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What made you take the leap?


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Combination of things,...I could see with our lack of earning potential, and poor economy, and increasing taxes and fees, that we had too much house. Around the same time we went on some trial runs for 1-2 months and hated to come home. In addition I finally got over my need to have all these various collections of things, and have never been happier. It has taken 18 months to sell all our stuff. Our escrow date is aug 11, and we are out of here. Our house is empty except for 6 pieces of furniture that will be sold in our last garage sale in a week or so. Neither of us ever has second guessed this, we're excited and can't wait for august to get here.

Also we have no family here, and the closest ones, we would like to be even further away from.

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We were sort of “accidental” full timers.


We didn't intend to full time, just wanted to take a three to six month trip around the country visiting friends and family and then find some warmer, cheaper place than NH to buy or build a house. At the time (2002)we had a 96 model year motor home with no slides.


We threw away stuff, gave stuff to places that could make use of it and distributed as much as possible to our kids.

We put all of the rest of our stuff in storage so we wouldn't have to go back to NH if the house sold quickly and it was still cold and yucky there.


The house did sell quickly (in a month) and we found after about a year and a half that we were having so much fun traveling and having no ties to a stick house that we decided to keep on full timing.

We traded the 96 motor home in on a new 2004 with a lot more CCC, storage space and two slides.


That was 13 years ago and we both loved the life style. But health issues and sort of "having done it all" have intervened and after being snowbirds for a year we are now living in our home in CO.

It was a wonderful 13 years though.

Clay(WA5NMR), Lee(Wife), Katie & Kelli (cats)
Full timed for eleven years in our 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N Workhorse chassis. Snowbirds for 1 year. Now settled down in western CO.
Honda Accord toad.

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The wife and I always like to drive around; When she worked daylight and I the afternoon shift, I would pick her up and drive around for her lunch. We didn't have a date night - we'd take a ride out into the countryside. Those rides turned into trips with a popup and the kids, the popup turned into a travel trailer with no slides, which turned into 2 more newer and better TT's, and trips from Maine to the Florida Keys. We loved are little cape cod house but being at the same place doing the same "chores" and driving the same roads except vacations wore on us. Having the trailer in a campground as a seasonal became the same as the house (within a few seasons - we walk all the trails visited all the spots and drove the same roads again) wanderlust is what I think it's called.

2008 F350 Lariat 4X4, PSD, DW, Crew Cab, 4:30, Long Bed, Tow Boss

B&W Turnover Ball Campanion Hitch 18K

Transfer Flow In Bed Auxiliary Fuel Tank 50 Gallon

2012 Cedar Creek 36RE

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  • 3 weeks later...

My business started struggling and i had to decide - invest a lot of time and effort to get it going again or retire now and enjoy 2-3 extra years of fun. we rented the house rather than sell since that gave us more income and we hope the house will appreciate over the next 10 years. we found a local company that specializes in property management and so far it has been an OK experience. Selling off our 30 year accumulation of stuff was interesting but easier than I thought it would be. Came to realize that I hadnt looked at or used most of that stuff in the last 10+ years. Stuff will fill your house but it wont fill your life. we havent regretted going on the road. Have met incredible people, seen awe inspiring sights, eaten better, lived healthier and been happier. how come everyone doesnt do this????

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We were sort of “accidental” full timers.


We didn't intend to full time, just wanted to take a three to six month trip around the country visiting friends and family and then find some warmer, cheaper place to buy or build a house. At the time (2002) we had a 96 model year motor home with no slides.


We threw away stuff, gave stuff to places that could make use of it and distributed as much as possible to our kids.

We put all of the rest of our stuff in storage so we wouldn't have to go back to NH if the house sold quickly and it was still cold and yucky there.


The house did sell quickly (in a month) and we found after about a year that we were having so much fun traveling and having no ties to a stick house that we decided to keep on full timing. We traded the 96 motor home in on a new 2004 with a lot more CCC, storage space and two slides.


That was 13 years ago and we both loved the life style. But health issues and sort of "having done it all" have intervened and after being snowbirds for a year we are now living in our home in CO.

It was a wonderful 13 years though.

Clay(WA5NMR), Lee(Wife), Katie & Kelli (cats)
Full timed for eleven years in our 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N Workhorse chassis. Snowbirds for 1 year. Now settled down in western CO.
Honda Accord toad.

