Today’s Date (I have to check; I never know the date or day of week anymore 12 Sept 2007
Your Name Kathleen Smith Your State Quintana Roo, Mexico (our US legal residence is South Dakota but we've been there once in the last 3 years)
1. Do you own or rent your RV? Own
2. How long have you owned this vehicle? 3 years
3. What class of RV do you drive? TT Length? 32ft
Make & Model Americamp T315QBS and Ford 2002 E350 (TV)
4. Do you live in your RV full time? Yes
4c. If YES, you live in your RV full time, do you have a permanent home to return to? if you mean a stick house; no. Our trailer is our permanent home
4d. If YES, you live in your RV full time, for how long have you done so? 3 years
4e. Do you work outside of your home? no
4f.What’s the best part of living in an RV full time? following the weather and all the history we're learning
4g. what’s the worst part?
lack of counter space
4h.Do you have plans to live in a permanent structure again?
If yes, when? no
4i. Do you travel extensively within the U.S.A.? or do you park the RV in campgrounds for extended periods? we travel extensively in Mexico and travel from about the Midwest to the West of the US
4j. Do you return to the same campgrounds year after year?
no
4l. What was your jumping in point? What made you go ahead and take the plunge?
not getting any younger and wanted to get out of the rate race and spend more time wiht the kids.
- Kathy
2002 Ford Econoline E350 PSD 7.3L TV.
2005 Ameri-Camp T315QBS.
1. Do you own or rent your RV? Rent Own (Circle one): Own
2. How long have you owned this vehicle? Four years
3. What class of RV do you drive? Class A Length? 33”
Make & Model : Winnebago Adventurer
4. Do you live in your RV full time? Yes No (Circle one): No
4a. If you answered no, why don’t you live in your RV full time? I use my RV as a sort of movable home when I want to go somewhere. I work part-time as an upland bird hunting guide, so it is common in the Fall and Winter for the dogs and I to be “camped” in remote areas doing our thing for weeks at a time – for example, we are leaving tomorrow for three weeks in places on the western high plains that are 25 miles from the nearest fence post. I also use it to transport my handicapped wife to visit one of our kids who lives out of town with her family. It is a convenience/tool to me, not a way of life.
I would NOT want to live in it full time because I love my home and (especially) my land. We live deep in the woods, smack in the middle of a good bit of land. My “day job” is running (what is for here) a large commercial law firm I founded years ago and doing complex M&A legal work. It only takes me about 20 minutes to travel from the privacy and peace of my land to the challenge and excitement of my work. I could easily retire, but I enjoy what I do – the best of all worlds: (i) interesting, very well-paid, intellectually challenging work; (ii) hunting, guiding and traveling when ever and where ever I want for as long as I wish in the comfort of a Class A motorhome with its own Jeep and canoe for getting into the backcountry; and (iii) a beautiful, serene rural home with enough land to hunt, shoot, run the dogs, or just watch the wildlife and enjoy the peace without ever leaving my own property. Barring total disaster, I would never give that up to go live in a campground!
4b.Would you consider it at any time in the future? Yes No (circle one): No.
If no, why not? I wouldn’t want to give up the above and have no need to do so.
Besides, I do not like campgrounds and could not imagine spending the rest of my life in variations of that setting – awful!!. Campgrounds can be crowded; you must comply with all sorts of rules and I don’t take at all well to rules and authority; living so close to others exposes one to negative behaviors I have no desire to deal with; and, finally, campgrounds seem to be populated with busybodies (who are attracted to my friendly birddogs) who have nothing to do but wander around looking for others to talk at. When I’m traveling, I’m busy. Hunting or guiding all day, covering miles of rough terrain and thick cover – at night cleaning birds, getting ready for the next day, and pounding in five or six hours/day of legal work via cell, WiFi, or whatever. I don’t want to be stuck for hours listening to a stranger blather about his latest operation or her darling grandchildren.
If you answered no to question #4, you have completed the questionnaire. Thank You so much for your time. I have included a stamped self addressed envelope for returning your answers to me. I would love the questionnaires returned by 10/1/07.
