Ahhhh, living the dream! I don’t know about you, but I often have dreams of full timing. Now I know that some of you out there reading this blog are doing just that and I envy you! I think it’s the yearning to have independence. It seems like it would be nice to just get up one day, pull up stakes and move on to another town. Perhaps it’s the gypsy in me!
I have been very involved in the forums on RV.NET and and occasionally I look at people’s signatures and read their thread entries. I have met many full-timers and they have answered questions for me, especially when I am in the process of making decisions. I feel that if they are doing this stuff everyday, they are the closest thing to an expert I know!
One of the most impressive full timers I have bumped into on the RV.NET forums is a guy named Sean. It’s not that he has re-invented the wheel or anything with regards to full timing, but he has shown that RVing can be very practical. You see, Sean is a college student who is living the dream while going to college. Sean has a nice website that I would highly recommend, especially if you are a college student, soon-to-be college student or parents of either of the aforementioned, then his site is a must to explore.
I also did a Google search on ‘full timing’ and was surprised by how many websites are dedicated to this subject. Here a couple hits that I found interesting; All ABout Full Timing for RVers, Budgeting for Full-Timing, Trailer Life Full-Timing, What is Fill-Timing & Who Are Full-Timers?
When I go into the fantasy of full-timing, I try to figure out what kind of rig I would want. My current travel trailer would be very comfortable. At 33′ with a rear living room, a master bedroom a nice bathroom, it’s really like a portable cabin. But then I get concerned about the expense of pulling such a large trailer because I think we can all agree that the fuel prices probably wont’ drop. So, then I start thinking of alternatives and found a forum where people are full-timing in small (less than 20′) trailers. You can find that thread here. I suppose it really depends on what one would do while full-timing. If the idea is to travel once per month, that may not be bad, but if the idea is to travel every few days, that could be difficult.
While doing my research, I found a small travel trailer that I have to admit I really like. It is a fiberglass egg shaped travel trailer called an Oliver. Now I have heard of Scamp, Burro and some of the others, but Oliver was new to me. Check out their website and I believe you will be impressed with their product as well.
Of course, I can’t help but to ponder on whether I would choose a motorized RV. I think if I went that route, I would go big and lots of options, such as washer/dryer, satellite, etc. I have to say that if I do full-time I would probably go the Class A route. Although, if the oil companies keep raking us over the coals, I may not be able to afford operating one so time will tell on that one.
Another thing that I have thought about is where would my ‘home base’ be? That is, what state would I be living in. There are certain advantages in live in one state over others and that is a big decision. It seems that it can get complicated, but still manageable. I also think I would buy a lot somewhere where I can visit and park the rig on it. It would be even better if one could buy several lots around the country for that purpose. You know, find property with low property taxes in a state where the advantages are the best for a full-timer.
Ahhh…the dream. perhaps one day I will get to live it….I hope so! If you are a full-timer, I would love to hear from you! I would love to read about how you did it, what you like about it and the not so great things about it.
Happy Camping and see you next Sunday!
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Jay Pannier
Interesting, David. This is exactly what my wife and I have in mind upon retirement. We are selling everything and buying a bigger motorhome. (We currently have a 2002 Fleetwood Storm 34D). We have already bought our first piece of property on Hilton Head Island a couple of years ago. There are two RV Resorts there. Ours is in the one with the Marina – Lot 15. Right now we can only get down about once a year, but after next year we’ll probably spend a couple of months there before I get bored and want to move on to where the wind happens to blow me. When we’re not there the management company rents it our for us. I’d like to find something in Arizona for the winter and something in, perhaps Maine or Nova Scotia for the summer. Hilton Head would be for the spring.
Susan Vetter
My husband, John, and I have been fulltiming for the past 11 years. He was an I.B.E.W. industrial Electrician, building power plants, car plants, and the like. We followed the work around the country.
We sold our home, put our personal things in storage and hit the road in 1997. We have lived in 27 different places in the last 11 years all over the country from FL to MN and NY to CA. We have met hundreds of people from all over the US and Canada. We’ve seen things that most people don’t even know exist. Have you ever heard of “The House on the Rock”? (houseontherock.com) It was an experience that we wouldn’t have traded for anything.
John is now retired and we are living our dream in Destin, FL, just one block from the Gulf. We have an RV lot in a park there and are putting a “Park Model” (Manufactured) home on it in July.
If you ever get the chance to go fulltiming, I suggest you grab it!!!
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Gummy
Hello David, Those are very good words from Gypsy John. My philosophy is “HOLD ON TIGHT TO YOUR DREAMS” and “DON’T WAIT TO LONG”. Drop by my web site to read my story and follow along. Best of luck to you and the road is yours. Gummy
Gypsy John
David,
You sound just like the guy that is waiting for the ultimate computer gadget to come way down in price, but have all the wizardry & technology that goes with the big buck item. Sorry, it just ain’t going to happen and worse than that, you will always be DREAMIN’ and never go do what you think you want. I am (have been) a full-timer now going on five years and have never regretted doing what I did. Of course a program called LIFE ON WHEELS (which I have no association with) helped me more than anything going. I now live full time in my 40 ft Foretravel Class A motorhome, which has more features and quality than my former STICK house and yes in 20 minutes if I don’t like my neighbors or neighborhood–I’m on my way, seeking a new adventure. I don’t let the cost of fuel scare me in the slightest, cause that is (and will be till the price hits $7/gallon) the cheapest part of the experience. GO FOR IT or you will just be sitting in your rockin’ chair still asking yourself — WONDER WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE to see all those places that I only dreamed about?