Afraid of Freedom - RV-Dreams Community Forum

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

Afraid of Freedom

tumwatergal · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yes, some of your friends will think you are "crazy". Others may be envious but afraid to do the same thing. Some people never "get the idea" of a fulltime lifestyle.

We love it and hope it will continue for at least 15 more years. DH is 62 and I'm 58, so that hope could be reality if health stays good.

I hope you enjoy the process of setting yourself up for this interesting lifestyle.

Jim01 · RV-Dreams Family Member

GENECOP,

The new found freedom is just one of the many changes you will experience when you go full-timing. Some people don't handle it well and have trouble with the fact that they don't have a schedule. When we started out, we found ourselves in the "vacation mode", and really had to work at slowing down and not making schedules for ourselves.

We have some friends that after a year, still set an alarm clock every morning and always have their day planned out well in advance. To be honest, I don't think they'll be full-timing much longer as they don't seem to be able to slow down.

It's good that you're thinking about these things now. Going full-time is completely different than the "normal" lifestyle that most of us have had in the past. The more prepared you are for the change the easier the transition will be.

Jim

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

I know exactly what you mean. Even though we have been full-timing since Dec 2007 some of our s&b friends still don't understand what we are doing or why. And while nobody tried to talk me out retiring or going full-timing, I know they thought I was crazy.

At least 90% of them said they wished they could do the same thing, but they had all these excuses. I just told them that if they REALLY wanted to go full-timing then they would find a way to make it happen.

With me, I spent months talking about going full-timing with my co-workers. It was fun to share the experience. Discussions ranged from places they have visited and I should check out, to what coach to buy. They were always bringing in brochures from different RV manufacturers for me to check out. And I know they enjoyed telling stories about their vacation spots and re-living those adventures with us, and I suspect those people may jump on the full-time scene one of these days.

I have often wondered how our friends would have reacted if we hadn't shared our news about retiring, selling everything, and hitting the road. Once we made the decision to embrace this lifestyle we shared the news with all our friends. It was nice to be able to answer their questions, and I hope we convinced them that we could still be friends. We always make time to visit with them when we get back to the area and they seem to enjoy hearing about our travels.

pierreandcolleen · RV-Dreams Family Member

Large homes and nice cars might cost more, but freedom and time are more valuable! Enjoy your new found freedom!

-Colleen

PattiRon · RV-Dreams Family Member

There's a pay per view movie on now, "Revolutionary Road" that touches on the subject of 1 couple who plans a huge lifestyle change and their friends who think they are nuts. But their friends only share that info with each other in private. They applaud the first couple's independent courage in public.

Not a great movie by the way. That was a surprise with Leonardo playing the starring role.

Really makes you wonder why some can make the choice and others are stuck in the rut.

I salute you all of you who act on your dreams and wish your friends good luck while they wave to your rear view mirror as it moves off into the distance.

Ron

phyllen · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have only had one negative comment about our plans. (Although we really don't know what people say behind our backs do we?).

The negative comment was from my exhusbands girlfriend he has lived with for over 25 years. She said we would hate it because she had a friend who tried it and hated it. I say - how can I give any credance to what she says - she's been with the ex for 25 years!

Phyllis

RodnReal · RV-Dreams Family Member

Gene, Rod and I are in the same place you are right now. Going through the same thought processes, trying to imagine a life so different, visualizing how our days and nights will look after we make this huge change to life as we now know it. Maybe thats why its so difficult for others to understand how we will make it. They don't have a reason to dream the dream or make it a reality. Maybe they just don't get it because they aren't dreamers or adventurers in the first place.

Believe it or not, some people are afraid to dream.

Fulltimerver · RV-Dreams Community Member

I just did a couple of articles on the psychology of Full Time RV'ing in my Blog. It talked about some of these same issues. I am a trained life coach and business partner with BoB Proctor, I am wanting to specialize in Full Time RV'ing, Full Time Boat Living, and Bluewater sailing. Since these are my own passions, I feel that I will be the best in these areas.

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have experienced any number of rewarding things from RVing. One of which is that we are a positive example for others who have dreams and goals. The reward is not that we proved them wrong about RVing and/or a crazy life style, but we proved that whatever goal or dream that one has can be accomplished if there is enough courage to reach for it. Early retirement, downsizing, living on less, travel, more time for family, and making a new group of friends are just a few of the examples we’ve shared with those who initially thought we too were “from Mars.” And those examples don’t necessarily have to be associated with RVing. Neither is the lifestyle permanent.

There’s a huge difference between a dream and a goal. We all dream, but a goal is a ceiling that is only as high as you reach.

rwarner22 · RV-Dreams Family Member

It all sounds very familiar. Some friends get it some don't but we love them anyway. I think you are doing the right thing by asking the right questions now. We went through some of those same ones.

