those towns which we spent the night in and sometimes more than one night. One memorable experience was when we stopped for the night in a rural city park and soon the local police officer (only 1 on duty per shift) came by to introduce himself, followed a short time later by the mayor who invited us to stay over for the community festival & parade in two days,(it was Thursday evening, parade on Saturday) We were so impressed that we stayed in that park for 4 nights, and it was one of the many highlights of our years on the road. 

I believe this is as much of what most of us mean by slowing down as is the number of times that you move from place to place. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, remoandiris said:

Except, the sample size is WAY to small to null out anything and make a more valid representation.  There is far too much anecdotal evidence in forum posts throughout the years to state Escapees move frequently.

You are probably right.  The poll was just intended to be a discussion starter.

Our "Here and There" Blog

 

2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎4‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 8:23 AM, Kirk Wood said:

Doing the math, this would mean that we would make 36 moves in a year, yet we traveled with no set schedule when moving and stayed for 3 months at 3 different locations with no moves at all. The result was that most years our RV was not moving at all for about 9 months out of the year, yet we might move it easily 36 times.

Makes a lot more sense when the math is explained.

 

On ‎4‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 4:20 PM, sandsys said:

We drove Historic Route 66 in a Class C motorhome. We moved pretty much every day. Yet it took us an entire month to drive from Chicago to Santa Monica. Because we stopped at lots of museums, sights and diners along the way. Moving a lot does not preclude slow down and enjoy.

Personally, I would equate "slow down" with "not moving"...  but I see your point, Linda...  as I would also contradict myself by counting taking a month to get from Chicago to Santa Monica as "slow".

 

On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 6:46 AM, Kirk Wood said:

One memorable experience was when we stopped for the night in a rural city park and soon the local police officer (only 1 on duty per shift) came by to introduce himself, followed a short time later by the mayor who invited us to stay over for the community festival & parade in two days...

That would disturb me greatly.  Overly-friendly strangers in a very rural area are always up to no good...  like belonging to a witch's coven and looking to sacrifice one of you "outsiders" under the 200-year old Great Oak tree on the edge of town in order to ensure a bountiful crop harvest next year.  Don't you watch horror movies, Kirk????  :ph34r:

 

On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 8:48 AM, Pat & Pete said:

Technically , we've only 'moved' once in 7 years . We've been 'on the move' since . ;)

Best answer to the poll yet!!

 

Cheers,

Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This past year 61 stays..49 different locations, around  7800 miles on RV.

Since 10-01-2008..507 stays in 85770 miles.  Lost 1st 3 years of records in computer crash during 9/08 and yes I back up every time the program is used now, often on 2 different USB drives.

Teacher's Pet

'06 40' Phaeton QSH 350 Cat.

'04 R-Vision B+ Model 213, 6.0 Chevrolet.

http://www.skoolzoutforever.blogspot.com

http://map.datastormusers.com/user3.cfm?user=3912

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think one difference in this poll is whether someone has a toad or tow vehicle.  I have neither and travel in a motorhome.  So instead of staying some place for a month and using another vehicle to explore while my RV stays put, I slowly drive, staying fewer days without backtracking.  But I still have lots of time for exploring.  For example. I am meeting my son in Grand Canyon.  I will take 45 days to travel there from south of Cleveland to Grand Canyon for a total of 2,000 miles.

I am planning on staying at 12 campgrounds on the way--5 of them will be one-night stops.  The other 7 will be 5-6 nights in each.  I average less than 200 miles between campsites and have already traveled most of this route, so that does not seem too rushed to me.  Mostly I will have several days to relax and explore after 1-2 days of driving.

I will spend July and August in 7 campgrounds in Colorado and Utah, spending up 8-14 days in each of 4 places, with only a couple of days in the other places. 

So that is 19 campgrounds in almost four months.  That puts me in the highest category, but frankly, I would be bored traveling less.  I have averaged about 19,000 miles per year, but that is because I am bouncing around among family members on opposite sides of the country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


RVers Online University

campgroundviews.com

RV Destinations

Find out more or sign up for Escapees RV'ers Bootcamp.

Advertise your product or service here.

The Rvers- Now Streaming

RVTravel.com Logo



×
×
  • Create New...