Community Chat

[151949]

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@tansy wrote:

I can't believe it's November and the holiday season.  Whoosh and  another year's almost over.

Do you have any idea how long you think you'll be able to snowbird, @151949?

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We bought a new trailer a few years ago and it is much more comfortable so i think we will be doing this as long as DH continues to be able to make the drive. It is 1100 miles for us and that is a lot for DH plus it is hard for my back so we break the trip up into 3 short days.When we get to our hotel we usually have time to swim or nap before we get cleaned up to go get dinner. We have done this trip so many times we stay at the same hotels and eat at the same restaurants all the time.

[tansy]

It's almost 1400 miles for us and we take 3 to 3 1/2 days to travel.  We alternate routes but usually stay at the same hotels, too.  It's a long haul:/

[151949]

We have friends in Charlottesville, Va and Hilton Head , SC so we usually try to stop for a short visit in Va and often stay overnight  in SC on our trip north in the spring.Funny how our friends are getting all spread out across the country as we retire. Not many have stayed where we grew up.

We have a lot of neighbors who drive from Michigan and Indiana and Ohio to SW Fl. and drive it straight through one couple because they have a dog and the other a cat and don't want to stay in those "pet friendly" hotels. Another couple just doesn't want to pay for a hotel.Except for an extreme emergency I would never consider driving it straight through.

[jlkz]

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@151949 wrote:

We have friends in Charlottesville, Va and Hilton Head , SC so we usually try to stop for a short visit in Va and often stay overnight  in SC on our trip north in the spring.Funny how our friends are getting all spread out across the country as we retire. Not many have stayed where we grew up.

We have a lot of neighbors who drive from Michigan and Indiana and Ohio to SW Fl. and drive it straight through one couple because they have a dog and the other a cat and don't want to stay in those "pet friendly" hotels. Another couple just doesn't want to pay for a hotel.Except for an extreme emergency I would never consider driving it straight through.

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We had friends who drove straight through to North Ft.Myers from north of Philly in their early 70's with short stops only for gas.  They ate their own food in the car while driving.  Took several days for them to recover at each end of the drive down and back.

We've done it in 2 days with one overnight stay and stops every 2 or 3 hours to walk through a mall and relieve back and hip pains:  I did leg and ankle stretches in the car the entire time.  Still it took several days for swelling and pains to fade.  The last part of the drive on day one was the worst:  hustling to get there by 9 PM.  We ate fast food during the days but the overnight was the shrimp scampi over rice that we put together from the homemade marinara sauce and micro heated rice pre-cooked from home. (Trips were to MarcoIsland and Naples, FL

Last year was the first time I was able to get DH to fly to Regional SouthWest Airport in Ft.Myers:  he loved it!!!!!

Considering wear and tear on the car and us and the meals and hotel, the $250/ person round trip was worth it.

@We now have a condo @ Lely and are looking forward to snowbirding every winter.  Of course, these birds are flying. ( really great rates for a mid-size car can be had, but reserve at the time you book your flight or you can end up paying almost $200 more at the last minute!!!!! )

Hope we all have many more enjoyable stays winter and summer !!!!!!!!!!!

[Mmsfoxxie]

Fortunately or unfortunately, lol, I will never be able to afford to live in two places depending on the weather.  But how do you people that can afford it, handle your personal information (such as mail, doctors) being at the right place at the right time.  Don't you have to have one place to call your actual residence?  Seems like a lot of trouble, albeit worth it.

About time flying ... since retirement, time is going much faster.  I think due to age and the fact that I'm not dealing with so much stress.

[Lucky Charm]

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@Mmsfoxxie wrote:

Fortunately or unfortunately, lol, I will never be able to afford to live in two places depending on the weather.  But how do you people that can afford it, handle your personal information (such as mail, doctors) being at the right place at the right time.  Don't you have to have one place to call your actual residence?  Seems like a lot of trouble, albeit worth it.

About time flying ... since retirement, time is going much faster.  I think due to age and the fact that I'm not dealing with so much stress.

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We keep our primary residence mail going all the time.  We have family that lives close, our daughter lives two blocks away.  

We don't 'snow-bird' per se.  Our places are liveable year round, we don't have to pack up and close up.  Although I do have a (rental) bungalow that does need to be winterized.

We go back and forth all winter and summer.  Usually driving (it's doable in one day) flying is a pain.

We're *up north* now and enjoying a beautiful mild day and weather will be in the 70's most of the week, same as home, but we're missing all the rain.

Not as *luxurious* as it sounds, we're tearing up an old beach house.  Having the insulation replaced in the attic.  House is partitioned off with plastic.  I'll head out when they start the re-wiring as the electric will be off. 

I'm able to stay on this beautiful front porch which is the only room besides our bedroom which isn't turned upside down.

Oh and no furniture at all except on the porch.  But come on over!

[151949]

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@Mmsfoxxie wrote:

Fortunately or unfortunately, lol, I will never be able to afford to live in two places depending on the weather.  But how do you people that can afford it, handle your personal information (such as mail, doctors) being at the right place at the right time.  Don't you have to have one place to call your actual residence?  Seems like a lot of trouble, albeit worth it.

About time flying ... since retirement, time is going much faster.  I think due to age and the fact that I'm not dealing with so much stress.

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Since we are in a camper when we are up north we keep a post office box up there and when we leave our home in Fl we have the mail forwarded. We can go to doctors while we are in Pa because our medicare advantage plan has a "passport" option and as it turns out , our former PCP is in network up there. So, if we needed him we could go to him.We use Walgreens both in Fl and Pa for our Rx - their computer is national so you can refill at any Walgreens anywhere. of course you have to have an actual residence somewhere - that is where we pay taxes , our vehicles are registered, and we vote.For us - since we have a house in Fl and a camper in Pa - our residence is in Florida.We get most of our bills online , not in the mail and we pay everything online. Our cable, internet and phone at our house is paid for in our HOA dues so they all stay on even when we aren't there. The outside care of our property is also the responsibility of our HOA so we can just leave and it is taken care fo for us.We have family here all year and they watch the house and will put up the storm shutters for us if there is a hurricane. We also have friends who stay here all year and have a key and come inside and make sure everything is running ok.They come in a couple times a month.I don't thin k ypou could really do this if you didn't have some dependable people you could count on. Up north our nephew comes by and checks in the camper for us as he works nearby, and , of course, if anything bad like a tree through the roof or something happened, the campground would call us.

[151949]

jlkz - I'm sure at some point in time we will buy a small car to leave in Pa and will start to fly back & forth instead of drive. However, for now we enjoy the trip and visiting friends along the way.Besides - I always get a respiratory infection every time I fly and I'm sick for weeks it seems. hate that.

[151949]

BTW - it is 86 and hot & humid here in SW Florida today - very tropical. I worked at the food bank this AM & DH was out fishing, he said it was nice and breezy in the gulf.He caught a shark is all, they just cut the lines when they get one of them since no one would be dumb enough to put their hand in a shark's mouth to get a hook out.

[Mmsfoxxie]

@Lucky Charm, @151949, thanks for the reponses.  I'm sure you count your blessings everyday.  151949, I remember you talking about needing a particular  insurance plan because of traveling.  

Pre 2008, my husband had plans of living part time someplace else but the money disappeared...he waited too long to change his stocks.  I wouldn't mind living someplace warm but not going back and forth.  

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