Why did you choose part time RVing? Number of days?

[Roadtrek 1]

As a beginning RV enthusiast.... you're probably like us starting "part time" ?

Maybe "part time" is all you want to do...?

How many of you have decided this as a late stage life changing experience? 

For us... it's an adventure of sorts visiting new places in the rig. The wonderful thing about going in the RV is being away from civilization (sort of)...  It feels pretty crowded sometimes in a campground or RV park...... unfortunately. 

One of our most memorable experiences was being on some BLM land... beautiful mountains surrounded our campsite with the setting sun ....

How many days or miles do you travel each year?   While it's great to go out, coming home is nice as well.... and actually home has more privacy than any RV park. 

[Al F]

I don't find an better privacy than boondocking out in the middle of nowhere!

Two years after full retirement we sold the house put bunches of stuff in storage and went fulltime for 4 1/2 years.  Bought a house near son, DIL and 2 grandchildren to spend more time with the grand kids.  Downsized the RV.  2 1/2 years later they moved 2300 miles away.  Every year for the last 7 summers we have spent 5-10 months in the RV, most summers near the grand kids.  One 4 1/2 month trip to Alaska.  Still have the house to store "all our valuable possessions".  That would be mostly stuff my wife won't part with.  Oh, there is some stuff of mine, tools and such for upgrades to the RV, maintenance of the house, maintenance of the RV, etc.  

We both love to travel and it is handy to have the house to come back to in the winter.  

[Kirk W]

6 hours ago, Roadtrek 1 said:

As a beginning RV enthusiast.... you're probably like us starting "part time" ?

Folks who are new to RV traveling are not the only part-time RV travelers. There are also those who are at the other end of the RV experience where age and infirmity have made full-time RV life impractical or impossible. We started to RV with a small, well used, popup back in 1972 and discovered a whole new world. We towed the RV behind a 4WD vehicle and since neither that one nor the big popup that followed had any bathroom at all, we mostly stayed in places with either an outhouse or some dense bushes nearby and most years spent few if any nights in commercial RV parks. In 1982 we bought our first self-contained RV and in 2000 we went on the road as fulltimers. As the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end" and for us, that happened in 2011 when we became part-time again due to my mate's health issues. We miss the fulltime lifestyle but it just isn't practical any longer.

6 hours ago, Roadtrek 1 said:

How many days or miles do you travel each year? 

That now varies a great deal. In 2014 we were on the road for 5 continuous months and several other short trips. In 2015 & 16 we were never out for longer than 5 weeks with perhaps 75 to 90 nights total. In 2017 we were out for about a month, plus 2 trips of about 1 week each and in 2018 we were out from May 25 through August 15, with one other outing of 5 days. Next week we leave again and we know that we will be back for a doctor's appointment on May 30 but just how long we will stay out depends on how Pam does. 

I happen to think that you are probably wise to test the waters as a part-time RV traveler because I have seen so many folks announce that they were going on the road fulltime, only to discover that it just was not a good fit. By doing what you are, you will have an opportunity to experience the lifestyle without burning any bridges and you can always adjust your travels to get more or less of it as works well for you. As you gain experience in RV living, I suggest that you also expand your horizons to test new types of RV experiences as staying in RV parks is only a very small part of the choices available to those of us who own an RV. 

[remoandiris]

Been part timing since 2012.  Usually anywhere from 4 - 7 months at a time.  Selling the house and full timing this month.  We are not setup to boondock, so RV parks it is. 

We enjoy traveling and seeing new places, and staying in a house has become very boring.  The tentative plan is to spend long stretches of summer in one spot, see all we can, then head south for the winter and do the same thing.  Following year go to a different spot, and the same with the winter.  If we find a winter place we really like, we may return to it.  I think there are too many nice places out west to spend the summer in one place year after year.  

Downsizing has been a bitter sweet experience.  When/if we get a S&B again, it will be a small S&B and furnishings will be from thrift stores/Goodwill.  No need for a big house and lots of stuff again.  And, I will never buy brand new furniture ever again, except maybe for a recliner.  Dining room furniture and bedroom dressers...nope.  

[Barbaraok]

We transitioned from full-time to part-time in 2015.  We stay 6 months at the park model in Mesa, then as the temperatures go up, we load up and are out on the road for 6 months.    We do all of our medical/dental visits during the winter.   It works well for us and as long as we feel comfortable with the rig, we will keep doing it.

