Biggest Fears Before Going FT And Biggest Challenges Since And How You Overcame Them
Someday said
03:40 PM Feb 18, 2016
We all know the immense advantages of being able to throw caution to the wind and hit the road travelling our wonderful continent but ............ Curious what your biggest fears were and how you got over them prior to finally taking that leap of faith into FT RVing? Likewise since you've been FT (how long?), what challenges you've faced and maybe how you've overcame them or got to acceptance of them?
Also since actually going FT would you mind sharing how long, and maybe whether you were retired able to draw a pension or relying on your savings for 'x' years prior to being able to get pensions or otherwise.
Looking forward to reading the sharing of your personal experiences.
SD.
Lucky Mike said
04:00 PM Feb 18, 2016
I think the worst was a medical Emergency........I was working and flying by the seat of my pants!!!
when it happened I ended up selling my coach for the payments due on it and taking a major loss , then came recovery with no back up plan .......sat for months in the hospital while everything just crumbled and went away.....lesson learned and being a survivor I rebuilt my way back and now dont put myself in that position again.......bought and sold a few coaches and made a profit with reinvesting each one until I got the one Im in now payment free..(not to mention basically free because I put my original investment money back)........I now live on my disability and investments ....and have a small income business to keep going.......
Barbaraok said
05:27 PM Feb 18, 2016
We've been out 10 years. Didn't have any fears going forward. Actually 3 weeks before we set out Dave had to have 3 stents to open up 5 blockages (one 2 1/2 inches long opening up 3 ) in cardiac artery. That done, he felt well and we headed out. And never saw it as a leap of faith. My parents fulltimed for 7 years on ketch and then 5 years in a 5th wheel, so we already had a good idea of what was involved. Plus I survived ovarian cancer, and Dave had a stroke in 2000 and the stents in 2006, so we had already looked at the alternative and decided we were going to go make memories while we had the chance.
Obstacles can occur whether or not your fulltiming, you just tackle them the same, one day at a time. We took early retirement and have a comfortable income, not extravagant, but comfortable. What is it that you are so afraid of? Do you know? Are you looking for a reason not to go?
Someday said
06:01 PM Feb 18, 2016
Lucky Mike, I've always enjoyed your responses to many and missed you very much when you were away for a while. You are clearly a fine and wonderful example of "anything is possible if you put your mind to it", as well learning lessons along the way in how to restructure, pick oneself up and shake oneself off and embrace the next chapter.
Barb I had no idea that Dave and yourself had undergone such medical issues prior to hitting the road. Again you are a terrific example of grabbing life by the horns, living in the present and not letting it pass you by, and as always, deliver very sage advice or cautions. As for "us" looking for a reason not to go = absolutely not, nothing could be further from the truth, we are chomping at the bit for finalization of sales to happen and hit the road. I am however a "handle objections before they arise" type of person.
I'm a great believer and often evidenced, that for every positive there is typically negative in almost every area of life, and I am definitely not one that enjoys saying "I wish I knew then what I know now", when one can benefit from others experiences or adequate research.
I've been contemplating putting these questions out here for a very long time, as I sincerely believe, which will likely be proved by the number of views over time, that the responses from many can give comfort and/or preparation for those coming behind, them - whether hitting the road on the freedom 55 bus with no pensions just savings/investments, working on the road, or retiring with excellent company/government (think you call them DB???) pensions, or just retiring with basic SS or similar. Everyone starts at a different age or juncture in their lives, moreso in the technological today than in decades gone by, so I'm very much looking forward and hoping many will respond kindly for the benefit of many others, not just ourselves alone.
As always, happy and safe travels to everyone.
SD.
Barbaraok said
08:40 PM Feb 18, 2016
Trying asking some very pointed specific questions. That usually gets a good discussion on a topic going and there will be some collateral information along the way.
