CLASS OF 2016

[Allpeds]

My husband Ed and I will be joining the class of 2016. It wasn't really in our plan to retire for a few years yet but work and life changes have sped up the process. Who are we to question if life wants us to retire and travel sooner? We have sold the house within the family and hopefully that goes through without any major hiccups. If all goes well we will make our first trip from Northern California to the Quartzite rally. We are still trying to decide which 5th wheel we are going to buy. We have narrowed it down to a few! We may start out briefly in our travel trailer until we buy. There are so many details to work out yet. Health insurance is a major concern we need to figure out as we are still a little over a year from Medicare. I really do not want to have a yard sale as it just makes me crazy to have people want everything for nothing. I would rather give the majority away and take the tax write off. We have made many trips already donating to a local charity. So far it has been easier than expected to let things go, it seems like the possessions were just weighing us down. Our biggest issue has been our family not wanting us to go. We have elderly parents who are healthy and self reliant but just don't want us to leave. We have endlessly explained that we will be back frequently to visit and are really just a plane ride away in an emergency. We do have many other family members close by if needed. We also have grandchildren (9, 12 and 13) that are hard to leave for weeks at a time but look forward to them making trips with us. Even though we have always loved travel and camping our family just can't understand why we would want to give up our home and live in an RV. I've decided that if they don't get it, they just won't. We will have a small storage unit for a year to see if we want to buy a sticks and bricks home base or not. Well, hopefully that is not too much information! I look forward to meeting everyone on the road.

 

Beth

[Ramblin Reck]

GOOD NEWS ! After five years of planning, fixing, and getting rid of stuff, we finally got our house on the market 8 days ago and we got our first offer ! =D> When house sells we will retire on 4 Jan 16 and fulltime. Keep your fingers crossed !

[SteveandLiz]

 

Steve,

 

Guessing you must have the new coach now? Anxious to see some more pics if you do and hear first impressions!

Don,

 

You're right. Thanks for remembering. We took delvery on Oct. 12th and spent the week at Newmar in Nappanee, IN. We then took a little over two weeks to get home and now have 1700 miles under our belt. Great experience and some adventurous times. we are still smiling. I will try to get some pics up soon. We are catching up here and I need to take a few pics of the inside too before I post.

 

Steve

[SteveandLiz]

Here is a link to some pics of our new RV. We took delivery at the Newmar factory in Nappanee, IN and spent 5 days camping in their campgound with a tech available everyday to handle any issues that we might find. Other than a few minor issues, we spent most of the time learning all the systems of a diesel coach. Once we were done we took a little over two weeks to work our way back to GA.

 

We plan to do extended stay trips over the next year while we get the house ready to sell. We're both looking forward to being on the road.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/52mdx5iqe3ewzta/AAAUadzEeGM3LkOa5YqhQFIOa?dl=0

 

Thanks

[youngfulltimers]

We are only a week into RV hunting but in good shape to get on the road the day after we get married—Leap Day (Feb. 29, 2016). We already live in a studio and rent, so no need to minimize or sell our home... so very few barriers! We really wonder why more young, non-retired folks don't hit the road.

[Mainuh]

Steve & Liz,

Congrats!! It's gorgeous. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I've got 22 work days left. Can't wait to start rig hunting in earnest after the holidays.

Enjoy and hope to see it in person sometime soon!

 

 

Here is a link to some pics of our new RV. We took delivery at the Newmar factory in Nappanee, IN and spent 5 days camping in their campgound with a tech available everyday to handle any issues that we might find. Other than a few minor issues, we spent most of the time learning all the systems of a diesel coach. Once we were done we took a little over two weeks to work our way back to GA.

 

We plan to do extended stay trips over the next year while we get the house ready to sell. We're both looking forward to being on the road.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/52mdx5iqe3ewzta/AAAUadzEeGM3LkOa5YqhQFIOa?dl=0

 

Thanks

 

[R. Walter]

Steve & Liz,

Congrats!! It's gorgeous. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I've got 22 work days left. Can't wait to start rig hunting in earnest after the holidays.

Enjoy and hope to see it in person sometime soon!

 

 

 

Yes... nice looking outfit. I have 163 days until April 29 when I stop my work life. Looking forward to it! All downsized and ready to go.

[SteveandLiz]

Don,

 

Thanks for the nice comments. We are really enjoying it and heading to Charleston, SC for Thanksgiving with the kids and their families. It will be the first time they see the coach.

 

Congrats on 22 days left. I know you there is a perpetual smile on your face. Enjoy retirement and the rig search. Don't get yourself all wound up in the decision making process. Remember, it's supposed to be fun!! Keep us informed of your progress.

