Alex and Tee
Jacksonville , FL
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Well, I’m sad to say I think my wife and I have decided that, after 6 months of full timing, it is not for us. Neither is living in a 55+ resort.
We are in Palm Creek in Casa Grande, AZ. The park is beautiful and there is lots to do here but my wife is 54 and works from home 40 hours a week. I started a machinery distributorship with a partner and I am out 3-4 days a week making sales calls during the day. So, other than the occasional show in the evening we really can’t take advantage of all there is to offer. Plus everyone here is at least 10 years older than me and probably 15-20 years older than my wife so we really don’t fit in.
As far as the motor home goes, it’s a 2022 Allegro Open Road 36LA. It’s nice enough but we miss not having the space that a home provides. Yes, I know we should have probably rented something and tried it first before buying but even spending a week or two doesn’t compare to full time living. I never thought there would be so much to do to the motor home. It’s always dumping black tanks every 4 days, recharging the soft water system every two weeks, descaling the Truma every few weeks, refilling the propane tank every other week, etc., etc.
I’m sure if I had done more homework prior to diving in I would have been better prepared but, it is what it is.
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Alex & Teresa
2022 Allegro Open Road
2021 Colorado 4x4
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John&Joey
Summer-North,Winter-South
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Well everything you wrote is true when you strip away the romance of the open road. Where I think you may have short changed yourself was in experiences. What you spoke about was all activities. Yes RVING is also a lot of work. You even have a good new rig. Imagine a ten year old gasser. I always laugh when I read the romance of owning a vintage Bluebird.
Good luck on your next chapter.
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toedtoes
California
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There are different ways to fulltime. One way is as you have done, parked the RV in a resort seasonally or longer. The benefit is that you can work more easily as you can establish strong wifi access for telework on a regular basis and you can go get a job locally. The downside is that it is more comparable to a stick and brick home and it's difficult for an RV to compete for stationary living due to the space limitations and the extra work involved.
Another way to fulltime is to travel around. This really brings out the advantage of living in an RV as you can go most anywhere for as long as you want - the limited space and extra work are balanced by the ability to bring your home everywhere you go. The downside is that it can be more difficult to work while you go. Wifi can be spotty or non-existent in places. And outside of freelance work where you set the schedule and type of work, it can be difficult to hold the same job as you travel if you need to be "in person".
I would say that if you plan on both working in five years time, get back into a house. Then take vacations out in the RV to travel. Enjoy the mobility aspect of the RV. You may find a compromise that works.
1975 American Clipper RV with Dodge 360 (photo in profile)
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Both born in Morgan Hill, CA to Irv Perch (Daddy of the Aristocrat trailers)
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FloridaRosebud
Melbourne
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Well, you can do all the homework you want, but until YOU give it a try you truly don't know for sure if it is for you. So you gave it your best shot and it wasn't for you. Many years ago I started a business that was based on my hobby, and after 7 years I realized it wasn't ever going to grow into what I wanted. So I closed the business and went back to working for someone else. Like you now, I was young enough to recover financially from the endeavor.
Good luck moving forward.
Al
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larry cad
ohio
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I'm not sure how your RV task list compares to your home task list, but as a home owner and 40' DP owner myself, I can't believe it takes more work to keep the RV going. What I really hear you saying is you would rather mow grass than dump tanks, and would rather do other home tasks than RV tasks. It really sounds like you gave it a good shot, but ultimately full time RV is not for you. Sorry it didn't work out.
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univmd
Maryland
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Full timing is not for us either. Having both is the best for us.
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Horsedoc
Dixie --- N. Georgia
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Nothing wrong with your decision. RVing is not for everyone, especially as young as you guys are and working pretty much full time. My daughter loves 'camping' but my son's wife thinks 'roughing it' is no restaurant in the hotel/motel when they are camping. Nothing wrong with either set of ideas.
I have gotten old and learned along the trip that you need to do what you want and enjoy life while you can. It would be great to re-live those things we did when we in our 50s. We cannot, but we didn't waste a lot of time doing things we were miserable at when we were that age.
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LouLawrence
Traveling the US!
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It seems like you just downsized your home. You went from a house/apartment to an RV parked at a fixed location. "To Me", fulltiming means traveling in an RV on a full time basis. I'm older than you but still too young to stay at a 55+ resort. I'm just not ready for the shuffle board / pickle ball crowd.
Maybe if you could have included some camping and RVing into the routine your results might have been different. No one but you can know, however.
Good luck to you both with whatever you do next.
My wife and I have been full timing since 1997 and we have been working from our RV (and traveling) since 2000. It works great for us. We have put well over 300,000 miles on our 2 coaches since the beginning.
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RetiredRealtorRick
St. Augustine Beach, FL
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I fully respect your decision, but I'm just curious about one thing. Why would you have to empty your black tank every four days if you're stationary in an RV resort?
. . . never confuse education with intelligence, nor motion with progress
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Lwiddis
Southern California :(
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I respect your position…not every life changing decision works for anyone. I enjoy those mundane RV chores.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad
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