For example, we retired at 62 (Dave) and 61 (Barb) because that was the point at which we qualified under our employers retirement plans for continued, free health insurance. That meant that even though we were not yet eligible for Medicare, we kn3w our health insurance was in place. That retirement benefit meant that we didn't need as much in retirement income from our pension plans/IRAs to go fulltime so we could go earlier. Since we had prior health problems, the cost to get private insurance would have (at that time) been beyond what we could afford and we would have had to wait for Medicare to kick in. In fact, this particular retirement benefit was one of the things that attracted us to Texas on our last move - - there were other offers but they weren't as attractive.
We had been planning on this since I was going through chemo in '93, so we had a long time to get things in order, to adjust savings for our 403b (like a 401k but for higher ed/research institutions) and to put extra into IRAs. Also did the calculations on whether or not to take SS early and went with that in order to not take money from our IRA accounts (IRAs can be transferred to beneficaries, SS can not). Other people may come to different conclusions, but it is important to set up spreadsheets and do the "What ifs" in as many scenarios as possible.
Barb
-- Edited by Barbaraok on Thursday 18th of February 2016 08:41:27 PM
NWescapee said
09:22 AM Feb 19, 2016
Biggest fear - major breakdown and yes it's happened twice in the last 10 months where we were stuck for approximately a month each time. But, during our first 18 months on the road we had a few minor repairs / upgrades that delayed us a week or so at a time plus a few changes in our plans due to family situations so we had learned to be more flexible and to quickly change plans as needed. Did not like being "stuck" and ironically we ended up in the same small region both times so we're never going through there again!!
Biggest challenge - logistics! We're both still working, Dale has art shows and I work from home. My work is M-F so we primarily travel on the weekends and any kind of breakdown, repair, illness, etc. can cause a change in our plans. However, we've learned to be very adaptable and flexible and it's just part of this life.
We've been FT for a little over 2.5 years and don't really see an end in site, it's cheaper than have a S&B house, and we're aggressively saving for retirement.
jrzygrl64 said
09:52 AM Feb 19, 2016
We've been on the road about 18 months now - WOW! Some days I still don't believe this is our life! We do not see an end in sight!
Biggest fear: I honestly didn't have any, except maybe not seeing my kids often enough. We agreed to offer to fly them to one of our locations and/or us fly to them if desired/needed. Last year my son came to FL and this year my daughter is coming to CA. We have also agreed to spend time in PA (where they both live) every year. Bills biggest fear was about finances - how would we do this financially? Neither of us are old enough for 401K or SS. We do have some investments, but after taking a year off, we have done Amazon and have another workamping job set up for the summer to supplement. We are careful with money, choosing our "non-needed" spending very carefully.
We have not had any major issues with the rig or truck at all - just minor stuff that was easily dealt with. The only thing larger we had to take care of was taking the rig from PA to IN for body/paint repair, but it was self-inflicted so I generally don't count that. We were in IN for about a week and a half.
Last December, while in FL, we had to unexpectedly travel to DE when my nephew was killed in a car accident. We were visiting my parents and I flew up with my Dad and Bill drove our car up with my Mom and our dog. We left the rig where it was in the CG - just turned off the water, and informed the management it would be unattended. One of my Moms friends/neighbor took care of our cats at my parents condo. If we had been somewhere else further away - we would have both had to fly and we would have had to board the pets at a vet or somewhere.
As a side note: I had "emergency cards" made up that state we are full-time RVers, that we have our rig parked at: (blank line that I fill in with our CG name), it also has emergency phone numbers and also states that we travel with our cat (other 2 pets passed away) and please make sure they are taken care off. We have a key hidden outside the rig - my parents and kids know where so they can relay that to whoever calls in so they can get inside without breaking down my door. This would only be if Bill and I were both injured badly in an accident while out in the truck, but I tend to over-think this kind of stuff.
It is virtually impossible to plan for everything, but just do the best you can and then roll with it.
Hope this helps.