The reality has been that we do not have large amounts of free time on our hands as we have been moving around a lot in the last five months. Part of the niche we have found is volunteering with Habitat of Humanity (Care-A-Vanners) and NOMADS (part of the United Methodist Church volunteer organization).

I think you will adjust fine as you deal with the changes and the freedom. Seems like you are thinking through a lot of things and discussing them together which is always good.

Best wishes -

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

The main thing you have to adjust is "you are not on vacation full time". The only schedule is the one you set, and you are much happier if you don't have one of those things. (sometimes a bad word has 8 letters instead of 4)
Read Howard and Linda's recent post. They chose to stay put instead of traveling in rain. Best idea ever!

Most often complaint you hear from someone that is unhappy with full-timing is they don't like the rig up and rig down so often. There is a lot to be said about spending a lot of time in an area.

Best wishes
Ken and Fran

ahoweth · RV-Dreams Family Member

I can give you one small piece of advice.

Don't over think what full timing will be like, because you can not even imagine what it is really like. Especially from where you are coming from.

Most people live their entire lives in a bubble of personal comfort. They never step outside of their comfort zones to experience new things. Those people live their entire lives without having grown by new experiences. Travel is one of the most expanding experiences you will ever have. Experiencing new things and meeting different people from different walks of life, is what keeps you alive inside rather than just existing. Fear of the unknown is very common but the brave face their fears and experience life the way it was meant to be. The day to day drudgery of work and sticks and bricks, etc. Drags the spirit down and causes the fears to appear bigger than reality. Please do not allow those fears to stop you from experiencing all that life has to offer you. The freedom to go where you want and to do what you want is a little scary but trust me, you will come to love it. Life has so much more to offer you than what you have experienced up to now. I encourage you to take that step of faith and move into your future. You will most likely not ever regret it.

5 years as a full timers, former work-a-holic, engineer!

RodnReal · RV-Dreams Family Member

ahoweth wrote:

I can give you one small piece of advice.

Don't over think what full timing will be like, because you can not even imagine what it is really like. Especially from where you are coming from.

Most people live their entire lives in a bubble of personal comfort. They never step outside of their comfort zones to experience new things. Those people live their entire lives without having grown by new experiences. Travel is one of the most expanding experiences you will ever have. Experiencing new things and meeting different people from different walks of life, is what keeps you alive inside rather than just existing. Fear of the unknown is very common but the brave face their fears and experience life the way it was meant to be. The day to day drudgery of work and sticks and bricks, etc. Drags the spirit down and causes the fears to appear bigger than reality. Please do not allow those fears to stop you from experiencing all that life has to offer you. The freedom to go where you want and to do what you want is a little scary but trust me, you will come to love it. Life has so much more to offer you than what you have experienced up to now. I encourage you to take that step of faith and move into your future. You will most likely not ever regret it.

5 years as a full timers, former work-a-holic, engineer!

WOW, your small piece of advice spoke volumes to me.

Thank you !

-Connie

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

ahoweth wrote:

I can give you one small piece of advice.

Don't over think what full timing will be like, because you can not even imagine what it is really like. Especially from where you are coming from.

Most people live their entire lives in a bubble of personal comfort. They never step outside of their comfort zones to experience new things. Those people live their entire lives without having grown by new experiences. Travel is one of the most expanding experiences you will ever have. Experiencing new things and meeting different people from different walks of life, is what keeps you alive inside rather than just existing. Fear of the unknown is very common but the brave face their fears and experience life the way it was meant to be. The day to day drudgery of work and sticks and bricks, etc. Drags the spirit down and causes the fears to appear bigger than reality. Please do not allow those fears to stop you from experiencing all that life has to offer you. The freedom to go where you want and to do what you want is a little scary but trust me, you will come to love it. Life has so much more to offer you than what you have experienced up to now. I encourage you to take that step of faith and move into your future. You will most likely not ever regret it.

5 years as a full timers, former work-a-holic, engineer!

Couldn't agree more. The only thing I guess I would add as a predictor of whether or not you will like the lifestyle is, do you enjoy going to new places and seeing new things, are you adventurous? When you go on vacation now, do you wish it were longer, or can you not wait to get home? People who need and enjoy the security of their tight group, town, clubs and life routines are more likely to be put off with the traveling life.

No right or wrong, just different desires and comforts.

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

Luvglass wrote:

ahoweth wrote:

I can give you one small piece of advice.

Don't over think what full timing will be like, because you can not even imagine what it is really like. Especially from where you are coming from.

