Were You An RVer/Camper Before Deciding To Go Fulltime
SnowGypsy said
02:13 AM Nov 7, 2013
I often wonder how many people that decide to fulltime RV had been campers and RVers and just decided to take it to the max and fulltime. We did. On our first trip to Disney World, a lifetime dream fulfilled for me, we stayed in a park model trailer at Fort Wilderness. It cost a small fortune but I saw people with tents and thought "We could do that." So, the rest is history after buying that first tent as we moved to RVs, back to tents, back to RVs with the added benefits of transferring with my husband's job with a contractor for the federal government. Been moving around since the 70's and just can't seem to stop although we have convinced ourselves a couple of times that we should settle in since we were getting older, you know, be secure which, of course, is nearly impossible today. Now, we are working on that last decision so we can get it on the market and hopefully, by the time it is finished and sold, we will have learned our lesson! So did anyone tent or rv prior to making the decision to fulltime? We did have the pleasure of spending 6 years in the Tucson area and learned about snowbirding and fulltiming from the experts on the road and those that had retired.
Neil and Connie said
02:47 AM Nov 7, 2013
Not us…we never RVed and only camped when our son was in the Cub and then Boy Scouts. We decided we might like the life so we rented a Class C for a month and toured around VA and MD…decided we liked it so we came home, put the house on the market, and ordered our New Horizons 5ver.
Lucky Mike said
03:13 AM Nov 7, 2013
Back packs to lean 2's......pickups & tents....pop-ups.....conversion Van ......Class c ....old Winnebago A...(my Favorite).....when I first left college I spent 3 years of running around by the seat of my pants........20 yrs of settling down and missing being able to just go!!!!
so the day came and a spur of the moment decision pointed me back down those hi-ways , and now its just a commitment to a dream lifestyle that has more twists and turns all with happy endings!!!
When its time to go , this is where I want to be....just looking out and knowing I didnt waste a moment and got to enjoy all of it as it was meant to be!!!!!
I've never met a traveler that had not had that "Moment" where the wind spoke....nature played perfect harmony....and the scenery just brought everything to a perfect thought!!!
DebbieM said
03:19 AM Nov 7, 2013
I was born to parents who were brought up camping and I've camped all my life. We brought our kids up camping too. Now that they are all on their own, we are heading out full time next summer. We can't wait. We don't care if we ever own a sticks and bricks again. We've always been an adventurous bunch.
Debbie
downtheroadwithsteveanddebbie.blogspot.com
Terry and Jo said
03:39 AM Nov 7, 2013
Our family camped for years when I was a kid. Almost every year we had at least a one week vacation that was spent in either NE New Mexico or Colorado. Tents were our main staple of camping, but at one time, my parents bought what I want to call a "Quik Kamp" trailer. It was basically a cigar box shaped trailer where the top half (cut at a diagonal from road side top to curb side bottom) hinged over with the "top" becoming the floor. A canvas tent was then raised and the bottom of the trailer became the bed and cooking area.
When Jo and I married in 1968, it was 12 years before we got back to camping. 1976 saw us discovering a National Forest campground in Colorado called Purgatoire River Campground. Since that initial discover, we camped there most years in everything from lean-to's, tents, and campers. Then, in 2009, we made the mistake of staying in an RV park where we had full hookups. I don't think Jo will really like the idea of boondocking any more.
Terry
French Bikers said
03:41 AM Nov 7, 2013
In our case we've been planning going fulltiming more than 10 years ago. We were expecting going at our retirement in 2018 but year will be 2015 or sooner. We don't own an RV yet because we will purchase our rig when time to leave will arrive. I meet my wife on a campground way way back in time..... We will buy a class A, but for now we are still camping in a tent or in a cabin, we both ride a motorcycle and I've a small trailer that carry all the stuff, when we travel we have everything beside the luxure and the comfort. Still the important for us is to ride our motorcycle and play outside. We've been saying that, one day we will still ride the bikes but no more tent sleeping!!!!!!. I don't mind too much but my wife is looking forward to sleep in a real bed after a motorcycle ride and have her comfort, we don't have 20 years anymore, so sometime it's rough to wake up in the morning but that's another story............