Someday said
12:17 PM Feb 19, 2016
Thanks guys, already great reading, really love this group of folks here, so friendly, caring and sharing. Certainly felt for your pain Ruth with the breakdowns and being held up as you were, which alas was outside of yours and Dale's control, as was our whole engine replacement stranded in Pocatello 3 years ago = hopefully you had a good repair & maintenance fund/warranty that helped take the sting out on the financial aspect of that at least? Albeit working FT on the road, and having to be in certain locations at certain times I'm sure adds considerable additional stress than for those that don't. (Was glad to see you managed to hook up with the gang at Q') :) Ruth, loved your comment about being to save aggressively and much cheaper than a SnB house - to that end would you mind sharing either in dollars or percentage wise how much you feel you are better off RVing versus living in the SnB? Also do you tend to stay in one location or not travel much mileage wise, hence the cost of Gas/cheaper monthly CG rates etc aren't eating into the savings of SnB maintenance, taxes, insurance etc etc? = Thanks.
Barb, like you and Dave in the 90's, we have had plenty of time to plan, save, research and so far, touch wood have been blessed with no major medical issues to speak of, other than aches, pains, arthritis, knee injuries and general wear and tear. Hence there comes a point where you just have to get on with it, before more and more activities we enjoy get limited further. Only thing slowing us down now is bad timing based on our energy province situation :( As much as we perish the thought, might have to leave one small condo rented out in our daughter and son-in-law to be's capable hands. Already listed it $30K below what we paid for it a decade ago, leading the market $40K below the competition in the building = that's how dire the situation is here right now, and been on market almost 4 months. Assuming a lot of potential buyers waiting to see in March/April if they not only get their bonuses but manage to keep their jobs.
Kelly, heartfelt thoughts to you and your family losing your nephew in such a tragic way, and wishes that you all can find strength and soon start to smile again reflecting on time and memories fondly spent with him. I can relate along with Bill on the financial fear hugely, being similar to you not being entitled to anything other than our investment monies - the current economic climes and state of the markets plus such low interest rates if anything have somewhat compounded this unfortunately. However, we got to the point about 8 months ago of "if we don't do it now, when will we?". Also accepting that nothing is forever. Couple of years before that we couldn't begin to imagine being totally SnB free but now can't wait = weird how a change in economy, what someone says, or a situation can have you go 360 in that regards. For sure our savings would deplete in half the time or quicker if we did keep the SnB so that's definitely going and subject to final appraisal the sale of that is lined up firmly for early next year. Like you we always have a set of keys hidden outside, just in case we lose ours or for an emergency situation, we also place a "In an emergency please call xxx xxx xxxx) in our window when leaving our rig anywhere, as well have ICE (In case of Emergency) programmed into our phones. I don't think you over think that in any way, it's a good idea.
Thanks again guys, great reading :) :) :)
-- Edited by Someday on Friday 19th of February 2016 12:22:52 PM
NWescapee said
01:50 PM Feb 19, 2016
I had previously shared some info on how we're saving for retirement that might help answer the question you asked of me:
Ruth, thanks for the reminder, that was an awesome post from last May you kindly shared, and I'd ashamedly, forgotten all about it. Was a wonderful recap, and interesting to read others in response again also. Seems quite feasible for most to benefit by at least 30% and maybe more if totally debt free, albeit as many reference, income is lower but so are expenses and the lifestyle opportunity is priceless. Appreciate of course everyone's individual mileage may vary as the saying goes.
Camper Chronicles said
10:14 AM Feb 20, 2016
Someday wrote:
We all know the immense advantages of being able to throw caution to the wind and hit the road travelling our wonderful continent but ............ Curious what your biggest fears were and how you got over them prior to finally taking that leap of faith into FT RVing? Likewise since you've been FT (how long?), what challenges you've faced and maybe how you've overcame them or got to acceptance of them?
Also since actually going FT would you mind sharing how long, and maybe whether you were retired able to draw a pension or relying on your savings for 'x' years prior to being able to get pensions or otherwise.
Looking forward to reading the sharing of your personal experiences.
SD.