 

R. Walter,

 

Thanks for your comments also and congrats on 163 days left. Your smile will get bigger as you get closer. I remember that it seemed like it took forever, but when it finally arrived - Oh What a Day!! Your way ahead of us as we have to pry ourselves out of the coach to get busy here with the house. We have one more trip planned and then we are going to focus on the house issues. We leave the middle of December and return the middle of February. Hopefully we will be ready then!

 

Steve

[whatsnext]

Well, we are living in our DRV fulltime. All of our stuff went to our daughter which came in handy since she bought her first house. It is fully outfitted and we purged! Win/win! My wife has retired and my last day is Dec 25! We hit the road to out daughter's and then to Tampa.

[Ramblin Reck]

GOOD NEWS ! After five years of planning, fixing, and getting rid of stuff, we finally got our house on the market 8 days ago and we got our first offer ! =D> When house sells we will retire on 4 Jan 16 and fulltime. Keep your fingers crossed !

Getting closer!

[youngfulltimers]

We are only a week into RV hunting but in good shape to get on the road the day after we get married—Leap Day (Feb. 29, 2016). We already live in a studio and rent, so no need to minimize or sell our home... so very few barriers! We really wonder why more young, non-retired folks don't hit the road.

We finally pulled the trigger and got our RV! It's a 1994 Fleetwood Flair Class A motorhome... a 26-foot beauty with tons of basement and indoor storage. Check out our blog (link below) if you want to see for yourself. We're very proud of our find (for under $10K, mind you) and cannot wait to hit the road early next year.

[Ramblin Reck]

Congrats on your Class A. Enjoy!

[W0GER]

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here for a while, undecided when I would start taking steps on my plan to go full time. I had an opportunity arise here at the end of 2015 to move forward on my plan and I'm glad to say I'll be joining the class of 2016! This past weekend I made a deal on a 2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40'! The initial voyage will be over the holidays, Super excited! After the first of the year, I'll continue with the plans of getting the house listed. Looking forward to seeing some of you out on the road.

[Mainuh]

 

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here for a while, undecided when I would start taking steps on my plan to go full time. I had an opportunity arise here at the end of 2015 to move forward on my plan and I'm glad to say I'll be joining the class of 2016! This past weekend I made a deal on a 2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40'! The initial voyage will be over the holidays, Super excited! After the first of the year, I'll continue with the plans of getting the house listed. Looking forward to seeing some of you out on the road.

 

 

 

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here for a while, undecided when I would start taking steps on my plan to go full time. I had an opportunity arise here at the end of 2015 to move forward on my plan and I'm glad to say I'll be joining the class of 2016! This past weekend I made a deal on a 2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40'! The initial voyage will be over the holidays, Super excited! After the first of the year, I'll continue with the plans of getting the house listed. Looking forward to seeing some of you out on the road.

 

 

Roger,

Congrats & welcome! I'm 6 work days from retirement and we just pulled the trigger today on a full time rig for when we sell the house in the spring and hit the road. How about some pictures? We'd been looking at Tiffin busses and Phaetons, but ultimately a deal too good to pass upon a Newmar Mountain Aire fell in our lap. Maybe we'll catch you on the road sometime! Good luck with your plan.

[Fhkw9DPJ8V1g]

So after 10 years of planning and preparing we are finally getting to serious countdown time. My wife and I attended a "Life On Wheels" weekend at the Harrisburg (now Hershey) RV show in 2002. We were in our Coleman pop-up pulled by our minivan. Having always been travelers we knew that this was the life for us and the planning began to be on the road as soon as we were able.

 

We've sold the house and the short term lease runs out on our apartment on Jan 30. Most of the "stuff" has been sifted through and the 5th wheel is being moved on January 1 so that we can begin the month long process of prepping her for departure.

 

February 1st is our day to leave, weather permitting. We'll be heading to FL to take care of our domicile issues as well as seeing friends and family. From there.......Oh the places we'll go!!

[Ramblin Reck]

Getting closer!

We close on the S&B tomorrow! We moved into our Creek this past Sunday.

[Mainuh]

We close on the S&B tomorrow! We moved into our Creek this past Sunday.

 

Congrats! What's the plan after closing?

[Mainuh]

Hi Gang,

 

A little update, I'm retiring 12/24 and have the rest of this week off so 4 more work days. While that's certainly a step in the right direction, we took another big step last weekend and bought ourselves a rig to full time in. We found a pristine 2008 Newmar Mountain Aire with 53K miles on it. Bought it in Canada where our dollar is currently at $1.37 so we got it well below NADA retail. It's got a Cummins 450hp with 1450 ft/lbs torque and a CCC of 9766 lbs. The dealer will keep it in heated storage for us until we take delivery in late April (can't do much with it in Maine next few months anyway. It'll be a long wait to pull it out, but means we won't have to make trips to FL, TX or AZ this winter to look at rigs. The wife will be working into spring, but I'll be working on home sale prep, selling off stuff, etc. We had kind of been focused on a Tiffin bus, but this beauty fell into our laps and truly was a deal we couldn't pass up.