The main reason for us to go straight fulltimer is simple we love outdoor, we like to travel and we won't need the big house and the cars. Hit the road when we want and where we want for the time we want. RV is like a motorcycle both have one common factor "Freedom". We don't need to try or to rent one, we were meant for this lifestyle it was only a matter of time and it is coming soon.
Jean
RVKevi said
03:42 AM Nov 7, 2013
We were the opposite. Although my parents took me and my siblings camping when we were children, neither Kev nor I had camped as adults. We always seemed to visit family on vacations. Looking back, I wish we had taken our sons camping. In 2010 the idea occurred to us when we saw a motorhome pulling a toad, and we started researching it. The rest is history.
LibertyLinda said
04:26 AM Nov 7, 2013
Many years of tent camping, then I met my now husband, we went to a wine festival and tent camped - and that was the last time for tents. Once we got the Class C, we started talking seriously about fulltiming.
Then we found the RV Dreamers - and we are in full and focused pursuit of fulltiming!
cejones4210 said
04:30 AM Nov 7, 2013
I grew up camping with Girl Scouts. When we got married we tent camped, then when kids were little we had a truck camper. Sold it when they were teens. After they left for college we bought our first Airstream to see if we would like camping again. Been in an Airstream since 2001. Hope within the next year or so to also get a 5er for more storage and room, but keep the Airstream so we can participate in the rallies and caravans. That is my dream, who knows if it will happen, but either way we can go now as we have the Airstream.
We plan to be part-time fulltimers (6 months). Just waiting for the house to sell so we can relocate closer to our children. If the house sells we plan to go south or southeast for the winter and live in the AS while we build a house next summer. Cannot convince Hubby to fulltime, so this is our compromise.
Everyone has to do what works for them, so this is our plan and dream, God willing and where HE leads.
Rob_Fla said
02:49 PM Nov 7, 2013
We camped for years with our parents when we were kids (both me and my wife) my parents had a couple of Pop-Up Campers when I was a kid (a JC Higgens & a Nimrod), wife's parents had a Truck Camper when she was a kid.
When we got married we camped all over the country in Pop Up (a Lark & a Palomino) and then in Travel Trailers(a Sunline, a Nomad & a Sunnybrook) when our daughter was growing up.
After our Daughter was grown and did not go with us as much, we got our 1st 5th Wheel (28 Foot Jayco) and used it for vacations and weekends for years.
We did some extended trips in it to "Test" the fulltime lifestyle and loved it.
We sold our smaller 5th Wheel and bought our current 5th Wheel, sold the house and went fulltime, we will be fulltime 2 years tomorrow on November 8, 2013
Grams said
03:13 PM Nov 7, 2013
I was in Girl Scouts too, even went to the National Camp in WY one year. Went on annual camping trips with grandparents and cousins until I was 17. Hadn't been since before I sprung the FT idea to hubby who had never been camping.
Our reason...to travel and see this great land. We plan to start out traveling to the National Parks when we are free at year-end.
el Rojo and Pam said
03:14 PM Nov 7, 2013
We married in 1983 and started tent camping right off. Shortly there after, I bought a truck camper and the adventure began. We always talked about going full time when we were camping and now we are making it happen. We plan to list the house in early Jan and hit the road, hopefully by March ------ We can't wait.
I will say that this forum gave us the knowledge and courage to leave the sticks and bricks and grab a hold of our dream. Thank you once again Howard, Linda and all the posters on this forum.
Red
Dog Folks said
03:45 PM Nov 7, 2013
The reason I RV is a love story. I RV to be close to my wife. I met her 41 years ago and her family was very big into camping. They went camping every weekend that the weather allowed. I just wanted to be close to her, in her presence, so the only way I could accomplish that goal was to wrangle an invite to go camping with them.
Married that great gal one year later. The very last of the cash given as wedding gifts was spent on camping gear. Tent, stove, and all of the things that go with it were purchased. Never mind that I didn’t even have a job at that point! Camping was number one in my wife’s life.
We spent our lives weekend and vacation camping. Every time we went, at the end of the trip, my wife would say: “I don’t want to go home. I could stay here forever.” In June of 2006, she got her chance. We sold everything, bought a camper and a truck and set off on the full time lifestyle.
