Almost two years ago we attended a gathering of fellow working-age RVers, and while there - we did some video interviews with those in attendence.
We love the sheer variety of ways to make this lifestyle work while earning an income. From developing software, photography, massage therapy to carpentry - people who don't want to wait until retirement to travel full time are only limited by their creativity.
I finally found the time recently to compile those video interviews into a quick clip, and wanted to share it with you here:
We hope it can provide some inspiration to anyone considering this lifestyle to see a variety of people and ages doing it.
I'm now in process of contacting everyone interviewed 2 years ago and doing a follow-up with them to see where they are, what's changed and if they're still on the road. We think it'll be interesting.
The series will be published on our blog over the coming months... so stay tuned!
- Cherie
-- Edited by Technomadia on Tuesday 27th of March 2012 08:10:10 AM
HomeSweetRV said
06:01 PM Mar 27, 2012
Wonderful idea!
PIEERE said
01:40 AM Apr 14, 2012
Cherie: You two are right on! I sure wish I was tech-savvy. I am learning a bit more; hope to onde day have my own small business website.
Having had a heart attack on the 30th of March has set me back a bit; but maybe that will be the motivator to get it started quicker. I have 3 stints and an angioplasty now and a lot of healing to go.
Will be following you and be careful; I may step on your heels; LOL! Pieere
DorisandDave said
03:35 AM Apr 14, 2012
Great clips Cherie!
PIEERE wrote:
Having had a heart attack on the 30th of March has set me back a bit; but maybe that will be the motivator to get it started quicker. I have 3 stints and an angioplasty now and a lot of healing to go.
Pieere,
DH also had a hard attack in March 3 years ago. It was definately a motivator to get going on this lifestyle. We've been on the road a year now and he is much more relaxed and a whole lot less stress.
DennisRFreitas said
06:48 PM Jun 18, 2014
DorisandDave wrote:
PIEERE wrote:
Having had a heart attack on the 30th of March has set me back a bit; but maybe that will be the motivator to get it started quicker. I have 3 stints and an angioplasty now and a lot of healing to go.
Pieere,
DH also had a hard attack in March 3 years ago. It was definately a motivator to get going on this lifestyle. We've been on the road a year now and he is much more relaxed and a whole lot less stress.
I couldn't agree more! We have moved up our Full-time Date to ASAP. I am currently battling Cancer right now. Hope that my last surgery will be this June. That will be # 3! Once we beat that we will be out on the road ASAP! Good Luck to you all!
tigercx1 said
05:35 PM Jun 19, 2014
I am 53 and would like to go full timing on the road now but wife is not buying into it. We can't retire yet so would have to work and wife is leery of giving up our jobs that we don't particularly like but provide stability versus the unknown on the road.
Question to full timers that are still working, specifically those that couldn't take their job on the road (internet based jobs) how did you and significant other agree to just do it?
Thanks,
Mark
Camper Chronicles said
05:33 AM Jun 20, 2014
Hi Mark,
We spent an entire weekend looking at budgets based on info Howard (and a few others) had provided. I needed to see the numbers to feel totally comfortable. So we plugged the numbers into Howard's spreadsheet (great investment) and saw what a life at 24K , 36K, and 52K would look like. Lee was fine with the 24K lifestyle but I was like no way!! When you plugged on the numbers and saw everything we would have to give up I was NOT interested. Conversely I was not interested in the $52k lifestyle that had everything but would require me to work practically FT. So we settled on the 36k and I realized we could do practically anything and make that much money a year. That as out starting point...things have changed multiple times over the last several months and we have still not totally settled on a. Financial solution, but it was a turning point for me to know it was possible.
It was a rough weekend with lots of honest conversation and we had to take several breaks from it so things didn't get out of control. Lees a dreamer and I mdm super practical so it was tough. BUT I highly recommend the exercise for anyone doing this. When you start putting numbers into categories and add things up it really becomes real
BiggarView said
07:54 AM Jun 20, 2014
tigercx1 wrote:
I am 53 and would like to go full timing on the road now but wife is not buying into it. We can't retire yet so would have to work and wife is leery of giving up our jobs that we don't particularly like but provide stability versus the unknown on the road.
Question to full timers that are still working, specifically those that couldn't take their job on the road (internet based jobs) how did you and significant other agree to just do it?
Thanks,
Mark
Does FT "dreaming" count? We aren't on the road yet, nor will we likely be any time soon. But we are planning it and, all things being equal, we will go FT asap (for us). I will tell you this, we were more or less in your shoes a couple of years back and just plodding along in the same safe jobs, fortunately I enjoy my job, Cindi lost hers with the recession. A hard knock for us. Then Cindi's mother died and for her, it was a lightbulb turning on in her head. I was totally on board when she mentioned the idea of going FT seeing as our families was spread out all over the place, from CA to TX to Canada. I almost pulled the trigger about 15 years ago before I ever met Cindi, that's how life works.... it just happens. Plans change, dreams change. So I didn't give it much thought from then until the day Cindi made the "suggestion". I have worked the numbers expense wise, inital outlays etc and Cindi, while skeptical at first, is comfortable with my estimates of our anticipated expenses. Before we go, we will do a final hash out to ensure we both are taking each others needs and wants into consideration and I built into those forecasts, a fudge factor, if you will, to accomodate things as yet unknown. Next up for us is figuring the details of our income, both present and potential. If we wait till we can retire on our pensions etc., we will be in decent shape. To go sooner will require some additional thought on stringing together the resources to make it to the "promised land" of our pensions. It is doable, we just have to find the way there. Healing the real estate market will go a long way to making that happen.
