RE: What is it about holiday week/weekends?
I guess we were lucky. We were at a city park for the month of June and stayed until 7/7. The park (usually about 1/3 empty) filled up for the holiday weekend and there were lots of kids and extra people around, but everything quieted right down by quiet hours (10:00 p.m.) so we had no complaints. One thing that I think really made a difference was the manager riding through the park every couple of hours and just before 10:00--anyone still making noise was reminded that they needed to quiet right down.
RE: Insurance on "stuff" in storage while full-timing
We got renters insurance from our insurance company (USAA). It covered the stuff we had in storage and stuff we carried with us. It was only about $17/month for everything ($10,000) coverage.
RE: Using Firefox, need advice re different IS program
Thanks. Question for Eycom: I'm using XP, not Vista. Will these work okay with Vista? In a few days I'll be back to my high speed internet and will download the AVG products.
Using Firefox, need advice re different IS program
At the urging of my technologically savvy GS, I switched from IE7 to Firefox3 and really like it. I've been using Norton IS for years but it's giving me fits right now. All of a sudden the "auto protect" feature has a problem that results in the inability to download e-mail.
When I go out to the Norton website, it tells me I have to use IE to get to their online help desk. Of course, when I try to use IE I get the same error messages (e.g. IE has encountered a problem and needs to close) that caused me to finally take my GS advice and switch to Firefox.
I'd really like to ditch Norton but would like suggestions as to other programs that work well with Firefox. I don't care if the programs are free or if I have to pay for them.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
RE: getting mail??????
There are several mailing services used by full timers. Most of them seem to be located in either Florida, Texas or South Dakota but there are some in other states, too. If you search "mailing services" you'll probably come up with a lot of choices. We use My Home Address out of Emery, SD and have been very happy with them.
That said, I think the first decision full timers have to make is where to establish residency. There are tax and insurance ramifications to the choice, so most of us looked at that carefully before narrowing our search to mailing services in a particular state.
In short, there are many ways to get your mail while on the road--you just have to figure out what will work best for you. We have friends who use their daughter's address as their residence and she forwards mail to them when they ask her to. Most of us don't want to put that burden on someone so we use a service instead.
RE: Debit or bank bill pay, which is better/safer
I pay all of my bills via the bill pay feature of our bank (USAA). For several of them (e.g. Verizon and Dish) I receive an electronic bill and have it scheduled to be paid by the due date. For others where the amount doesn't change, I have automatic payments set for varying dates every month. For more sporadic payments, I have the accounts set up and go in as needed to make the payments.
I've used this system for over 3 years and never had a problem. I like the control of doing it this way. I can stop the payments at any time and don't have to worry about deductions being continued for a service (e.g. a membership) that I've canceled.
Of course, I am only RARELY without Internet access, so I can (and do) check things frequently. For me, it's a control issue. However, others use the automatic debits and they work for them, so maybe I'm being a bit "anal" about the whole thing. :)
I look forward to reading about the experience of others.
RE: GIVING UP FULLTIMING
We recently bought a home in Florida and have stopped full timing. We thought about selling our 36' fiver and getting something smaller for the traveling/camping that we still plan to do. Our thought was that we could sell it to a snowbird in Florida who wanted a nice, fairly spacious--as RV's go anyway :)--rig to leave set up at a RV park.
However, the more we thought about it, the more we realized that all we would gain from the smaller unit is the ability to get into some state parks campgrounds where we don't fit right now. Our towing costs wouldn't change enough to make it worthwhile, we love the layout of our current rig, and--most importantly--our rig is paid off.
As a result, we've decided to keep our current unit to use for our trips north to Michigan during the summer. We'll sell it only when we no longer are able to tow it. It may not be worth all that much in $$ terms, but we've have lots and lots of memories from the travels through 48 states we've had over the last 3 years.
For us, it will be the best of all worlds.
RE: Checklist ideals
When we started RVing I had a very involved check list--probably 40-50 items. I finally realized that there were some things I was NOT going to forget--like putting the slides in. There were a few others that were crucial and (in the beginning) easy to forget. Now my list is down to those 5 items (for me it's locking the shower door, securing the slide out pantry and the pocket door, double checking the fridge/freezer doors and making sure the pump is turned off.)
