just joined the forum-trying to get as much info as possible-my hubbie and i are from canada-we have done 5th wheeling for 3 years now but just when we can go because of work commitments-i'm a semi-retired teacher and my hubby is retiring in june of 2008-we have met a number of full-timers and have decided to try it for a year and see if we can change our lifestyles completely-we will be leaving nine grandchildren behind but plan to be away for 6 months in warmer weather and being back home for 6-our health insurance only allows us to be out of country for 6 month periods-we are doing some researching about all aspects of living-finances-travel etc......i'm a little nervous about being in a smaller living area than what we are use to but i'm sure i'll adapt-hoping to meet some people that can help guide us trough our journey
Judy said
05:45 PM Aug 26, 2007
I am still adapting here. We have been doing full timing here in fiver since last Oct. again we were just doing vacations and wkends in the past until husband retired. Being truthful I miss the house. You mainly have to give and take in situtations if going full timing. So I guess you could say Im still waiting for that "love the full time life thingy " to happen. southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs
Jim01 said
06:14 PM Aug 26, 2007
Welcome to the forum!
What part of Canada are you from?
I'm sure you have some different situations there in Canada, but I'm sure if you have questions, there will be someone here who can help you.
We spend most of our winters in Florida, and there are a lot of Canadians at the campground where we stay, and quite a few are full-timers. Maybe well meet up with you, down there one of these days.
liketowin said
06:36 PM Aug 26, 2007
we are from sault ste marie ontario just on the us border-we have our home here but have our 5th wheel on st.joe's island about 35 miles from home-we have a permanent site there that we will keep year round and we'll stay there from may to oct then go south-we plan on being in florida sometime but i think our first destination will be texas-although we are just beginning to plan now for june 2008-we cannot stay out of the country more than 6 months because of our hospital insurance regulations here-sucks but no choice-although we will have to purchase out of country insurance as well-we are getting anxious to get started-i see that you have benn doing this for some time and you obviously love it-i anticipate that we will also enjoy our new lifestyle
liketowin said
06:39 PM Aug 26, 2007
thanks for your reply-i'm a little afraid of that also-but we have a back-up plan in case-we have two homes-we plan on selling just one for now- my 5th wheel is 30' with a double slide-out i'm seriously considering getting another with an extra slide-out in bedroom-wait and see after the first year-good luck in your travels-sounds wonderful
Sharkskinner said
06:20 AM Aug 27, 2007
Hi Jim;
What part of Florida do you spend your winter's in? What campgrounds?
Sandra said
06:42 AM Aug 27, 2007
We are also full timing Canadians (from Ontario) and with only being able to be out of Canada for six months it makes for pretty cold weather when leaving and coming back but we've been FT now for just over three years. There are things I miss about the house, like the dishwasher and the frost free refrigerator, washer and dryer but we have mostly everything else. I know we could install a washer/dryer but that would take up valuable storage space so for now its laundromats for me.
We leave Canada the end of October and return at the end of April in time for income tax to be filed. We spend our five months in Ontario as required to keep our OHIP coverage and as last year spend our extra month in Quebec. This year will probably be traveling west for our last month depending on weather. Our plan is to go south from Saskatchewan through the Dakotas and then on to Palo Duro Canyon before heading west to Arizona/Southern California but plans can change!
liketowin said
07:13 AM Aug 27, 2007
thanks for the info-a couple of questions though-you say that you have to stay in ontario for 5 months-can you stay just in canada anywhere or does it have to be in ontario? did you purchase out of country medical insurance?. from what company? if you don't mind how much does it cost per month? where in canada are you from? thanks for the info about bugs-however you probably have to worry about alligators, snakes etc.....? we were possibly planning on going to the east coast of canada in october and then heading into the usa we have a permanent site here for the year at a low cost but i don't want to stay here for october-the nice part about having a permanent site is that we can build a large shed to store some of our belongings-we are planning on selling one house in the spring and keep the other in case we don't like full-timing-back-up plan-talk later-thks
Jim01 said
12:13 PM Aug 27, 2007
Sharkskinner,
We usually stay at the Orange City RV Resort in Orange City. It's about midway between Orlando and Daytona, just off of I-4. We have a daughter in the area and usually stay there for a couple of months each year.
It is fairly expensive by the daily rate, but their monthly rate isn't too bad. They also take Passport America, but there are limits on when and how long they will let you stay.
The rest of the winter, we just roam around Florida, meeting up with friends and exploring different areas.