 

Here's a few photos:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2015 by Mainuh

[Ramblin Reck]

 

Congrats! What's the plan after closing?

Thanks ! We retire on 15 Jan 16 and will head to Key West for a while.

[rynosback]

Hi Gang,

 

A little update, I'm retiring 12/24 and have the rest of this week off so 4 more work days. While that's certainly a step in the right direction, we took another big step last weekend and bought ourselves a rig to full time in. We found a pristine 2008 Newmar Mountain Aire with 53K miles on it. Bought it in Canada where our dollar is currently at $1.37 so we got it well below NADA retail. It's got a Cummins 450hp with 1450 ft/lbs torque and a CCC of 9766 lbs. The dealer will keep it in heated storage for us until we take delivery in late April (can't do much with it in Maine next few months anyway. It'll be a long wait to pull it out, but means we won't have to make trips to FL, TX or AZ this winter to look at rigs. The wife will be working into spring, but I'll be working on home sale prep, selling off stuff, etc. We had kind of been focused on a Tiffin bus, but this beauty fell into our laps and truly was a deal we couldn't pass up.

 

Here's a few photos:

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats and nice looking rig.

[R. Walter]

Hi Gang,

 

A little update, I'm retiring 12/24 and have the rest of this week off so 4 more work days. While that's certainly a step in the right direction, we took another big step last weekend and bought ourselves a rig to full time in. We found a pristine 2008 Newmar Mountain Aire with 53K miles on it. Bought it in Canada where our dollar is currently at $1.37 so we got it well below NADA retail. It's got a Cummins 450hp with 1450 ft/lbs torque and a CCC of 9766 lbs. The dealer will keep it in heated storage for us until we take delivery in late April (can't do much with it in Maine next few months anyway. It'll be a long wait to pull it out, but means we won't have to make trips to FL, TX or AZ this winter to look at rigs. The wife will be working into spring, but I'll be working on home sale prep, selling off stuff, etc. We had kind of been focused on a Tiffin bus, but this beauty fell into our laps and truly was a deal we couldn't pass up.

 

Nice looking outfit............ Betcha can't wait till warmer weather. I'll be up in your neck of the woods this summer. Actually a little farther south at a COE facility in Mass.

[mandolin57]

Hi all.....it's been a while since I posted an update, and it looks like we're really getting more and more for 2016 which is great! We have decided to move the listing for our house up to mid February instead of April at the recommendation of our real estate agent. Our area is a little soft right now, and she feels the jump early might be to our advantage. I'm hoping she's right. My job is also questionable as to how long I will stay because our company is being bought out by another company and after 22 years of service, I'd like to get out before the deal goes down, so we're hoping the house sells quickly. We have downsized as far as we can go at this point without living out of boxes and still having something to stage the house with, but it really looks strange to see how much we've left go already, but at the same time it's a good and exciting feeling! If we sell quickly, we'd like to spend the summer close to my parents in Western PA who are in their late 80's this summer and then head to GA for the winter. After that, I'd like to get into some workamping for a few summers. Congrats to all of you who are posting lately and getting your rigs....it really is exciting knowing that 2016 is fast approaching and we'll all be on our way hopefully soon!

[maggie blair]

Hi, My name is Maggie and will retire on June 30th, 2016. I bought an RV and now comes the work of getting it ready for full-timing and downsizing (throwing stuff out).

 

My girls (fur babies Sassy and Abby) and I plan on being full-time as long it remains a fun adventure. Our first journey will be up to Western Washington (son lives in Seattle). I hope to explore the Washington coast and also the area around Port Townsend.

 

This site has proved to be a valuable resource and I look forward to meeting lots of new people.

 

Maggie, Sassy and Abby

 

 

[maggie blair]

Congrats and nice looking rig.

WOW! Congratulation! Beautiful!

[Mainuh]

Hi, My name is Maggie and will retire on June 30th, 2016. I bought an RV and now comes the work of getting it ready for full-timing and downsizing (throwing stuff out).

 

My girls (fur babies Sassy and Abby) and I plan on being full-time as long it remains a fun adventure. Our first journey will be up to Western Washington (son lives in Seattle). I hope to explore the Washington coast and also the area around Port Townsend.

 

This site has proved to be a valuable resource and I look forward to meeting lots of new people.

 

Maggie, Sassy and Abby

 

 

 

Welcome Maggie,

I just retired on Christmas eve and and hot and heavy into the downsizing mode to prep our house for sale in a few months. Listing more stuff on Craigslist daily. We're signed up for the Escapee rally and boot camp in VT in July and expect we'll be living full time in the RV by the time of the rally or a few weeks before.

Tell us about your rig! Got any pics?