We have no regrets. After 41 years, I still want to be with her. Now, she is virtually within arms reach 24/7. For a man in love with his wife, it doesn’t get any better. Oh, by the way, the camping is not bad either!
el Rojo and Pam said
03:58 PM Nov 7, 2013
Way to go Dogfolks!!
Loretta said
04:06 PM Nov 7, 2013
Bill camped with his family when his children were young but I never camped. When we got together Bill was close to buying a small Class C and traveling. I was intrigued with the idea and said that if I was ever able to retire ($$$$) I wouldn't mind trying it. I am a spontaneous person so we went to the Hershey show and looked for three days at each and everything available. Came back, put my house on the market, sold it in 5 weeks, bought a Class A and we have been living this dream for a year now. I would not go back to a s/b. I love this lifestyle and we have a new 'family' now that we wouldn't trade for anything.
mylittledogs said
04:26 PM Nov 7, 2013
My wife & our 2 children tent camp from may to september for 8 years. When school let out for the summer, we would leave the house & move to a campground & stay at the campground all summer. I would go back an forth to work from the campground. Then when school started we would move back to the house. Then highschool started. That is another story in it self
heyduke said
04:47 PM Nov 7, 2013
Never RV'd before we bought the first one... the one we still own. We bought ours less than a month before we hit the road as full timers.... I like to say we bought our fourth RV first and simply skipped the first three purchases...
el Rojo and Pam said
05:29 PM Nov 7, 2013
I hate to admit it, but I've had a lot of practice buying rv's too. We're on #10, but that's over 28yrs.
NWescapee said
07:51 PM Nov 7, 2013
Lots of tent camping, me with my family growing up (tents and finally a tent trailer) and in Girl Scouts, Dale in Boy Scouts. First camping trip together 8 months after we were married and then 8 trips to Colorado in 11 years, all tent camping to escape the Dallas heat in August. Lots of weekend tent campouts in TX & OK before we bought our first small trailer, an Aliner. We're now on our 4th trailer (first 5th wheel) and are enjoying this full time RV life!!
jrzygrl64 said
08:32 PM Nov 7, 2013
First - Dog Folks - you sound like a very sweet and loving hubby! What a great story! Love it!
Bill camped a bit as a child with Boy Scouts and also with his one Uncle, all tents. I didn't camp out at all as a child.
When our kids were still very small, like 2 and 3 1/2 a friend of my bro-in-law was selling a small travel trailer, a 22' Citation. Somehow Bill found out about it and brought me to see it. He wanted to buy it to take the kids camping. Keep in mind, we didn't own anything that could tow it at this point, and I was a bit skeptical. Well, he talked me into it and thankfully the guy selling it didn't mind holding onto it until we could find a truck or van to pull it around. We ended up getting a Dodge Ram van to tow it - HUGE compared to my Toyota Corolla that got traded in! We took the kids a lot, for weekends, extended weekends, week long trips up until they got older (early teens) and didn't really want to (nor had time to) go anymore. My son (who is an Eagle Scout) and hubby went tent camping a lot with Boy Scouts over the years, while my daughter and I would have 'girls time'. We finally ended up selling the trailer after owning it for 12 years or so. Lots of happy memories! Took it all over!
So, fast forward to 2009. Both kids are in college. Hubby was out of work (plant closing) and had lots of time on his hands. So, he spent a lot of time on Craigslist. He found our current Class C and got this idea that we could take a big trip out west with it (we had always talked about doing that, but never got there) So, we bought it. We took it out west for about a month in April/May of 2010. We didn't want to come home! But, life calls and home we went.
Since then, hubby is back at work and after 2 years, the job will never be what he was told it would be. The kids are moved out and doing their own things. We have taken other trips, to FL with the kids before they moved out, down the shore, to Finger Lakes in NY, Outbanks, NC, etc. and each time we go out it is harder to come home, esp. b/c the kids aren't here and the house is HUGE now (we literally live 90% of the time in less than half of it!) So, we (mostly ME) started to brainstorm about how to get him out of this job he hates and travel like we love to do - and then I found this website! The rest is history - we are in full swing planning, budgeting, purging the house, looking at trucks and 5th wheels, going to spring rally! We are sold on this lifestyle hook, line and sinker! Can't wait!
