Among Friends

[Lilysmom]

@tarsmom, here goes...

mice

ants

depreciation

dumping septic

inspections

insurance

generator

vehicle to tow

musty smell

something else to clean and look after

I am editing to add that her advice was to rent a place someone else will clean and look after and enjoy day trips to the property we own.  Not a bad thought.  I confess that I don't love renting from a row of cottages.  There are other cheaper options (than buying an RV) that are worthy of consideration.

LM

[AuntG]

Yes, I do. It's a couple in their mid 60's with an adult son who has autism.  They have a large truck and pull a two bedroom RV. They travel to a couple different destinations in good weather months and then live in an Arizona RV park during the winter months.  So far, it seems to work out well.  One tip is to get full size appliances so you don't have to make so many trips for fresh foods.

[feline groovy]

Here's the bonus, @tarsmom:  for your beloved dog, it will be like the biggest backyard but with changing landscapes and exciting new smells and fascinating creatures and wonderful adventures.  Reason enough to go for it ?  ;-)

[Kachina624]

---

@missy1 wrote:

@tansy

LOL. I had no idea the price. I would want a smaller one like that.

---

@missy1   People who start off with a small RV very rapidly are out shopping for a larger model.  Too many challenges in trying to exist in a tiny space.  My parents traded their small one in so fast, I never even saw it.

[Q4u]

DH and I have had (or used) RV's in some form or another our entire marriage.  2 man pup tents, full tent, renting pop ups from the Navy, an 18 ft little Nomad (we had for years, 2 kids, a dog and us), then two longer trailers.  Our boys loved going across the country and we'd take a month trip here and there as well as weekends..  About 12 years ago they didn't want to go with us anymore and we invested in a diesel motorhome. We've gone out all the time with it and lived in it once for 6 months while we sold our house and moved across country.

We're living in it again right now while our house is on the market as we're going to move from out in the country and move into the city.  

Just remember that even with monthly rates, it can be expensive llving in an Rv park.  We're averaging $600 a month with electric paid.  Other parks charge for electricity use and can be a lot higher.  We will probably be in the MH over winter and winters can be harsh here. We've had the MH winterized but we may still travel south.

Taking care of the tanks is also important.  We actually bring a hose into the MH and have an attachment that goes down the toilet and when the water is turned on it sprays the sides of the tank.  That enables all the black to be cleaned out of the tank and flushed out.  Then we pull the gray and it follows, which also helps keep it all clean. Because of this, our units have never had an odor... no musty smells either.  It really can be done... and we learned this from an old timer when we first started out and it works great! 

I think that renting a rig for a weekend can give you an idea what's involved but there is about a week of "getting used" to tiny living, so remember that (first week, I'm hitting my head on cupboard doors).... 

Even loving it as we do we want a home base so we'd probably never do this full time, sell the house, etc.  It's fun and freeing.  Good luck in whatever you decide to do.... 

[qualitygal]

We at one point, (his first retirement) entertained this idea.  Then we thought about all the years we'd already spent away from home and family and our state, and we really wanted to come home. HOME. 

and don't forget to watch Robin Williams in the movie RV!! We loved it. 

[Lipstickdiva]

DH and I recently bought a large travel trailer.  I love it and I love camping but I would have no desire to make that my retirement when the time comes and do that full-time.  I want someplace to call home.  I don't want to pull in someplace, set up camp for awhile, then move and do it all over again. 

[tarsmom]

Thanks for everyone's input. I really appreciate it! I do want to clarify we're not talking about a 5th wheel or a travel trailer - but a larger motor home. Have you seen some of them - wow! The one we rented in the 80's was really nice but the newer ones have full-size fridges, queen and even king sized beds, and a feature where the room "slides' and all of a sudden you have a full sized "condo on wheels". A lot of people with big money (not us) buy brand new and then trade it in for a new model. We're talking about used. We are doing tons of research and I do appreciate input. And like I said it would be different if we had family to hold us. Our 3 close friends all passed at 49-50. We need to meet people, have some adventures, and remember, we've motorcycled for 19 years already. We ride all day and have no idea where we're laying our heads sometimes. I do think it's certainly not for everyone, but think of the stories if we make it to the nursing home someday. I volunteered for 8 years doing nails at the local NH and this sweet 90-something lady told me she used to ride a Harley and I about dropped! Why not live a little? Our aim is to travel the states and not park in a RV park for months at a time. We want to see our beautiful U S of A!    Edited to add: when the time comes if we can no longer do it then we'll get an apartment.   I am not attached to stuff, just people

[Carmie]

@tarsmom. Your plans sound like a lot of fun and a great adventure.

Just a little extra info.  Some RV parks only allow Units that are ten years old or less.. You can always stay in state parks if your RV is older.  

So, full timers have to be careful when buying a used model and they would need to update every few years.  Some places, but not all are really snobby about what you can park there, even for one night.

[tarsmom]

Yes - thank you for your comments.  We're reading that, too.