Second Chance

That's odd... our two phones and jetpack are all on the same prepaid account... Rob

This is correct information. We moved both smart phones and the 6620L MiFi from a post-paid account to the new prepaid account using the same phone numbers and SIM cards. A CSR that knows what they are doing is essential. Rob

OK... after about two hours on the phone with Verizon last evening (and discussions with my wife in between phone conversations, etc.), here's what we did: Not being on a "grandfathered" unlimited plan (we were on a New Verizon 24GB plan), my wife REALLY wanted me to move the MiFi (6620L) over to the prepaid unlimited plan. It took two calls to get it done, but the second prepaid support person I got hold of had just been trained on the new plans and it took him less than 5 minutes to do it - $65/month unlimited/unthrottled for the MiFi. During the conversation with him, I was talking about lowering the data on our post-paid plan for the phones. The tech asked why we didn't just move the phones to a prepaid plan quoted a number that was significantly lower than it was going to be on the post-paid plan and with three times the data for each phone. It seemed like a no-brainer. We now have everything on a prepaid plan for about $90 less than or total post-paid plan was and with unlimited data on the MiFi. During the process I expressed to my wife the concerns I share with some of you above - namely, what if Verizon decides to change the prepaid plan since there is no contract? She instructed me to say this on the forum: "I would not have agreed to sell the house and hit the road full-time if I had dwelled on what-ifs and worried about what might have happened. Just switch the plan and let me enjoy the unlimited data!" Now you know who's really in charge in our family... Rob PS - the knowledgeable person who finally got this done quickly and flawlessly gave me his business cell number: If anyone is interested, PM me.

We have a (discontinued) 24GB post-paid plan with two phones and the JetPack 6620L that runs $184/month with my military discount. I have a question for those more knowledgeable than I am in these things: If we were to move the JetPack from our post-paid plan to an unlimited pre-paid plan and reduce the data on the post-paid plan for the two phones, what are the chances that Verizon would change the pre-paid plan for the JetPack on me down the road (since I can't go back to our current plan once it's changed)? Is this a gamble? Rob

Just so nobody misunderstands, the premiums are for Part B (outpatient care). Part A (inpatient care) is premium-free. Tricare For Life will cover your prescriptions (I advise using the Express Scripts home delivery service to avoid copays). It's bargain basement compared to what non-military folks have to pay for part D and out-of-pocket expenses (Tricare For Life picks up whatever Medicare doesn't pay). If I can get it to work, here's a link to the Tricare For Life handbook: TCFL Handbook Rob

As far as I know, your daughter would be eligible for Tricare Select, as well - until she ages out. You might have to wait until open season in October to make the change. It may not be worth it for the short time between then and February, though. I'm Medicare/TFL now, but my wife is under 65 and has Tricare Select. It works well for us on the road - and no premiums. Rob

Thanks - I should have worded it that way. Rob

Part B comes from Medicare - anything else is a "supplemental" policy and is a waste of money for those of us with TFL. TFL also continues your Part D (outpatient prescription drug) coverage, so you don't need to find one of those on the market, either. My Part B enrollment paperwork came in the mail about 2 months before I turned 65. It was set up to go into effect (and the premiums deducted from by Social Security payments) UNLESS I did something to stop it. The ID card section will take care of DEERS and Tricare when you go in to get your new "senior" military ID. I've had one major illness since turning 65 and haven't had to pay anything out of pocket. Don't go spending money you don't need to. Rob Edit/PS: we all have some decisions to make come this next January. The dental coverage options are changing and Tricare will also start offering vision coverage. It would be best to go to the Tricare web site and read up on it so we can make some informed decisions when the time comes. There are also some good materials on the Tricare web site to help you understand the Medicare/TFL thing.

Place mats when we eat at the table... but that's not very often. Since they're rarely out, we don't have to deal with them on moving days. When the grandkids are with us a large tarp wouldn't be enough! We feed them outside. Rob

Some do. We've stayed at several where there was no mention of streaming and the bandwidth was great. We enjoyed many good films on Amazon Prime that way. Rob

Which is why we only use the Amazon FireStick for that - not the computers. Rob

We don't use park Wi-Fi for anything but streaming video. We NEVER connect the laptops to park Wi-Fi to do banking, order from Amazon or eBay, or anything else. My second career (21 years) was in healthcare information management, so I'm well aware of the security issues on public or semi-public networks. Rob

X2^^. We got our Escapees mail service and address 4 - 5 months before hitting the road and started moving all our business to that address at that time (everything except local utilities for the house - which became a moot point upon selling the house). This allowed for a few billing and/or statement cycles so we had the requisite documentation (bank statements, Verizon phone bills, etc.) with our Livingston address before showing up in Livingston to register the vehicles and get our drivers' licenses (which took us all of one morning with everything else done!). As SWharton advised, I had made a spreadsheet with all the entities that needed an address change using everything from my contacts list in email to BillPay in my on-line banking account. I think the only one I missed on the first pass was a (very small) oil and gas lease from my late wife's estate that hadn't paid out anything in the previous year. Rob

Thanks, Joel. Much as I suspected. I'm not that insistent on using the TV apps, so we'll continue to use the Fire Stick here and be happy! Rob

We just replaced our TV with a new 40" Samsung smart TV. It's a great TV and I can easily get it on our hot spot (Verizon 4G). Of course, we don't have enough data on our phone plan to stream video and we like to use park wifi for that (using an Amazon Fire Stick) to do that when park wifi is available and up to the task. The problem is that the wifi in the park where we are staying while my wife does PT after surgery requires log on via a pop-up browser window. The Amazon Fire Stick and the PCs accommodate this easily, but the Samsung TV does not pop up a window like the Fire Stick does. I had a very frustrating on-line chat with Samsung technical support (no help at all). Does anyone have any ideas or should we just be satisfied with the Fire Stick in these situations and use the smart TV functions when we stay places with "normal" wifi security?

