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We were exactly the same way, been thinking/planning/considering one for 20 years, so imagine the conversations as we rolled home from Texas! :p Did we make a mistake, holy crap we should just sell it, maybe it won't be so bad once we get it cleaned up...Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
I worked on it for two hours today just cleaning windows, putting on the plates and taking her stickers off the tire cover so we can add our own. Each day we seem to like it a little more.
I find myself shopping online, looking at various motorhomes and trailers. I'm not sure I'd really enjoy having one though, since I hate driving for more than an hour or so. I can dream....
Snap, several retired/full timer folks I know follow the 2-2-2 rule when traveling via RV; Each day, no more than 2 hours of driving, parked by 2 PM and stay for at least 2 days. You see more of the country that way, and don't wear yourself out in the process.Quote:
Originally Posted by snapdragen
That's totally going to be us if we do it! Neither my DH nor I particularly enjoy driving. It's either boring or stressful, depending on traffic and where you are. We mind it less out west than in the east, though, for the wide-ranging views and usually less traffic and curvy, stressful roads. Less rain too. :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
Pax, what did you end up getting? You mentioned a Roadtrek dealer -- is that what you got? We love their newer e-trek model, but it's way above our budget. If we wait long enough, perhaps, but they're still too new to be budget friendly, even on the used market. I bet you're gonna love it once you can make it your own. It's comforting to me to hear that you also talked about it for a long time (a very long time) before pulling the trigger! We've been talking on and off for maybe 6-7 years.
Emily - it's an old Roadtrek, a 1999 190 Popular. Luckily the first owner lived in NM so it was never in a really rainy environment, he took excellent care of it cosmetically and mechanically. The second owner was diligent about the mechanical, she just didn't seem to care about the cosmetic at all... but she only had it three years so it's all fixable.
Spent another two hours in it today de-littleoldlady-ing it. Removing her cushion covers and a metric ton of plastic pink flamingo crap; it's starting to feel like ours.
I like the sound of this...
i thought pink flamingos were part of the florida mystique :)...sounds like some good road trips coming up....maybe southern ca???? :D
i would luv a volkswagen eurovan camper...if i could take a year off
It really does seem like an interesting way to see the country and to step out of the ordinary. I know I'll never be a full time off the grid van dweller, but I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy spending time in the places the rig can take me.Quote:
Originally Posted by snapdragen
Pink flamingos are what you have to make you feel like you live in FL... before you actually do. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by rebeccaC
The VW's are awesome, too bad hipsters decided they're cool, the prices have gone through the roof.
Teehee...Sounds like it's getting better every day! I do think part of the fun would be making a motorhome into our "home", and compared to all the traveling we've been doing where we stay in hotels or other people's rentals (VRBO, Airbnb), it would be nice to have a place for everything, not have to constantly be packing and unpacking, and just have OUR own space, even though small. Also nice to be able to travel with doggie without having to rule out so many places for not being pet-friendly. These are some of the appeals of it to us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
I hope you get to do some fun traveling with your Roadtrek. Post photos when the time comes!
My parents have been "full timing" for more than 20 years now… I couldn't live that way, but they love it. They don't have a home base period, they've been using various relatives and friends homes as their address. They criss cross around the states and Canada for the most part. They've made little forays across the border into Mexico, but haven't spent any significant time there - I don't think even over night. They follow the good weather around and try to visit all the little stuff that mostly gets missed if you are traveling quickly.
One note about dogs - if you do travel with a dog it can still be difficult to visit some places like national parks. Dogs aren't allowed on trails at all - basically not outside of parking lots and some campground areas and you cannot leave them alone at campsites or in vehicles (including motorhomes), so what you can actually do there is very limited. I think my parents (or at least my dad…) might like to have one, but they haven't for that reason.
Hey now, nothing wrong with pink flamingos... :rolleyes: Attachment 17819
Nothing at all, now 500 of them in a 20' camper...
:p
Yes, I am very aware of this as we've been to quite a few National Parks (without our dog, of course). However, people do leave their dogs in their motorhomes often -- we've seen (and heard!) it as we've walked through quite a few campgrounds. If the campground has rules against it it is either because they worry about nuisance barking, which ours doesn't do (we're lucky if she barks one time a week!) or the pet's safety from heat or cold. If you plan to avoid the hottest or coldest times and leave fans running and plenty of ventilation, fresh water, etc, I don't see the problem. Otherwise you can't even take a bike ride or go out to dinner together. If you have full hookups, you can even leave the A/C running for them, if needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eden
When we've stayed in hotels with Paisley, there have often been rules about leaving dogs in the room alone, but we've done it many times because, as I say, she is (very thankfully!) quiet, non-destructive, and just sleeps while we're gone. She doesn't jump up on the bed, so we just put her blankie on the chair (if there is one), so she can sleep there until we return from our bike ride, meal out, whatever. We use the "do not disturb" sign on the door so the housekeeper won't enter the room. We have stayed in many, many hotels over the past few years and have never once had any issues with doing this.
That said, we would be more likely to stay in state parks or boondock. National parks, while a special treat, can be very crowded, so we wouldn't necessarily concentrate on those as we prefer places with fewer people.
We are already nomadic like your folks, we just stay in rentals rather than an RV so far. We have a mail service that gets our mail to us wherever we roam, or we have it sent to my step-father to look at and scan in for us if needed. We are officially Florida residents, but really, we are full-time travelers as we have no home there or anywhere else, for that matter. So changing to an RV would not be as big a change for us as it would be to someone who has lived in the same place for awhile. We've done that, of course, but we are enjoying traveling around in our early retirement years. I am sure we'll settle down again one of these days, but where and when are far from decided. :D
I could never wander; I am just too much a creature of habit. I do love traveling, and we've considered maybe, spending 2-4 weeks in the winter back in AZ, but one of the things I like about traveling, is coming home to my own home! This makes me think there's something wrong with me. I am even getting worried that I might not be able to handle moving out to western MA, eventually. I just feel very attached to the area we live in. Maybe this is because I have moved a lot, mostly as an adult. I didn't even start seriously traveling until about 10 years ago, so hearing about a wandering lifestyle is completely new to me. I don't want to be like my extended family, who see travel as unnecessary, and almost evil (probably because they are scared to death of anyone/thing who is different from them), but I know myself. I still don't deal that well with the physical aspects of travel/time zone changes, and while I often hold it together for the time I am away, I get sick when I get home.
I hear you about the physical challenges of travel. It never used to bother me, but now it does take a me a while to recover from the trips, especially anything involving air travel. I'm hoping wandering with our own little home will ameliorate those issues.