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Old 07-18-2014, 07:39 AM   #1
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How do you find time?

It seems every time I turn around, there's always something else that needs to be done, so camping gets put on the back burner. Sure, we have a few weekends planned for this season, but summer is about half over, and our last trip was in June, and our next scheduled trip isn't until mid August. How do you find time to go camping while working a full time job (first shift), getting things done around the house (currently we are doing a bit of construction too), and keeping the family (both mine and hers) happy by attending family reunions? Just seems there isn't enough weekends in the camping season to camp... So how do you do it?
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Old 07-18-2014, 07:59 AM   #2
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Accept the fact that you're the guy in the neighborhood that has the overgrown lawn sneak out of the office early on Fridays. Good luck.
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Old 07-18-2014, 08:34 AM   #3
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Yea, kind of what KiltDog said. We typically schedule a few long weekends and a full week in late summer. Planning is key here. Some stuff slides occasionally. If we have a trip planned and someone later asks us to attend something else, we decline.
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Old 07-18-2014, 08:40 AM   #4
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Plowtoy.... it's those day time jobs. They get in the way of everything, I really never realized just how much until I retired. As to the other stuff, heck, I've come to except that the house renovation is going to take much longer than we ever planned or scheduled and I'm a professional at scheduling design and construction projects or was for the past 30 years (Architectural Sr. Project Manager and General Contractor).......besides, I think I've started a new trend in fashion (construction site rustic). The wife isn't crazy about it but it's growing on me.

Family.... that's another matter all together. If it's not a family reunion, birthday, graduation, hospital stay, etc., etc.... it's another. They can become all encompassing for sure. We've gotten pretty good at saying "sorry can't make it or do that...."... whether it's replacing windows, doors or tearing out a load bearing wall, we have projects on the house renovation that require our attention if we're going to get it done. At least once every other month we take a weekend just for ourselves... be it camping or just ambling through antique stores or just turning off the phones, closing the drapes and reading a book or two.....luckily, all the kids are grown and building families of their own, so it's just the two of us. Trust me, you'll get your life back when the kids are grown and leave home.
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Old 07-18-2014, 09:05 AM   #5
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We usually pick and plan dates in the winter prior. Neither of us have 9-5 jobs though so its easier for us then most to get extended time off. Try 5+ days per month from May through Oct and a couple longer 7-14 day trips. Unfortunetly we often deny many of the family reunions and other events unless they are real important. We have just made it a priority to enjoy our lives first. It sounds selfish but otherwise we never leave the area. Mow before we leave and when we return and we save all household projects for winter or spring. Biggest thing is planning I think. If you don't have set vacation days with plans going into the summer, you kind of fill in the summer with other things. At least we did.
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Old 07-18-2014, 09:06 AM   #6
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Yeah, we are right with you. Too much to do and not enough free time.

Our rule (that works for us) is every-other weekend. Any more is too much. We try to plan a tentative schedule in spring.

We book a lot of nearby state park sites so if we miss a day or need to cancel it's not a backbreaker. We try to get away for at least 1 night (leave afternoon, return next morning) when things get hectic. Yeah, its a struggle sometimes to get away.
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Old 07-18-2014, 10:08 AM   #7
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We also plan in advance- mid winter usually to make sure we get the same site.

I am lucky to be retired at my age and I took another full time career- ( my wife is 16 years younger and we have a 7 yo daughter) which meant a
Complete release of stress and a lot less danger, home on holidays and weekends and it was a very lucrative move. I just didn't add up the loss of time to do things coming home "late" from my new commute during the week and no longer having a heck of a lot of vacation days. My wife took a promotion and she now covers her old duty but also has become a supervisor.

Our most peaceful days are at a campsite by the fire and then watching an Are you afraid of the dark show with our daughter. The last two years have gone from 3 to 4 trips to just 2.

Please don't get me wrong. We are more then lucky and consider ourselves blessed for being able to afford what we have and the life we live when many can't. It's just that camping brings about.....that feeling......that escape. Obviously you more then know what I mean.

