HI everyone. My name is Ron, retired two years ago at the age of 50. My wife and I are seriously considering going full-time RV'ers. We have two sons, both in the military, one on the west coast and the other in the central US. We are still debating the issue, but we are really leaning towards doing it. We are looking at 40+ footer diesel pushers and have walked through a few of them. There will be three adults living in the rig. We are very rarely home as it is, so we figured why not? The idea of drastically downsizing is a bit intimidating, but we think in the long run we will be much happier. So that's it in a nutshell. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
rocknb said
11:39 PM Jan 3, 2015
Welcome RONANDBEE to RV Dreams,
The DW and I just became FT'rs this past Thanksgiving, so we can't help you much, except to say so far we love this life style. And the folks on this site will help in every way they can. There is usually some one who has experienced the same thing you are wondering about and someone from this site has expertise in almost every type of work from Janitorial to CEO's and literally every thing in between, and yet we are all RV Dreamers's. So, just jump in and ask your questions or share your feelings. Some one will help ! I have found that if I have a question about any subject the first thing I do is go to the TOP almost center of each Topic and put a word or short ? in the Search Box... and wa-la it has either been discussed just recently or maybe 5 yrs ago and if not. Go thru the list of Topics till you find one that might closely fit and start a thread.
Again, Welcome and Enjoy
-- Edited by rocknb on Saturday 3rd of January 2015 11:46:29 PM
RonandBee said
11:57 PM Jan 3, 2015
Thanks Larry and Brenda! We are very excited about the prospect to go where we want, when we want. But at the same time it is a bit daunting. I have no doubts that this is the perfect lifestyle for us. The hard part is getting all of the loose ends together to make it happen...selling the house, selling/giving away the furniture, purchasing, hopefully, the right RV for us, etc. I've been perusing through all of the different topics and threads and like what I've read so far. You never know, we may be your neighbors in a campsite in the near future!
TRAILERKING said
12:19 AM Jan 4, 2015
Welcome aboard.
I keep imagining hopping in the coach and touring endlessly. Who knows??
Barbaraok said
12:23 PM Jan 4, 2015
Health insurance is one area you need to have nailed down before you start. You may feel very healthy right now, but trust me, your body will start letting you know that you are getting older!
And a good emergency fund because things happen.
Barb
RonandBee said
12:39 PM Jan 4, 2015
Thanks for the advice Barb. Our insurance is very good so we should be okay in that respect. The emergency fund is also a good thing to know, and that should be okay too. We can't really do much until this July because of the Capital Gains Tax laws, but that's why we're researching and educating ourselves as much as we can before jumping in head first.
Barbaraok said
01:50 PM Jan 4, 2015
Sometimes short term financing makes sense especially if you can the sell/withdraw funds in two different years and avoid hitting a higher tax bracket because of the sell/withdrawal of one large lump sum.
Barb
Camper Chronicles said
11:00 AM Jan 6, 2015
Hi Ron and Bee,
We have many couples in your age bracket on the forum who just went through this transition. The process can be a bit intimidating but I think all of us on the road now are really loving it. My best advice is communicate, communicate, then talk some more. :) Also research, research, and research some more :)
If I could suggest in the research department I wrote down on my blog all the steps we went through becoming full timers. It might be helpful, just keep in mind is was one couples journey and they are all somewhat different.
Thanks for the info. I agree, the process is very intimidating, but very exciting at the same time. For the most all we talk about all day, everyday is going full-time. And as far as the research part...That is all we are doing. We have looked at a couple of dealers where we live, but the choices aren't that varied. We're going to Quartzsite at the end of the month to see and talk to people there. There's several dealers about 3-4 hours from us that we're going to stop by and see what they have on the way to see one of our sons. There's about 3 or 4 different models that we're interested in, but they all look good online, so we want to see and compare in person.
Thank you for the link to your blog. I've been reading several blogs of full-timers and they have been very informative. I'll be sure to read yours and see what words of wisdom I can absorb. Hahaha So far this forum has been great and I keep asking questions on here. I just hope people don't start thinking I'm a total idiot with everything I'm asking..Hahaha
Again, thanks for the info, and you never know, we may be parked next to you in the near future!
Ron
DebbieM said
01:41 PM Jan 6, 2015
Welcome! We are one of those Class of 2014 couples. We've been on the road 6 months now and are loving every bit of it. You mentioned you will have 3 adults living in the RV? Have you looked at some of the 5th wheels? There are others on this site that have an adult child with them or a parent and I believe they have a 5th wheel that has a bedroom at the rear as well as one in the front?
--Debbie
Jim and Barb said
02:21 PM Jan 6, 2015
Welcome Ron and Bee! We were in the same boat as you not too long ago. We have now been on the road 10 months! We spent a lot of time on this site as well as going to RV Dealers and Shows. We had narrowed down what we wanted and then which 5th wheels had those features. The moment we walked into our rig we knew it was home, it just had that feeling. Keep doing your research and you will find the one that is right for you.