Speedhitch said
12:34 PM Aug 27, 2007
As far as the smaller living space.....you will have less area to clean! Welcome to the forum and welcome to full timing. Hope we have the opportunity to meet you on the road someday.
Joe and Sherri
Sandra said
12:56 PM Aug 27, 2007
hanks for the info-a couple of questions though-you say that you have to stay in ontario for 5 months-can you stay just in canada anywhere or does it have to be in ontario?
To maintain OHIP coverage you have to be in Ontario for five months (153 days) out of any year - http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/program/ohip/ohipfaq_dt.html
did you purchase out of country medical insurance?. from what company?
We have been purchasing our travel heath insurance through the RV Explorer Club (Canadian): http://www.explorer-rvclub.com/outprovinceinsurance.html
If you don't mind how much does it cost per month?
We pay a little over $1000 for the two of us for the 6 months coverage with no deductible
where in canada are you from?
We are originally from Ottawa and that remains our home base. That's where our doctors, dentists etc are.
thanks for the info about bugs-however you probably have to worry about alligators, snakes etc.....?
We've been in the desert, the Everglades and points in between and we've yet to see a snake between end of October and end of April. We've seen alligators but only when we went looking.
we were possibly planning on going to the east coast of canada in october and then heading into the usa
As a Canadian you can only stay in the U.S. for 6 months in any year. We usually leave around Oct 25th and return around April 25th. I understand that this year they are taking your passport and recording info so they may be keeping track of when you arrive in the U.S. and when you leave. I don't know this for sure and the U.S. and Canada would have to be sharing files but this is what I've been told.
we have a permanent site here for the year at a low cost but i don't want to stay here for october-the nice part about having a permanent site is that we can build a large shed to store some of our belongings-we are planning on selling one house in the spring and keep the other in case we don't like full-timing-back-up plan-talk later-thks
If you want any further info feel free to send me a private message. I can also refer you to Peggi McDonald at www.rvliving.net. She and her husband, John are Canadian, from Ontario and have been fulltimers for 22 years. She has lots of info on her site and she's always open to questions.
southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs
What part of Canada are you from?
I'm sure you have some different situations there in Canada, but I'm sure if you have questions, there will be someone here who can help you.
We spend most of our winters in Florida, and there are a lot of Canadians at the campground where we stay, and quite a few are full-timers. Maybe well meet up with you, down there one of these days.
What part of Florida do you spend your winter's in? What campgrounds?
We usually stay at the Orange City RV Resort in Orange City. It's about midway between Orlando and Daytona, just off of I-4. We have a daughter in the area and usually stay there for a couple of months each year.
It is fairly expensive by the daily rate, but their monthly rate isn't too bad. They also take Passport America, but there are limits on when and how long they will let you stay.
The rest of the winter, we just roam around Florida, meeting up with friends and exploring different areas.
To maintain OHIP coverage you have to be in Ontario for five months (153 days) out of any year - http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/program/ohip/ohipfaq_dt.html
did you purchase out of country medical insurance?. from what company?
We have been purchasing our travel heath insurance through the RV Explorer Club (Canadian): http://www.explorer-rvclub.com/outprovinceinsurance.html
If you don't mind how much does it cost per month?
We pay a little over $1000 for the two of us for the 6 months coverage with no deductible
where in canada are you from?
We are originally from Ottawa and that remains our home base. That's where our doctors, dentists etc are.
thanks for the info about bugs-however you probably have to worry about alligators, snakes etc.....?
We've been in the desert, the Everglades and points in between and we've yet to see a snake between end of October and end of April. We've seen alligators but only when we went looking.
we were possibly planning on going to the east coast of canada in october and then heading into the usa
As a Canadian you can only stay in the U.S. for 6 months in any year. We usually leave around Oct 25th and return around April 25th. I understand that this year they are taking your passport and recording info so they may be keeping track of when you arrive in the U.S. and when you leave. I don't know this for sure and the U.S. and Canada would have to be sharing files but this is what I've been told.
we have a permanent site here for the year at a low cost but i don't want to stay here for october-the nice part about having a permanent site is that we can build a large shed to store some of our belongings-we are planning on selling one house in the spring and keep the other in case we don't like full-timing-back-up plan-talk later-thks
If you want any further info feel free to send me a private message. I can also refer you to Peggi McDonald at www.rvliving.net. She and her husband, John are Canadian, from Ontario and have been fulltimers for 22 years. She has lots of info on her site and she's always open to questions.
Sandra