We have been following this site for some time now. We are planning on becomign full-timers sometime at the beginning of 2012. I have found alot of good information and helpful hints. We will be going to the Hershey show to try and narrow down our search, there are just too many great models out there to choose from. Looking forward to meeting some of you soon.
RVKevi said
06:11 PM Aug 8, 2011
Welcome, Loretta! See ya in Hershey!
Ckerr said
07:36 PM Aug 8, 2011
Welcome Loretta! Your right... there sure are a lot of choices out there! Enjoy the search...
mktobob said
02:06 PM Aug 9, 2011
Hello Loretta! That reminds me of the old Conway Twitty song....anyway...Welcome to this site. It is the perfect place to grab all the information you will need to make the transition.
Loretta said
02:24 PM Aug 9, 2011
Nice to meet you all. I am looking forward , someday, to meet all of you. We were hoping to be able to spend a few days in Hershey but everything is booked. It will take us about 2 hours to get there so maybe that won't be too much a drive for us. I want to see everything. I hope we will be able to make up our mind as to what to look into further. Right now we are stuck on a Class A. I guess we need to make a comparison chart with all the pros and cons of each. Anyone buy something and then wish they had something else?
Ivey said
10:15 PM Aug 9, 2011
welcome Loretta. You will find a lot to look at in Hershey. You will find pros and cons with every rig you look at. You need to decide what is the most important to you and what you can live without. Keep an open mind, ask lots of questions then buy what your heart can live with and your pocketbook can afford. Welcome to the life.
Vicky and Ira
Ken and Marianne said
06:04 AM Aug 10, 2011
Welcome Loretta! We'll see you in Hershey!
Marianne
gypsymaus said
10:48 AM Aug 12, 2011
Welcome Loretta! We have learned so much from everyone here over the last 4 years and we are still learning!
Waggin Tails said
07:53 PM Aug 12, 2011
Welcome Loretta! You are in the right place to get good solid experiential information. Going to Hershey is also a good thing to do. We will be going live in our full time dream in 2012 also. Been thinking about this for a few years now. Got serious last spring and now we are just waiting for our commitments in Corpus Christi wind down. Enjoy the search and follow your heart. Hope to meet you on the road some day.
Terry and Jo said
08:08 AM Aug 13, 2011
Let me also add our "Welcomes" to you as well, Loretta. I agree with many of the others in that the RV Dreams forums are a great place for helpful advice. You will find folks in just about every type of RV here to give you friendly advice and information.
You mentioned "Hershey show", so I don't know if that refers to a Hershey RV show or whether you are referring to RV Dreams Hershey rally. In either case, there is valuable information at both. The difference is that those at the RV shows tend to be salesmen trying to sell you their brand of RV.
That is not to say that us RV'ers aren't also "salespeople" of a sort, because most of us will steer you towards certain types or brands that we have found to be good ones. Rallys are good in that you get a lot of advice, but much of it comes in a short period of time, such as a few days. That could be overwhelming to someone trying to learn what they need.
By all means, attend both. The RV shows will give you the advantage of seeing a lot of different brands and models, and usually some brochures as well. Also, take the time to go to dealer's lots and just ask to look at several. When you find a floorplan that you like, spend some time in it to get a feel for "living" in it. Pretend to be cooking, sitting at the dining room table, sitting in the living room chairs to see if the entertainment center is handy to all, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
In that light, be wary of any salesman that does NOT ask you questions as to what it is that you want to do with your RV. Then, after you answer, make sure they specifically show you things that are answers to YOUR questions and desires. Jo and I spent 2 years researching our RV because we knew it was going to be the home of our future.
If you go with a fifth wheel or travel trailer, choose the RV first so that you can then purchase a tow vehicle that will be of sufficient size to handle the size of RV you have chosen. While those of us that are accused of being the "weight police" are pretty adamant that weights be an important consideration, we do so because of safety issues.
Spend some time reading blogs and also Howard's daily journal entries. Howard is very good in that he is not ashamed to inform us when he makes a mistake. That way, we can learn from his experiences as well.
Happy hunting, and good luck.
Terry
LandYachty said
05:14 AM Aug 14, 2011
First off, we love fifth wheels. So roomy and they allow us to boondock very easy. In the last two years we have rented a class C and a large Diesel pusher class A for extended (14 day) trips to try them out. The class C was too small for us, and the class A had way too much systems for boondocking (which we did with it). Best of luck is your search, hope to see you at Hershey. IOHO
bonnie and clyde said
08:08 PM Aug 16, 2011
Welcome Loretta,
a lot to learn and a lot to dream about--see you at Hershey
laurly said
07:23 PM Aug 17, 2011
Welcome Loretta! Although we can't attend the rally in Hershey, we plan on spending the weekend at the show. We have honed our sights on a Montana fifth wheel. George and I are hoping to hit the road late next year.
