From the desk of Firedude
In my last few blogs I discussed some of what me might call the negatives with full-timing. Not really negatives, but such things as being prepared for health emergencies on the road, preplanning financially for the unexpected and so on.
In this blog I’d like to reflect the good points which certainly out weigh any negatives by far. For me the ability to be mobile with my home had been a blessing dealing with some of the health and unexpected situations. It has been a blessing in disguise for me if you will. Throughout all I’ve been able to have my home with me which has given me much peace of mind and comfort versus being in motels and staying with family and friends. That’s ok, but there is nothing like being at home in your own environment.
The ability to be so dynamic and change the view out your windows at any given time is a nice feeling of freedom. This holiday season has found me spending time in the central valley of California with family and old friends, you know those ones you fear you’ll never see again. It’s interesting in the questions I field from them in regards to my lifestyle. With most being baby boomers they now are very interested instead of looking at me like I was crazy lol!
The one thing in my travels I have found and cherished is the number of new long lasting friendships I’ve made. Unbelievable really in that I have more friends now than I can handle! I’ve met some brother and sister firefighters whom I maintain contact with along with many others. It seems no matter where I decide to go I have friends readily available at hand. It’s like you old neighborhood and home where you had your friends yet now it neighborhood stretches clear across the country!
I’ve for example waited nearly 6 years for a permanent site at a location of my choice near the beach to call home and my anchor point. I have many friends there after hosting in the area for a long time so it will be a homecoming of sorts and a place I can return after summer travels and not have to worry about making reservations especially in such a touristy place where there usually isn’t anything available.
I’ve never considered my 5’er just a trailer. I’ve made it into quite a comfortable home with any modification over the last 5 years giving me the capability to camp anywhere in just about any conditions such as boon docking and dry camping etc. Through it all and my health encounters and some of the unexpected I mention in an earlier blog I have always felt the lifestyle made it all so much easier and comfortable for me versus being back in a big conventional home. With careful planning you can find yourself living the life of freedom as I call it. Untied to property taxes, huge utility bills, mortgage payments and all the same old routine, mundane daily lifestyle I spent working at my career for 33 years. I can’t imagine still sitting there looking out my back yard window dreaming. I would have missed out on so much and so many wonderful friends! The positives outweigh the negatives in my book by far. If you’ve read my book you can clearly see how I personally would have missed out on so much of life in retirement and how the lifestyle actually helped me over the hurdles of health and other issues. It’s been filled with adventure and humor and yes of course the normal things we must all deal with in life and the whole time I was “home”.
I’ve also spent the last 6 years with my website helping provide an insight into the lifestyle trying help those dreaming of the someday hitting the road, I’ve tried to combine all my experiences into a central spot offering my own personal experiences among checklists, outlook, and much more. While I certainly don’t know it all I can offer from my own experiences in hopes of making the transition easier and more enjoyable for those in search of the full-timing lifestyle. And to all those who have helped me? A huge thank you!
Have a Safe and happy holiday season to everyone in RV land and RV.net!
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Carol Ferguson
I have been fulltiming for 11 eleven years and cannot imagine now living in a nice little house in a boring neighborhood. As I get older and stay in one place longer at a time, I always look forward to going on the road. It has been great!
Catchesthewind
Wife and I have been full timing now for about three years now and I can only agree totally with fire dude and I just hope that in our travels we may get a chance to meet.
Queen of the Road
I’d add another: If you don’t like your neighbors, you can just pick up and leave. The neighbors of our stationary home were so awful, they made us realize the importance of this one. Probably the question I get asked most about the “downside” of full timing is “what about friends?” I usually respond with some variation on what you said. I’d also add that my husband is my best friend, so getting to spend 24/7 together is something we very much appreciate.
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