Living in an RV when retired

[KTMom91]

I'm on the fence with this.

Hubby and I have talked about this, as there are many places around the country we want to visit. With the exception of Miss KT, we're all here across town from each other, so this would have to be our base. I hate to leave the house empty for long periods of time, and yet I do not want to sell. Hubby has at least ten more years of working, though, so we don't have to decide immediately.

 

[Copabanana]

"do's and don'Tourette's Syndrome".

This is funny. (You were talking about AARP)

Register the RV in a state that will be the most generous to you tax/medical-wise. Join AARP

This is pure genius. I think I will go right now and join AARP.

 

[GoingNorth]

If you are over 50, Copa, you should be getting mail/email from AARP. One nice thing about being an AARP or AAA (Automobile roadside assistance +) member is that many hotels, etc.,, offer discounts to members.

Also, starting at 55, there are seniors discounts. Not so much at 55, but it increases every year. ASK. I don't care about people knowing my "real" age, but even if you do,, think of the $$$ you'll save!

 

[Lil]

Just make sure the RV isn't your ONLY home. It gets "old" fairly fast to be rootless.

That's why I'd want a piece of property...not necessarily a house or apartment, but real estate where we could hook up and live and it's OURS. We'd still live in the RV, but it wouldn't move. Couldn't be any harder than living in a tiny house.

Yeah...I could do that.

If you are over 50, Copa, you should be getting mail/email from AARP.

Oh yes. There's nothing that says "You're getting OLD" like getting that first letter a few weeks before your 50th birthday! I was SO ticked off. That's adding insult to injury. LOL Jabber got his a couple weeks ago...his 50th is coming up.

I think it takes a certain type of person to be able to travel well. I used to love traveling alone or with someone, didn't matter. Never did any huge trips, but I thought it was fun to just get in my car and go somewhere; stop at little out-of-the-way places. When I was in my 20's, I kept a packed bag in my car all the time with a change or two of clothes, toiletries, etc. so I could go on a moments notice. My best friend and I once hopped in the car and drove 4 hours to see a haunted cemetery we read about in a book. Got there right at sundown. Wandered, took photos, then headed to the city, got a cheap hotel, went shopping the next day, then home. Anything could be an adventure.

You also have to be able to take obstacles and changes of plan in stride and laugh at them later. I've been so lucky to find Jabber, who is so good at that. He and I once got stranded FIVE HOURS at a gas station/restaurant in this little non-existent town. It was 105 degrees..so no walking anywhere...not that there was anything close. We call it "Purgatory" every time we drive by. God that was an awful, boring day. We got lost in Italy - speaking virtually no Italian - and it was all part of the adventure. I'm sure we'd do great RVing.

 

[BusynMember]

My husband is good with change and problems.

I like being busy and doing exciting things, as long it isnt dangerous (never had the urge to skydive). I love the idea of being able to see all of my kids whenever I want to.

 

[ksm]

We had thought about doing something similar. You can find temp work at the National Parks, and they usually give you minimum wage and free hookups in exchange for working. There are jobs like being a host, or selling things in a gift shop, or collecting fees.

If volunteering is your thing, another organization is called SOOP, and almost every state has opportunities to help. And they usually provide RV hookups or free lodging, and sometimes meals.

If you google SOOP and the word Mennonite together, you will find the correct website.

I would love to spend a summer in Yellowstone..,and explore on the days off! KSM

 

[BusynMember]

thanns fod tbe tip.

I LOVE to volunteer!!

 

[ksm]

https://serve.mennonitemission.net/serve/Pages/SOOP.aspx

We have spent 5 weeks on an Indian reservation helping with a church camp. It is connected to the Mennonite church, but I believe it is not a requirement. But, since many of the places are church related, the volunteer should be respectful of beliefs. And, just so you know, most Mennonites do not have traditional clothes and look like everybody else!


Also...

Coolworks.com

For the park jobs.

KSM

 

[BusynMember]

I heard sbout camp hosting.

I have strong feelings of right and wrong. I would never pretend to have a belief system I did not share just to get a freebie. I promise that will never happen.

 

[ksm]

I wasn't suggesting pretending...I used the word respectful...KSM

 

[Copabanana]

You also have to be able to take obstacles and changes of plan in stride and laugh at them later.

I'm good at that too.

When we were living in South America and flying back and forth to the US I always tried to get cheap flights. So we were on the Atlantic coast of Brasil and I saw the plane tickets that were cheapest left from Santiago, Chile near the Pacific Coast. Andes running down the middle of the continent? No problem (in theory.)

So we went and got a bus. Are you going to Buenos Aires Argentina, I asked? (The intermediate point). Yes, and we hopped on the bus, my son then about 14.

Well, after the bus crossed brasil into argentina it went up to almost Paraguay, before it turned around and went South. We had doubled at least our time on the road. Not to mention all of the other travel across brasil, across Argentina East to West, across the Andes, and across Chile--which is not that wide. The Brasil to BA part which should have taken 14 hours took 35.

But we went through places that were in the 19th century with gauchos. We entered another time and place. Well, if that was not enough, I had forgotten to change money at the border. We had no food. My son began to cry on the bus. People gave him food he could not eat (like with Manioc.) I felt like a child abuser to put my son in such a position. Except looking back he loved it too. (But believe me, not at the time.)

And then finally somehow we got money and the bus left us off at a place in the middle of nowhere that was like a saloon in the old west, with dust clouds and gauchos. And we had the most delicious steaks cooked over wood and salad with red wine vinegar and red wine that I have had in my whole life.