I don't think we "do it". We can't no matter how hard we try. We camp in the driveway on weekend nights when we can and have a fire. It doesn't replace that feeling- but it is much better then nothing.
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Old 07-18-2014, 10:22 AM   #8
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I think I am just having withdraws... The "agreement" my wife and I have is to go at least once a month in the summer months. Winter is more busy than the summer for me with my snowplowing business, so rarely do we do any vacationing between Nov-May. I was hoping to go this weekend and kill two birds with one stone (her side family reunion at a state park a couple hours away). Theres been some back and forth on both my part and her familys, so no reservations had been set. I find out this morning that the thing I was hoping to take care of tomorrow is now off and so we could have gone camping at the family reunion this weekend, but now MAYBE we will just go for the day... If I were to found out last night that Saturday was off, I would have hooked up the camper and we would have left today for the reunion from work. It just feels like the entire weekend is shot... Now for sure the next chance I will get to go wont be until mid August, unless the plans I have for next weekend get canceled. Thanks for letting me vent! Dave
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Old 07-18-2014, 10:22 AM   #9
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I hear you! All of you! I spent my younger years working so I could enjoy the finer things in life. Turns out, I was too busy working to enjoy them. Now that I'm retired and will be "full-timing" in another 11 days (but who's counting), I plan on seeing all the things in all the places I lived, that I was too busy working to take the time to see when I lived there!
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Old 07-18-2014, 10:41 AM   #10
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Great for you Brownie! You are about to live the dream many of us have!!!! Wish you all the best!!

By the way- to be honest-----seriously, seriously jealous!!!! I will be the one you meet who is smiling while muttering

......you lucky b*st*rd!!!

All kidding beside- well deserved!!!! Congrats!!
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Old 07-18-2014, 10:47 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Plowtoy View Post
I think I am just having withdraws... Thanks for letting me vent! Dave
I think I can speak for several others also: Anytime! Especially when you message drives right through me! Good luck! And vent away again so we know we are not alone!!

Mike
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Old 07-18-2014, 10:57 AM   #12
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I concur with LkptRvPilot

"Our rule (that works for us) is every-other weekend. Any more is too much. We try to plan a tentative schedule in spring."




This is the same rule we apply. We generally schedule and book camping weekends during the winter months and let all family and friends know the dates we have scheduled for camping. On the odd chance of a reunion or birthday that falls on our camping weekend, we may invite them to our site or do something for them on the weekend we are home.
That works for us, so I don't recommend it for everyone. My wife has a very large family and many of them live near us.
It can be somewhat difficult, but they have come to realize that we have a life style that we want to enjoy. We purchased the camper for several reasons. If they want to join the fun with us camping, we welcome them. Otherwise, things will wait until we return.
Household duties usually get done the weekends we are home or winter.
I am not competing with anyone in our neighborhood for the best lawn since we have more sand than dirt on our 2 1/2 acres.
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Old 07-18-2014, 11:17 AM   #13
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We are in our mid 30's and have 2 children ages 5 and 7. We made an agreement when we bought our camper. We were not going to make payments on something and let it sit in the driveway. The main purpose for buying the camper was to spend quality time with our kids. We plan 1 weekend a month from March to October for camping. We usually take a full week in July or August for our vacation. We make these plans in February so when the family ask what weekends we are free for birthdays and such we already have the camping weekends booked. This year both my wife and I decided that we wanted to spend Mother's day and Father's day camping with the kids. After all, she is a mother and I am a father. We did get some grief for this but we ignored it and did not let it ruin our trips. It's pretty sad that society has gotten so busy that you have to plan your whole summer in advance. We have just accepted it and plan accordingly.
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Old 07-18-2014, 11:25 AM   #14
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Work is the problem that I am going to solve in a few months. After 40 years of work comes first I am going to put work off the list, not even on the last page, gone from the book........
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Old 07-18-2014, 01:04 PM   #15
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When we worked, we made the weekend camping trips just as important as everything else.
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Old 07-18-2014, 02:04 PM   #16
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Like a lot of the fellow camper said:
You bought the camper planning to camp so camp
if you are like alot of us your making payments and insurance
make your relaxation a priority just like working
dont wait until your retired to camp because life may not happen that way. Just some thoughts from a fellow camper
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Old 07-18-2014, 02:28 PM   #17
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plan and commit with a reservation

on recreation.gov or any other site public or private. Strive for one trip a year this way and let additional trips be optional.
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Old 07-18-2014, 02:51 PM   #18
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Good for you, eldermike! Sounds like we're both going to make the most of our retirement!
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Old 07-18-2014, 03:54 PM   #19
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Me and my wife make sure we get at least 30 nights of camping. Other wise we might as well rent a trailer and it would be cheaper. Life is too short. I work hard and want to play hard too, and my playing is camping. I dont want any regrets when I am older thinking I should of done more when I could.
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Old 07-18-2014, 04:07 PM   #20
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Me and my wife make sure we get at least 30 nights of camping. Other wise we might as well rent a trailer and it would be cheaper. Life is too short. I work hard and want to play hard too, and my playing is camping. I dont want any regrets when I am order thinking I should of done more when I could.
Agreed! My wife and I are still young, and no kids on the way for another year or two, but life is going by faster every year and you never know when it's going to be your time. We make time to enjoy as much of life as possible. For us camping is 90% of our vacation time and we camp 45+ nights per year. Like you said, I don't want to wish I had done more when I could have.
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