I often get email encouraging me on my travels, congratulating me on my journey, offering advise or suggestions and telling me how much they want/hope to do the same someday. Along with the latter there are often questions so every once in a while I will answer them here. (Note: often there is no email address for direct replies)
Did you have any second thoughts when things got down to the wire?
Once in a while I would wonder if I was doing the right thing. It was obviously a major change and since I am not mechanically inclined, I worried about maintenance on my vehicles. I just had to remind myself that the house would have the same issues....roofers, painters, plumbers, electricians....none of those come cheap either.
It was harder to leave my little town and my wonderful neighborhood. My neighbors have been the absolute best. If I had to live in a town again, I would definitely look towards Sparta.
What's it like, emotionally, when you're first out on the road? Is it exciting/euphoric, or a little letdown for the first few days, or like you can't quite believe you're actually doing it?
This is one I will address again further down the road. For now I get to look back at my first three trips. I think terrifying and exhilarating are the two words that come to mind. The driving definitely fits the first and the knowledge that you are actually DOING IT fit the second. I now have a total of about 12 days (between 3 trips) in my home so harder to pin things down. Looking back at the two years my husband and I full-timed (while still working), the euphoria may have tamped down a bit from early levels but for me it never went away.
Fulltimer blogs often mention the feeling of freedom that you have living in a rig vs. a house. But RV's have problems and need maintenance too. Do you think, so far, that it's easier/more freeing to deal with an RV than a house?
This kind of comes back to my first question. To me the freeing is the freedom of being able to do what you want, when you want and go where you want. Since I am not mechanical, the need to have others work on my "home" is still there. But so far it seems easier to get recommendations on good service folks for the motorhome than it did for the house.
Got a question you'd like to see answered? Email me or post a comment and you might see it posted here in the future. Thanks for taking time to read!
Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna
Stu and Donna
I was a fulltime RV for 5 years before I bought a winter home in Arizona. But before I retired from California and hit the road, I spent 10 years planning my fulltime RVing retiremnet. So I had NO second thoughts!! I was soooo excited to be venturing out on my new adventure. I had RVed during my 2-4 week vacations, but being a fulltimer meant having the FREEDOM to go when and where and for how ever long I wanted. You definitely are not free from unexpected setbacks like tire blowouts, leaky roofs, non functioning water heaters or refridgerators.
ReplyDeleteI wish you many happy miles, Donna!!
I've been living in my ol' RV for over 2 1/2 years now...floating around my "home" county/area almost all of it...while learning the "ins and outs" of the lifestyle(and maintenance requirements).To say that I had a few "trepidations" in the beginning, is an understatement...which is why I stayed "local". I had all the typical "concerns" of someone who had never even camped overnight in an RV before....but...I became "sold" that very first weekend...and will never willingly return to a "stick n brick" abode. Within the next week, or so, I am headed out of this sheltered "grade school" beginnings...and hit the road, ne'r to look back.
ReplyDeleteReading blogs like Donna's, only reassure me that I too, can do it!