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We lost friends who were in their 40's & 50's—broke our hearts. Sue & I asked ourselves, "What are we going to do with the rest of our lives"? At age 52, we retired, sold the home (that the two of us built) and bought our rig. I installed solar panels allowing us to live off-grid on public land. We hike, kayak, bicycle and enjoy wildlife photography. Now, age 61, we're in the best shape of our lives.

The way we look at it—we couldn't afford to do what we did but couldn't afford not to.
Best of luck,

Mark

Mark & Sue---SKP#86611
'06 International 4400LoPro DT570 310hp 950ft-lbs.-Allison--3.70 gears
'05 36' Teton Liberty
'12 BMW F650 twin
 

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My wife and I loved to travel. When the kids were out of school I suggested to her that we get an RV and go see the world - make it a better place where we could. She was too rooted, what if one of the kids got sick, what if it rained, what if it didn't rain...? So I shelved the idea and forgot all about it.

 

30 years later, she died. 3 years after that a new neighbor moved in who was so bad I knew I had to move. As I considered what sort of house it would take to hold my dead wife's 1957 tax records, the room full of Christmas ornaments that hadn't been used for 40 years, etc., I suddenly realized I didn't own all that stuff. It owned me! I was cleaning, maintaining, paying taxes and utilities on a house big enough for all this stuff that owned me. However crazy for one person to believe they can own another person, it is a whole other level to understand that you are OWNED by that stuff. And then I remembered the idea of getting an RV.

 

I put the house up for sale on Friday, Saturday someone came and looked at it, Monday they offered to buy it for what I was asking, we shook on it and the deal was done. I bought a trailer and parked it next to the house while closing took place. Moved everything I thought I had to take into it and practiced living in it for a couple of weeks. Adjusted a few things, taking some back into the house and getting a few from the house.

 

Called the kids and said, come and get anything you want. Anything saleable you don't want will go to auction, the rest to the landfill. They brought trucks. A few trips to the landfill and the process was complete. I felt 10 years younger - like a ton of weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

 

I love it. Not a single regret. So glad I did it. Would be happier if I had done it sooner, but better now than later.

 

The most serious error in the whole deal: I failed to measure the oven in the little tiny kitchen cook stove. None of the few baking pans I took would fit. I had to replace $20 or $25 worth of pans. I'm okay with that.

F-250 SCREW 4X4 Gas, 5th NuWa Premier 35FKTG, Full Time, Engineer Ret.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, some great stories! 5thwheelgyp, I too have fibromyalgia, and other pain mess, but feel better when in my trailer. Ethyl is a university professor, loves her work, otherwise we'd be full timers! We're geezers, but you'll find a heap of whips (snappers) who full time. Check out loloho, old Chris and Gee, The Wynns, and others on YouTube.

 

I'm so longing to be RV full time. We've had travel trailers since '78, on our third now and I'm checking out something a bit bigger now. I love the post who had that wreck in Mexico (not the wreck part), able to live totally off grid! That's the way to go!

That old man, he don't think like no old man.

"I thought I was wrong one time, but I was mistaken." Command Sergeant Major

"He's pinned under an outcropping of rock. Lucky for him, the rock kept the dirt from burying him alive."

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We had never camped or rv'd. We had an option on 10 acres, we thought we would subdivide it, build a house and sell it every 2 years. We bought a used 5th wheel to live in while building. Well, we bought the 5th wheel and started using it for vacations and weekends. We found we didn't want to go home. We gave up the option on the land, gave our notices at work and put the house up for sale. It took 5 months to get out, we were lucky, the buyer of the house wanted some of the furniture. We gave some to the kids and gave a lot to Goodwill. At 49 & 56 we were free from the mortgage and our slave driver bosses. We found park hosting/workamping gave us a free place to park and meet nice people. The first few years we worked one job in the summer and one in the winter. Then we worked only part of the year and traveled. We just took our first paying position, at a Corps of Engineer park in AR. We will come back next year but do something different in 2017. After 9 years of fulltiming I wouldn't change a thing and I don't regret a thing. It's been a great experience. We hope to fulltime for many more years

Jan & Thomas

2012 Drv Mobile Suite 5'r

2012 Ford F350 Super Duty

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am probably a little late to this topic but we went fulltiming in 1999 and had to get off the road after 9/11. It took us awhile to get back out there but we have been on the road again for 14 months. For the two years leading up to going we went back and forth traveling for a couple of months and returning to our stick house. The packing and unpacking and taking care of two houses was a pain. Putting the house up for rent NO PROBLEM it rented in 5 days for much more than we had hoped for. Selling the extra car NO PROBLEM, giving away everything in the house NO PROBLEM, now selling the motorcycle IT STILL HURTS A LITTLE. But we have our kayaks, bikes and don't just like fulltiming WE FREAKING LOVE IT!!!!! We still have our business that we have to be in the Florida panhandle for for two months but the rest of the time WHOOPEE!!! See you out there and remember "If the grass needs mowing, move!"