Most people live their entire lives in a bubble of personal comfort. They never step outside of their comfort zones to experience new things. Those people live their entire lives without having grown by new experiences. Travel is one of the most expanding experiences you will ever have. Experiencing new things and meeting different people from different walks of life, is what keeps you alive inside rather than just existing. Fear of the unknown is very common but the brave face their fears and experience life the way it was meant to be. The day to day drudgery of work and sticks and bricks, etc. Drags the spirit down and causes the fears to appear bigger than reality. Please do not allow those fears to stop you from experiencing all that life has to offer you. The freedom to go where you want and to do what you want is a little scary but trust me, you will come to love it. Life has so much more to offer you than what you have experienced up to now. I encourage you to take that step of faith and move into your future. You will most likely not ever regret it.

5 years as a full timers, former work-a-holic, engineer!
Ahoweth, so well said, i could not agree more, thanks for the encouraging words, when i was 18 i straped on a backpack and hitchhiked around Europe for 3 months, A few years later i spent 4 months walking around China, more recently i climed Mt Kilamanjaro in Tanzania. I recognized early on how important travel was for me. It has, and always will be in my blood. You dont choose travel/ Travel chooses you

-- Edited by GENECOP on Thursday 29th of October 2009 09:53:41 AM

Happytrails · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think Alan and Fred said it beautifully!! We have just started the full-time lifestyle and grow more in love with it each day.

bubbadan · RV-Dreams Family Member

WOW thanks y'all. I really enjoy the insight y'all give, it is helping me more than y'all know. It is just making me look forward to the lifestyle more and more.

Richard Noble · RV-Dreams Community Member

Do y'all know what the plual of y'all is? It is "all y'all"! I grew up in the south.

RodnReal · RV-Dreams Family Member

Richard Noble wrote:

Do y'all know what the plual of y'all is? It is "all y'all"! I grew up in the south.

"All Y'all" in these parts.

UniquelyRV · RV-Dreams Family Member

Recent 'rightsizing' in my employer pushed us into making the full-time decision sooner than we had planned. Since Mr. URV was already retired, we looked at each other and said "If not now, then when??" We are both excited and a bit apprehensive.

I agree with a previous post that said most people can't break out of their comfort zone, no matter how stressful and unhappy it may be, to experience a new life. There is security in the familiar, even if you don't enjoy it.

And sadly, some people encounter obstacles such as health problems that prevent them from making the decision at all. A life-long friend of ours was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in May. We recently were visiting them when they told us that two years ago, they had considered early retirement and buying a MH to go on the road. They didn't because they thought it was too soon, they should keep working, etc. It was so sad to see the look in their eyes.

Look us up on the road, and we'll reassure each other.

-- Edited by UniquelyRV on Tuesday 3rd of November 2009 09:10:54 AM

contra · RV-Dreams Family Member

Unfotunately, you hear those types of stories way too often. And that is one of the main reasons we decided to do this now, at the young age of 45-ish. When we first started these discussions we were going to try and hold out another 10 years, but I've had 2 coworkers who came close to dying after common surgeries. There are no guarantees in life and even if we can only do this for a short time, at least we won't end up regretting that we never tried. And hopefully we'll be an inspiration to other friends and family to follow their dreams, even if theirs aren't as drastic as ours!

injunear · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hey G,
Last year on a trip tp Texas,by car, my DW and I made the desition to fulltime. We told our close family and close friends first. Our family was 50/50 on the plan, but our close friends are very happy for us, of coarse we travel with then somewhere every year. Some of our friends tryed to descourge us with all kinds of negative comments.
Sharon and I have traveled allot in our almost 40 years together. We've owned several RVs, so we are somewhat prepared for fulltiming.
If you're not sure, do it anyway. It doesn't hurt to try. It hurt not to try.

Wayne, injunear

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

As a "serious, amateur" photographer, I have long had the curse of wanting to see what is just over the next hill or around the next bend. With that in mind, I have seldom ever worried about what it was that others thought about what I was doing or why I was doing it.

A phrase I heard kind of paints a little picture: "The pioneers take the arrows."

Those are the ones willing to take the risks and enjoy the rewards of their courage. A familiar dialogue by writer Louis L'Amour in his books related to pioneers traveling West. One character in his book would explain to another character in a conversation. Paraphrased, that explanation would be similar to this:

"Do you remember how it was when we traveled through towns coming West? Remember how it was that the dogs came out barking at the wagons as they rolled down the streets? Did the wagons stop because the dogs were barking at them? In reality, the wagons traveled on and the dogs remained behind. So, never worry about the "barking dogs" around you. They have neither the courage nor the ambition to step beyond what is comfortable for them."

While Louis L'Amour was primarily a western book writer, he was also a traveled man and philosopher. That is why the books I have by him will always be with me, even in our travels.

Terry