tonyandkaren
pennsylvania
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Joined: 05/15/2005
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How has the whole full timing experience changed you? Or hasn't it?
One thing that I've noticed from reading all the different forum posts and full timer blogs is that there's a lot of fear about other people. Most of the forums have questions about personal protection and property security. Many of the people in the blogs start out very worried about their safety. Tioga George had many people warning about the dangers of mainland Mexico. There's a thread in the Travel Trailer forum about being locked into the campground overnight which most of the posters think is a good idea.
I have to admit that we had some of the same fears but full timing kind of forces you into new experiences and situations. We've found nothing but goodwill and great people all over. Everybody has a story and we have the time to listen.
We've also become even less materialist,more relaxed, more environmentally aware and more willing to except that both sides of a story have valid points.
It's been a really positive experience. How has your's been?
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sportrac
Canada
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Joined: 09/21/2006
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We have had nothing but positive experiences. I have found that we are more relaxed and I have Come out of my shell. I am more trusting of the people around me now as we are all in the same boat and I feel that we respect each others property. As for people living in Mexico yes they should be concerned but it comes with the territory of living in a impoverished country.
Paul & Kathy
Canada
08 F350 Superduty DRW Power Stroke 6.4
07 Cedarcreek 37CKQS
04 Explorer Sportrac
07 Mirage 5x8 Cargo Trailer
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Mandalay Parr
Phoenix, AZ
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Joined: 07/09/2004
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Mine has been very positive too. I'm more safe now than my stick house. No problems in two years of full timimg.
Jerry Parr
Full-time
2005 Mandalay 40B
Cat C7 350, 4 Slides
Blue Ox, Brake Buddy
2004 CR-V Toad
602-321-8141
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crashpilot
Green River, WY
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Joined: 02/17/2005
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As a homeowner in Southwest Wyoming, the full timers here aren't the traditional kind. They still have thier house "back home" and are living out of thier RV's while chasing work in the oil fields. It creates a real burden on the infrastructure and the law and hospital services that we're paying for with our property taxes.
I have kind of a different take on "full timers". I know this beyond the scope of the original post, but it still goes along so I thought I'd throw it out there.
Straight Board -
2008 Chevy 4X4 Z71 Crew Cab K2500HD LTZ Duramax/Allison
2005 Jayco JayFlight 31BHDS
2007 Kawasaki BF 650 4X4i Camo (mine)
2007 Polaris X2 500 EFI Deluxe (hers)
The mountains of Wyoming as my backyard.
Powder River, Let 'er buck!
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newk
Gillette, WY
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Joined: 08/18/2007
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"There's a thread in the Travel Trailer forum about being locked into the campground overnight which most of the posters think is a good idea."
Wow! If I was locked into a campground, I'd be boondocking for sure. Lots of times we go out at night -- dinner, shopping, what-have-you. We're members of a C2C "resort" near Rapid City that has a gate that closes and locks at night, but anyone staying there has the combination to unlock it.
Crashpilot -- Howdy neighbor. We have the same kind of fulltimers here in Gillette, as you might imagine. The thing to keep in mind is, they aren't creating any more of a burden than they would be if they bought a house or rented an apartment in the community -- less really, because others need every vacancy that becomes available. Unless they're boondocking, their rent is paying property taxes. It just comes from the campground owners instead of from them directly. And the best part of it is, when the jobs dry up (we're both in "boom and bust" communities), they won't be leaving behind empty homes to drive down the value of our homes.
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WTTCS
freedom , U.S.A.
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Joined: 07/28/2003
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Always liking to "open that can of worms"............How can you call them fulltimers if they have that "home"... back Home?
1997 chev crew cab 454, 5 sp. 4.10
2000 Fleetwood Caribou 11.5
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Mitch from Indiana
Goshen, IN
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Joined: 10/27/2006
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We've been full time for just over a year. How has it changed us?
1. We didn't know how much stress we had owning a home and company until we sold them. We have found that stress is getting to be less and less all the time.
