Helo to all from Naples, Fl. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your forum.
Where to start?? My name is Dan and I live with an incredible family of four. Wife is a teacher. Children are 9 and 7. One boy and one girl. We are an outdoors family for sure. Boating, camping and hiking are what we love. Recently took our first trip out west. Way out west. Alberta Canada. WOW! Prior to this trip we had never been west of Alabama. Our eyes have been opened much wider now.
My wife and I have each become more unsatisfied with our family path. Sure we do all the things that we are SUPPOSE to do. Sports for the kids. Music enrichment and more. But something is still missing. The world is in turmoil. We find that other parents are not very good parents. Therefore we find it hard to find good kids for them to spend time with. We just want some more and different. We are excited and scared to consider a change. We realize that time with our kids at home is so short. We are willing to take a calculated chance and show our children America and beyond.
We have discussed before the idea of spending time on the road. Life got in the way and we never pursued it. Here we are again. More momentum this time. Being that my wife is a teacher in Fl. she has the option to consider becoming a virtual teacher. Teach from anywhere in the world. She would remain in the Fl school system. Similar benefits. Our children would be enrolled in the virtual school system as well. They can return to a brick and mortar class at anytime. Facts are that virtual students test higher than classroom children. Understanding that the social aspect is much different. Good or bad it will be something to consider. We also own a small business and would consider either selling or taking on a managing partner.
Here are our preliminary plans. We would look to purchase a rig and be ready to hit the road early June 2017. From Florida we wold take as much time as needed to see the country on our way to Alberta Ca. After spending some time there we would take a northern route to Cape Cod to visit family. Eventually making our way back to Fl. At this time we would regroup at our home. Check on the business and house. Plan for the next step. Much depends on my wife obtaining the virtual job. More teachers are applying. No guarantees. If she is unable to secure the job then she would head back to the classroom in Sept. As well as our children. We would plan to take numerous trips from Fl on weekends and holidays. If she secures the virtual position then we are then free to roam! We should know this by early 2017.
The rig. We, which means I, have looked at so many different types of rigs. As you know each has its advantages and disadvantages. As a family our needs are different than just a couple. We have been told to make sure to have separate beds for the kids. Bunks maybe. I have looked at Class A for size benefits. And Class C for cost and ease of operation. In my head I only want a diesel. We plan to see MUCH of the mountains in the USA and Canada. I want the power and longevity of the diesel power plant. We want the children and wife to be able to move about the RV while in route. If wife and children are all virtually in school then they will need to access computers and such. Also the ease of making meals on the go and such is a plus. At least this is how we see it from a newbie perspective. One of my concerns is the limitations of something like a Class A with access to some parks. I have read this can be an issue. Sure the room of a Class A would be nice but do we really need this? Then again a smaller class C might get real small real quick as we spend more time on the road. I have researched buying a diesel Class A pusher and towing a small vehicle to have for grocery getting and just moving around after we have set up camp. Really looking forward to 7MPG. HaHa
So many considerations. Surely others have tried and learned. We hope to make friends in this forum and beyond as we look to take on this adventure. We need advise, direction and honesty. We want to document our trials and tribulations to help inspire other families to do the same. ANY words from you guys in this forum would be much appreciated. Is towing a vehicle insane? Is diesel what I should be considering? Is a Class A just a big pain? Is a Class C or one of those Mercedes diesels a good option? Let me have it!
Thank you in advance for any and everything.
Dan and family
Naples, Fl.
Neil and Connie said
07:48 AM Oct 14, 2016
Hi Dan…my wife Connie and I are full timers since 2012 and spend the winters here in North Fort Myers at Seminole Campground. Saw your post and figured I would offer a few ideas.
-schooling is hard, you said that the virtual school is do-able but you have to make sure that you and your wife are dedicated/strict enough to make sure that it actually happens.
-money…sounds like you have your own business at home…will it run in your absence and will it provide enough income to do what you want to do on the road.
-medical…is whatever coverage you have sufficient for on the road and accepted nationwide?