We went on the road with me having a full time job and Lee trying to start a small mobile business on the road. One year later I took a buy-out and Lee started ramping up his business. We had $30,000K in contingency money, no investment savings (other than 401K which we are to young to touch), and the willingness to work and try to figure it out.
My fears were numerous and varied :) Money was a big one and oddly now that I have quit my job I worry less about it than I did before. I have taken a much more philosophical (what will happen, will happen) approach to the money aspect. Would we be ok relationship wise was another huge one. After 25 years of marriage, I knew what our flaws were and putting them in a "pressure cooker" situation seemed risky to me. That worked itself out with time and tons of communication, and we are much stronger as a couple then we have even been. Most of my other fears I have worked through with time and experiences. New ones do crop up on occasion but that's pretty rare. It's an interesting topic though, if I could go back to myself of two years ago I would say take a deep breath, with work, love and dedication it will work out. It is amazing though how much less fear I am now carrying around with me. What a great side benefit of doing something really scary and coming out the other side.
Trace
cherylbrv said
12:52 PM Feb 22, 2016
My biggest fear before taking off was that we wouldn't be able to sell our house or sell it for enough $ to buy our home on wheels. God blessed us and we sold very quickly, and for our asking price.
Biggest challenge and continued fear is things breaking down, which we too (along with everyone else) has experienced. Not only appliances going bad and all the "little" stuff, but fear of having an accident due to tight spaces (including driving on narrow roads), or fear that the 5th wheel isn't hitched up tightly enough and will fall off. Mostly baseless, irrational fears, but fears all the same.
Challenge, but not so much a fear, is the moving process -- still takes at least 1/2 hr to get the truck aligned just right to hitch it up and about 2 hours without help to back into a spot!
We all know the immense advantages of being able to throw caution to the wind and hit the road travelling our wonderful continent but ............ Curious what your biggest fears were and how you got over them prior to finally taking that leap of faith into FT RVing? Likewise since you've been FT (how long?), what challenges you've faced and maybe how you've overcame them or got to acceptance of them?
Also since actually going FT would you mind sharing how long, and maybe whether you were retired able to draw a pension or relying on your savings for 'x' years prior to being able to get pensions or otherwise.
Looking forward to reading the sharing of your personal experiences.
SD.
when it happened I ended up selling my coach for the payments due on it and taking a major loss , then came recovery with no back up plan .......sat for months in the hospital while everything just crumbled and went away.....lesson learned and being a survivor I rebuilt my way back and now dont put myself in that position again.......bought and sold a few coaches and made a profit with reinvesting each one until I got the one Im in now payment free..(not to mention basically free because I put my original investment money back)........I now live on my disability and investments ....and have a small income business to keep going.......
Obstacles can occur whether or not your fulltiming, you just tackle them the same, one day at a time. We took early retirement and have a comfortable income, not extravagant, but comfortable. What is it that you are so afraid of? Do you know? Are you looking for a reason not to go?
Barb I had no idea that Dave and yourself had undergone such medical issues prior to hitting the road. Again you are a terrific example of grabbing life by the horns, living in the present and not letting it pass you by, and as always, deliver very sage advice or cautions. As for "us" looking for a reason not to go = absolutely not, nothing could be further from the truth, we are chomping at the bit for finalization of sales to happen and hit the road. I am however a "handle objections before they arise" type of person.
I'm a great believer and often evidenced, that for every positive there is typically negative in almost every area of life, and I am definitely not one that enjoys saying "I wish I knew then what I know now", when one can benefit from others experiences or adequate research.
I've been contemplating putting these questions out here for a very long time, as I sincerely believe, which will likely be proved by the number of views over time, that the responses from many can give comfort and/or preparation for those coming behind, them - whether hitting the road on the freedom 55 bus with no pensions just savings/investments, working on the road, or retiring with excellent company/government (think you call them DB???) pensions, or just retiring with basic SS or similar. Everyone starts at a different age or juncture in their lives, moreso in the technological today than in decades gone by, so I'm very much looking forward and hoping many will respond kindly for the benefit of many others, not just ourselves alone.