[Roadtrek 1]

6 hours ago, Al F said:

We both love to travel and it is handy to have the house to come back to in the winter

You bet it is.  

[Roadtrek 1]

3 hours ago, remoandiris said:

Downsizing has been a bitter sweet experience.  When/if we get a S&B again, it will be a small S&B and furnishings will be from thrift stores/Goodwill.  No need for a big house and lots of stuff again.  And, I will never buy brand new furniture ever again, except maybe for a recliner.  Dining room furniture and bedroom dressers...nope

You might consider a condo...less maintenance.

[RV_]

My wife had aging parents and mine were gone, so she used that as an excuse to come off the road fulltime, in 2003, after seven years enjoying it, and that was fine with me too. I just did not want to stay here in hot, humid, bug infested Louisiana for more than a few years. I hate the climate here! I loved the hunting and fishing, but we are four season people, skiers and scuba divers and loved our three years in Colorado. So we did get a 28' Sunnybrook to live in while our new house was being done.

Then after several changes of truck since we came off the road in 2003 our obligations here are over, and we are finally moving back to Colorado. We are downsizing from Ford tractors, a 50" zero turn mower and a Craftsman riding mower/lawn tractor. I have three weedeaters by Stihl, Ryobi and a Toro 4 stroke too. All being replaced by the Ryobi 18 volt trimmers we have been using exclusively because they do a great job and weigh nothing. I think I'll be going to a battery self-propelled mower as well. No more gas or diesel storage, no more oil changes.

We sold the Scamp already and will have a Diesel long bed like new Cummins diesel 2500 with brand new injectors, injector pump, and lift pump as of last summer. So I guess we are not even part timing after we move. But in Colorado, who knows? I believe we will be going to the few continents we have not lived in, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan/China. We've already lived two years in South America, Europe for seven years based in Germany, and all of North America including Alberta, B.C. and parts of the Yukon and Alaska for five months by RV.

Now that the Model 3 Tesla base model is available for $24k after rebates and savings, I may be buying one of the two motor standard range ones for bit more. Or a used Model S or X at the right price. It is great to have hard choices to make between our toys!

Model 3 pricing

So we went from full time RV, to part time RV, to no RV in the last 16 years after full timing for seven years. Tomorrow? We'll see.

[whj469]

We are part timers, 5 months in the UP of MI, May thru September, and five months on a small ranch in SE Texas. The other two months, January and February, in southern Florida.

[richfaa]

Economics has the deciding factor. We had been RV'ers for years but  still working which meant weekends and perhaps a two week vacation every year. We had no idea what full timing RV'ing might cost.

We like the area of Northern, Ohio we live in. We like the city, the neighbors the home. We do not like the winter. The S&B is paid for and we have on property RV facilities

We had a open mind and we headed first year on a fill time basses. To  be short we found we could travel as we wished and keep the S&B and all our processions  or at least most of them as we had to many anyhow.

We have been dong this for over 12 years and it works well for us. We are in general 6 months operating out of our S&B and 6 months were it is warm. We are all different and have different needs.

[jerryneal]

We spend 7 to 8 months on the road.  I’d sell the house in a skinny minute, but Joan likes the comfort of a home to come back to just in case.  We may have reached a compromise.  Down size on more time.  

[Roadtrek 1]

39 minutes ago, jerryneal said:

We spend 7 to 8 months on the road.  I’d sell the house in a skinny minute, but Joan likes the comfort of a home to come back to just in case.  We may have reached a compromise.  Down size on more time.  

I understand...the house though is your ace in the hole. 

[D&J]

We call ourselves extended travelers, we've been rving since 1978 but after retiring early in 2006 we keep our paid for house that we liked and started using it as a home base with the mind set of giving it 5 years before deciding on fulltime. We never went fulltime but spend 7 to 11 months on the road and have traveled 49 states 6 provinces and two one month stays in Mexico and are glad we keep our house because we haven't found any other place we would want to settle yet but we always have a open mind, I know we have found a few places we will never settle in and probable never go back to. I guess we all have to through life in our own way and do what makes us happy, we have no regrets on our choice.

Denny