Full Time Traveling

by Charlotte Phillips
(Jacksonville, FL)

In 1990 we sold our home and all the "stuff", passed antiques on to the kids, to live and travel on our 36-ft sailboat. It was a wonderful life we had dreamed of, planned for, and read all the "how to" books about.

Nothing ever prepared us for the emotional challenges that we faced. This was a dream of ours, we were ready and exited about our new life. We weren't attached to things and had no problems leaving kids...they had already moved on with their lives and were happy for us. Today in 2012 we are doing it again, this time in a 40-ft RV.

Looking back, the first mistake we made was buying a used boat and taking off with it right away. We were experienced sailors, but fulltiming was a different environment. We had not yet built confidence in our boat, ourselves, or each other's abilities.

We've been back in a house for several years working to build our travel/retirement fund. A year and a half ago we purchased our first RV, a 35-ft Travel Trailer. Six months ago we traded for our 40-ft Class A that we will full time in.

I have always advised others who dream of full timing, be it on a boat or RV, to live with it for awhile, make it your own, get to know and trust it, yourself, and each other's abilities, before you jump in with both feet.

We found it important for each of us to have a space that is just ours for our "stuff", books, computers, treasures, whatever you need in your space.

We were also surprised we needed time alone. On a 36-ft sailboat that can be hard to find, but we learned how. Even if it was sitting on the bow of the boat reading, watching the waves while underway, or taking the dingy out for a ride by ourselves, it was important. In the RV it is the same, we each have our space and we find time alone to regroup and restore.

We are now beginning the process of sorting out, giving away stuff, selling the house, this time for a life on the road rather than the water. We are much more prepared emotionally this time than before. At least we know this is a lifestyle not a long term vacation and no matter how excited we are about our new adventure, there will be emotional challenges, but this time we're ready!

Comments for Full Time Traveling

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Nov 08, 2012
 Trying Again
by: Bud Corwin

Hi Charlotte,
Congradulations on becomming a fulltime RVer. First, it's not that much different than being on your boat on the water. I believe the biggest thing to deal with will be the traffic. It can be a bear at times, as you probably already know.

My wife and I have been fulltimers since 2003. We purchased a 33 foot 1993 Pacearrow. The guy that I bought it from pampered it. It was just like new. When we returned to Arizona the follow-ing year, we decided to trade up to something bigger. We traded for a 38 foot 2003 Fleetwood Excursion. It has two slide outs which make a huge difference in room. It also has a diesel engine.

Our first three years on the road were filled with many miles of travel and going to places my wife had not been to before. In 2003 and 2004 we traveled from Arizona across to Florida.

We spent about two months there. The first was in Hudson. Then we moved on over to my nieces for about a month. This was the first time either of us had spent any amount of time in Florida. We both enjoyed it and will travel there again.

Then we started north. We toured a great deal of the coast and wound up in our home town of Olean, New York. After a month or so, we went to the New England states. Maine was a real treat. We loved Bar Harbor, and the lobster shacks. Look forward to returning there soon.

Then, we started back west. Wound up in Marshalltown, Iowa for a couple months near our nephew and his family. From here we headed on west and south to Las Vegas to spend some time with my brother and his wife.

By now it's getting late fall and time to head back to Chandler, Arizona. As I said in the beginning, this was pretty much our first two years on the road.

The third year out we just traveled here and there, no where special. Then Gerri thought it time for us to start working at different campgrounds.

We have been doing that ever since. We have hosted at campgrounds in Michigan, Utah, South Dakota and Arizona. It pays for your site and keeps you fit.

The nice thing about RVing is, if you find someplace you don't like, you just move on down the road to somewhere else. Fortunatly we have not found anywhere we didn't like.

Hope you have as much fun on the road as we do and also hope to see you down the line. Have a great day and keep the shinny side up and the dirty side down.

Bud Corwin

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