We are newbies to the long haul rving. Next year we will be gone for a year and have no clue how to handle mail. Is there any set of posts on this forum that can sort of take us thru the options and pros and cons. We will not be on a known schedule and going around the country including alaska. How do you make sure the irs does not send you a letter that will cause your to shrivil up and financially die withing a month if you do not respond.
Thanks
Jim
1999 Newmar Dutch Star
Cat 300 Allison 6 spd
1992 Suzuki Samurai
Well, somebody's bound to say it, so let it be me. Mail forwarding issues have been covered in depth here on this site, in FT, and general topics. Your best bet is to use the search function up top of page and read every thread that comes up. Some will deal with changing address, using relatives, UPS, Escapees, etc., but the point is, there is a wealth of info right at your fingertips. Once you've narrowed it down or come up with another more specific question, post again and you'll get even more specific answers.
Hire a mail forwarding service. Change your mailing address to the service's address. Your mail will go there. You call them and tell them where you will be and they send your mail there. I have been doing this for 7 years without a problem. You do not have to change your residency to the service's address if you do not want to. You can continue to be the legal resident of any state you want, but have your mail sent to the service's address. I choose Alternative Resources 1-800-477-2664. Tell them PMB 1293 referred you.
Hey shirlock1, we have full-timing for 13 years. At first my mom forwarded our mail until she could no longer do it. We have used a back-up and now full-time mail forwarding service in Pensacola, FL. It's called Home Base and is part of the Good Sam Club. They have been extraordinarily reliable. Good luck.
Hi Jim: We've been full-timing since 2000 and when we started I checked out GS and Escapees. Both charge a fee in addition to the cost of postage, FMCA which is what I chose doesn't charge a fee. I have been very well pleased with their service and I would highly recommend them. Of course you need to be a member of FMCA but they have a lot of benefits to offer. This year I dropped GS cause I got tired of them always sending me worthless offers. Good luck. Happy Trails. BobW.
BobW wrote: Hi Jim: We've been full-timing since 2000 and when we started I checked out GS and Escapees. Both charge a fee in addition to the cost of postage, FMCA which is what I chose doesn't charge a fee. I have been very well pleased with their service and I would highly recommend them. Of course you need to be a member of FMCA but they have a lot of benefits to offer. This year I dropped GS cause I got tired of them always sending me worthless offers. Good luck. Happy Trails. BobW.
Does FMCA give you a legal residency for voting, driver's licenses and vehicle registration purposes? This might be important if you are a full timer and want to be residents of a state that has no state income tax. Also, do you have the option of scheduling shipments at times that you want?
Barb
Barb & Dave - full-timing Traveling catpanions Kit (age 18) and Shadow (age 11) Figment II (2002 Alpine 36 MDDS) Mischief (2004 Subaru Forester Toad) FMCA - F337834, SKP #90761 http://homepage.mac.com/barbaraok/ Our blog
Thanks for all the thoughts, but As I stated we will be full timing for only 12 months so I don't really want to get all the addresses changed to a forwarding service. Don't seem to have many options but I will keep on researching.
shirlock1 wrote: Thanks for all the thoughts, but As I stated we will be full timing for only 12 months so I don't really want to get all the addresses changed to a forwarding service. Don't seem to have many options but I will keep on researching.
I just sold my house, but also just paid for plates for 3 vehicles and insurance for 3 vehicles. $$$$$, that I don't want to just throw out the window so here is what I am going to do for a year and it might help you too.
I just found out something today that might help you. I just started full time and rather than be rushed into making decisions about the domicle issue/insurance/plates etc. I wanted to keep my old address for a year. (even though I sold the house). What I did was get a po box in my town (you could use your home address if you still have one, I don't).
I went to the post office to ask if they would forward mail from a po box for extended period of time, longer than the allowed amount.
YES! The US Post Office has a 'temporary moved' form. This is to accomodate the people that go south for the winter. And the US Post Office 'will' forward your mail. I asked what if I stay longer? She handed me two forms and said you just keep filling them out.
So.. I am going to pay for one of the mail forwardings service's the full timers use(I was told anyone can use their forwarding service without registering in that state).
So my mail will be forwarded from the p.o. box in the state everything is registered in, to the forwarding service and then you just call them and they send your mail to whatever town you are traveling in. Whew!
31 ft Four Winds
Chevy Tracker 4x4 BlueOx Aventa LX We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
shirlock1 wrote: Thanks for all the thoughts, but As I stated we will be full timing for only 12 months so I don't really want to get all the addresses changed to a forwarding service. Don't seem to have many options but I will keep on researching.
I just sold my house, but also just paid for plates for 3 vehicles and insurance for 3 vehicles. $$$$$, that I don't want to just throw out the window so here is what I am going to do for a year and it might help you too.
I just found out something today that might help you. I just started full time and rather than be rushed into making decisions about the domicle issue/insurance/plates etc. I wanted to keep my old address for a year. (even though I sold the house). What I did was get a po box in my town (you could use your home address if you still have one, I don't).
I went to the post office to ask if they would forward mail from a po box for extended period of time, longer than the allowed amount.
YES! The US Post Office has a 'temporary moved' form. This is to accomodate the people that go south for the winter. And the US Post Office 'will' forward your mail. I asked what if I stay longer? She handed me two forms and said you just keep filling them out.
So.. I am going to pay for one of the mail forwardings service's the full timers use(I was told anyone can use their forwarding service without registering in that state).
So my mail will be forwarded from the p.o. box in the state everything is registered in, to the forwarding service and then you just call them and they send your mail to whatever town you are traveling in. Whew!
I know that none of this applies to the original poster, but for those folks who go full time after selling their home, it may not be a good thing to use a po box. We have an health insurance issue that will not allow po box as an address. The same thing may apply to some other insurance companies. And what to do about an address for you drivers license? Can you use a po box for banking, and insurance etc.?
We have been using UPS for an address and mail forwarding for the last few months without a single problem. We have a street address with a #. No PO box. No different than an apartment number.
Barb
2001 Chev. 3500 CC Duallie, D/A, 20.5 Pullrite Super 5th, Roll n Lock, StarBoards, Firestone Air Bags, TTT Mirrors, BrakeSmart.
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Whew!
