Full time or not?

[jasum]

How many think at some point they want to go full time in your RV?

In the past we lived in ours for 3 years and both decided we always want a house to come back to.
We love traveling especially out west.

[craigav]

I have always thought about going full time but never have. From what I have read, many go full time but not forever and end up settling down somewhere after a few years. I suspect that would be the case for me so I continue to RV a few times or more per year. Hopefully more adventures as time allows. ~CA

[EA37TS]

We went a different route. We bought a Park Model RV, with attached sunroom, at a RV resort in SC to serve as home base while we are not rolling around in the motorhome. Next week we begin the process of unloading and selling the sticks and bricks in Virginia.

Since the Park Model is a RV I guess we could say we are full timing and there is more than one way to full time. There are a few PM owners here that do not own anything else and consider themselves full timers while there are a few (less than 25 percent) that are weekend warriors.

[csper29605]

We have gone full -time in an 2018 Jayco NP 377rlbh and I will tell you I wish we had more room. we are thinking about the seismic or Pinnacle

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by csper29605

We have gone full -time in an 2018 Jayco NP 377rlbh and I will tell you I wish we had more room. we are thinking about the seismic or Pinnacle

We traded up to a Pinnacle when we went full time. That extra 6" in width makes a huge difference!

[bill3kirk]

We started full timing in 2011. Sold our house, property and never looked back. Still love it. On our 2nd 5th wheel. Plan to purchase a toy hauler next year.

[Topperace]

We just went full time end of January, sold the house in March and plan to do this for at least two to three years. Plan is to try and get some land
in TN to put an RV port on with small side house extension...only a plan though.

[spoon059]

Can't imagine full timing for us. We do a 3.5 week trip yearly and we are ready to get home by the end of the trip. When I retire we hope to get a nicer extended living 5th wheel and do longer trips, several months at a time, but still don't think full timing is for us.

[Radar57]

We have another 2 1/2 to 3 years before retirement. We plan to keep the sticks and bricks home but go out for 6 to 8 weeks at a time. Use it as a home base. We'll probably go longer in the winter, heading somewhere south. I'm getting tired of these winters.

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by spoon059

Can't imagine full timing for us. We do a 3.5 week trip yearly and we are ready to get home by the end of the trip. When I retire we hope to get a nicer extended living 5th wheel and do longer trips, several months at a time, but still don't think full timing is for us.

It's not for everyone. Your DW has to be your very best friend and vice versa to really enjoy full timing

[norty1]

We have no plans to sell our home. We live in it at least 9 months of the year and I can't see that changing at this time.
It is already downsized for the two of us and we have storage for the rv onsite.

[mikensue]

Originally Posted by jasum

How many think at some point they want to go full time in your RV?

In the past we lived in ours for 3 years and both decided we always want a house to come back to.
We love traveling especially out west.

We started being gone 1 month, following year 2 months and next winter we decided on 3 months. I'm a "retired truck driver" but now have a home repair business I really enjoy, so full time will probably never happen. As someone stated, You and your spouse/partner really need to be best friends!

[Brownie]

On July 29,2021 it will be 8 years since I sold the S&B home and became a "Full Timer". I loved it then, and I still love it today. Even though I had done a lot of research on trailers vs. 5ers vs. motor homes (and eventually picked the perfect rig and TV for the dog and I), there was a substantial learning curve the first 2-3 years. And it seemed like every year, something happened that would delay my travel plans and put a big dent in the wallet. But those things happened in the S&B. too. You just have to remember "Life is a journey, not a destination".

Now, I spend May - October volunteering as a campground host in Michigan State Park campgrounds. November 1, I pull up stakes and head down to south-central Texas (where I spend November - mid April); then do it all over again. I plan on two weeks for travel each way. It generally only takes 4-5 days, but I stop near Dallas to spend a week (or so) visiting my sister and her family. And, if I decide to spend a few days somewhere along the way, I can. WHY NOT! I'M RETIRED!

As I said, I love this lifestyle, but it's not for everyone. It takes a lot of planning before you commit to it. If you hang onto the house, you'll have to hire someone to look after the upkeep and maintenance while you're gone - water & mow the lawn, pick up the mail & forward it to you; check on the furnace & A.C., water heater, pluming, electrical system, roof; shovel the snow; how will you do your banking, pay your utility bills, taxes, etc. And what about home security while you're gone?