Loretta said
08:06 PM Aug 17, 2011
laurly wrote:
Welcome Loretta! Although we can't attend the rally in Hershey, we plan on spending the weekend at the show. We have honed our sights on a Montana fifth wheel. George and I are hoping to hit the road late next year.
Hi, hopefully we will be at the show at least one full day. I wanted to attend a few seminars too. My niece and family just got a Montana and they love it. They left in April, from NJ, with their two children and dog and are now traveling for the next year and a half. We are eyeing a Fleetwood Storm. Anyone have any ideas on that?
redcatcher1967 said
09:12 AM Aug 18, 2011
Just checking in. Anyone have a rough idea on average overall cost and expenditures on a monthly bases. Loretta and I are in the early planning stage leaning more towards a small class A MotorHome, maybe a 5th Wheeler. Not planning on spending a lot of time logged into one location for long periods of time. Boondocking and dry camping, maybe a camp ground host from time to time and just following the sun. Once we unload the house it's off and running, living a life as a full-timer
53 Merc said
02:00 PM Aug 18, 2011
redcatcher1967 wrote:
Just checking in. Anyone have a rough idea on average overall cost and expenditures on a monthly bases.
Howard posts an exhaustive budget and expenditure spreadsheet every month, followed by an annual. Look around on the home page, betcha you can see it. Use their costs and extrapolate yours based on differences of lifestyle. They do much the same as what you queried.
We have been following this site for some time now. We are planning on becomign full-timers sometime at the beginning of 2012. I have found alot of good information and helpful hints. We will be going to the Hershey show to try and narrow down our search, there are just too many great models out there to choose from. Looking forward to meeting some of you soon.
Hello Loretta! That reminds me of the old Conway Twitty song....anyway...Welcome to this site. It is the perfect place to grab all the information you will need to make the transition.
Vicky and Ira
Welcome Loretta! We'll see you in Hershey!
Marianne
Welcome Loretta! We have learned so much from everyone here over the last 4 years and we are still learning!
Enjoy the search and follow your heart. Hope to meet you on the road some day.
Let me also add our "Welcomes" to you as well, Loretta. I agree with many of the others in that the RV Dreams forums are a great place for helpful advice. You will find folks in just about every type of RV here to give you friendly advice and information.
You mentioned "Hershey show", so I don't know if that refers to a Hershey RV show or whether you are referring to RV Dreams Hershey rally. In either case, there is valuable information at both. The difference is that those at the RV shows tend to be salesmen trying to sell you their brand of RV.
That is not to say that us RV'ers aren't also "salespeople" of a sort, because most of us will steer you towards certain types or brands that we have found to be good ones. Rallys are good in that you get a lot of advice, but much of it comes in a short period of time, such as a few days. That could be overwhelming to someone trying to learn what they need.
By all means, attend both. The RV shows will give you the advantage of seeing a lot of different brands and models, and usually some brochures as well. Also, take the time to go to dealer's lots and just ask to look at several. When you find a floorplan that you like, spend some time in it to get a feel for "living" in it. Pretend to be cooking, sitting at the dining room table, sitting in the living room chairs to see if the entertainment center is handy to all, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
In that light, be wary of any salesman that does NOT ask you questions as to what it is that you want to do with your RV. Then, after you answer, make sure they specifically show you things that are answers to YOUR questions and desires. Jo and I spent 2 years researching our RV because we knew it was going to be the home of our future.
If you go with a fifth wheel or travel trailer, choose the RV first so that you can then purchase a tow vehicle that will be of sufficient size to handle the size of RV you have chosen. While those of us that are accused of being the "weight police" are pretty adamant that weights be an important consideration, we do so because of safety issues.
Spend some time reading blogs and also Howard's daily journal entries. Howard is very good in that he is not ashamed to inform us when he makes a mistake. That way, we can learn from his experiences as well.
Happy hunting, and good luck.
Terry
IOHO
Welcome Loretta,
a lot to learn and a lot to dream about--see you at Hershey
Hi, hopefully we will be at the show at least one full day. I wanted to attend a few seminars too. My niece and family just got a Montana and they love it. They left in April, from NJ, with their two children and dog and are now traveling for the next year and a half. We are eyeing a Fleetwood Storm. Anyone have any ideas on that?
Just checking in. Anyone have a rough idea on average overall cost and expenditures on a monthly bases. Loretta and I are in the early planning stage leaning more towards a small class A MotorHome, maybe a 5th Wheeler. Not planning on spending a lot of time logged into one location for long periods of time. Boondocking and dry camping, maybe a camp ground host from time to time and just following the sun. Once we unload the house it's off and running, living a life as a full-timer
Howard posts an exhaustive budget and expenditure spreadsheet every month, followed by an annual. Look around on the home page, betcha you can see it. Use their costs and extrapolate yours based on differences of lifestyle. They do much the same as what you queried.