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There have been some wonderful stories posted in this topic. Thought I'd add my own.

 

I guess the actual moment I decided fulltiming would be in the future was when I was looking to buy an RV for short trips and came across blogs where others were doing it.

 

My wife is going along with the idea. She is not into the planning process and reminds me often when I've told her the same story about someone fulltiming, workcamping ideas and rig choices. She is not much of a planner and is far better at going with the flow than I am. I throw this in because I'm only writing about why I want do this rather than why WE want to do it.

 

Never planned to retire in our current home. Tired of taking care of the land and more things break then I have time to fix. Lost both my parents in a two year timeframe. That really changed my outlook on life. I have witnessed a lot of human pain in my job. Plenty of my co-workers have died young or just after retirement at the conventional age of 65. I'm determined that is not going to happen to me. I'm throwing caution to the wind and doing what I want while I still can. Figure the lifestyle will be good for my health - mentally and physically.

 

I love camping, hiking and everything about being outside. I'm looking forward to having a workcamping job with a lot less responsibility than I have now. This is also the only way I/WE can afford to see the country.

Mark from Missouri

Our Future in an RV

2018 Ram 3500 Laramie Dually LB 6.7L HO Diesel Aisin Transmission 4x4 3.73 Gears

2019 Vanleigh Vilano 320GK 35’ fifth wheel 16,000-pound GVWR

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  • 1 month later...

We have a slightly different twist.

We've been married 16 years, both with 2 grown kids from previous marriages. We like to travel. We have dogs, which can be difficult to travel with. We've looked at TT and MH for years, never pulling the trigger. My job has had us living in 4 houses in 3 states in the past 16 years. We don't have any roots anymore. No sentimental attachment to any specific home or place. We figured we'd retire in Colorado, near one of the kids and grandkids where my final work assignment had brought us. Then a year ago the Colorado daughter and family moved to Nebraska. I asked the DW where she wanted to live. We really don't care for where any of our kids have settled. Nice places to visit but.... and we still like to travel.We have 2 grandkids in Omaha, two in Dallas, 2 in Greenwich, CT and a daughter in Boise. Where to retire? So we decided to kick the can down the road an full time for a few years . Or more.

Roger

Colorado

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm about to start full-timing and have a slightly different story than most, at least in some details. Strangely enough everything came together on a thread in a robotics forum (yes, I build robots for fun). I was planning on divorcing my wife and I was wondering how I could wander between Maker Faires with a small shop and living quarters. From that came the suggestion for a "Camper Van" from an Australian friend. I was hooked almost immediately. I did the calculations, and figured I could live on the nothing I'd get from the divorce plus my laughable pension if I lived in a Class B. With more research I looked into Class A's because they sell for less than a new Class B. Whereas I couldn't live in a house on my pension income and still travel.

 

So I looked into 15-20 year old Newmars. Then, in mid divorce (I would have gone for cause if necessary, but I told her I'd leave her with almost everything if she'd go nofault), she died at the age of 50 (I'm 57). So now my budget is bigger and I may get remarried in 2016 sometime. Until then I'm still covered under the ex's health insurance,

 

So now I'm frantically going through the huge amount of stuff we've accumulated in a 28 year marriage. Unfortunately this did not include my birth certificate or social security care (well, it does, but I have no idea where they are). :(

 

So now I'm looking for a Class A that has a small room for a child of seven. The Newmar Dutch Star 4312 is my new goal and I'll be calling up a Newmar dealer in Forida to order one. By the time it's build, I'll have a domicile in Florida. I really like being able to do things by phone and internet. Though I will have to make one flight down there next month just to get a driver's licence and find a doctor, and all the other fun domicile things. And then one more flight down there to pick up the RV and get the few remaining things to put into the RV.

