DunellenGuy
Still a dream
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My wife and I expect to retire in about 6 years, and dream of spending the first year-or-so of our retirement traveling the USA in an RV. Even though 6 years sounds like a long time, it seems to me that it's not too early to start learning what RVing is all about.
What I'd like is some advice on where to start. Obviously I've found this forum, which I'll start to follow. But can anyone recommend any good articles we should read about such a trip? Is there a print magazine we should begin subscribing to? There's a lot of information to take in as we start to plan ahead for this dream.
Thanks,
Jeff
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rk911
Wheaton IL
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DunellenGuy wrote:My wife and I expect to retire in about 6 years, and dream of spending the first year-or-so of our retirement traveling the USA in an RV. Even though 6 years sounds like a long time, it seems to me that it's not too early to start learning what RVing is all about.
What I'd like is some advice on where to start. Obviously I've found this forum, which I'll start to follow. But can anyone recommend any good articles we should read about such a trip? Is there a print magazine we should begin subscribing to? There's a lot of information to take in as we start to plan ahead for this dream.
Thanks,
Jeff
the two 500-lb gorillas on the block in terms of magazines are:
- MotorHome Magazine
- Trailer Life
both are published by the same parent company..the same company that sponsors this forum. MotorHome is as you would expect all about Motor Homes while Trailer Life covers all types of RVs but mostly pull-behinds...travel trailers and 5th wheels. i'd recommend either subscribing to one or both or picking up a copy at a larger news stand or bookstore. the publisher might offer complimentary copies...check their websites or give them a call. some larger libraries might have them as well.
attend as many RV shows as you can. read as much as you can and talk to as many RV owners as you can. you can rent a Class C motorhome but don't know if there are rental trailers or 5th wheels.
good luck to you. it's a great way to travel.
73,
rich, n9dko
www.bananaboatbytes.com
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2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
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paulcardoza
Southeastern Massachusetts
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Google on Escapees RV and you'll find a wealth of info.
Paul & Sandra
New Bedford, MA
2003 Monaco Executive M43 DS2
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Dave's Wife
Albuquerque, NM- The Land of Enchantment
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Go to your Library and do a search on RV. I found lots of books with bunches of information albeit most of the books are pretty dated the information is pretty much still the same.
There is also this website
RV Bookstore.
I learned SO much from this forum and you will too!
Sheila aka....
Dave's Wife
2003 29 ft. Holiday Rambler Alumascape 5th wheel
'03 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually
Dave & Me
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VintageRacer
Dundas, Ontario
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Get an RV now and learn about the lifestyle. Most people go through two or three iterations of RV before they find one that really suits them. They start too small usually, and trade up a few times till they get too big, then they trade down...
Get it paid for before you retire.
Brian
2005 F250 Supercab, Powerstroke, 5 speed automatic, 3.73 gears.
20 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
1980 MCI MC-5C highway coach conversion
2004 Travelhawk 8' Truck Camper
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korbe
Northern California
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Are you campin now or are you going to wait til time to travel? As witnessed here, many people have problems because they don't understand their rigs. It amazes me, for example, that people don't know what their battery is for.
My advice would be to use your RV before the big trip, and understand its systems.
2004 F250 SD PSD
2004 Crossroads Cruiser CF25RS
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sdianel
Tampa, FL
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Some other resources to use for planning and dreaming and as you get closer.
Don't tell anybody, but when we are not on the road, I plan my "dream trips" this way:
www.mapquest.com for map routing.
Go to Walmart and get the new Rand McNally Road Atlas. It lists all the Walmarts and whether they are near an Interstate highway.
www.woodalls.com for campgrounds and RV parks.
www.recreation.gov for national parks and corps of engineers parks.
www.rvparkreviews.com for reviews on rv parks. I never plan on stopping somewhere without checking out this site.
I would also attend RV shows and rallies like Good Sam or FMCA and talk to other RVers. That's where we learned the most (except for this forum!)
Lonny & Diane
2004 Country Coach Allure 33' "Big Blue"
Towing 2008 Chev Colorado 4x4
Semper Fi
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tonyandkaren
pennsylvania
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Good advice to get a RV now and use it for the next six years. Buy used and don't spend a lot of money. You'll probably change your mind about what type you want to have for your big trip. Another tip - one year isn't enough time!
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DunellenGuy
Still a dream
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This is such great advice! I did a search and found out that there's a large RV show near us this coming weekend. My wife and I plan to go and get a sense of what's available, ask a lot of questions, and spend no money!
The last time I RVd was when I was a teenager, traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway in a PopUp with my parents. I loved it. My wife and I did some "car camping" before we adopted three kids (now teenagers), and in June we will be tent camping for a week with the whole family in Mexico, where our church is building two houses near Tijuana.
No doubt about it... I'm hoping for early retirement.
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WyoTraveler
Northwest, Wyoming
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I think I dreamed of retiring almost half of my life. Then the day came. I retired, spent 3 years repairing my rentals and getting them sold. Bought an RV and we full timed for 4 years. OK, I'm bored, now what? Sold the RV, bought a ranch and raise cows and hay in Wyoming. The only thing I learned from dreaming of retiring half of my working life? I could move out of the city. I hope never again to live in a large city. We're 20 miles from the nearest town of 8,000 and we love it. That town would be Cody, WY. It is like full time RVing every day of the year. We're 100 miles from the nearest good shopping which is Billings, MT. Our biggest traffic jams are tractors blocking the farm roads.
2013 Monaco Monarch motorhome
2012 Jeep Wrangler toad
AC6CV/7 ex-W8RUR since 1954
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