mds1

I also took a photo of my vaccine card. Also took a photo of the receipt from Walgreens where I received the one shot vaccine which is listed on the receipt.

I do not agree with requiring a national vaccine passport. If businesses or whomever require it on their own then we will all see how the market handles that in terms of loosing or gaining business.

My wife does not trust the vaccine. I do, having received all kinds of shots in the Army without ever asking what they were.  She does not wear a mask as much as I do. I suspect it could be common within a family that one is more concerned with infection than the other. I would think even within a family one could get sick despite how they individually handle safety in public.

Forever I will remember the first day I ventured out after the "mandatory" stay at home orders to reduce the numbers going to the hospital. First time in my life I felt like a criminal when I made that trip to the store after two weeks.  Felt like for the first time in my life I could not fight for my freedom, having spent 30 years in law enforcement and 6 years in the army. I will never have that feeling again!  I'm thankful local law enforcement acting more reasonably than many politicians have. Restricting someone's freedom is a serious matter. I'm glad law enforcement refused to enforce the executives branches so called authority to limit freedom without input from the legislative branch.

I don't have much to offer in terms of answering the original posters question but want to comment that I'm watching this thread.  Great question..... and I appreciate the chance to learn from it.

We live in a 5th wheel and owned a travel trailer before. I would think the travel trailer would be easier to get around in while recovering because of no stairs inside.  

I have also recovered from a back injury, although we were not living fulltime in an RV.  The emotional side effects are note worthy as well.  It can be depressing when you are not able to do the things you have done in the past for an extended period of time. 

Wow, thanks for the story. Never know what is at the next turn in this journey.. Keep us posted and thanks for the heads up on Vegas. 

Bill&Anneli - Heading over to try and find your post in Beginning RV section....  All things considered, we are still enjoying our time on the road as well.   Takes living the life to figure out what things are the larger issues.  

M

We domiciled in Texas in November of 2019. We moved from Missouri. Filed a partial yearly state income tax return in Missouri so they get the idea we moved. 

Our auto and trailer insurance went down with the move to Livingston Texas from Missouri. Geico rocks!  Also considered Progressive and USAA. I've used my auto insurance already and am 110% satisfied with Geico in Texas.

We also considered South Dakota but was advised by Kyle of RVer Insurance Exchange to stay clear of South Dakota for our healthcare needs because they lack plans.  We had no pre-existing conditions and nine months later one of us would be Medicare eligible.  Ending up buying off the government exchange and found good doctors in Livingston. 

We liked both Texas and South Dakota because of Missouri where we have family. Also, frankly, we did not want to domicile in a state we never intended to visit later. Texas has much to offer for touring and great winter spots.

Friends went to South Dakota to domicile. Big advantage is ease of registering vehicles and getting DL's compared to Texas. They received vehicle and trailer tags from South Dakota in the mail. Then visited the state for a night and got their DLs in a few minutes.  Texas requires special drivers license if combined vehicle/trailer or RV gross weight capacity exceeds 26,000 pounds. Was not a problem after studying a few days for written test. The driving portion was easy at the Livingston Texas facility where they are used to RVs. 

No personal property tax for vehicles and trailers in Texas when renewing tags. Low to no tax at grocery stores. Not sure about South Dakota. 

Absolutely love being an Escapees member. The mail service is second to none. 

Good luck in your decision and hope I provided a few things to think about.

Welcome to the class of 2019 SteveCampsOut!

Quote

 

Sounds like you are setup for longer boondocking stays.  That's a plus in that it gives you more choices on where you stay.  We are setup, or making adjustments, trying to hit a 2 week goal for electric only hookups. So far we would just have to add about 30 gallons of fresh water as our waste tanks will handle it.  We have a 30 amp generator but still try and find at least 30 amp connections in a park.

We decided so far not to plan to far out ahead of us, so the ability to take a spot with less services is a plus as the parks we like fill up such as state and corp. of engineers. We don't like having a place to be at a certain time although we are scheduled in late April at the factory for minor RV repairs.  By the way you may already know you can buy an annual pass ($80) for Corp of Engineer parks which cuts you stays to half price.  If you are 62 or older the annual pass is good for a lifetime.  American the Beautiful pass is what it's called.

We kind of pick an area we want to be and gradually meander towards it.  Hate moving more than 200 miles at a time or spending any less than 2 days in a spot.  Once we arrive at the park/spot we decide in a day or so if we want to extend our stay, hence not having too many reservations setup ahead of our travels.

Waiting the winter out sounds good!  I know the feeling when friends that you came to know start moving out. Causes hitch-ich and the desire to move as well.  But, seems like in some cases new friends just move in behind them.

I retired in October of 2019 so I'm still adjusting to that change as well.  It's about equally as hard as moving into the RV lifestyle.  The wife had been retired already and established a routine at our old sticks-and-bricks house. I think she is having more trouble than me making the switch in terms of how she spends her days. Finding those friends in the parks for longer term stays has been a huge help.