Having said all that - I am not 100% sure we will do it forever. I might need (at some point) a place to call home - a place where we can have the kids and (someday) the grandkids come visit and stay. Someplace to have them for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll see. Hubby isn't opposed to that, but wants us both to stay open-minded, so we are on the same page! That's a good start, right?
So, to ditto what El Rojo said, thanks to Howard and Linda for this website and all others who post on the forum! You have all been a HUGE HELP to me!
Kelly
Jimmy and Janis said
03:51 AM Nov 8, 2013
We started out tent camping when the kids were real little. Some of the guys at work were going with their families and it sounded like fun so we bought all the gear. Seemed like every weekend we went it rained. We got the opportunity to buy a 1969 Starcraft 18ft. travel trailer from a friends parents. They financed it for us so we both quit smoking and used that money to pay $125 a month. We pulled it with a 1973 Ford Galaxie 500, I put air shocks on the back to raise the car up when the trailer squatted it. I sure wish I had a picture now of that set up. Looking back it sure wasn't the safest thing.
We moved up in rv's thru the years and were even times when we didn't have one with the kids busy schedules. The kids are all gone now, the house is up for sell and hopefully fulltime rving is in our future. We are going to buy a 5th wheel and truck.
Jimmy
WhoWanderLost said
05:53 AM Nov 8, 2013
We both camped when we were kids and off and on as young adults, mostly tent camping and when my boys were all small our family fulltimed,traveling for work to various locations in the western US....
Just didn't know 22 years ago that I would ever want to fulltime again!
Fast forward 20 years and a new life together we have spent most summer weekends the past 2 years either off road tent camping or backpacking into the beautiful Rockies here in Colorado. After a few of those trips we would come home and swear we were getting a pop-up. But in June this year DH had an ephinany that it was finally time to live the dream and we were going fulltime! I can't believe based on my experience in a previous life I was actually excited to live this dream with him!
4 months later the Rig is bought, the storage and apartment cleaned out and we are ready to go any day now.
Grams said
06:25 PM Nov 8, 2013
Love reading all the stories, but Dog Folks ... you sound like a very special couple!
The Restless Youngs said
08:02 PM Nov 8, 2013
We've made the decisions to full time earlier this year, however we're not quite there yet....but getting closer!! Up until the point of Hershey RV show a couple of months ago, we had never been in an RV before although each of us has done some random camping throughout the years, but never together. We do have a sailboat so are familar with smaller spaces...and honestly, the RV's we're looking at seem quite roomy in comparision so we think we'll be okay. Original plan was to sail, but after lots of conversations, think we are going to go "all in" on the RV route for now. Currently looking for our new home and once we find it, we'll finalize our timeline.
Dog Folks said
04:58 PM Nov 9, 2013
Grams wrote:
Love reading all the stories, but Dog Folks ... you sound like a very special couple!
AWW Shucks. Not special, but very lucky to have found the right partner the first time around.
drillking said
02:27 AM Nov 10, 2013
Camped with my folks since I was old enough to walk. Hunted every hunt you can think of. Married my gal 41 yrs ago and we backpacked and slept on the ground in blankets because we couldn't afford sleeping bags and such. Graduated to tents, business took off and we got a pop up. Been in everything from PU's, TT's, MH's, & FW's. Hauled our 3 kids all over the US on vacations and hunting trips. (they all RV with their families). 4 1/2 yrs ago my wife's appendix broke and they pronounced her dead in the ER. Miraculously she fought her way back to life to continue sharing our lives together. She has neurological problems now but is able to enjoy life for the most part. I sold our houses and land and toys and hit the road to see what's out there. One can work themselves to death and miss what God has made for us to enjoy. I am lucky that I can run my business from the road. 4 years now full timing and enjoying every day!
DebbieM said
06:27 AM Nov 10, 2013
Wow, what a story. So happy for your continued lives together! We never know how much time we have here, so what a blessing to spend it together the way that you want! We are looking forward to that.
--Debbie
downtheroadwithsteveanddebbie.blogspot.com
el Rojo and Pam said
04:12 PM Nov 10, 2013
DebbieM wrote:
Wow, what a story. So happy for your continued lives together! We never know how much time we have here, so what a blessing to spend it together the way that you want! We are looking forward to that.
--Debbie
downtheroadwithsteveanddebbie.blogspot.com
Ditto on what Debbie said.