 

Do you know how it feels to lose a library that is measured in tons? I'm only buying eBooks now, but I am trying to replace series that I love in eBook format... Though I will be bringing along some physical books.

 

Feel free to chime in if I've said anything stupid. I'm fairly new to this, and would love it if anybody could set me straight. I've head that Hallmark makes some rather large Class C's. I'm just looking around for something that will last, has a washer/dryer, a second bath (or half bath), absolutely no artificial fireplace, and that I might be able to use to tow a car in an enclosed trailer. That way, when the car is out, I can unfold the workibench and I have a shop! I seem to be able to carry more in a diesel than a gas vehicle, but I could be convinced either way.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice,

 

Jay

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  • 6 months later...

I am also new to the forum - just joined an hour ago! (It's past my bedtime) When the recession hit in 2008 I had the cute little house I always dreamed of and a nice job working from home as a free lance bookkeeper. I saw the writing on the wall and sold my house in the nick of time. Looking back, it was the right decision. I would have lost the house. Young people with master's degrees and families were moving to my town in droves and the jobs went to them. Within two years my business dwindled to nothing.

 

I could only find retail jobs at minimum wage. By 2013 I was 61, broke and had to go live with my mom in a 55+ subsidized apartment complex. I saw that people lived too close together and most were sick and unhappy. It seemed like the elderly were expected to take their pills, watch tv, and not make trouble. It didn't look like much of a life. For a long time I have thought about the work and expense of owning - or even renting - a house or apartment and decided I would rather spend my time and money going places and seeing all there is to see.

 

I would rather not be tied down by "things". That made me think about living in an rv. Instead of struggling to make enough money to fit the expected lifestyle, I thought about how to live within my means and maintain a good quality of life. Years ago my husband and I bought land and lived in a travel trailer while we were developing the property. We put all of our stuff in storage and just had our clothes and a few books. I had a big garden and 30 acres to wander and I was never so happy. I didn't miss all the "things". I loved my tiny home.

 

I am shopping for a trailer and today I got on a wait list for a camp site in a beautiful extended stay camp ground. It will be a bit of a project to sort through my belongings, but when I moved in with my mom I gave away or sold most of my stuff; so there isn't much left. Guess I'm about 60% there :)

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Our decision was based on my health being adversely affected by cold weather. I was placed on what ended up being permanent disability due to major heart problems in 2000. I was basically house bound any time the air temperature dropped below freezing and looked like a mummy if out when below 40°, which is often the norm in Indiana during winter. With coming changes in the retirement program at Scottiesmom's teaching job, it was in her best interest to retire at the at the earliest date before the new guidelines went into effect, which meant at least another 5 years working to reach the same benefit level at age 55. She wasn't going to be working, I didn't work, the kids living in Florida and Virginia. We opted to sell out and follow the sun for my health and our comfort. Fulltiming made a lot of sense since we had been Rving since about 1977 and greatly enjoyed our family time while doing it. We travel to see the kids and grandkids each spring and fall since they have to work and we find in warm places to explore in between.

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

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Like many posting to this thread, a seemingly random (at the time) and serendipitous series of events brought us to this most wonderful lifestyle.

 

Three years ago, we thought it might be fun to join a "Camping Club" hosted by Northwest Tucson Moose Lodge. The Club visited various campgrounds throughout the state of Arizona - 9 months out of the year, for a 'long weekend' each month. Not owning an RV (of ANY type), we set about researching which vehicles might best fit our needs, wants and desires. After a few months of daily research, we just never could find 'the one' which had everything we wanted. On the way to purchase a newly remodeled and fully customized Class A (for more money than we really wanted to spend) out of Phoenix, we stumbled across a Craigslist Ad - with but a single picture and two sentences of a description - located in Marana, AZ - just a few miles off Interstate 10 (on the way to Phoenix).

 

As we exited our vehicle, we knew we had made the correct decision. The women selling the 36 ft Beaver Monterrey told us her story: She and her husband had spent the last 20 years on the road full-time - loving life and living their dream. The were the original owners purchasing it brand new in 1996. Unfortunately, her husband passed away suddenly and the thought of continuing on without him filled her with such dread she couldn't bare to even bring herself to sit in the motorhome - let alone drive it anywhere. Nearly a year had passed since she lost her husband when we arrived, and she still wouldn't go inside. When we indicated an interest, the woman countered: If we could see fit to assist her with selling the land, homes, vehicles and other items, she would sell us the RV (and any of its contents we wanted along with it) for $10,000. Her husband (a retired electric engineer) had meticulous maintenance and repair records, and other than sitting idle for a year, everything was in tip top shape. After nearly three weeks of meetings with attorneys, auctions, garage sales and swap meets, we had fully liquidated the Arizona portion of the estate, and true to her word, the woman handed us the keys to an RV loaded with every essential item required to 'live' a life on the road. We changed the oil, added sealant on the roof and windows where needed and replaced all six batteries.