On another note, we sometimes use the gas hot water heater to supplement the electric. The switch for that is behind a door and we would forget to turn it off. Now we hang the "tv antenna" sign on the outside of the door as a reminder. Since we have satellite tv, we never put the antenna up so we don't need it for that--of course you could always buy two if needed!
RE: Will $6.00/gal stop you from full timing.
I think it comes down to how comfortable you are living in a small space. I didn't mind our fiver when it was a trade off for traveling. However, my reality is that I want/need more "space." We bought a 1300 sq foot manufactured home and love it. We're currently in Michigan with the rig for a few months for visits to friends and family. I tolerate the space limitation, but will be very glad to get back to my house.
We have a lot of friends who are FTers who aren't bothered by the limited space--that's great for them, but it isn't for us. If I'm going to be stuck in one place, I'd rather have my house.
RE: Will $6.00/gal stop you from full timing.
We've already quit. I didn't want to be stuck in one place in the fiver and unable to travel due to the cost of fuel. I'm beginning to realize that we were not really "full timers" although we lived full time in the rig for over 3 years. We did it in order to travel around the country--we didn't like it when we had to stay in one place for more than a month at a time--and two weeks was generally our limit before we got itchy feet.
Once we couldn't look forward to getting back on the road, we bought a home and will travel just a couple of months out of the year. This is what works for us. Different strokes, etc.
RE: Traveling with Dog - Sight Seeing
We full timed with our Shih Tzu for 3 years and have always left him in the camper while we went site seeing--never had a problem. We make sure he has plenty of water, but that's about all we do. He's never had a problem waiting to "go" until we got home and the worst that has happened (from his point of view) is that he had to wait an extra 1/2 hour for his dinner.
We've never had the a/c go out while we've been gone and heat isn't an issue since we don't travel where it is cold enough to make a difference. We had him before we started FT and won't part with him until it's his time to go--that said, if something had happened to him, we would not have replaced him until we went off the road.
US-60 in Virginia
Has anyone towed a fifth wheel on US-60 in Virginia between Buckingham and Lexington? It looks like it would be okay, but I'd like some info from someone who has driven the road.
We are towing a 36' Alpenlite Fiver with a Dodge One Ton Diesel pick up. DH is experienced (we've been FT for 3 years) and have traveled from Key West to Alaska, including the Top of the World Highway. That said--we've also learned to heed the advice of those with actual experience on the roads!
Thanks for any advice, suggestions you may have.
RE: The ranks of FTers have decreased by two.
Thanks for your kind words. I know our full timing experience has changed us forever. We had a chance to see places we would never have seen under other circumstances. A friend sent me an e-mail with a link to a site that has about 100 pictures taken in national parks--and I realized we've seen all but about 20 of the parks highlighted. Each picture brought back more memories and nothing can ever take that away from us.
I think I also have a greater understanding of what people in different parts of the country experience on a daily basis--whether it's the congestion of the LA area to the wide open spaces (requiring long drives to get basic supplies) of west Texas or North Dakota. It also helped us make a positive choice about where we wanted to live--rather than just settling some place because it is all we have ever known.
Safe travels.
RE: The ranks of FTers have decreased by two.
That's exactly how we feel. We absorbed the rising fuel prices over the last few years, but with oil and $125/barrel and going higher, there doesn't appear to be any end and the trade offs required were no longer worth it. I think everyone has a different "breaking point" but I didn't want to be stuck in a small RV (or even a big one!) in one place because we couldn't afford to travel. I'd rather be "stuck" in my house!
RE: Many before us - now it's our turn to "agonize" thru this!
The best advice I can give (and it's not original with me) is to see how you feel at the end of your six week trip (and I'd advise going out for 2-3 months as a trial.)
If you hate the thought of going back to your home and wish you could stay on the road--that tells you something. The reverse is true, also. If you can't wait to get back home (whether for the people, the room or your "stuff")I would suggest that you think long and hard about full timing.
We did it for 3 years and while I am glad we had the experience, I'm SO glad to be back in a house. Different strokes, etc.
RE: The ranks of FTers have decreased by two.