There are a lot great blogs out there, check out the "Class of 2014" posts for people who went through the same thing you are recently. We have blogged all of our progress starting before we hit the road. There are a lot of questions and decisions along the way, feel free to reach out anytime.
RonandBee said
08:12 PM Jan 7, 2015
DebbieM and Jim and Barb, thanks for the advice. We're very excited to start this adventure, yet apprehensive at the same time. We've talked about doing this for 20+ years and now the time has come. So we're in the research, research and more research phase. We've looked at a few RV's and know we want a Class A diesel-pusher in the 40+ foot range. As nice as most of the 5th-wheels are they just don't appeal to us. Sitting in a pick-up for a trip is no different than driving in our Yukon XL. We're looking at something that we can just stop somewhere, get up and stretch or whatever and the three of us and two dogs aren't all cramped up. But that's just our preference. There's absolutely nothing wrong with 5th-wheels, or any other RV for that matter. It's all personal preference. The Quartzsite, AZ show is coming up soon and that's only a short 2 1/2 hour drive for us, so we're planning on going to that and do more research. Hahaha Maybe we'll se some of you there!
NWescapee said
10:24 PM Jan 7, 2015
Welcome! A few of us are in Q now with others arriving / departing as their travel schedules change. Steve & Dianne are planning a get together later this month if you're still around, great group of folks getting together if you need some "brains to pick"!!
RonandBee said
11:12 PM Jan 7, 2015
NWescapee, thanks for the welcome and the info. We live here in Las Vegas and it's only a short drive down there. We may just take you up on your offer to "pick some brains"! What a great resource to have you guys with all of the experience to answer our newbie, and I'm sure what could be trivial, questions! I must spend 3-5 hours every evening on here reading blogs, going through all of the forums, looking at RV models, searching RV dealer sites, etc. We're really looking forward to the Quartzsite show. It seems like the place to be this time of year!
HI everyone. My name is Ron, retired two years ago at the age of 50. My wife and I are seriously considering going full-time RV'ers. We have two sons, both in the military, one on the west coast and the other in the central US. We are still debating the issue, but we are really leaning towards doing it. We are looking at 40+ footer diesel pushers and have walked through a few of them. There will be three adults living in the rig. We are very rarely home as it is, so we figured why not? The idea of drastically downsizing is a bit intimidating, but we think in the long run we will be much happier. So that's it in a nutshell. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
Welcome RONANDBEE to RV Dreams,
The DW and I just became FT'rs this past Thanksgiving, so we can't help you much, except to say so far we love this life style. And the folks on this site will help in every way they can. There is usually some one who has experienced the same thing you are wondering about and someone from this site has expertise in almost every type of work from Janitorial to CEO's and literally every thing in between, and yet we are all RV Dreamers's. So, just jump in and ask your questions or share your feelings. Some one will help ! I have found that if I have a question about any subject the first thing I do is go to the TOP almost center of each Topic and put a word or short ? in the Search Box... and wa-la it has either been discussed just recently or maybe 5 yrs ago and if not. Go thru the list of Topics till you find one that might closely fit and start a thread.
Again, Welcome and Enjoy
-- Edited by rocknb on Saturday 3rd of January 2015 11:46:29 PM
I keep imagining hopping in the coach and touring endlessly. Who knows??
And a good emergency fund because things happen.
Barb
Barb
We have many couples in your age bracket on the forum who just went through this transition. The process can be a bit intimidating but I think all of us on the road now are really loving it. My best advice is communicate, communicate, then talk some more. :) Also research, research, and research some more :)
If I could suggest in the research department I wrote down on my blog all the steps we went through becoming full timers. It might be helpful, just keep in mind is was one couples journey and they are all somewhat different.
camperchronicles.com/becoming-fulltimers-step-by-step/
Thanks for the info. I agree, the process is very intimidating, but very exciting at the same time. For the most all we talk about all day, everyday is going full-time. And as far as the research part...That is all we are doing. We have looked at a couple of dealers where we live, but the choices aren't that varied. We're going to Quartzsite at the end of the month to see and talk to people there. There's several dealers about 3-4 hours from us that we're going to stop by and see what they have on the way to see one of our sons. There's about 3 or 4 different models that we're interested in, but they all look good online, so we want to see and compare in person.
Thank you for the link to your blog. I've been reading several blogs of full-timers and they have been very informative. I'll be sure to read yours and see what words of wisdom I can absorb. Hahaha So far this forum has been great and I keep asking questions on here. I just hope people don't start thinking I'm a total idiot with everything I'm asking..Hahaha
Again, thanks for the info, and you never know, we may be parked next to you in the near future!
Ron
Welcome! We are one of those Class of 2014 couples. We've been on the road 6 months now and are loving every bit of it. You mentioned you will have 3 adults living in the RV? Have you looked at some of the 5th wheels? There are others on this site that have an adult child with them or a parent and I believe they have a 5th wheel that has a bedroom at the rear as well as one in the front?
--Debbie
There are a lot great blogs out there, check out the "Class of 2014" posts for people who went through the same thing you are recently. We have blogged all of our progress starting before we hit the road. There are a lot of questions and decisions along the way, feel free to reach out anytime.