Are We Ready to RV Full-Time?

photo credit: geralt from pixabay.com

Quite honestly, this is a question we have asked ourselves since the beginning.

Now that we have an eleven-week snowbird trip under our belts, we find ourselves pondering this question more intensely. However, there is SO much to consider. How do we even start to make a decision?

I typically start with the trusty T-Chart.

The Pros of Full-Time

Of course, anyone moving from a house they called home for over 25 years would experience some degree of indecision. On the one hand, we no longer need this much space. The children are grown and rarely visit. Home maintenance is exhausting. We enjoy our tiny house living and the travel opportunities that come with it. 

In addition, a seller's market still exists in our area. We would like to capitalize on the opportunity and put the equity into our retirement account.

It is financially foolish to keep the house and travel full-time (or even most-time). When we consider the cost of the mortgage, utilities, taxes, and storage for Toto, we are spending considerable money on an asset we rarely use. The capital gains can work for us if invested well.

We resisted selling a few months ago because we didn't know where we'd go. We wanted to downsize, but the seller's market hindered our buying options. Not only that -- where would buy? Would we stay in Kansas with friends (and winter weather) ... or move to Nashville near family (and risk overstaying our welcome) ... or try to find an affordable spot in Florida (great for winter but what about those hot summers?!) We allowed ourselves to make an indecision-decision and simply stayed put.

But now we know where  - or at least in what - we would live. We have adapted well to our tiny space. And this mobile home allows us to see various parts of the country before we make a retirement home purchase.

The Cons

On the other hand, downsizing to a 300 sq ft coach means selling most of our possessions. The furniture we inherited from our parents. The bedroom set we purchased after our first year of marriage. All my cherished books 😊 

Of course, we could rent a storage room to save a few precious items we aren't willing to sell... but the point is to downsize and save money. NOT move possessions from one location to another.

Gas prices are the highest on record. The cost of travel will now cost significantly more than it did three months ago. And there appears to be little relief in the near future. Toto gets about 8.5 mpg. With diesel gas prices over $5.00/gallon, that is a large portion of a monthly budget.

Of course, we can mitigate the gas bill somewhat by staying longer at RV campgrounds. Less travel means less fuel. And often RV parks offer a weekly or monthly discount.

RV maintenance is an ongoing expense. It is not a matter of "if" something goes wrong but when. We know new batteries and tires are a future expense. Even though Toto has less than 35,000 miles, his 20-year engine will need some attention.

And since the RV is not only our mode of transportation but our "permanent" home, the inconvenience of these repairs (not to mention the stress) is another consideration. Will we need to find a hotel or an Airbnb? What will do with Hero while the rig is in the shop?

And as much as I love research ... the role of trip planner is becoming a part-time job. I am not one to "wing" anything ... so spontaneous travel is not an option. Sometimes I can wait a couple of weeks and find a suitable place (like I did for our return trip home). But other times we will need months in advance to secure a spot (like snowbirding in any of the warmer climates). Right now we aren't sure what we are doing this summer. How will we guestimate what we will be doing next winter??

In addition, full-time RVing means developing and sticking to a budget. While affluent RV resorts are fine for the occasional stay, we need to stick to more modest accommodations for the long term. Fortunately, we both love state parks and COE campgrounds (Army Corps of Engineers)... but these fill up quickly. I must constantly monitor reservation windows and big-rig friendly access. What if I make a mistake and book a site that is too small?

So What's the Decision?

*** Drum Roll Please ***

😳 WE'RE DOIN' IT!! 😳

While the real estate market is absolutely insane ... and we would be foolish not to take advantage (the first time in our married life timing works for us)... we also fear the market working against us when we decide to come off the road.

So we compromised.

Our dog-sitter, who has become a dear friend, will rent the house. Her commute to-and-from work will be cut in half, her dogs will have room to roam the backyard, and she has graciously allowed us to use the basement to store the items we are not ready to release. 

It is a win-win for both of us!

We also put a deposit on an annual rental at Keystone Heights RV Resort from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023. This will be our new home base until we acclimate to this new lifestyle. While I love the idea of traveling around the United States and seeing all this great country has to offer ... I also know my sense of adventure takes time to ramp up. Fortunately, Geoff is patient with me and willing to take this interim step.

We will still travel, of course. But we will use these months to thoroughly investigate Florida as a possible permanent retirement home. We plan to explore the Florida east coast communities, the south-central areas, and the gulf coast region.  I'm sure we can take twelve months and just travel this one state.

But we will also visit other areas of the deep south: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. In other words, about a 600-mile radius from Keystone Heights.

We plan to stay mostly at State Parks and COE campgrounds (Army Corps of Engineering). We like waterfront property and the serenity of nature. These campsites offer us the camping experience we crave at an affordable price. 

And once we thoroughly explore this region, we may head west. Perhaps 2024 will find us snowbirding in Arizona for a few months and then heading up the California coast. I anticipate spending several weeks in Sonoma County, Napa Valley, and Willamette, Oregon. We do love our wine 😊

So... Toto may be in storage now but not for long. We have our hands full for the next few weeks and then (Lord willing) we will pack up Toto one last time and hit the road.

Stay tuned for updates...