-rig…budget is the first big thing here…do you have sufficient funds for both a big enough diesel pusher for a family of 4 and the toad vehicle for getting around? I would not even consider a class C for a family of 4…just not enough living or storage space…similarly the vast majority of class B's are too limited for 4 people as well. You might look into a fifth wheel…you'll need a tow vehicle for that…but then you're only paying for one engine and drive train, maintenance, etc. Many fifth wheel builders have family models with a bunk room for the kids…and while there are class A's that have that as well there are fewer of them. We looked at the class A vs 5ver decision before we bought ours…and for a given amount of budget you'll usually get more with a 5ver than a class A…layout wise a class A isn't laid out nearly as well for more than 2 people.
-what sort of budget for on the road will you have…you'll need good internet availability for doing any online education rather than depending on campground wifi…and with the amount of bandwidth you'll be using you're easily looking at 250-300 a month for a mifi type device…in addition to whatever your phone plan costs and I'm assuming there are 4 of those since your kids are middle school age.
All that said…I'm not trying to pooh-pooh your ideas or dreams…if this is what you and your family want to do then go for it. Just make sure you've thought about all the aspects of doing it and don't get focused in too much on the 'see the Rockies' ideas…just because you're a full timer doesn't mean that the rest of life stops happening.
Socialwise…you'll meet a lot of people in campgrounds during the summer and a lot of them will have kids or grandkids with them…so as long as your 2 are somewhat outgoing they'll make friends even if it's new friends every few days. If you continue after school starts…you won't see many kids in campgrounds any more as they're all in school obviously.
You might be hard pressed to get everything done…rig purchased…house and business taken care of…all the stuff, spare parts, and etc you'll need to buy…figuring out how to live, work, play, and do maintenance on the RV…figure out mail, bills…and everything else related to going on the road by June…that's only 6 months out. Connie and I too about 8 months for that and we were pretty busy…if we had been doing it while trying to work as well then I'm sure we could not have done it that quickly.
All that said…there's lots of full time folks here…and as Howard and Linda say…"there's no wrong way to full time, just different ways." You'll find many of us here to answer questions and provide whatever guidance, thoughts, suggestions, don't do's, etc. Good luck.
Helo to all from Naples, Fl. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your forum.
Where to start?? My name is Dan and I live with an incredible family of four. Wife is a teacher. Children are 9 and 7. One boy and one girl. We are an outdoors family for sure. Boating, camping and hiking are what we love. Recently took our first trip out west. Way out west. Alberta Canada. WOW! Prior to this trip we had never been west of Alabama. Our eyes have been opened much wider now.
My wife and I have each become more unsatisfied with our family path. Sure we do all the things that we are SUPPOSE to do. Sports for the kids. Music enrichment and more. But something is still missing. The world is in turmoil. We find that other parents are not very good parents. Therefore we find it hard to find good kids for them to spend time with. We just want some more and different. We are excited and scared to consider a change. We realize that time with our kids at home is so short. We are willing to take a calculated chance and show our children America and beyond.
We have discussed before the idea of spending time on the road. Life got in the way and we never pursued it. Here we are again. More momentum this time. Being that my wife is a teacher in Fl. she has the option to consider becoming a virtual teacher. Teach from anywhere in the world. She would remain in the Fl school system. Similar benefits. Our children would be enrolled in the virtual school system as well. They can return to a brick and mortar class at anytime. Facts are that virtual students test higher than classroom children. Understanding that the social aspect is much different. Good or bad it will be something to consider. We also own a small business and would consider either selling or taking on a managing partner.
Here are our preliminary plans. We would look to purchase a rig and be ready to hit the road early June 2017. From Florida we wold take as much time as needed to see the country on our way to Alberta Ca. After spending some time there we would take a northern route to Cape Cod to visit family. Eventually making our way back to Fl. At this time we would regroup at our home. Check on the business and house. Plan for the next step. Much depends on my wife obtaining the virtual job. More teachers are applying. No guarantees. If she is unable to secure the job then she would head back to the classroom in Sept. As well as our children. We would plan to take numerous trips from Fl on weekends and holidays. If she secures the virtual position then we are then free to roam! We should know this by early 2017.