2008 Winnebago Journey 39z DP
2004 Jeep Liberty toad
1. Do you own or rent your RV? Rent Own (Circle one): Own
2. How long have you owned this vehicle? Four years
3. What class of RV do you drive? Class A Length? 33”
Make & Model : Winnebago Adventurer
4. Do you live in your RV full time? Yes No (Circle one): No
4a. If you answered no, why don’t you live in your RV full time? I use my RV as a sort of movable home when I want to go somewhere. I work part-time as an upland bird hunting guide, so it is common in the Fall and Winter for the dogs and I to be “camped” in remote areas doing our thing for weeks at a time – for example, we are leaving tomorrow for three weeks in places on the western high plains that are 25 miles from the nearest fence post. I also use it to transport my handicapped wife to visit one of our kids who lives out of town with her family. It is a convenience/tool to me, not a way of life.
I would NOT want to live in it full time because I love my home and (especially) my land. We live deep in the woods, smack in the middle of a good bit of land. My “day job” is running (what is for here) a large commercial law firm I founded years ago and doing complex M&A legal work. It only takes me about 20 minutes to travel from the privacy and peace of my land to the challenge and excitement of my work. I could easily retire, but I enjoy what I do – the best of all worlds: (i) interesting, very well-paid, intellectually challenging work; (ii) hunting, guiding and traveling when ever and where ever I want for as long as I wish in the comfort of a Class A motorhome with its own Jeep and canoe for getting into the backcountry; and (iii) a beautiful, serene rural home with enough land to hunt, shoot, run the dogs, or just watch the wildlife and enjoy the peace without ever leaving my own property. Barring total disaster, I would never give that up to go live in a campground!
4b.Would you consider it at any time in the future? Yes No (circle one): No.
If no, why not? I wouldn’t want to give up the above and have no need to do so.
Besides, I do not like campgrounds and could not imagine spending the rest of my life in variations of that setting – awful!!. Campgrounds can be crowded; you must comply with all sorts of rules and I don’t take at all well to rules and authority; living so close to others exposes one to negative behaviors I have no desire to deal with; and, finally, campgrounds seem to be populated with busybodies (who are attracted to my friendly birddogs) who have nothing to do but wander around looking for others to talk at. When I’m traveling, I’m busy. Hunting or guiding all day, covering miles of rough terrain and thick cover – at night cleaning birds, getting ready for the next day, and pounding in five or six hours/day of legal work via cell, WiFi, or whatever. I don’t want to be stuck for hours listening to a stranger blather about his latest operation or her darling grandchildren.
If you answered no to question #4, you have completed the questionnaire. Thank You so much for your time. I have included a stamped self addressed envelope for returning your answers to me. I would love the questionnaires returned by 10/1/07.
Thank you so much. LOVED your response!! Gotta ask..How old are you?
We live in a very rural area with a home on 19 acres. Nearby piece of property is 100 acres, just land no house. Not sure DH can live without the land and space.
Date: 9/14/07
Name: newk. Wyoming
1. Own
2. 17 months
3. 5th wheel, 26 foot, Puma, 255RKS
4. No
4a. Live and work in stick-built home.
4b. No. It's too small and not appropriate for full timing. (But we plan to upgrade very soon to fulltime.)
stormysmom wrote: Thank you so much. LOVED your response!!
Well, you are welcome - I guess. It wasn't written so that you would love it - I was just answering your questions. It looks like I'm different than most in my views on living in an RV, but then I'm different than most on most things.
stormysmom wrote: Gotta ask..How old are you?
I'm 61. Kinda hard to write that, but there it is.
stormysmom wrote: We live in a very rural area with a home on 19 acres. Nearby piece of property is 100 acres, just land no house. Not sure DH can live without the land and space.
I suppose you understand what I'm talking about. No way I'd trade that for a tiny site in a campground; especially since I don't need to. I can travel in the moho or otherwise when I want; or enjoy my own place when I want; hunt/guide when I want (the other lawyers and staff can run the place just fine and I suspect few are unhappy if I stay away an extra week or two or three); and do interesting, well-compensated work when I want. Hard to beat that.
