New to full time the wives veiw

My husband and I have been enjoying the Bus style of traveling around for a little over a year now and really do enjoy it, however, we are at a point in our lives were traveling full time is an option. Getting up everyday and seeing and doing the same things is become quite boring. The children have already left the nest and we would like now to enjoy seeing the US bit by bit. Absorbing new things on a whim and chasing the warm climate. I was wondering if anyone can perhaps share their experiences on when they made that leap to selling ones home and hitting the road full time. I'll take the good the bad and the ugly!!
thanks(a bit worried) michelle

I look forward to hearing from those who have become full timers. Its an interesting subject which we do not hear much about. I would like to do this as well in the future.

Michelle you are smart to ask for the women to respond, since I find most men (if they do not have too many toys in the garage back home) are all for full timing and the wives are reluctant to leave home and grand children. Pamela will reply later this week from a woman's perspective. Though we did not have a hoe to leave since the couple that bought our house is Atlanta bought everything in the house, furniture, pots, painting, books, the lot. So we moved to Nova Scotia possession free. Though we do not have children, we have family in NS, AB, and GA which we try to see at least once a year. We miss our friends but also try to get back once a year to see them. If you decide to go full time, start a blog, it is a great way for family and friends to travel along. If you need some recommendations or help just let me know I will be happy to help you. Blogs are simple to set up and maintain. Best to you, it is a great life.

I don't think that I could do it FULLTIME. I would not want to sell my house and store all of my furniture. I also would not want to be away from my children, grandkids, and friends for months at a time. I can promise you that Louise would not want to do it. Also, swapping an appreciating asset for a depreciating asset goes against my monetary grain.

I would however, like to take several 5 to 6 week trips per year. Ideally, I think that leaving my coach in different cities around the country, flying home for a few weeks, and then flying back to continue my travels would be a perfect way to see America. That seems to be a good compromise to fulltiming for me.:D

Yes I would like others peoples opinions on this subject. It is a non conventional way to live and I am glad this option is open to Ed and I. However, I am also a bit scared. I used to be in favor of change in any form but the older I get the less adventurous I seem to be. Not having a home base seems a little radical to me. Perhaps I am making a big deal out of nothing please forward your thoughts michelle

There are a lot of full timers and maybe the best way to find out about it is to join FMCA and one of the full timer's chapters.

Going full time is a huge change for some of us. We are not apartment or condo dwellers so both my wife and I have "stuff" and our life is built around our "stuff" to an extent. She loves cooking and has all the gear necessary to make anything she wants. She likes hanging clothes on the line. We garden and can a lot of what we don't eat fresh from the garden. We have way too many cars and I have a garage full of tools. My life is wrapped up in doing stuff like fixing things.

We learned a long time ago the 4 week trips put us at the edge of our sanity. We both need to be home after as little as a week, although there are times we can actually stretch it to 2 weeks. So for us out and back trips work well. But there is nothing we like better than getting home.

On the other hand this group has members that full time in their coach and appear to love it. They will identify themselves and render opinions as to their experiences. For the broadest base of opinions however look into FMCA and the chapter of full timers.

Michelle the Fulltimers chapter in FMCA is very active the 100%s chapter is not. I would recommend you join the Fulltimers. the three-ring binder you get when joining is filled with useful information.

Michelle, my suggestion is to join the Escapees discussion board at:

http://www.rvnetwork.com/

They have a full timing section that you can get all of you questions answered and more.:)

We have been full-timers ever since we retired..... 8 years ago! Our thought at the time was to travel around the country for a while until we found the place that we would buy or build a home to retire to.

Well, we have enjoyed the lifestyle so much that we just can't give it up just yet. It is truly an experience that you cannot fully explain in words alone, although I'm sure that it isn't for everyone.

I'll see if I can convince my wife Janice to post some wife-specific comments, although she is probably even more enthusiastic about full-timing than I am.

Michelle, I'll tell you what we did, take it for what it's worth. About four years ago we had reached a point of wanting to sell our house and move from the neighborhood. Problem was there were no homes on the market that we cared for and we were in no mood to build again. So we planned to sell the house, move to the coach and travel, keeping an eye on the housing market through our Realtor and the Net. We normally were always gone durning the winter month anyway so this was not such a change. We planned to return home for the spring and early summer months for GKids sports.
We stored the 'stuff' that made sense to keep and sold or gave away the 'stuff' that we [probably] would have if we just moved across town.

We did ALL this and, what a sense of freedom, if we wanted to go, we went. No concern with who to have keep an eye on the place.

We lasted 2 years, not because of the life style but, a house came on the market we just had to have [should have never looked at it].

We have 'Full Time' '1/2 Time', and 'Part Time' friends. The Full Timers seem to go like crazy for a few years then gravitate to a spot for the winter and a different spot for the summer. The 1/2 Timers ,we know, have an AZ. house and live there in winter and own an ODR RV lot on the Oregon coast, where they stay the summer. [Sounds good to me]

Seems you can get a creative as you want. We found it is always a trade off. We did alot of things we would never have done if we were on a set schedule at home. We missed some fun times with family and friends at home as well.

If you are happy with your current Bus, try to avoid the "We need a bigger, better, longer, shorter, newer, or slide Bus" syndrome and you will be OK. Selling your house in this market might be a question, maybe leasing it would be an option.

You will do what is good for you. Sorry to go on and on.

Jon's post is right about your stuff. We have not been gainfully employed in 15 years. We have full-timed twice in those years. Our problem was our stuff. We put it in storage so both times we bought a stick house for our stuff. In both of our Full-time periods we did do a lot of volunteering. Just traveling all the time or setting in one spot without much to do did not fit us.
We have noticed some full-timers that sold it all and as they age it becomes harder for them to travel much. Some of them invested a lot in a rig only to have it lose value each day. Now they can't get out of the rig and into a home. Even a 45 foot coach can get smaller day by day. Just our story and our view. Too each his own.

Much good information and thoughts have been shared and I hope more to come. My bride still has many concerns and rightfully so as it’s a step in a very different direction that we are taking, I think it’s only fair to add some additional pieces of our story for a clearer picture of our end goal and perhaps make me look a little less wreck less as well. We now have the opportunity to travel full time if we wish or something in between, not without limits mind you but realistically secure and safely. What we both feel is this; we have never been very happy doing what we have been doing over the years and desperately desire something different. We have bought homes in small towns and homes in large cities living downtown, owned ranches in the Texas hill country raised horses, cattle, goats, deer and lamas and never found a desire to stop looking elsewhere for yet something new to do. I am 50 and Michelle is 10 years younger but with some medical issues which is why we purchased the bus in the first place allowing us the ability to travel even if she was having health complications. We are currently negotiating on a piece of commercial property in Texas just off I.H.35 between Waco and Dallas, our intention to purchase a warehouse type property downtown allowing us ample room to park our bus and room for an additional bus space inside for our visiting friends complete with all hookups. Inside we will also construct a small one bedroom open type concept dwelling using it for a base for travels and room to live outside of the bus when we are there. Michelle and I are placing our Stephenville house on the market next week but who knows how long in this current market it will take to sell and at what price, so we are also considering using some of the extra space for RV and boat type contract storage allowing the property to become more self sustaining if we need it to be. Not having a place to have our stuff just seems unwise, and at some point we will perhaps even tired of always moving about without a base point for grounding so a “place” we both feel is a must both for our mental wellbeing and financially something to gain in value as we grow older… just not a conventional house with a conventional yard. We have met some extremely good people in our travel and believe that there are many more friends and places we have yet to experience. I see this as our best chance for something different for us both…if you dont do something different then how can you expect a different result...ed

Alrighty... This grew looong. "The text that you have entered is too long (10357 characters). Please shorten it to 10000 characters long." :o So this is PART ONE to be followed immediately by PART TWO.

PART ONE

This is Pamela, Lloyd's other half. We just hit 2-years of full-timing on March 1st.

Where to start ...

I'll focus comments on my point of view since you already have Lloyd's opinion. Overall, we love our full-timing experience.

TRAVEL BUG:
Both Lloyd and I have always had wanderlust. We have travelled extensively together and separately, before we met. We've done it all, from tents to luxury cruises, but full-time + Prevost is something altogether different.

SPACE:
It's worth pointing out that Lloyd and I have different "needs" when it comes to lifestyle which we've had to address. He could live in a cave, but I need light and (a lot!) of space. He could be with me 24 hours a day every day; I need a little 'me time'. He needs a desk and many techie accessories. If I can, I play and work outside under the awning, or on the beach, or in the leafy shade. When I really need my space (Lloyd works a few days a month via conference calls), I escape to a cafe, a beachside pavillion, a library, an authentic Mexican restaurant, etc. So. We make it work. The ONLY time the bus feels small when we're both in it is when it's dark and rainy during the daytime. Honestly, that's the only time. On those days, if I don't feel the urge to fly the coop, I sequester myself in the bedroom if I need concentration time to write and such--always feels a little like a luxury anyway. :)

MORE SPACE:
We exercise as much or more since we left Nova Scotia, which is sometimes a togetherness activity and sometimes a solo activity. We can walk, jog or bike through most campgrounds or nearby locations. Admittedly, when we don't have the opportunity to get out on our feet and explore, we get a bit antsy and search for a place to burn some physical and mental energy.

Sometimes campground club houses, pools, breakfast rooms, and other public areas are attractive places to lounge about.

Often we find space in local areas as we just wander or hunker down at a local venue to people watch or read, write, eat, take in the music, loll and listen to the surf, etc.

HEALTH:
This was an important consideration for us even though we're both healthy healthy, we're told.

We decided on global medical insurance which covers us beyond what our NS health care covers (they cover whatever they would've covered had the incident/illness/etc. happened in NS). We have more med insurance than we need, plus duplicate emergency services through the various RV assocations. We just didn't want to have to worry in the slightest when it comes to medical care. (Ditto for duplicate emergency roadside service)

One of our favourite local experiences in this regard is the local (and hopefully organic) farmers markets. Additionally, experiencing the local food and dishes is always a treat.

THINGS:
I value experiences much more than possessions and always have. I'm kind of a minimalist. Lloyd ... mmm ... he has a shopping gene, I swear it, but he weeded his things down to essentials when the house in Atlanta sold. In our opinion, there are few things more freeing than unloading yourself of inessential "things". I think most people find that the urge to acquire lessens when you have to think about where and how to store it in the generous yet limited storage that 340ish square feet (in our case) offers. Having said that, we've shipped our share of boxes back home to be stored.

HOBBIES:
What are your hobbies and are the suited to an on-the-go lifestyle?

We write, read, photograph, play guitar (badly), and seek out live theatre, cinema, cultural events, art events, live music and authentic and local food wherever we can.

STYLE:
What is your travel style?

We travel at a fairly leisurely pace. We rarely stay less than 4 nights or more than 1 month at a destination and rarely drive more than 2-3 hours to the next destination.

We tend to split our time 50/50 between touristy/local attractions. Local recommendations for local hot spots are often the best and most memorable of the hangouts! :D

We always allow for down time. It's easy to get wrapped up in tourist mode. "We have to see everything while we're here." But you'll wear yourself out! We learned, fast, to choose highlights and supplement with local recommendations and--often as rewarding--things we just wander upon.

We really enjoy drives between the destinations. We avoid major highways if we can because the secondary roads usually offer better sights and a glimpse into the local communities.

CAMPGROUNDS:
In my opinion, this is the biggest unknown of all the variables in the full-timing experience.

First, take into account your taste. We love provincial, state and national parks most though, on occasion, our size restricts us from such parks.

Campgrounds can also be one of the most disappointing or, conversely, pleasantly surprising aspects. It seems to me that what you read in Woodalls (or whatever) or see online, is almost never quite what you envision or end up with once you arrive at the campground, which may be for the better or worse. We have learned to run down our short checklist when we reserve to ensure we'll have what we need when we arrive and eliminate most of the negative surprises.

Again, we like the provincial, state and federal parks most. Otherwise, we prefer campgrounds with good-sized sites, some privacy, and with some kind of evidence of Nature. Failing that, we go for something at least somewhat esthetically appealing because that's important to us.

We also like to dry camp and find we can easily do so for a week and could push it to or almost to two weeks with prudent sailing tactics. ;)

To be continued...

PART TWO

HOME:
A biggy and one that comes to my mind now and then.

In a way, this decision was, in part, made for us. We were within two days of buying a house in Nova Scotia when the deal fell through. Although, Lloyd turning 50 probably had as much influence on this decision...

Very rarely do I wish I had a house to return to and, usually, in hindsight, I see that that is directly related to the times when I miss my friends, family and community.

The other times are few and far between, but to be honest I also crave a home when I'm longing for beauty (this is mostly about being a Nova Scotian--we often leave, but we usually long to "come back"), humidity, or when we're both trying to cook in the 'kitchen' at the same time...

This is such a personal choice, it's difficult to comment. House things I miss: clothesline (!), garden, gorgeous view (rarely guaranteed at most campground), space, privacy. I don't miss cleaning that much space!

We have a storage room for our essentials so that's not a worry.

A bus is easier and faster, it seems to me, to maintain.

The bus suits us so well that it looks and feels like a house on wheels. It has everything we need. (A lot of people don't like or use their Splendide washer/dryer, but I love mind and would not like to haul my laundry somewhere else.)

FAMILY & FRIENDS:
The most important.

Of course I miss my family and friends, especially when I miss a birthday, or my nephew's first words and steps, or my girlfriend needs a shoulder to cry on... I imagine we all have some of that in our lives given the loved ones that don't live near us even when we have a home base.

For me, the virtual capabilities nowadays make keeping in touch and up to date possible. With Facebook or other social networks you can keep up to date on a daily basis for free. I love that my oldest nephew, my niece, my sis-in-law and my little brother can know what I'm up to every day if they want and vice versa. There's Skype, cell phones, digital photos...

We do drive through family and friend destinations or we fly there on holidays so, basically, we charge up on the lovin' and we're sad when we leave, but then we go back to our adventure and we're happy. :)

COMMUNITY:
Will you miss your immediate community?

We have a tight knit, vibrant, kind and conscientious community back home.

If we didn't have family, we would choose these people as family.

Unless you spend a length of time, 1 month+, or choose a campground with a built in community (snowbird communities, for example), you may miss the community aspect. I do.

Also, Nova Scotia itself has a whole different lifestyle, landscape, weather system, values, etc. from anywhere I've ever been, and I do miss that. Thankfully, we visited for two weeks in November and will be back again for a visit in July/August this year.

It may be worth mentioning that I "signed up for" (we joke) for a one year of full-timing with a "we'll see after that" clause. It's just over two years and it feels like less than half that time. Now we have plans to continue through next winter. :) Then I'd like some time at home, but I'm not sure if that's just a couple months, or a snowbird scenario, or longer. Regardless, we're almost sure we'll never sell the bus and will head out throughout the year in future years. Who knows, we might even do it by the year again. Time goes by so fast when there's so much fun and newness. And there's a lot of fun and there's always newness!

There are ALWAYS opportunities for social interaction on the road if you think that might be a good fix. Generally, RVers/campers are the friendliest and most inviting people you can meet. :) Some campgrounds have event calendars or daily/weekly gatherings or events: crafts, exercise, games, pot lucks, breakfasts, movies, and a lot more.

It is extremely easy to meet and even form a friendship with the people around you. We have made countless friends, many of which we remain in touch with via our travel blog. We've even met up with several across the country!

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME:

In my mind, this one can't be debated. Full-timing such an amazing way to see North America: the beauty, the uniqueness from community to community, the people, the history, the culture!

And you can do it YOUR way, at your own pace, wherever you want, whatever you want!

We're on an inspiring and rewarding adventure and we always feel blessed for that.

CHAPTER 2:
just kidding... :p

Hope it helps a little... I welcome any comments or questions.

My best,

Pamela

Great post, Pam!

If we weren't already fulltiming, reading your post would surely inspire me to do so!

Thank you Pam. I think you re affirm for me what the life style can be. A Very rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Thank you so much for your insight, I believe you covered everything. Though we are not full timing yet perhaps in a few months, we have been on extended stay trips and I do get cabin fever. When this comes over me I usually feel like going home right away but perhaps I just need to intubate myself in some of the events going around the park. Perhaps it is just boredom. The cold weather is trying in the bus partly because we have no desire to get out however our two dogs still need to be let outside wich usually falls in my husband jobs. Ed is also fifty and I believe the need to explore and see new sights has a bit to do with age. I am 41 though I have very few family members at home to visit. I get this urge to go back and check on the house. Perhaps if I had no house, this need would be satisfied. However life is an adventure and getting off the super highway and taking a bit of a detour may make it a bit brighter or maybe just some funny stories. I would hope to meet up with you guys in the future. I am going to get a blog before I begin this journey and I will add you on it your taste in hobbies and adventures sounds right up our alley. From Texas Michelle

Sounds like a plan, Ed. Houston area, here.