As always, happy and safe travels to everyone.
SD.
Trying asking some very pointed specific questions. That usually gets a good discussion on a topic going and there will be some collateral information along the way.
For example, we retired at 62 (Dave) and 61 (Barb) because that was the point at which we qualified under our employers retirement plans for continued, free health insurance. That meant that even though we were not yet eligible for Medicare, we kn3w our health insurance was in place. That retirement benefit meant that we didn't need as much in retirement income from our pension plans/IRAs to go fulltime so we could go earlier. Since we had prior health problems, the cost to get private insurance would have (at that time) been beyond what we could afford and we would have had to wait for Medicare to kick in. In fact, this particular retirement benefit was one of the things that attracted us to Texas on our last move - - there were other offers but they weren't as attractive.
We had been planning on this since I was going through chemo in '93, so we had a long time to get things in order, to adjust savings for our 403b (like a 401k but for higher ed/research institutions) and to put extra into IRAs. Also did the calculations on whether or not to take SS early and went with that in order to not take money from our IRA accounts (IRAs can be transferred to beneficaries, SS can not). Other people may come to different conclusions, but it is important to set up spreadsheets and do the "What ifs" in as many scenarios as possible.
Barb
-- Edited by Barbaraok on Thursday 18th of February 2016 08:41:27 PM
Biggest challenge - logistics! We're both still working, Dale has art shows and I work from home. My work is M-F so we primarily travel on the weekends and any kind of breakdown, repair, illness, etc. can cause a change in our plans. However, we've learned to be very adaptable and flexible and it's just part of this life.
We've been FT for a little over 2.5 years and don't really see an end in site, it's cheaper than have a S&B house, and we're aggressively saving for retirement.
Biggest fear: I honestly didn't have any, except maybe not seeing my kids often enough. We agreed to offer to fly them to one of our locations and/or us fly to them if desired/needed. Last year my son came to FL and this year my daughter is coming to CA. We have also agreed to spend time in PA (where they both live) every year. Bills biggest fear was about finances - how would we do this financially? Neither of us are old enough for 401K or SS. We do have some investments, but after taking a year off, we have done Amazon and have another workamping job set up for the summer to supplement. We are careful with money, choosing our "non-needed" spending very carefully.
We have not had any major issues with the rig or truck at all - just minor stuff that was easily dealt with. The only thing larger we had to take care of was taking the rig from PA to IN for body/paint repair, but it was self-inflicted so I generally don't count that. We were in IN for about a week and a half.
Last December, while in FL, we had to unexpectedly travel to DE when my nephew was killed in a car accident. We were visiting my parents and I flew up with my Dad and Bill drove our car up with my Mom and our dog. We left the rig where it was in the CG - just turned off the water, and informed the management it would be unattended. One of my Moms friends/neighbor took care of our cats at my parents condo. If we had been somewhere else further away - we would have both had to fly and we would have had to board the pets at a vet or somewhere.
As a side note: I had "emergency cards" made up that state we are full-time RVers, that we have our rig parked at: (blank line that I fill in with our CG name), it also has emergency phone numbers and also states that we travel with our cat (other 2 pets passed away) and please make sure they are taken care off. We have a key hidden outside the rig - my parents and kids know where so they can relay that to whoever calls in so they can get inside without breaking down my door. This would only be if Bill and I were both injured badly in an accident while out in the truck, but I tend to over-think this kind of stuff.
It is virtually impossible to plan for everything, but just do the best you can and then roll with it.
Hope this helps.