2. We listen to seasoned full timers and they usually have good advice. Because of them and some good full timing books we've read, we have slowed down a lot. We don't travel big days or drive real fast. That sets the tone for our lifestyle.
3. We have taken more time to stop and see things. We used to have a limited amount of vacation time and now we go much slower and notice things.
4. We thought we'd do this for a year and reevaluate. We now know we want to do it much longer.
Check out our blog at: http://web.mac.com/mitchmoser/Site/Blog/Blog.html
Mitch
Mitch & Kim from Indiana
07 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40SFT
Empty Nesters - New Fulltimers Spring 2007
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Diggin
Wherever I may wander
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Joined: 10/26/2005
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tonyandkaren wrote:...
We've also become even less materialist,more relaxed, more environmentally aware and more willing to except that both sides of a story have valid points. ...
That is a pretty good summation of what we have discovered about ourselves with about a year and a half of fulltiming under our belts. We both love how we don't go shopping just to kill time anymore. We buy what we need, and get rid of things that are taking up space. I always thought that was what the garage was for 
Oddly enough, I seem to watch over our budget a bit more than I did in the default house world. I also chart all of the maintenance, fuel, etc. with the MH. Never did stuff like that with the house.
I have also found that I have made a ton more friends than I ever did in my old neighborhood. We have made friends from all over that we keep in touch with. When I had the house, I barely knew my next door neighbor. Now it seems that it is easy to meet "neighbors" because we automatically have one thing in common!
I love doing what we are doing. I am cautious of my surroundings, but never paranoid. I lock the door when we leave, and don't leave things laying around outside that I treasure. We play heads-up at rest stops, or when we are walking around a downtown area. However, I applied the same rules to the default house, so I think things are about level.
--kevin
Kev's Blog: When the Geek Hits the Road | NüRVers - The Next Wave
2006 Monaco Knight 40PLQ
2008 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited 4x4 w/Blue Ox Baseplate and Aventa LX Tow Bar
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Clay L
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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Joined: 07/01/2002
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My wife says I am more outgoing now. She is much more open to getting out and about than she was.
I know for sure that my mental attitude concerning travel is much different than it was. I am no longer in the "vacation mode" and don't give a flip about how many miles we make in a day - if any.
Clay (WA5NMR), Lee,(Wife) Codi, Brandi (Shelties) and Damncat (damn cat)
Full Timing in a 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N, Workhorse chassis, Honda Accord toad
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Southwind85
Where I Park
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Joined: 01/31/2007
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Life changing? Not really but it sort of has.
Fulltiming is more of a return to a more simple lifestyle like I had back on the farm when growing up. I find quite a few similarities between the two. Good down to earth people who will go out of their way to help each other and that goes double for fulltimers.
The part that has really changed is dumping the stress and problems that has slowly accumulated over the years away from the farm life. That slow accumulation of stuff that starts owning you went away when I gave away a pile of stuff so I could live like this. You have absolutely no idea at all how much a television sucks your life away until you don't have one around anymore. (I haven't watched a tv at all in a year and a half and honestly I do not miss it in the least) I'm a lot more relaxed and way nicer to people too.
This is a much healthier lifestyle just because you get outside daily and do things. Just sitting outside under the awning or under a tree is far better for you than sitting on a couch watching reruns. Cabin fever, or the generic instinct to be outdoors, will get you outside every chance you get. All the little things add up. I literally went from 185lbs to 155lbs in about 2.5 to 3 months even though I was eating more. I just naturally dropped down to a healthy weight for who I am.
Security and safety? Eh. It's not somthing to be concerned with at all. I haven't had as much as a creepy feeling even once since going fulltime. Just use basic sense about what's safe vs not safe and everything will be ok.
Why stop and smell the flowers? You're cheating yourselves if you do that. The best thing to do is look at the flowers, see their leaves, the ground, the tree next to the flower, look at the huge sky and even the Universe at night. There's nothing better than discussing philosophy in a comfortable chair under a shade tree..or an awning...
The Good Life
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