Hello to all, my name is Don (aka Sergeant Major). I have read blogs about people full-timing in RVs, on cruise ships, and in timeshares! Since the wife and I like all three types of living (travel), we plan on doing all three. I will be 50 and my wife will be 47 when we retire!!!
We have purchased a 45 ft. Newmar Essex luxury RV with 4 slides as our primary condo on wheels and set up residence in TX (using Escapees RV Club) with no state taxes to stretch our retirement dollars to the max.
We also can live in timeshares for 9 months per year without using bonus time or renting additional credits. We own large memberships with both WorldMark and Vacation Internationale.
We also plan on doing 2 to 4 cruises per year. We travel a lot taking advantages of last minute specials and off-season values. We love cruising with Carnival, Norwegian, Holland America, Princess, Royal Carribean and others.
We will hit the road fully retired in June 2011. At this point, we are considering ourselves in the fulltiming Class of 2011. We will keep up a travel blog of our RV adventures which will also include stateside and overseas timeshare trips and all types of cruises. The timeshare weeks and cruise trips will give us some out of the RV time, but frankly we went for the largest RV made to help eleviate that closed in feeling that smaller RVs can give a person after some time on the road. Do any of you get that closed-in feeling living in one of the smaller RVs. We figured it would be easier to downsize our RV rather than upsize it on a retirement budget so the larger size RV won out.
Life is too short to just settle on one way to see the world. Heck, if I had grown up near the sea, I am sure I would also be looking at buying a yacht and cruise the oceans for several years. I did investigate the condo cruise lines, but thought the costs for a two to four year around the world cruise was not as cost effective.
I love reading about people traveling full-time and get tons of ideas from others. I hope to get to know many other RVers through our associations with our RV club memberships and on discussion forums like this one.
Please feel free to read the bio for me and my wife and don't be strangers!
Sergeant Major
-- Edited by djpotts55 on Friday 9th of December 2011 09:03:42 PM
Linda said
09:21 AM Oct 23, 2009
Welcome Sergeant Major!
First of all thank you for your service in the military and the police force! You certainly deserve to have a wonderful retirement after all the years you have given to the safety and freedom of others.
We hope your future years are all that you have dreamed they would be! Stick with your plan and it will be here before you know it.
jagco said
10:22 AM Oct 23, 2009
Welcome Sergeant Major!
Thank you for your service. That looks like a very plush RV.
I hope you have an enjoyable retirement and enjoy your travels.
Jeff
DagoRanch said
01:39 PM Oct 23, 2009
Sounds like a great plan! I had the opportunity to sail around the world for the 13 years I was in the Navy, but I must admit that I went on my first "pleasure" cruise this past August, lot's of fun and relaxation. It reminded me of how much I enjoyed being out at sea.
djpotts55 said
11:19 AM Oct 25, 2009
Thank you Linda and jagco, I appreciate the kind comments about my military service and retirement plans. My wife and I are very much looking forward to retirement and living a much less rigid lifestyle. I am envious of all of those that have retired before me, and lived out their dreams of RV Full-timing. Many people I have come to know in the military and in law enforcement have told me about their RV Full-timing dreams, but few of them ever realize those dreams for whatever reasons. It is great to see and talk to others that have or will soon be making their dreams come true.
DagoRanch, that is a great picture of you and your wife. You guys look very happy!!!! I salute you for your many years of service in the Navy. My wife and I totally agree with you that cruising is a very fun and relaxing way to travel. We are very much looking forward to picking up the pace on the amount of cruising we will do and look forward to 3 to 4 cruises per year whenever our travel plans allow us to do so.
Sergeant Major
NorCal Dan said
02:24 PM Oct 25, 2009
Looks like a fine coach that should give you years of enjoyment. Thank you for your service, enjoy your retirement.
djpotts55 said
07:59 AM Oct 28, 2009
NorCal Dan;
Thanks for the kudos on the RV. It is a bit more RV than what we were originally looking for. Kind of had our heart set on getting a 40 to 43 ft. Newmar Dutch Star, but the week we found the 45 ft. Essex was the same week the RV market hit rock bottom and we decided to get the most RV we could with our available funds.
I salute you for your USAF service. I hope you and your wife are enjoying retirement each and every day!
Sergeant Major
-- Edited by djpotts55 on Wednesday 28th of October 2009 08:00:04 AM
Hello to all, my name is Don (aka Sergeant Major). I have read blogs about people full-timing in RVs, on cruise ships, and in timeshares! Since the wife and I like all three types of living (travel), we plan on doing all three. I will be 50 and my wife will be 47 when we retire!!!
We have purchased a 45 ft. Newmar Essex luxury RV with 4 slides as our primary condo on wheels and set up residence in TX (using Escapees RV Club) with no state taxes to stretch our retirement dollars to the max.
We also can live in timeshares for 9 months per year without using bonus time or renting additional credits. We own large memberships with both WorldMark and Vacation Internationale.
We also plan on doing 2 to 4 cruises per year. We travel a lot taking advantages of last minute specials and off-season values. We love cruising with Carnival, Norwegian, Holland America, Princess, Royal Carribean and others.
We will hit the road fully retired in June 2011. At this point, we are considering ourselves in the fulltiming Class of 2011. We will keep up a travel blog of our RV adventures which will also include stateside and overseas timeshare trips and all types of cruises. The timeshare weeks and cruise trips will give us some out of the RV time, but frankly we went for the largest RV made to help eleviate that closed in feeling that smaller RVs can give a person after some time on the road. Do any of you get that closed-in feeling living in one of the smaller RVs. We figured it would be easier to downsize our RV rather than upsize it on a retirement budget so the larger size RV won out.
Life is too short to just settle on one way to see the world. Heck, if I had grown up near the sea, I am sure I would also be looking at buying a yacht and cruise the oceans for several years. I did investigate the condo cruise lines, but thought the costs for a two to four year around the world cruise was not as cost effective.
I love reading about people traveling full-time and get tons of ideas from others. I hope to get to know many other RVers through our associations with our RV club memberships and on discussion forums like this one.
Please feel free to read the bio for me and my wife and don't be strangers!
Sergeant Major
-- Edited by djpotts55 on Friday 9th of December 2011 09:03:42 PM
Welcome Sergeant Major!
First of all thank you for your service in the military and the police force! You certainly deserve to have a wonderful retirement after all the years you have given to the safety and freedom of others.
We hope your future years are all that you have dreamed they would be! Stick with your plan and it will be here before you know it.
DagoRanch, that is a great picture of you and your wife. You guys look very happy!!!! I salute you for your many years of service in the Navy. My wife and I totally agree with you that cruising is a very fun and relaxing way to travel. We are very much looking forward to picking up the pace on the amount of cruising we will do and look forward to 3 to 4 cruises per year whenever our travel plans allow us to do so.
Sergeant Major
Thanks for the kudos on the RV. It is a bit more RV than what we were originally looking for. Kind of had our heart set on getting a 40 to 43 ft. Newmar Dutch Star, but the week we found the 45 ft. Essex was the same week the RV market hit rock bottom and we decided to get the most RV we could with our available funds.
I salute you for your USAF service. I hope you and your wife are enjoying retirement each and every day!
Sergeant Major
-- Edited by djpotts55 on Wednesday 28th of October 2009 08:00:04 AM