 

A month later (in September), we decided to take a 'shake down cruise' back to Ohio to visit family. My eldest daughter had just given birth to our first grandchild, and the timing was perfect for a long distance trip across the country. Our six week journey left us with the feeling of wanting more time on the road, and no desire to return back to Tucson. To quench the desire for more time in the RV, we decided a 'year long' vacation to all 'lower 48' states would be an exciting time, and it would allow us to leave the oppressive Arizona dessert heat come summertime. Excited and ready to begin our adventure as soon as possible, we began to tell our friends and family of our plans. One night, while discussing our plans over cocktails, a gentleman from Florida overheard our conversations and asked if we were truly serious about this endeavor. He explained how he and his wife left Sarasota, Florida four years ago - and they haven't been back since. He also explained how they were PAID to live in their RV the whole entire time on the road. Of course, I thought the guy was completely full of S#$@%, but I listened anyhow.

 

This former Floridian, it turned out, inspected natural gas pipelines - traveling the country to where he was needed. He and his wife spent their summers in Utah and Colorado while wintering in New Mexico and Arizona. The Company where he worked, always needed people, and if I had an interest, he'd set up an interview. A set up our new friend with a double scotch on the rocks (his drink of choice) and sealed the deal.

 

For 18 months now, my wife and I have both inspected natural gas pipelines - visiting 25 states in the process. We've traveled to Key west and Myrtle Beach, and currently, find ourselves in The Black Hills of South Dakota. We still live full time in that very same 38 ft (now 20 year old) Beaver Monterrey. While we domicile out of South Dakota (including Drivers & Fishing License and Voter ID Cards), we still own a home in Tucson. We may rent it. We may sell it. We simply haven't decided just yet. One thing we are certain of: We absolutely love this life we have chosen. At 51 and 42 years, we do have one single regret: We wish we would have done this sooner!!

 

My advice to you: Figure out what kind of life you want and live it. Plenty of ways exist to pay for the life you want. You just have to get out there to see the opportunity.

 

Good Travels to you all!

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Todd and Heather, It was refreshing reading your story on how you became full-timers! Everything surely came together for you and you certainly helped out the owner of your motorhome and got an excellent deal to boot. The unplanned job you secured seems to be perfect for you. Best of luck and much happiness in your new lifestyle.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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  • 4 weeks later...

What a wonderful story. My husband and I began talking about going full time over 3 years ago. We knew we didn't want to just sit around and wait to grow older. We knew there had to be more to life than keeping up the yard and landscaping. We love to travel and we are always planning our next trip. We have never owned a trailer or motorhome. We tent camped when we were in our 20's. We have never pulled anything bigger than a 20 ft. sailboat. Through lots of talking and research, we have a plan in place and are almost there! We started off thinking we would do this for 6 months in a very small Airstream. We spent a couple years researching and touring factories and dealers. And now, our plan is much different. We are almost 62 and plan to take off then. We have purchased our truck (GMC 3500) and getting used to how BIG it is!! We have ordered the 5th wheel (Augusta RV, Ambition) and pick it up in early September. We are arranging to have someone teach us how to pull a 5th wheel!! We have a storage unit in Missouri near our daughter. We have sold/given away a lot, with a lot more to go! We are doing a bit of maintenance on the house and getting it ready to sell. Every once in awhile we look at each other and can't believe we are doing this. We know we want the freedom to roam and explore and see North America. We just won't know until we actually do it, if it's something we will enjoy. I imagine it will be hard to slow down, enjoy the ride, experience the journey etc. after a lifetime of working a schedule/routine. Will we have a social life? Will we get sad about missing our house? Lot's of unknowns but as I read about everyone who goes full time, they all say they wish they had done it sooner. Now that the time is near, I am so excited to embark on this new adventure!

Kathie and Tom

Ambition 33QS (Honalee)

Augusta RV

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