I'm interested in hearing from full-timers who are not retired--I know this can be true at any age, but in our case we are younger full timers (Thirtysomething-ers with one child) and still working.
Right now the financial plan that has worked out as best is staying in one spot (for possibly a year or more) while working at a local place of employment.
This means we aren't traveling right now.
Initially I thought the joy of fulltiming would reside in traveling. The joy of the open road, the freedom to go where you please etc. Of course that IS a major part of the joy. But I find now that we are not in a position to travel, that the other benefits of fulltiming, which are less obvious to newbies, are deeply rewarding.
There is something about living in the rv that imbues the most ordinary tasks with a depth of meaning I never felt in our previous suburban lifestyle.
Simplicity, being active participants in managing our water/electric/waste service needs, learning to be less wasteful and think objectively about material needs, and living in a home that is unique are all deeply rewarding experiences.
I know there are non-work reasons that would require full timers to stay put, and I also realize that full timers choose to stay in one place for extended periods. For us it is work that necessitates staying in one place, but I suppose whatever the reason, I would enjoy hearing about unexpected insights others have gained while full timing with limited travel due to financial/other needs.
* This post was
edited 06/27/08 08:45am by Travelers3 *
This has been our dream for years. With the economy being what it is and the price of fuel driving everything out of site, we have decided that something must give. After several months of soul searching we both feel that in order to weather the storm we are selling the house and going full time now. Although we wont be retired yet if we give up the camper and truck now I don't know if we would ever be able to replace them. And we refuse to give up our dream of hooking up and moving from place to place when we feel like it.
Ron Donna ,
3 boys serving proudly 2 USAF (Tinker, OK & Mountain Home, ID), 1 USAR (Home)
06 F350 4X4, PSTD, DRW, W/Tow Boss Package, 2006 Sandpiper 335RLTS w/TrailAir & Center Point
Lucy left paw prints on our hearts 9/29/1993 - 5/16/2008
Well I know that's why my wife and I enjoy RVing so much - and as soon as our house sells, we will join the roster of full-timers.
Another trait, at least for us in our current health, is that RVing gives us our lives back. As employed homeowners we spend almost all of our energy either working or taking care of the house. When we are RVing we find we actually have lives outside of that.
I do find that we spend a lot of time working on the rv, but for whatever reason, the work is more interesting and fulfilling than working on a typical house.
Travelers3, we worked while fulltiming for many , many years. Staying in places from 6 months to 5 years. This is our opinion only, living fulltime in an rv and working, beats the h311 out of living in a s&b or renting an apt.
Yes there is some work involved but nothing, nothing, like upkeep on the aforementioned dwellings. The money savings can be tremendous if you do not get carried away and blow the savings in some other manner.
Rest assured, you as a working fulltimer, are joining the ranks of hundreds of thousands just like you, AND THAT makes the living neighborhood SO MUCH BETTER than a suburban cluster mess.
Enjoy it while you can, and take advantage of the advantages.
we are fulltiming before i hit 40. but we aren't working right now. we sold our vet clinic 3 years ago and our house and have been travelling ever since. if we need money we head out to california and do relief work for a friends clinic, but overall just enjoy our time on the road and travelling. we might settle down next year if we find a house we like.
1992 Four Winds Class C 27'
2002 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
A couple of kayaks, bikes, and whatever else we can pile on
I am a working fulltimer, and we have learned quite a lot in our year and a half on the road. I am fortunate in my work in that I can be anywhere and still get in a full day of work (programmer geek). We have recently decided (around March) that we would slow down our moving a bit and stay for a month at a time in one spot when possible. Not only did that help our fuel bill, but saves quite a bit on campground expenses.
We have also made the observation about about no longer being Super Consumers these days. We don't get bored and go shopping like the old days. We are careful about what we get, and use what we carry. If we don't use something, it goes to Goodwill or Craigslist. My family is great about gifts - a restaurant or Amazon gift certificate is always appreciated. It probably makes their lives a bit easier as well
I think one of the other big lessons we have learned is how well we can live together in such a small space. We figure if we ever buy a house to live in, it will be real small. We have no intention on becoming Super Consumers ever again.
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I agree with your post.
Donna 
2 USAF (Tinker, OK & Mountain Home, ID), 1 USAR (Home)