Mikeco said
05:51 PM Nov 10, 2013
We started out tent camping back in the 70's. Bought our first pop up soon after. Graduated to a small fifth wheel. Currently camper-less. Plan now is for a class A the day we retire. (June 2018).
bluebird95 said
12:35 PM Nov 12, 2013
We primitive camped on our honeymoon 35 years ago. It was fun but i knew there had to be a better solution. After raising children we delved into the rv life. Hybrid bobcat 16ft replaced the camping out-fitted azteck. I looked at several fifth wheels one week and bought a 1979 Jaco designer. After several years and trips from Yellowstone to Maine can we say hooked ....I downsized for a few years to a Roadtrek...since i never was comfortable backing the fifth-wheel alone. The traveling really began,sometimes with husband and sometimes alone visiting family and friends. Still have the RT and would love to tow it behind our Bluebird class A. House sold and closed.....storage unit filling up.....goodbyes being said......We head out full-timing in two weeks.
Hope to see and meet you all as we see the USA
DeeJee said
09:02 PM Nov 12, 2013
What an enjoyable thread!!
The closet thing to camping I've done prior to the last month was renting a furnished a/c cabin with our kids. John and his brother's would go to deer camp with their uncles growing up but no family vacations. The great thing about life is it's never too late to try something new!
God Bless!
kb0zke said
03:04 AM Nov 13, 2013
Jo Ann's family camped, but mine didn't. Somehow, though, I got interested while in junior high. I read The Ford Guide to Camping on Wheels and Wally Byam's Trailer Travel Here and Abroad so many times the library wondered about me. Thirty years ago Jo Ann and I got married, and the next summer we took a church group of high school students on a canoe trip. That was my first time ever sleeping in a tent. Over the years we tent camped some (including one time with a 1-year-old while Jo Ann was six months pregnant with the twin girls - and no bathroom open at night), moved to an elderly Minnie Winnie, back to tents (this time with cots) a small travel trailer and now the Foretravel.
Both Jo Ann and I had thought about full-timing, but in 25 years of marriage neither of us mentioned it to the other, nor did we mention that we liked Airstreams. About four years ago, though, we started talking about what retirement would be like, and one of us mentioned the idea of full-timing. That led to a three-year-long research project that culminated in the purchase of our Foretravel. We've got a few months of work to do on it, and the place will go up for sale in February.
I often wonder how many people that decide to fulltime RV had been campers and RVers and just decided to take it to the max and fulltime. We did. On our first trip to Disney World, a lifetime dream fulfilled for me, we stayed in a park model trailer at Fort Wilderness. It cost a small fortune but I saw people with tents and thought "We could do that." So, the rest is history after buying that first tent as we moved to RVs, back to tents, back to RVs with the added benefits of transferring with my husband's job with a contractor for the federal government. Been moving around since the 70's and just can't seem to stop although we have convinced ourselves a couple of times that we should settle in since we were getting older, you know, be secure which, of course, is nearly impossible today. Now, we are working on that last decision so we can get it on the market and hopefully, by the time it is finished and sold, we will have learned our lesson! So did anyone tent or rv prior to making the decision to fulltime? We did have the pleasure of spending 6 years in the Tucson area and learned about snowbirding and fulltiming from the experts on the road and those that had retired.
Not us…we never RVed and only camped when our son was in the Cub and then Boy Scouts. We decided we might like the life so we rented a Class C for a month and toured around VA and MD…decided we liked it so we came home, put the house on the market, and ordered our New Horizons 5ver.
so the day came and a spur of the moment decision pointed me back down those hi-ways , and now its just a commitment to a dream lifestyle that has more twists and turns all with happy endings!!!
When its time to go , this is where I want to be....just looking out and knowing I didnt waste a moment and got to enjoy all of it as it was meant to be!!!!!
I've never met a traveler that had not had that "Moment" where the wind spoke....nature played perfect harmony....and the scenery just brought everything to a perfect thought!!!
I was born to parents who were brought up camping and I've camped all my life. We brought our kids up camping too. Now that they are all on their own, we are heading out full time next summer. We can't wait. We don't care if we ever own a sticks and bricks again. We've always been an adventurous bunch.