And then after we rested in BA for a night we continued on the bus over the Andes in the winter, another 20 hour journey. Counting all the nights in hotels I probably paid double for these cheap flights. But I got to see Chile--did not like it much, surprisingly. The people seemed more competitive with a harder edge than either Brasil or Argentina. Santiago is very cosmopolitan like a smaller NYC. I was intimidated.

A mistake turned into a magical memory. A highlight of my life. The part where we went down the spine of Argentina.

I want to go on the road too, but we are afraid to drive!!

 

[pasajes4]

I would love to this in theory. In reality.......I am a home body and arm chair traveler.

 

[Jabberwockey]

Don't know about buying an RV, but at the rate they have me working overtime we can buy the cabin we had wanted cash up front in about three or four months. Granted, that assumes that working almost 25 hours of overtime per week doesn't kill me first! Did the math and at if the current work load keeps up, I'll be getting at least $2000 per month in overtime.

We need to talk about this honey, but we should consider a short term investment as we cash this in.

Wow! Just hit me that if I could maintain the pace, we could pay the land off in less than a year! Not going to do that though because I DO need time off to hunt on it or whats the point?!?!

Still, we get the water, sewage, and electric set up and there's our home base. Sorry, rambling because I'm tired.

 

[BusynMember]

I'm not a touristy, hotel room traveler with some game show host tourist guide showing me sights. I'm a do it ourselves type who likes adventure and meeting people who are edgy and creative and different, like me. And I'm not leaving my house to travel if the RV IS my home. I also really like traveling without dressing up for dinner and imagine we will meet likewise people amd will boondock a lot to save. This going to be done cheap.

Boondocking is staying at allowable free places without the hookups. Then of course stay a week or so at a down home campground.

Did you know almost every Walmart allows RVS to boondock in their parking lots for one or two nights? Several businesses do. State parks too in some places.

I plan to spend lots of time in St. Louis and Chicago but want to see the rest of the U.S. particularly remote places like Wyoming and nice weather places that are beautiful Mendocino CA and then spend time in the south. Less interested in the East so far. Although I do have a relative out East I could visit...of course, I'd only do this with husband. And we'd buy an old RV. Hub can fix it up. He's gifted that way.

 

[GoingNorth]

Anyone going RVing. Check with your individual Wal-Mart before settling in for the night. Many of them no longer allow "boondocking". For example, none of the stores in Milwaukee or the collar suburbs allow it.

The Wal-mart in Rhinelander, WI allowed it when I moved up there in 2004, but stopped in 2009. Reasons given were liability, trash, and general "not the image we wish to display to our customers".

Also, just because you stopped at RV campground xxx last year, don't assume it is still there this year. RV campgrounds are turning into subdivisions and townhouse/condo complexes like crazy, especially those with water access.

There was one a couple of towns over from me that went from doing a booming business to ready to sell units in only a year.

Call first!RVers and "tiny house-ers" are NOT popular with state and local governments. Especially tiny house-ers who are finding that many towns, counties, and even states are trying to limit, if not outright ban tiny houses.

RV Parks are being zoned out of existance in many areas as well.

 

[BusynMember]

I'll check. I have heard that in many areas, especially snowbird areas, they welcome RVers. At any rate, we will go boondocking ASAP and will be careful to develop a network of others who do this. It's quite popular now. They have over 55 parks too. We are gathering info but have two years to go. Thanks!

 

[Copabanana]

I would love to this in theory. In reality.......I am a home body and arm chair traveler.

I have changed too. M cannot leave the country because of immigration. He could not get back in if he were to leave. The idea of going somewhere without him does not sound fun. Would not be fun.

We have been wanting to go East, to check out places like Cleveland, Youngstown, Detroit maybe, and Newark NJ, to be close to NYC. Now that I am back too work I am way more optimistic that the trip can someday happen. I have been to Newark and NYC but never those other cities. I am very interesting the the rust belt and its resurgence.

In Ohio, NJ and MI I have the ability to work on my same license--not in PA, IL or NY. Or else I would be checking out Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Chicago--I have never been to any of these places.

 

[Lil]

So...Jabber and I looked at RV's this weekend. Well, small travel trailers. It was pretty amusing, in that the ones we were most interested in turned out to be ones that were at the big dealership for service. They didn't have them in any area that was obviously separate from the ones for sale! Guess people should lock their vehicles and trailers if they don't want strangers snooping around. Oops!


Pricy, that's for sure. One we looked at had the price inside - $24,000! One we liked a lot was under $13,000.00 though. Any vehicle we own would find it difficult to tow that uphill. We didn't look at any motor home type RV's, as they only had huge ones...well, except that one that was in for service. We wondered why they had one that had a half-finished Mountain Dew in the cup holder and smelled like stale cigarettes.

But even the little ones we looked at, yeah...I could do that. At least for a while.

 

[BusynMember]

Lil, we always buy old and cheap. Everything. Hub is gifted in the fixing drpartmrnt from computers (in which he has gotten computers to work that professionals gave up on) to washers and dryers, to busted vacuum cleaners to anything on wheels. I believe that if he cant fix it. nobody can...lol. He could have been a big earner, but is too lazy to work on other peoples stuff.

If he were not this way, we'd never do it.

if he sells his tool box and most of his tools, we can afford a cheap RV and he can fix it up. He basically only buys the parts.

We never need plumbers etc.

 

[RN0441]

I'm ready to go now/today!!! Just pile the two furry babies in and leave it all behind.

We become such a slave to our material things. The older we get the less we care about all of it really.

Inner peace and happiness so much more important!!