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!