The rig. We, which means I, have looked at so many different types of rigs. As you know each has its advantages and disadvantages. As a family our needs are different than just a couple. We have been told to make sure to have separate beds for the kids. Bunks maybe. I have looked at Class A for size benefits. And Class C for cost and ease of operation. In my head I only want a diesel. We plan to see MUCH of the mountains in the USA and Canada. I want the power and longevity of the diesel power plant. We want the children and wife to be able to move about the RV while in route. If wife and children are all virtually in school then they will need to access computers and such. Also the ease of making meals on the go and such is a plus. At least this is how we see it from a newbie perspective. One of my concerns is the limitations of something like a Class A with access to some parks. I have read this can be an issue. Sure the room of a Class A would be nice but do we really need this? Then again a smaller class C might get real small real quick as we spend more time on the road. I have researched buying a diesel Class A pusher and towing a small vehicle to have for grocery getting and just moving around after we have set up camp. Really looking forward to 7MPG. HaHa
So many considerations. Surely others have tried and learned. We hope to make friends in this forum and beyond as we look to take on this adventure. We need advise, direction and honesty. We want to document our trials and tribulations to help inspire other families to do the same. ANY words from you guys in this forum would be much appreciated. Is towing a vehicle insane? Is diesel what I should be considering? Is a Class A just a big pain? Is a Class C or one of those Mercedes diesels a good option? Let me have it!
Thank you in advance for any and everything.
Dan and family
Naples, Fl.
Hi Dan…my wife Connie and I are full timers since 2012 and spend the winters here in North Fort Myers at Seminole Campground. Saw your post and figured I would offer a few ideas.
-schooling is hard, you said that the virtual school is do-able but you have to make sure that you and your wife are dedicated/strict enough to make sure that it actually happens.
-money…sounds like you have your own business at home…will it run in your absence and will it provide enough income to do what you want to do on the road.
-medical…is whatever coverage you have sufficient for on the road and accepted nationwide?
-rig…budget is the first big thing here…do you have sufficient funds for both a big enough diesel pusher for a family of 4 and the toad vehicle for getting around? I would not even consider a class C for a family of 4…just not enough living or storage space…similarly the vast majority of class B's are too limited for 4 people as well. You might look into a fifth wheel…you'll need a tow vehicle for that…but then you're only paying for one engine and drive train, maintenance, etc. Many fifth wheel builders have family models with a bunk room for the kids…and while there are class A's that have that as well there are fewer of them. We looked at the class A vs 5ver decision before we bought ours…and for a given amount of budget you'll usually get more with a 5ver than a class A…layout wise a class A isn't laid out nearly as well for more than 2 people.
-what sort of budget for on the road will you have…you'll need good internet availability for doing any online education rather than depending on campground wifi…and with the amount of bandwidth you'll be using you're easily looking at 250-300 a month for a mifi type device…in addition to whatever your phone plan costs and I'm assuming there are 4 of those since your kids are middle school age.
-timewise…if you're leaving in June 17 and would potentially need to be back in SW FL by Sep for your wife to start back in the classroom…well, that's just not enough time to really do or see anything. It's 3000 miles from here to Alberta…and you're probably talking at least 5000 to 'see the country on the way'…then another 5000 back via Cape Cod. How much you drive per day is obviously different for everybody but you'll probably not average more than about 250 miles per travel day…you can do up to about 400 but any more than that just gets hard. 250 miles a day for 10000 miles is 40 driving days minimum to get there and back and you're only looking at a max of about 120 days on the trip. By the time you count laundry for 4, grocery shopping, school, etc…then there aren't a whole lot of days to do what we like to all Fun Stuff©.
All that said…I'm not trying to pooh-pooh your ideas or dreams…if this is what you and your family want to do then go for it. Just make sure you've thought about all the aspects of doing it and don't get focused in too much on the 'see the Rockies' ideas…just because you're a full timer doesn't mean that the rest of life stops happening.
Socialwise…you'll meet a lot of people in campgrounds during the summer and a lot of them will have kids or grandkids with them…so as long as your 2 are somewhat outgoing they'll make friends even if it's new friends every few days. If you continue after school starts…you won't see many kids in campgrounds any more as they're all in school obviously.
You might be hard pressed to get everything done…rig purchased…house and business taken care of…all the stuff, spare parts, and etc you'll need to buy…figuring out how to live, work, play, and do maintenance on the RV…figure out mail, bills…and everything else related to going on the road by June…that's only 6 months out. Connie and I too about 8 months for that and we were pretty busy…if we had been doing it while trying to work as well then I'm sure we could not have done it that quickly.
All that said…there's lots of full time folks here…and as Howard and Linda say…"there's no wrong way to full time, just different ways." You'll find many of us here to answer questions and provide whatever guidance, thoughts, suggestions, don't do's, etc. Good luck.