HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2016 WAS THE YEAR FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT FULLTIMING

Currently in Goodyear AZ (Low 53 Cooler Rain in the Morning High 57)

Happy New Year!!

This year more than any year we have been asked about living fulltime in a RV. First it was a guy Bob used to work with, we me him and his wife at lunch. Then it was the nephew of a gal in our church group. Finally it was a couple that was parked next to us that just bought a RV and was going on their first trip and if it was successful they would think about fulltiming. We thought it would be good to document what we told them and to update a posting we did in 2012 about fulltiming that we did here.

We thought about breaking this long entry into multiple ones but decided a single file for future reference might be a better option.

In our opinion the real key to have fun full-timing is to take what you like about living in a home with you on the road, albeit a much smaller home.

First and foremost both of you must want to at least give it a try for a good length of time, at least 2 years. The first 6 months to one year you will be questioning your sanity but just give it time, it is an adjustment just like anything else.

Secondly you need to realize that all the 'stuff' that you have accumulated over the years is just that, 'stuff'. It is amazing how liberating it is to be able to live with just the small amount of 'stuff' that you can bring with you.

So you have made the decision to full-time and to get rid of most of your 'stuff' now you need to make the RV seem like a home. We break that into major categories.

Water pressure; get a good water pressure regulator that does not cut down on the water flow. We got the Watts 263A which is one of the best you can get.

Showerhead; the one that is in most RVs is worthless. Get a good showerhead like the Oxygenics Body Spa and you get great pressure that feels like a home shower that does not use that much water so that will also last longer. 

A good tip is that your hot water heater will recover faster if you have both the propane and electric turned on.

Laundry; we recommend getting a washer and a dryer or a washer/dryer combo and doing the laundry in your new home. It may be smaller loads but you will find that a benefit of this lifestyle is that you will probably have less laundry to do.

Speaking of television; if you like to watch TV then get a good satellite dish, we have an automatic dish on the roof, and also bring the comfort of home and get a DVR. 

Full-timers can also get a waiver and get what is called Distant Network Service from DirecTV which gives you the east coast or west coast feeds of network television. This way you won't miss your favorite shows. DVR'ng your shows will also allow you to extend your sightseeing adventures.

Speaking of sightseeing; if you love to travel and want to see more of the USA but don't like the hassles of airline travel then full-timing just might be for you. We have been full-timing for 7 years and have barely scratched the surface of what we want to see.

Take it easy; first by realizing that you are not always on vacation. In fact strange as it seems there will be some times when you will need a vacation. Since you have everything with you there are some days when you will need to do laundry, dust and vacuum just like you did when you lived in a house.

Also take it easy by limiting the miles you drive in one day and stay for awhile. There is a lot of great stuff to see in what we call the "drive thru" country, you will be amazed.

Hookups; for the first few trips always get full hookups (electric, water and sewer) and try to get 50 amp electrical whenever possible. With 50a you can run what you want when you want it and not have to worry have tripping breakers. Save boondocking (no hookups at all) for the second year of your trial.

We hope that we have helped those that might be considering a move to full-timing because we would love to see you on the road sometime. One of the best things about this lifestyle is the great people you will meet.

Finally the best advice we can give to full-timers heading out for the first time is that the first thing you should pack is your sense of humor because you will need it, especially for the first 6 months.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo