Advice for Extended trip

[jd99336]

As a newly "semi-retired" (still taking some consulting gigs) couple, we are getting ready to leave on our first trip of our life time that is more than the traditional two weeks.

We are leaving for two full months on the road. While I think I have the RV/Toad issues down, my highest anxiety is leaving the house for two months.

What I have done:

1) Grandson is checking in and taking care of the lawn, irrigation and watering the house plants
2) Neighbors are good, and will keep an eye on things
3) Forwarding mail to my daughter who will sort and report in on anything needing attention
4) I bought some wifi based water leak detectors (probably my biggest concern) that will notify me via phone if something starts to get wet.

What else would this experienced group give as advice to a newbie at this.

[Midnightmoon]

#4....Just turn your water off when you leave and have your grandson turn it back on as needed. There are no worries if it is off.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

#4....Just turn your water off when you leave.......snip

X2

Also turn the HWH off.

Bob

[rkymntsno]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

#4....Just turn your water off when you leave and have your grandson turn it back on as needed. There are no worries if it is off.

X3. If you don't want to have to relight your pilot light on HWH, just turn it down low. But definitely turn water off to the house and have grandson turn on as needed, maybe twice a week to water lawn, etc. Have neighbors watch out for door tags solicitors leave. Always a sign someone's not home. Light timers are a mixed bag. Some people like them, others don't. Me, I like the lights coming on the same time as when we're home and turning off.

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by jd99336

4) I bought some wifi based water leak detectors (probably my biggest concern) that will notify me via phone if something starts to get wet.

If you're going to have any kind of remote monitoring, doesn't it make more sense to have the alert sent a somebody local, who can get there quickly, to investigate?

Enjoy your trip

[PlayersZ28]

Check with your house insurance provider to see what frequency is required for monitoring and let them know of your absence.

The more things you can turn off that might cause issues the better.

[AnacortesArmyGuy]

Notify financial institutions that you have credit cards with of where you're traveling to so activity on your cards away from home doesn't cause them any concern. Most banks will allow you to do this "Travel Alert" on-line.

[jd99336]

Thank you for the excellent replies. I have already worked with my bank and credit cards. I am rethinking the water and investigated my house valve (annoying that a newer house has a gate valve rather than a ball valve, but oh well). My original thought was to turn off the water then someone said "but what will grandson use to water plants....." so I back pedaled. But you are all correct...if water is off, then no issues and the valve is easily accessible inside the house, so will turn off the water.

I did advise my insurance co, and our irrigation is on irrigation so as long as power is on, then sprinklers will work (battery backup for temporary outages).

I typically (and will this trip) turn off the HWH. It is gas and simple enough to kill and relight it on my return.

Good stuff one and all.

[RedHorse1]

I installed timers on the outside lights. They have a “random” feature that varies the on/off +-30min or so. WH and water, yes. Keep in mind that the P traps and toilets will probably dry out which may make the house smell. I poured cooking oil in ours for our 6 wk trip. Kept the water from evaporating but was a mess to clean up. Maybe there’s a better solution.
After arriving at a new CG locate the closest HF, big box and WM!

[jd99336]

I already have time of day activated outdoor lights (they keep track of sunrise and sunset by time, not by light) so work really well. I plan on using two indoor timers, a random and a set.

Hadn't thought of P-traps smelling. Oil wouldn't have been my first pick...maybe some RV antifreeze as I use it in the MH in winter and it leaves a nice minty smell.

[oldmanAZ]

Last year we were gone for 6mo...

- We used a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil for our sink and shower P-traps. No cleaning necessary when we returned.
- We had timer and put a small lamp in our master bath. I set the timer for lights to go on and off at various times throughout the night.
- We bought a 'fake TV' and set it up in the den. Even with the blinds closed, outside it appears someone is watching TV.
- We left a radio on a local FM station that has a number of talk programs throughout the day and night, not just music.

*************
One year our son was watching the house for us. After we were gone a couple of days, he walked through the house and turned off the radio... he thought we left it on accidentally.
Last year our neighbor saw that the light on the timer wasn't going on one night and she was afraid to go in the house alone. She called the police and they went in the house with her and checked and saw everything was OK. She then asked them to turn off the power! So for the next 4 months or more the house was completely dark and silent because the bulb had burned out in the lamp on the timer.

[SloPoke]

If you have medicine sent to the house... it will be returned! USPS will not forward Rx.

Purchase a locking mailbox, have your grandson pick up your mail each week while he does the other maintenance tasks.

If you know where you will be staying at along your way - you can have your grandson pack your mail into a "Priority Mail box and send it to you". Just check with the destination it will be sent to - to insure that the RV park will accept packages for you. We found that some don't!

We just replaced our old mailbox with a Mail-Boss mailbox.
https://www.mailboss.com/product-cat...ide-mailboxes/

[jd99336]

Originally Posted by SloPoke

If you have medicine sent to the house... it will be returned! USPS will not forward Rx.

Purchase a locking mailbox, have your grandson pick up your mail each week while he does the other maintenance tasks.

If you know where you will be staying at along your way - you can have your grandson pack your mail into a "Priority Mail box and send it to you". Just check with the destination it will be sent to - to insure that the RV park will accept packages for you. We found that some don't!

We just replaced our old mailbox with a Mail-Boss mailbox.
https://www.mailboss.com/product-cat...ide-mailboxes/

Didn't know that about prescriptions. I just got a 90 day supply filled and I know they want me to sign up for my next refill now (VA...not sure why), but I may just hold off on that until I get back.

We already have a locking mail box, but it is going to be easier to forward, but thanks for the point out on prescriptions.

[2edgesword]

Great thread and thank you for asking the question. My wife and I are planning to retire next year (I'll semi-retire because I'll go nuts without working at least part-time) and never thought about some of the issues raised in being away from home for an extended period of time.

[Bassdogs]

Just a preliminary comment given your semi retired label. Worrying about empty home issues while away for extended periods is exactly why early on DW and I agreed we would not keep a home in the old home town after retirement. We moved south but within a days drive to Indy for family visits. Owning a home after you move many times is a way to keep a foot on the base as you stretch out to a new homestead. We sold the home in Indiana which was also a message to our grown kids that "we didn't live there" anymore. Keeping that home causes any number of issues like those mentioned in previous posts. It also causes many ongoing expenses like insurance, taxes, outside maintenance/landscaping, HVAC costs, among others. Asking your neighbors and family to "keep up" with things for you is also a burden that can wear thin over time.

Suggest you use this semi-retired trip to sort out issues which will make it easier to step up to the ultimate permanent solution later on. People who move during their working lives for career opportunities or lifestyle changes rarely keep their old homes. In my mind, retirement is the same just for different reasons. If you don't live there anymore, why own and maintain a home where you no longer live?

[SloPoke]

After my parents went full time... they sold their home - as being mentioned in this thread.

Now in retrospect, they don't think it was a good decision after all.

Face it, we are all getting older. Do you really expect to be travelling in your Full-Time RV in the final years of your life? At some point an illness or injury is going to prevent us from driving, climbing in/out of our RV's and we will be physically unable to continue Full Time.

Who wants to go and start all over and buy/rent a home/condo/apartment - furnish it and go thru all of the stuff you have to do??? You already have all of the furnishings now... Maybe it is smarter to downsize while you are able to while healthy enough?

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

Just a preliminary comment given your semi retired label. Worrying about empty home issues while away for extended periods is exactly why early on DW and I agreed we would not keep a home in the old home town after retirement. We moved south but within a days drive to Indy for family visits. Owning a home after you move many times is a way to keep a foot on the base as you stretch out to a new homestead. We sold the home in Indiana which was also a message to our grown kids that "we didn't live there" anymore. Keeping that home causes any number of issues like those mentioned in previous posts. It also causes many ongoing expenses like insurance, taxes, outside maintenance/landscaping, HVAC costs, among others. Asking your neighbors and family to "keep up" with things for you is also a burden that can wear thin over time.

Suggest you use this semi-retired trip to sort out issues which will make it easier to step up to the ultimate permanent solution later on. People who move during their working lives for career opportunities or lifestyle changes rarely keep their old homes. In my mind, retirement is the same just for different reasons. If you don't live there anymore, why own and maintain a home where you no longer live?

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I'd like to share my parents story as just a counter perspective.

My father retired in 2009. My parents got rid of their home and started traveling full time. In April of 2010, my mother suffered the first in a series of strokes and by the fall of that year, they were unable to travel. They were suddenly left with no home, couldn't continue to full time, and ended up moving in with my wife and I. Even after my mother passed, he still lives with us and really has no incentive to move out on his own at this point.

Yes, they could have purchased something else during that time, but with mounting medical bills, it just wasn't practical. I believe that having to do it over again, my father would have held on to the house for some sense of security, both emotional and financial.

Not trying to scare anyone off from just selling and moving on. But, there are situations where it may be of benefit to still have that home to fall back on.

[brettt]

Got any one to pick up mail?

[SloPoke]

Another factor to consider.... My parents home was paid for... they sold it for a fair price, but the belongings were essentially given away as the amount of effort to liquidate all of the furnishings and belongings was going to take many weeks, and they had to be out of the home as it was sold.
In the end, they still ended up needing a storage unit to keep the sentimentals and stuff they would not part with - that storage unit alone cost more than the property taxes on the house.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by brettt

Got any one to pick up mail?

yep... just like the OP!