On 1/31/2020 at 8:38 AM, fpmtngal said:

Just wondering how my fellow class of 2019 are doing this first month of 2020.  If all of you are happy with the choices you made last year to go full time.

What do my fellow classmates think about that?  Have you felt a difference yet between being on a long trip and being full-time yet?  Why?

We just completed our 5th month as fulltime.  Wife and I also worked through having a cold which in her case even included a call with a doctor through a telemed online service.  Had to replace the truck while stopped, fortunately at a decent park.  So some big things as well.

We definitely like the decision to go full time although there are briefer times when we still stop and wonder if this was the best thing.  Life goes on like normal. Sickness and truck issues or whatever.  I agree the ability to be flexible and remembering this is not a vacation makes us more full-timers than not.  Lots of challenges out there. The key is are the hassles worth it.  We think so.

 So glad to have met so many others who taught us so much. So glad we tend to stay a week at a time, and twice for monthly stays, as we learn this way of life. The support system from our new neighbors is awesome. Seems like in just a couple days you get to know them.  The wife is able to talk to neighbors about her concerns and the emotions of it. I'm also able to get second opinions from the neighbors.  Really great support system to include everyone here on this forum.

On 12/12/2019 at 3:22 PM, Cheryl Mc said:

We are in Livingston TX now and will not be leaving he area for a few weeks. Probably heading to Livingston Lake then south to Galveston area. Then east from there.  Will not be making it to the Q this year with the 2019 group.  We want to be in northern Mississippi to start the spring.

I take a photo of most numbers I need to remember and just save them on my phone or the cloud.  For example our account number, locker number and security code to get into our 10x5 storage unit.

I don't miss my sticks and bricks home even in the least.  Too excited about seeing what is ahead. Most of the emotional stuff for me is just the rush to get things finished up.  We still have our Missouri driver's licenses for a month or so. Feeling rootless is part of the thrill of it all.

The guy parked next to us and his wife have been on the road 7 years and hoping for 10 more. He correctly commented most people do major changes in their live every six years or so anyway. So someday moving back to a common sticks and bricks home may just be another one of those changes in 

Well I knew there was no state income tax but now I know I don't even have to file a return with them.  Bonus!

Thank you Kirk for the continued input into our class of 2019 thread.

I just learned something from your post - about it being a good idea to do a partial tax return to your old state. 

We are arriving in Livingston the first of December to finalize our domicile. I'll make sure to do an 11 month tax return for Missouri from where we are moving. And then a state return for Texas on that last month.

Mark

9 hours ago, fpmtngal said:

Woo hoo! Congrats big time! Glad your plan worked out well and you are officially a member of the class of 2019!

Am I so envious (fingers crossed that I might join you in a month).

I'll cross mine also. Good luck. That final month or two of getting ready was crazy. We are taking the next couple days to heal!

It's official. We moved into our fifth wheel full time last night.  House is sold but closing was delayed. We decided to go ahead and move out. Parked in a wonderful county park for now.  Started planning September 2014. Thank goodness for having the time to take this in small steps.

9 hours ago, Cheryl Mc said:

Moved into our RV the end of May & put our house on the market. The pic is from our first weekend trip after getting our RV in April. Our house has sold & closes in 3 days! My DH Bruce is retiring at the end of August and we will be off! So ready to travel!

Congratulations Cheryl,

We have similar good news to report as well. After much effort and considerable emotions we got our house ready for sell. Sold in three days for slightly more than asking price. New would be owners wanted to move in August 8th but we asked to push closing off until August 26th. We are on the road traveling and will be home just long enough for the final sale of possessions and moving stuff to a small (10x5) storage unit.  We are going to domicile in Texas. Although I'll be at my current job until maybe the first of October, I figure we will join Escapees as soon as possible and get our mail service setup. Hoping we can travel around for a couple months then head to Livingston to finish off the residency stuff such as driver license and insurance. Got to find a local doctor as well.

11 minutes ago, ROUS said:

Good luck on the home sale.  Our home sold within 24 hours of listing and we close tomorrow.  So, we're now homeless and need to go find that RV!

Thanks.  I wish the house was at 100% of what I wanted it to be when it goes on the market but it will be close enough. If our schedule works out we will be away on a camping trip the first two weeks it's on the market thereby giving the relators free run of the place to include us not having to move the dogs out.

Around here they are also selling quickly. Congrads on your sale!  I figure once it sells there will be a 30 to 45 day closing period, although our last house way back in 2003 sold in two days and we had to be out in two weeks.  Got the fifth wheel and a place to park it so we are hoping we have to move into it early

Good luck getting that class B purchases ASAP.

Mark from Missouri

Welcome to the group ROUS! Many of us here are not yet fulltimers.  Keep us posted on your progress so we can learn from it and also share the successes.  