Knowledge is power. Power to choose. Your comments... wife is leery of giving up our jobs that we don't particularly like but provide stability versus the unknown on the road. ... suggest she doesn't know enough to feel confident at least not in a "say it out loud" way. If the source of her wariness is financial (and it sounds like it might be), you'll need to find out more or less solid info on income(realistic estimates) and expenses as they pertain to your situation, ability and chosen lifestyle. The male of the species is typically the more risk tolerant and the females more cautious, so don't let that be a divide between your desire and you wife's reluctantance. Show her your numbers, let her participate in the discovery so she will understand that its not so scary once you have a good game plan. Patience is the keyword, be patient with her caution, and if it is meant to be, it will happen. If not, that is okay too. This lifestyle, as said by many on here with wisdom, is not for everybody.
FWIW, Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Friday 20th of June 2014 07:59:00 AM
Almost two years ago we attended a gathering of fellow working-age RVers, and while there - we did some video interviews with those in attendence.
We love the sheer variety of ways to make this lifestyle work while earning an income. From developing software, photography, massage therapy to carpentry - people who don't want to wait until retirement to travel full time are only limited by their creativity.
I finally found the time recently to compile those video interviews into a quick clip, and wanted to share it with you here:
We hope it can provide some inspiration to anyone considering this lifestyle to see a variety of people and ages doing it.
I'm now in process of contacting everyone interviewed 2 years ago and doing a follow-up with them to see where they are, what's changed and if they're still on the road. We think it'll be interesting.
The series will be published on our blog over the coming months... so stay tuned!
- Cherie
-- Edited by Technomadia on Tuesday 27th of March 2012 08:10:10 AM
Having had a heart attack on the 30th of March has set me back a bit; but maybe that will be the motivator to get it started quicker. I have 3 stints and an angioplasty now and a lot of healing to go.
Will be following you and be careful; I may step on your heels; LOL! Pieere
Pieere,
DH also had a hard attack in March 3 years ago. It was definately a motivator to get going on this lifestyle. We've been on the road a year now and he is much more relaxed and a whole lot less stress.
I couldn't agree more! We have moved up our Full-time Date to ASAP. I am currently battling Cancer right now. Hope that my last surgery will be this June. That will be # 3! Once we beat that we will be out on the road ASAP! Good Luck to you all!
I am 53 and would like to go full timing on the road now but wife is not buying into it. We can't retire yet so would have to work and wife is leery of giving up our jobs that we don't particularly like but provide stability versus the unknown on the road.
Question to full timers that are still working, specifically those that couldn't take their job on the road (internet based jobs) how did you and significant other agree to just do it?
Thanks,
Mark
We spent an entire weekend looking at budgets based on info Howard (and a few others) had provided. I needed to see the numbers to feel totally comfortable. So we plugged the numbers into Howard's spreadsheet (great investment) and saw what a life at 24K , 36K, and 52K would look like. Lee was fine with the 24K lifestyle but I was like no way!! When you plugged on the numbers and saw everything we would have to give up I was NOT interested. Conversely I was not interested in the $52k lifestyle that had everything but would require me to work practically FT. So we settled on the 36k and I realized we could do practically anything and make that much money a year. That as out starting point...things have changed multiple times over the last several months and we have still not totally settled on a. Financial solution, but it was a turning point for me to know it was possible.
It was a rough weekend with lots of honest conversation and we had to take several breaks from it so things didn't get out of control. Lees a dreamer and I mdm super practical so it was tough. BUT I highly recommend the exercise for anyone doing this. When you start putting numbers into categories and add things up it really becomes real
Does FT "dreaming" count? We aren't on the road yet, nor will we likely be any time soon. But we are planning it and, all things being equal, we will go FT asap (for us). I will tell you this, we were more or less in your shoes a couple of years back and just plodding along in the same safe jobs, fortunately I enjoy my job, Cindi lost hers with the recession. A hard knock for us. Then Cindi's mother died and for her, it was a lightbulb turning on in her head. I was totally on board when she mentioned the idea of going FT seeing as our families was spread out all over the place, from CA to TX to Canada. I almost pulled the trigger about 15 years ago before I ever met Cindi, that's how life works.... it just happens. Plans change, dreams change. So I didn't give it much thought from then until the day Cindi made the "suggestion". I have worked the numbers expense wise, inital outlays etc and Cindi, while skeptical at first, is comfortable with my estimates of our anticipated expenses. Before we go, we will do a final hash out to ensure we both are taking each others needs and wants into consideration and I built into those forecasts, a fudge factor, if you will, to accomodate things as yet unknown. Next up for us is figuring the details of our income, both present and potential. If we wait till we can retire on our pensions etc., we will be in decent shape. To go sooner will require some additional thought on stringing together the resources to make it to the "promised land" of our pensions. It is doable, we just have to find the way there. Healing the real estate market will go a long way to making that happen.
Knowledge is power. Power to choose. Your comments... wife is leery of giving up our jobs that we don't particularly like but provide stability versus the unknown on the road. ... suggest she doesn't know enough to feel confident at least not in a "say it out loud" way. If the source of her wariness is financial (and it sounds like it might be), you'll need to find out more or less solid info on income(realistic estimates) and expenses as they pertain to your situation, ability and chosen lifestyle. The male of the species is typically the more risk tolerant and the females more cautious, so don't let that be a divide between your desire and you wife's reluctantance. Show her your numbers, let her participate in the discovery so she will understand that its not so scary once you have a good game plan. Patience is the keyword, be patient with her caution, and if it is meant to be, it will happen. If not, that is okay too. This lifestyle, as said by many on here with wisdom, is not for everybody.
FWIW, Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Friday 20th of June 2014 07:59:00 AM