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Mail Forwarding Service & RV Internet/wifi


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We can all give you examples of situations where you need an address even just a mail forwarding p.o. box.  Those would include issues such as replacement of expired credit cards and annual vehicle registration stickers.  You will need an address for your banking/financial institutions, medical and vehicle insurance.  If you ever have an issue with the IRS, any government or financial agency, you will never be notified by email.  You will receive a physical piece of mail instead.

Bottomline is you absolutely need a mailing service or other address.  If this is an issue with cost, then most mailing services will allow you to set up an account at very low cost and pay a small fee for forwarding your mail upon request.  When I was full time, I often went a couple of months or more before asking for my mail to be sent to the local post office, general delivery.  The cost was a few dollars and I got my mail the second day.  

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17 hours ago, hemsteadc said:

Starlink may be the answer to all our communication problems.  They're working on roaming as we speak.  Years ago I was hopeful that we could get internet with our portable satellite dishes but I guess that's not ever going to happen.

For many years we had Hughesnet satellite internet and I laugh at anyone who thinks Starlink will "work anywhere", since "anywhere" needs a clear view of the sky and many times that is not possible.  That cause us to get our first mobile hotspot in 2008, otherwise we needed to take our laptop computers somewhere to get online when trees or buildings blocked our satellite dish. Starlink just raised its prices and can do so anytime, since there are no contracts. The equipment price went up to $599 from $499 and the monthly cost went up to $110 from $99.

2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now.
Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat)
 

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18 hours ago, Patrick Cunningham said:

Bill, I checked out the video and it talks about getting multiple networks because one might have more signal strength than another in a certain area.   How is that done?   Is there some kind of combination plan allowing me to buy or subscribe to all of them, or do I have to set up an account with each of them separately?

We have multiple separate plans and use a router that supports USB tethering and "WiFi as WAN" (using wifi as a source for internet) so our printers and devices do not need to know how to hook to the various devices. 

Edited by Bill Joyce

2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now.
Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat)
 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Can someone provide a reasonable timeline on when going full time, when should domicile be decided?  Do you go to Texas, for example, before or after you buy your rig to declare domicile (at escapees, etc)?  Does it make more sense to get out on the road with all your stuff and then do it?  If the latter, what happens to everything in the mail in between that time?

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38 minutes ago, ajinfante said:

Can someone provide a reasonable timeline on when going full time, when should domicile be decided?  Do you go to Texas, for example, before or after you buy your rig to declare domicile (at escapees, etc)?  Does it make more sense to get out on the road with all your stuff and then do it?  If the latter, what happens to everything in the mail in between that time?

I would recommend getting your mail forwarding address set up at least 3 months prior to getting on the road and start the process of getting all your addresses changed over.

Once you purchase your rig, you can make the trip to your new domicile state to license your vehicles, get your driver's licenses, and register to vote.  Be sure to change your RV insurance to fulltimer's insurance.

If you have wills or a trust, have them reviewed by an attorney in your new domicile state to see if they need to be updated.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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Part of this depends on where you are and if you are still working. Most states require that you be a resident as long as you are a permanent employee in that state. The other big question is how long you expect to stay in current residence before going on the road, If you will be on the road within the next 3 months or so, it would be a good idea to get your Escapee address established before you buy the RV so that it can be registered to that address and avoid doing that twice in different states. By setting up the address several months early you can get everything changed to the new address well before you leave to avoid problems. If you have not done so, I suggest that you read the following article.

Ultimate Guide for Residency and Domicile as a Full Time RVer

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Would not use Escapees mail service in SD or FL they give you 2 addresses and anything going to SD of FL address you pay to transfer to Texas before it goes to you. Service has been great otherwise and they let you know this is how it works. If somewhere scans your license all mail is going to the address on license.

Starlink is great if not moving much and staying remote areas. How ever if you move and area has base users there depending on numbers you may or may not get a connection. If you have to rely on internet for work look at mobile must haves and get multiple carriers.

 

2000 Volvo 770

2022 Momentum 397TH-R

2016 Smart Fourtwo

2018 HD Road Glide Ultra

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One reason the state of Texas can't issue license tags and titles on the spot is as of 2021 the population of Texas is almost 30 million and the population of South Dakota is less than 900,000.

