Friday, November 10, 2017

Advise for those considering full-timing


So a family member of ours wanted us to share with them the wisdom that we have obtained so far over the 6 years that we have been full timing.

First off, be informed that full timing is not for everyone. Over the last 6 years, full timing has worked very well for my wife and I. Before you start your full timing adventure and making all of the investments associated with it, we would suggest that you try renting an RV and taking it on a two week road trip. You will find that this will give you an indication (though by no means a guarantee) of how full timing will work for you. Also, it will give you a sense as to what sort of items you would need living out of an RV full time. You might want to be sure to pack a rain coat, umbrella and beach chair as part of your supplies, even if you don’t think the weather will require it. The idea being, you will start to get a sense as to just how much room you will need. Also, if you rent an RV for a couple weeks, you find out if it is a lifestyle you think you might enjoy before you make a big purchase and take the rig off the lot.

If you like to cook, then take pots and pans and dishes with you. You will start to get a sense as to what you want as far as an RV kitchen and again, how much space you will need for all your supplies. When the two of us pulled the trigger and started our full timing adventure, we started in a 30 foot fifth wheel. We had the two of us, three dogs and two cats and it worked fine. But, we ultimately wanted a motorhome, so the 40 foot motorhome has been very comfortable for us. We selected a motorhome by Tiffin because of their reputation for quality products. For us, we knew this was a direction our lives was going to take for a number of years to come, so we spent the extra money for a Diesel pusher. There is an extra cost with the purchase of a diesel pusher, so if you think you might keep the rv for only a couple years, you might want consider a gas propelled motorhome as opposed to a Diesel rig. The gas motorhomes can be a lot cheaper to get into.

If you are living full time in a rig, you will want to be comfortable in your rig. So, you will probably want one that is at least 30 feet with a full shower and bath room, a kitchen area and decent sized refrigerator as well as dinette and a couch. If you do go with a motorhome that is 30 feet, you will find that this size vehicle isn’t convenient for running for groceries in. So, you will either want to go the trailer route where the trailer is towed by a pickup or other hefty vehicle, or the motorhome route where you tow a ‘Dingy’ vehicle behind you. If you go the trailer route, be sure your tow vehicle is big enough to easily tow your trailer and all your belongings. If you go the motorhome route, be sure the motorhome is able to tow a ‘Dingy’, and make sure that your dingy vehicle is able to be towed. Motorhome magazine is a great resource for determining what vehicles can be towed behind a motorhome. Be sure you are looking at the specific year, make and model of your towed vehicle before you hook it up and take it for a drag behind your motorhome. If you are living in a trailer, be sure that the tow vehicle has an adequate transmission, engine power and transmission cooler to adequately tow your trailer you are considering.

We love dogs, we have learned that dogs don’t care so much how big the house is, just how much love the house has in it. During the time that we have been full timing, we have had up to 3 large size (55 to 75 pound) dogs living in our motorhome with us. Yes, we work full time at brick and mortar jobs and so we are gone for a good portion of each day, but we always make sure that the dogs have been out and exercised prior to leaving for work for the day. Our vet has always been happy with the health of our dogs and the care they receive. While on the topic of dogs, be sure to feed them a good quality dog food (Blue Buffalo, Natures Domain (from Costco) or similar well rated food of four stars or above from a dog food rating website). Also, be sure to have extra copies of the dogs rabies vaccinations available, because frequently RV parks will ask for copies of those.

Today, we both work for brick and mortar jobs. We will admit however that the allure of ‘Teleworking’ while being on the road had a great attraction to us. Teleworking or telecommuting has its own set of plus’s and pit falls that go along with it. Unless you are extremely focused, telecommuting from your RV can be tough to do, especially if you have your dog that wants to play, or other travel companion who wants to share a story with you. Also, don’t rely on WIFI at RV parks for the ability to telecommute. Though WIFI is becoming easier to find with each RV Park we go to, we find other campers are watching Netflix on the park Wi-Fi and taking up all of the band width of the network. So, we suggest using your phone as a Wi-Fi hot spot. This does require however that your data plan be adequate. If you have a job that requires a lot of band width, telecommuting may not be for you.

As far as staying in touch with current events and your local TV programming we would suggest you consider just going with broadcast TV and skip the Satellite option. For 5 years of our full timing experience, we survived off of broadcast TV very nicely and we didn’t have to deal with the expense and challenges of using Satellite equipment.

There are some things that you will find different about living full time in an RV. Some RV parks don’t take certain types of dogs. We have three pit bull style dogs and so we have to take care on which parks we choose to stay at. Holding tanks don’t last forever. You will find that if you are disconnected from utilities, that your freshwater tank, your toilet holding tank, and your shower drain tank will only last 3 to 5 days before they need to be dumped or refilled. Also, in the colder months, you will find that you may need to fill the propane tanks every week or two. You will find however, that cleaning your home, takes almost no time at all! 
We love full timing and we wouldn't change it for anything in the world. 
Well, that is just some of the thoughts that come to mind from our full timing RVing experience. We have been enjoying it for 6 years and for us there is no end in sight.
If you want to get a sense as to what our setup is like, check out our video that we did a couple years ago. 

Safe travels!

Eric and Carol Anderson

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