I have not done the travelling thing but retired from nursing after 42 years (about half in the military at the bedside or head nurse and half civilian in administration). We used agency nurses when we had to during shortages but tried to avoid it for financial reasons. I don't remember any cases where agency personnel were used in management or administrative positions - they were all clinical assignments. Credentialling was critical for any specialty area. The agencies assisted their personnel in acquiring licensure in the state where the job was. Rob

This is true. In order to retain Tricare For Life, you must have (and pay the premiums for) Medicare Part B. It's an individual thing - your standing with Tricare and Medicare have nothing to do with her (except her eligibility). Her status is dependent on her age. Rob

It's not so much the engine and transmission - although those matter. The GCWR and max trailer weight are important, but not exceeding the rear axle and tire ratings is most critical. That info should be on your door sticker and you can find out what the truck actually weighs at the local CAT scales. Yours is a custom build, but most standard fifth wheels weigh in loaded with about 23% of the total weight on the pin. Rob

You don't say what size/weight of rig but, having owned Lippert and Dexter solid axle systems and the MOR/ryde independent suspension, the MOR/ryde is heads and shoulders above the other systems. Better ride, dampened, and fully alignable. Rob

Ok, folks - here's the follow-up on today's TX DPS experience and "the scoop" on how things are now working: It was a nice warm day to pack up, hitch up, and pull to El Paso for a Class A Exempt skills test (road test). I allowed myself plenty of time to get to the El Paso east side Hondo Pass location and arrived about 30 minutes early. When I told the young man at the registration desk what I was there for and showed him my driver's license and the receipt from the written test last week, he pulled my paperwork from a little plastic file box sitting on the desk... they knew I was coming. He said that, since they don't do a whole lot of the exempt licenses, it would take them a few minutes to get ready. After waiting ten or fifteen minutes, we actually started the skills test about 15 minutes before my appointment time. Prior to starting the actual driving part, the young examiner checked all lights and signals and also looked over stuff in the truck bed. I can only assume he was checking the hitch setup, cable connections and break-away switch and cable. After that, we did the backing-up part in a marked area to the side of the parking lot and then pulled out on the roads for the road test. We spent maybe 15 minutes driving and then went back inside for the final paperwork and to pick up my temporary license. So - bottom line - the link above with the locations for exempt license testing seems to be, as my wife likes to say, "true information." Not once was there a question about whether or not I should have been at that location and everyone involved seemed to be versed in the process. In retrospect, the worst part of the whole experience is the fact that, for the listed locations, you can only make on-line appointments for a regular Class C license or a CDL. There is no verbiage that would hint at the fact that you can actually schedule an appointment for an exempt license. I would not have known to schedule an appointment for a "Regular car/pickup" had the very helpful lady at the El Paso Northwest office not told me to do it that way. I hope this helps clear a little of the fog! Rob

OK... unable to get through to DPS on the phone this AM (dialing every couple of minutes). In between attempts, however, I searched the DPS web site some more and found this: Non-CDL page It specifically talks about locations for non-CDL skills tests and the classes of vehicles that can be tested there. All four El Paso locations are listed for Class A and B non-CDL exempt, including Hondo Pass. I'm going to continue to try to get through, anyway, but feel more confident about packing up and taking the rig down there Wednesday (got a reminder email from the DPS this morning). I'll report back here later this week to let everyone know how it turns out... Rob

Thanks, David. I will start with the "phone tree" first thing Monday morning and see what I can accomplish. Failing that, I'll drive down to Anthony to the CDL testing site. If both of those fail, I'll "schlep" to the location where I have an appointment and report back. Rob

A little update... It seems that the Texas DPS has recently centralized all of their customer service functions and any calls to numbers listed for local DPS drivers' license offices are shunted straight to Austin... when you can actually get through. We changed our plans to spend time back in Las Cruces, NM, (my hometown) and to conveniently get the Class A license stuff taken care of at the TX DPS drivers' license office just 30 miles down I-10. Based on what was written here and everything I could find on-line - and not being able to directly communicate with the DPS locations by phone or email - I drove down to the northwest El Paso location this morning to take the written exam and schedule a driving test. The people in the office seemed well-versed on the exempt licenses. I went with my paperwork ready and, after about 40 minutes in line, got seated at a testing kiosk. When I finished the written test, I asked the agent about scheduling the driving test. She said, "Oh, you have to go on-line to do that." I explained that the web site only provided for scheduling either a Class C or CDL driving test - not the exempt licenses. She said I still had to go on-line and to schedule a regular Class C driving test. The first one available at that location is three weeks out, so I schedule one on the west side (about 15 miles farther) for next Wednesday. If this all pans out, it would appear that the exempt licenses can be done at any DPS drivers' license office and one doesn't have to seek out a CDL testing location. On the other hand, IMHO, Texas' streamlining and centralization may have made things a little better for the masses, but not for us "outliers!" Rob

This document is on the DPS web site and lists Livingston as a location: https://www.dps.texas.gov/DriverLicense/documents/DL-95pg2.pdf Still trying to figure out the logistics, though... Rob

And yet another - Dyson V6 Ultimate. Does a great job. Rob