Dave

2004 Volvo 630 left tandem with 12 speed Freedomline

2014 Sandpiper 35 ROK 42' fifth wheel

Western Golf & Country Cart (EZ-GO frame)

 

 

 

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22 hours ago, oldcodger said:

One reason the state of Texas can't issue license tags and titles on the spot is as of 2021 the population of Texas is almost 30 million and the population of South Dakota is less than 900,000.

I, for one, enjoy being part of the small population of SD.  When we have needed to interact with a human, they have been pleasant and helpful.  Last year we went to Sioux Falls to renew our licenses; total elapsed time <1 hour from "in the door" to "leaving with new license in hand."

Edited by docj

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

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2 hours ago, docj said:

I, for one, enjoy being part of the small population of SD.  When we have needed to interact with a human, they have been pleasant and helpful.  Last year we went to Sioux Falls to renew our licenses; total elapsed time <1 hour from "in the door" to "leaving with new license in hand."

Plus, everyone in Sioux Falls knows what full timer means. You never have to try to explain. We even had someone at the highway welcome center ask us if we were full timers so she'd know what brochures to give us.

Linda

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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3 hours ago, docj said:

I, for one, enjoy being part of the small population of SD.  When we have needed to interact with a human, they have been pleasant and helpful.  Last year we went to Sioux Falls to renew our licenses; total elapsed time <1 hour from "in the door" to "leaving with new license in hand."

The same goes for Livingston, TX.

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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9 hours ago, sandsys said:

You leave with new driver's license and/or vehicle license plates in hand in Livingston?

Although you have asked your question several times, no one has directly answered it.  Presumably because they find the answer to be inconvenient.  It's pretty clear to me that the answer to your question is likely: No.

Some see arguing while others see a useful discussion.  😉

BTW, the closest DMV to me is in Danbury, CT.  I leave with a new drivers license and/or vehicle license plates in hand.

Edited by DanZemke
Added comment about my local DMV office

Volvo 770, New Horizons Majestic and an upcoming Smart car

 

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Dan, if you have a state class C or equivalent license in CT, most likely, the other states will accept that license and issue you their equivalent license.  We have moved from Texas to PA and they accepted the Texas license.  I moved back to Texas and then to OK and even to Toronto and it was easy to exchange the license.

Ken

Amateur radio operator, 2023 Cougar 22MLS, 2022 F150 Lariat 4x4 Off Road, Sport trim <br />Travel with 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and one African Gray parrot

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Ken,

Thanks.

I setup my mailing address in Sioux Falls, SD quite a while ago, but am not really using it yet.  South Dakota does not require a special drivers license for non-commercial use of a Class 8 truck, with or without a heavy trailer.  So I'm good to go.

Volvo 770, New Horizons Majestic and an upcoming Smart car

 

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4 hours ago, DanZemke said:

Although you have asked your question several times, no one has directly answered it.  Presumably because they find the answer to be inconvenient.  It's pretty clear to me that the answer to your question is likely: No.

Some see arguing while others see a useful discussion.  😉

 

2-3 weeks in the mail.  You'll receive a temporary registration immediately.  (Said with no snide remarks!)

Edited by 2gypsies

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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On 4/27/2022 at 12:40 PM, sandsys said:

Plus, everyone in Sioux Falls knows what full timer means. You never have to try to explain. We even had someone at the highway welcome center ask us if we were full timers so she'd know what brochures to give us.

Linda

This is the quote I thought I was replying.  "Same for Livingston, TX".  Sorry for the confusion.

Edited by 2gypsies

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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  • 3 weeks later...

Lots of good info presented.  Here's my 2 cents:

Option 1:
   Start your full-time life without a service and see if you find you need one.  If so, sign up for one.

Option 2:
   Set up an account with a service.  Try it for a year and if you do not think it is worth it, don't renew and go to Option 1.

We use MyHomeAddress in Emery, SD. Way convenient for us.

As for internet - Contact Mobile Must Have.
They are affiliated with Chris and Cheri at Mobile Internet Resources/Technomadia.
They will take the time to talk with you and help determine what best fits your needs.  There are routers that can handle multiple SIMMS from different providers. Good stuff.

At this time we have a Verizon Jetpack 8800 with a little Netgear MIMO antenna.  This setup dramatically changed our world.
If our needs change, Mobile Must Have will be at the top of our list.
We are fortunate to be on a legacy Truly-Unlimited plan with Verizon so that does put us in a bit of a different category than others.

Most importantly - get out here and have fun!!

Good luck.

Edited by Kevin H

The richest are not those who have the most, but those who need the least.

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