3. What class of RV do you drive? 30 ft Travel Trailer
4 Make & Model Alpenlite)
4. Do you live in your RV full time? Yes
4c. If YES, you live in your RV full time, do you have a permanent home to return to? NO
4d. If YES, you live in your RV full time, for how long have you done so? 3 years
4e. Do you work outside of your home? part-time jobs
4f.What’s the best part of living in an RV full time? Freedom to stay or travel elsewhere
4g. what’s the worst part? no garden/yard/patio space
4h.Do you have plans to live in a permanent structure again?
If yes, when? Only if/when our health dictates
4i. Do you travel extensively within the U.S.A.? or do you park the RV in campgrounds for extended periods? a) made West to East trip, plan to do again; b) parked for period of time: 30-60 days ; sometimes 5 months depending on how we like the area
4j. Do you return to the same campgrounds year after year? Yes & No .. one or two we do return to when we are in that area .. during travels one finds good campgrounds and do return to those.
4l. What was your jumping in point? What made you go ahead and take the plunge?
WE ASKED OURSELVES: DO WE DO IT NOW ? or DO WE WAIT? We answered: NOW
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Good Luck with your research paper ..
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.... its learning to dance in the rain!
Traveling down the Road "Side by Side"
2004 Alpenlite TT 28RL
2008 Suburban 2500 Lt
Home Base: Tri-Cities WA - North America
Your Name _____Elmer & Jane________ Your State ______Fl____
1. Do you own or rent your RV? Rent Own (Circle one)Own
2. How long have you owned this vehicle? ___8 months_
3. What class of RV do you drive? __Class A____ Length? ___37 ft_
Make & Model _______Tiffin Allegro Bay ____________
4. Do you live in your RV full time? Yes No (Circle one) Yes
4c. If YES, you live in your RV full time, do you have a permanent home to return to? __________No_______
4d. If YES, you live in your RV full time, for how long have you done so?___________1 year 3 months______________________________
4e. Do you work outside of your home? If so, where? Is it seasonal employment? If it is seasonal, do you return to the same job year after year? _____Yes at various jobs____________________
4f.What’s the best part of living in an RV full time?
________ability to travel, great people we meet_____________________________
4g. what’s the worst part?
_____miss the family as our children are all in one state - cold midwest but we get to see other family living in Florida____________________________
4h.Do you have plans to live in a permanent structure again?
If yes, when? ____When we can no longer manage the RV__________
4i. Do you travel extensively within the U.S.A.? or do you park the RV in campgrounds for extended periods? ___We usually stay in one area during the summer (our children) and travel other times______________________
4j. Do you return to the same campgrounds year after year?
Yes No circle one Not yet
4k. Do you have any words of advise for newbies to the lifestyle?
_____Discuss your dreams and goals - decide what is most important and realize things change I think your idea of research is great but you have to decide for yourself what is important to you. I am not unhappy we sold our house and live fulltime in our RV - my ideal life though would be for our children to do the same thing as I do miss them and our grandchildren (our baby is having her first child in January in Minnesota - now if she had asked us I would have told her it should be born in May or late April but did she ask us? __________
Good luck on your research and in your future
4l. What was your jumping in point? What made you go ahead and take the plunge?
____We wanted to go south for the winter and I was worried about the house the whole time we were there (I took overdosed on worrywort pills when I was younger) so decided since none of our children wanted the house to just sell small town and you only get one chance and someone actually really wanted to buy our house. I know the house is in good hands full of lively children and we are not tied down to it anymore. _____
I suppose you understand what I'm talking about. No way I'd trade that for a tiny site in a campground; especially since I don't need to. I can travel in the moho or otherwise when I want; or enjoy my own place when I want; hunt/guide when I want (the other lawyers and staff can run the place just fine and I suspect few are unhappy if I stay away an extra week or two or three); and do interesting, well-compensated work when I want. Hard to beat that.
Yes, I DO understand. Thanks so much for your post. You sound so much like my DH. He prefers dogs to most people!
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