If you sell the house, YOU'RE TECHNICALLY HOMELESS! How do you get your mail, do your banking, pay your bills, establish & maintain auto & RV insurance, establish & maintain a patient/doctor relationship, handle prescriptions & medications, vote? Most important of all . . . what about your driver's license? Most states require a "permanent residential address" to get/maintain one. And legally, your daughter's address doesn't count! Neither does a post office box! YOU HAVE TO ESTABLISH RESIDENCY! The most popular states for full-timers to establish residency are Florida, Texas, and South Dakota . . . largely, because they don't charge state income taxes.

Fortunately, the internet has overcome most of those issues. Those that remain can often be overcome by employing a "mail forwarding service". A mail forwarding service will provide you with a P.M.B. (Personal Mail Box), which you use as your mailing address. They collect your mail and forward it to you according to your directions - either on a regular schedule, or when you request it. Many have plans that allow them to eliminate "junk" mail and only forward "real" mail to an address you specify - typically, a campground/resort address, a post office box, or even "general delivery" at your temporary location. Additionally, a P.M.B. establishes a "permanent residential address", or "domicile", that you can use to get a driver's license in the states mentioned above (and possibly a couple others). Although there are others, the two most popular mail forwarding services are Escapees (FL, TX & SD), and America's Mailbox (SD). They may also offer other services like campgrounds or motels, vehicle registration assistance, and insurance. There are fees for their services.

My point is, if you are considering full time RVing, don't get caught in the "Nobody told me" trap. Ask yourself these questions. Define your expectations and you are more likely to achieve them. Investigate the laws and regulations in the state you plan on spending the majority of your time. Only you can decide how you will overcome these obstacles.

[Pastorlarry]

We had a 30’ travel trailer we lived in for 7 months because of a house fire. My wife and I decided full time rv’ing wasn’t for us

[alwalk63]

Originally Posted by jasum

How many think at some point they want to go full time in your RV?



In the past we lived in ours for 3 years and both decided we always want a house to come back to.

We love traveling especially out west.

I would go full-time, my dear wife would never. To her it's important to have that home base for us and the rest of the family. Just like no one rv option is for everyone neither is the lifestyle.

[marbles]

I could not full time. We have kids and four grand kids. I could not be away that long. We do enjoy exploring and plan to do more all of the time.

[Bayoutalker]

We've been full time for about 6 years total. It has its good and bad points. Just make sure you get a unit with lots of room and storage. You can never have enough.

[Mad5581]

I personally have been 5/7ths most timer. I took a job away from my S/B about 6 years ago and would go home (4 hour drive) on my weekends. My wife decided she was tired of me being gone all the time so in February we sold the S/B. And are now 100% in our NP377rlbh. We are still working on organizing and finding homes for our stuff. Has been challenging but we see light. Luckily for us my income is adequate for rv park living. We have many trips planned with a permanent home base being an rv park. We will keep our spot because honestly it's cheap and a really nice small quiet park. The wife and I have had some "oh wow what have we done" moments but they are passing. It's amazing how much time and energy went into just upkeep and basic maintenance on our house. All that time is now spent exploring and doing day tips. I do agree if your spouse is not also your best friend don't do this lifestyle. Even with your spouse being you BF there are challenges. Luckily for us we had the opportunity 2 years ago to take 5 weeks off and travel and it worked great. Honestly we have been looking forward to the transition to full-time living since our tip. Now we did stuff the proceeds from our home sale in the bank for when the time comes to go back to SB housing. We know it will eventually but for now we are just living a much simpler life. Yes rvs are not without chores and maintenance. My point was I'm gonna own an rv either way so now rather then have a house and an rv to maintain I only have the rv. That and I believe houses need to be lived in or they fall apart faster. So keeping the house was not really ever an option. Renting in my state was never an option either. Our laws protect the renters not the owners so that was out.. you have to do yours... what works for one is not gonna work for all. Good luck and happy camping.

[JerryPic]

Originally Posted by csper29605

We have gone full -time in an 2018 Jayco NP 377rlbh and I will tell you I wish we had more room. we are thinking about the seismic or Pinnacle

We have the pinnacle. It’s the bath and a half model 40+’ and it’s wonderful for full timing. No complaints.

[maxdonport]

We sold everything in 2018 and headed to Alaska. We bought a new Jay Flight 265RLS and Ram 1500 Hemi with a camper shell. The perfect set up for our new lifestyle of simplify, simplify, simplify. We travel about every month except December through March. Use a great service for our domicile and mail, St Brendan’s Isle in Green Cove Springs, FL. What a wonderful life.