I always wanted (and still want) to see what is around the next curve. The problem for us is that with the cost of fuel (and the increasing costs of RV parks) we can't be on the road as much as we would like. I really enjoyed last fall, when we traveled from Michigan to North Dakota, to Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee, visiting national parks, etc. along the way. The longest we stayed in one place was three weeks. However, finances just don't allow for that much travel, and when we had to stay in one place for three months this winter, we both started to go a bit stir crazy.
With our new home we'll both work at least part time (DH) and/or full time temporary jobs (me) and save enough money--even with the cost of our home--to take some extended trips. We're set to leave next week for a trip through the Blue Ridge mountains on our way up to Michigan for a few months. We're already planning some additional trips out west in coming years--but that could change if fuel prices continue their upward spiral.
For us, this will be the best of all worlds for as long as we are able to travel--probably, due to age and health, this will be another ten years.
The ranks of FTers have decreased by two.
The ranks of Full Timers have just decreased by two. After three plus years, we’ve decided that what we really want is to be part timers. Several factors contributed to our decision. One of them was (no surprise here) the cost of diesel fuel—when we began our adventure in 2005 we were paying about $1.56/gallon—yesterday we paid $4.25 and felt lucky to get it so “cheaply.”
We have loved our travels over the last three years, but what we’ve realized is that we loved the “traveling” part—seeing parts of this beautiful country that we had never visited before. When we were forced to remain in one place for more than a couple of weeks, the rig (a 36’, 3 slide fiver) became claustrophobic—and it wasn’t the kind of claustrophobia that could be cured by just going outside! We found that we missed having a house, with a nice kitchen, two bathrooms (and a bathtub!) and a separate room for an office so one of us could be on the computer while the other watched TV—and didn’t have to lie on the bed in order to do so.
We have many friends who can’t imagine every going back to a “sticks & bricks” but we are very happy in our new home. DH loves the small yard and the chance to plant flowers (we’re in a 55+ manufactured home park where we are only responsible for any flowers, bushes, etc. that we choose to plant—the lawn is mowed and watered by the management.) I love the full sized appliances, our big bathtub, and the chance to have our stuff around us. I know it is just “stuff”, but it’s our “stuff” and brings back lots of memories.
Our home is small enough, with management that will keep an eye on things while we are gone, that we are still able to travel—although fuel prices will cramp our style a bit. I’m so glad that when we sold our last house we put the money aside to purchase this one. We really thought we would love the full time lifestyle (and we did for a few years), but are very fortunate that we had other options.
For those of you who are thinking about selling everything and going on the road, the best advice I have is to go out on the road for an extended trip—I’m talking at minimum 2-4 months—and see how you feel at the end. Do you dread returning home—or do you look forward to getting back to your house? We wished we had asked ourselves that question, because when I reflect on the many trips we took over the years, while we enjoyed going away, we always looked forward to spending time at home.
That said, I would not give back any moment of the last three years. We have memories (and friendships) that will last the rest of our lives. We wish all of you safe travels and the freedom to do what is right for you.
RE: How to handle banking?
We use USAA--which doesn't have any "sticks & bricks" building, but does re-imburse us for ATM fees up to a fixed amount per month. We can also get cash when using the debit card, so not having access to "our" bank has never been a problem. The only issue (and it's minor) is that if someone gives us a check, we need to mail in the deposit, resulting in a small delay in accessing those funds. Since all of our regular income is direct deposited, the few checks we deposit don't create a problem.
Unless someone else has encountered an issue with this that I'm not aware of, I would think you would be okay. The worst case scenario that I can see is that you may have to pay an ATM fee.
RE: West Virginia Turnpike
Thanks for all of the information. I don't worry too much about long grades on toll roads--we just stay in the truck lanes and take our time. I was more curious about cost (for planning purposes)and now I have that answer.
We're looking forward to the trip.
RE: San Antonio to Tuscon with Big Bend in Between
All good advice. I would also add that a trip up Chisos Basin (without the rig!) is a beautiful drive and there are some short walks you can take. We treated ourselves to lunch at the lodge.
A week isn't much time and I can almost guarantee you that once you've had a taste of the park, you'll want to go back. We were there two years ago the first week of April, and it does get warm--just be prepared and you'll be okay.