Thanks guys, already great reading, really love this group of folks here, so friendly, caring and sharing. Certainly felt for your pain Ruth with the breakdowns and being held up as you were, which alas was outside of yours and Dale's control, as was our whole engine replacement stranded in Pocatello 3 years ago = hopefully you had a good repair & maintenance fund/warranty that helped take the sting out on the financial aspect of that at least? Albeit working FT on the road, and having to be in certain locations at certain times I'm sure adds considerable additional stress than for those that don't. (Was glad to see you managed to hook up with the gang at Q') :) Ruth, loved your comment about being to save aggressively and much cheaper than a SnB house - to that end would you mind sharing either in dollars or percentage wise how much you feel you are better off RVing versus living in the SnB? Also do you tend to stay in one location or not travel much mileage wise, hence the cost of Gas/cheaper monthly CG rates etc aren't eating into the savings of SnB maintenance, taxes, insurance etc etc? = Thanks.
Barb, like you and Dave in the 90's, we have had plenty of time to plan, save, research and so far, touch wood have been blessed with no major medical issues to speak of, other than aches, pains, arthritis, knee injuries and general wear and tear. Hence there comes a point where you just have to get on with it, before more and more activities we enjoy get limited further. Only thing slowing us down now is bad timing based on our energy province situation :( As much as we perish the thought, might have to leave one small condo rented out in our daughter and son-in-law to be's capable hands. Already listed it $30K below what we paid for it a decade ago, leading the market $40K below the competition in the building = that's how dire the situation is here right now, and been on market almost 4 months. Assuming a lot of potential buyers waiting to see in March/April if they not only get their bonuses but manage to keep their jobs.
Kelly, heartfelt thoughts to you and your family losing your nephew in such a tragic way, and wishes that you all can find strength and soon start to smile again reflecting on time and memories fondly spent with him. I can relate along with Bill on the financial fear hugely, being similar to you not being entitled to anything other than our investment monies - the current economic climes and state of the markets plus such low interest rates if anything have somewhat compounded this unfortunately. However, we got to the point about 8 months ago of "if we don't do it now, when will we?". Also accepting that nothing is forever. Couple of years before that we couldn't begin to imagine being totally SnB free but now can't wait = weird how a change in economy, what someone says, or a situation can have you go 360 in that regards. For sure our savings would deplete in half the time or quicker if we did keep the SnB so that's definitely going and subject to final appraisal the sale of that is lined up firmly for early next year. Like you we always have a set of keys hidden outside, just in case we lose ours or for an emergency situation, we also place a "In an emergency please call xxx xxx xxxx) in our window when leaving our rig anywhere, as well have ICE (In case of Emergency) programmed into our phones. I don't think you over think that in any way, it's a good idea.
Thanks again guys, great reading :) :) :)
-- Edited by Someday on Friday 19th of February 2016 12:22:52 PM
rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t60208181/working-on-the-road-to-achieve-the-early-retirement-goal/
We went on the road with me having a full time job and Lee trying to start a small mobile business on the road. One year later I took a buy-out and Lee started ramping up his business. We had $30,000K in contingency money, no investment savings (other than 401K which we are to young to touch), and the willingness to work and try to figure it out.
My fears were numerous and varied :) Money was a big one and oddly now that I have quit my job I worry less about it than I did before. I have taken a much more philosophical (what will happen, will happen) approach to the money aspect. Would we be ok relationship wise was another huge one. After 25 years of marriage, I knew what our flaws were and putting them in a "pressure cooker" situation seemed risky to me. That worked itself out with time and tons of communication, and we are much stronger as a couple then we have even been. Most of my other fears I have worked through with time and experiences. New ones do crop up on occasion but that's pretty rare. It's an interesting topic though, if I could go back to myself of two years ago I would say take a deep breath, with work, love and dedication it will work out. It is amazing though how much less fear I am now carrying around with me. What a great side benefit of doing something really scary and coming out the other side.
Trace
Biggest challenge and continued fear is things breaking down, which we too (along with everyone else) has experienced. Not only appliances going bad and all the "little" stuff, but fear of having an accident due to tight spaces (including driving on narrow roads), or fear that the 5th wheel isn't hitched up tightly enough and will fall off. Mostly baseless, irrational fears, but fears all the same.
Challenge, but not so much a fear, is the moving process -- still takes at least 1/2 hr to get the truck aligned just right to hitch it up and about 2 hours without help to back into a spot!