Debbie
downtheroadwithsteveanddebbie.blogspot.com
Our family camped for years when I was a kid. Almost every year we had at least a one week vacation that was spent in either NE New Mexico or Colorado. Tents were our main staple of camping, but at one time, my parents bought what I want to call a "Quik Kamp" trailer. It was basically a cigar box shaped trailer where the top half (cut at a diagonal from road side top to curb side bottom) hinged over with the "top" becoming the floor. A canvas tent was then raised and the bottom of the trailer became the bed and cooking area.
When Jo and I married in 1968, it was 12 years before we got back to camping. 1976 saw us discovering a National Forest campground in Colorado called Purgatoire River Campground. Since that initial discover, we camped there most years in everything from lean-to's, tents, and campers. Then, in 2009, we made the mistake of staying in an RV park where we had full hookups. I don't think Jo will really like the idea of boondocking any more.
Terry
The main reason for us to go straight fulltimer is simple we love outdoor, we like to travel and we won't need the big house and the cars. Hit the road when we want and where we want for the time we want. RV is like a motorcycle both have one common factor "Freedom". We don't need to try or to rent one, we were meant for this lifestyle it was only a matter of time and it is coming soon.
Jean
Many years of tent camping, then I met my now husband, we went to a wine festival and tent camped - and that was the last time for tents. Once we got the Class C, we started talking seriously about fulltiming.
Then we found the RV Dreamers - and we are in full and focused pursuit of fulltiming!
We plan to be part-time fulltimers (6 months). Just waiting for the house to sell so we can relocate closer to our children. If the house sells we plan to go south or southeast for the winter and live in the AS while we build a house next summer. Cannot convince Hubby to fulltime, so this is our compromise.
Everyone has to do what works for them, so this is our plan and dream, God willing and where HE leads.
When we got married we camped all over the country in Pop Up (a Lark & a Palomino) and then in Travel Trailers(a Sunline, a Nomad & a Sunnybrook) when our daughter was growing up.
After our Daughter was grown and did not go with us as much, we got our 1st 5th Wheel (28 Foot Jayco) and used it for vacations and weekends for years.
We did some extended trips in it to "Test" the fulltime lifestyle and loved it.
We sold our smaller 5th Wheel and bought our current 5th Wheel, sold the house and went fulltime, we will be fulltime 2 years tomorrow on November 8, 2013
I will say that this forum gave us the knowledge and courage to leave the sticks and bricks and grab a hold of our dream. Thank you once again Howard, Linda and all the posters on this forum.
Red
Married that great gal one year later. The very last of the cash given as wedding gifts was spent on camping gear. Tent, stove, and all of the things that go with it were purchased. Never mind that I didn’t even have a job at that point! Camping was number one in my wife’s life.
We spent our lives weekend and vacation camping. Every time we went, at the end of the trip, my wife would say: “I don’t want to go home. I could stay here forever.” In June of 2006, she got her chance. We sold everything, bought a camper and a truck and set off on the full time lifestyle.
We have no regrets. After 41 years, I still want to be with her. Now, she is virtually within arms reach 24/7. For a man in love with his wife, it doesn’t get any better. Oh, by the way, the camping is not bad either!
Bill camped with his family when his children were young but I never camped. When we got together Bill was close to buying a small Class C and traveling. I was intrigued with the idea and said that if I was ever able to retire ($$$$) I wouldn't mind trying it. I am a spontaneous person so we went to the Hershey show and looked for three days at each and everything available. Came back, put my house on the market, sold it in 5 weeks, bought a Class A and we have been living this dream for a year now. I would not go back to a s/b. I love this lifestyle and we have a new 'family' now that we wouldn't trade for anything.
First - Dog Folks - you sound like a very sweet and loving hubby! What a great story! Love it!
Bill camped a bit as a child with Boy Scouts and also with his one Uncle, all tents. I didn't camp out at all as a child.