Karen and I are working hard to get our home on the market which is a big hurdle we can't wait to climb over.  The rest seems so easy from then on.

Congrads on the house!  We are struggling to get everything ready to put in on the market. So much to do with so little time. We just want it looking its best rather than fixing stuff while waiting for closing.

For full time vs long stays. I'd think the personal property you would have in the trailer would be the same for the most part but there is going to be items you leave at home normally that you will take if it's permanent. Even the small stuff adds up. Cargo capacity is important. 

We picked up our 35' fifth wheel from the dealership two weeks ago. Getting ready to put the house on the market. Realtor wants to get it listed by June but I'm not sure if we can get it ready by then. Downsizing is going well.  We are content just to get on the road full time by the end of September and hoping everything falls in place. Wife is retired and I'm looking to by October 4th.  Just taking small bites out of everything that needs to be done but boy it is challenging. 

Good luck in the house sale

On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 7:29 PM, fpmtngal said:

An update:

Today I signed the listing paperwork - my house is officially for sale. How do people manage to keep their house up while they are living there?  

Here's hoping for a quick sale for you guys!!!!

We are preparing our house to go on the market the first of June. They are selling fast in our city, sometimes the same day.  I suppose keeping it show ready is relative to a lot of factors such as the number of people living there (like kids) and pets.  I've sold a few with us living in it which is a hassle if it stays on the market long because you have to be gone when they show it.  

If I'm understanding our realtor correctly, she is planning an open house right at the beginning. That's when the house should look it's best.  So Plan A is sell to someone that already wants it and is waiting for it to go on the market or at the initial open house. And plan B would be to keep living in it until it sells. BUT Plan C is possible for us in that we are picking up our fifth wheel Monday and can live in it while the house is on the market. We just don't want the added cost of campgrounds so we are planning just to roll with whatever works and see how it goes.

By the sale, our realtor expects to stage the house with some furniture. We will be down to living in the living room, kitchen, one bedroom and a bath. That's not that much to cleanup each day, especially as the bathroom is attached to the bedroom.

Our last house that sold we rented a storage unit and put as much in it as possible during the sale.

54 minutes ago, CasperBob said:

Nice spreadsheet Mark. Wow, that's a lot of items. Thanks for sharing that with us all. It reminded me of a couple of items we still need to purchase.

Yup, not that we are getting everything but wanted to keep some notes on stuff we might add over the next few years.  

44 minutes ago, fpmtngal said:

Nice spreadsheet, looks well thought-out.  You have a few things on there I don't have and don't need or want (DVR for satellite - I've never had one and don't miss it at all), and a couple of things I've thought about and am likely to get at some point, maybe.  I like the idea.... 

 

Excellent points!  The spreadsheet I forwarded was compiled over about four years. I added to it when folks recommended items.  I suspect I'll eventually wait on many of the purchases. Reading ideas you and other's have can change one's mind. I'm hoping prioritizing items will make a difference. 

Good point about the heated hose. I suspect we will run off our large fresh water if we find ourselves accidently in below freezing temps.  We are getting a 4 season trailer with heated tanks and such. 

For the most part we are starting out with the basics and see how it goes. An exception is a portable generator vs. a built in for example.  We already knew from prior RV experience how we use a generator so decided to free up some front basement space and go with the portable. Even skipped the generator prep when we ordered the trailer. Saved some $$. 

Appreciate everyone's comments...

Don't forget about etrailer.com   Sometimes you can go there and compare. Their website appears to have reduced a lot of the decisions down to a couple selections in any category.

I have a spreadsheet for all our stuff we looked to buy. I attached it.  The items in green we already have. It's prioritized. Awesome Class A by the way. Beautiful color.

Items to Purchase for Publication.xlsx

26 minutes ago, 18RAM3500 said:

We currently have a smaller 5th, and will transfer over most of the outside stuff, going to have a couple of yard sales to get rid of things we don't want to store, our new trailer should be in sometime May, we picked Texas for our domicile  was there in late Dec and Jan was so easy to transfer everything took one day.

We are going to have one open house and see how it goes homes are selling in 15 to 30 days here. once that happens we will be in Az for a short time then hit the road.

We love our 3500 had it a year now and plan on keeping for a long time this is my 3rd Dodge I have  had great performance from them all. maybe we will cross somewhere on our travels.

So you already cut your domicile over to Texas?

Did you have to take the driving and written test in Texas, which I believe is required for a license if you are over 26,000 gross weight capacity for truck and trailer?  I would assume you just took your existing trailer down their and had it for inspection to get tags and such.

For us, the plan is to retire first week of October and take off. Hopefully we will be living in the fifth wheel by then after house sale. I plan to setup mail service before then. Still working on the logistics.  I'm trying to avoid make a straight trip to our domicile state but rather spending a month or two traveling as we work our way there.