When our kids were still very small, like 2 and 3 1/2 a friend of my bro-in-law was selling a small travel trailer, a 22' Citation. Somehow Bill found out about it and brought me to see it. He wanted to buy it to take the kids camping. Keep in mind, we didn't own anything that could tow it at this point, and I was a bit skeptical. Well, he talked me into it and thankfully the guy selling it didn't mind holding onto it until we could find a truck or van to pull it around. We ended up getting a Dodge Ram van to tow it - HUGE compared to my Toyota Corolla that got traded in! We took the kids a lot, for weekends, extended weekends, week long trips up until they got older (early teens) and didn't really want to (nor had time to) go anymore. My son (who is an Eagle Scout) and hubby went tent camping a lot with Boy Scouts over the years, while my daughter and I would have 'girls time'. We finally ended up selling the trailer after owning it for 12 years or so. Lots of happy memories! Took it all over!
So, fast forward to 2009. Both kids are in college. Hubby was out of work (plant closing) and had lots of time on his hands. So, he spent a lot of time on Craigslist. He found our current Class C and got this idea that we could take a big trip out west with it (we had always talked about doing that, but never got there) So, we bought it. We took it out west for about a month in April/May of 2010. We didn't want to come home! But, life calls and home we went.
Since then, hubby is back at work and after 2 years, the job will never be what he was told it would be. The kids are moved out and doing their own things. We have taken other trips, to FL with the kids before they moved out, down the shore, to Finger Lakes in NY, Outbanks, NC, etc. and each time we go out it is harder to come home, esp. b/c the kids aren't here and the house is HUGE now (we literally live 90% of the time in less than half of it!) So, we (mostly ME) started to brainstorm about how to get him out of this job he hates and travel like we love to do - and then I found this website! The rest is history - we are in full swing planning, budgeting, purging the house, looking at trucks and 5th wheels, going to spring rally! We are sold on this lifestyle hook, line and sinker! Can't wait!
Having said all that - I am not 100% sure we will do it forever. I might need (at some point) a place to call home - a place where we can have the kids and (someday) the grandkids come visit and stay. Someplace to have them for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll see. Hubby isn't opposed to that, but wants us both to stay open-minded, so we are on the same page! That's a good start, right?
So, to ditto what El Rojo said, thanks to Howard and Linda for this website and all others who post on the forum! You have all been a HUGE HELP to me!
Kelly
We moved up in rv's thru the years and were even times when we didn't have one with the kids busy schedules. The kids are all gone now, the house is up for sell and hopefully fulltime rving is in our future. We are going to buy a 5th wheel and truck.
Jimmy
Just didn't know 22 years ago that I would ever want to fulltime again!
Fast forward 20 years and a new life together we have spent most summer weekends the past 2 years either off road tent camping or backpacking into the beautiful Rockies here in Colorado. After a few of those trips we would come home and swear we were getting a pop-up. But in June this year DH had an ephinany that it was finally time to live the dream and we were going fulltime! I can't believe based on my experience in a previous life I was actually excited to live this dream with him!
4 months later the Rig is bought, the storage and apartment cleaned out and we are ready to go any day now.
AWW Shucks. Not special, but very lucky to have found the right partner the first time around.
Wow, what a story. So happy for your continued lives together! We never know how much time we have here, so what a blessing to spend it together the way that you want! We are looking forward to that.
--Debbie
downtheroadwithsteveanddebbie.blogspot.com
Ditto on what Debbie said.
Hope to see and meet you all as we see the USA
The closet thing to camping I've done prior to the last month was renting a furnished a/c cabin with our kids. John and his brother's would go to deer camp with their uncles growing up but no family vacations. The great thing about life is it's never too late to try something new!
God Bless!
Jo Ann's family camped, but mine didn't. Somehow, though, I got interested while in junior high. I read The Ford Guide to Camping on Wheels and Wally Byam's Trailer Travel Here and Abroad so many times the library wondered about me. Thirty years ago Jo Ann and I got married, and the next summer we took a church group of high school students on a canoe trip. That was my first time ever sleeping in a tent. Over the years we tent camped some (including one time with a 1-year-old while Jo Ann was six months pregnant with the twin girls - and no bathroom open at night), moved to an elderly Minnie Winnie, back to tents (this time with cots) a small travel trailer and now the Foretravel.
Both Jo Ann and I had thought about full-timing, but in 25 years of marriage neither of us mentioned it to the other, nor did we mention that we liked Airstreams. About four years ago, though, we started talking about what retirement would be like, and one of us mentioned the idea of full-timing. That led to a three-year-long research project that culminated in the purchase of our Foretravel. We've got a few months of work to do on it, and the place will go up for sale in February.