Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
An often repeated theme I've read is, "It's not vacation, it's life". The warning seems to be that full time RV'ing can't be one big vacation. I agree with this theory on many levels, BUT that is not how life has turned out for us during the last three years. Life seems to be one big vacation. Maybe we are "wired" a bit strangely.
We have found that one of the best dynamics to the RV lifestyle is the freedom to follow an ever changing wish list of adventures. A basic core difference with the RV lifestyle is that it comes with wheels. We can move. Our mindset has changed during these last three years and we have a new level of the nomadic tendency. We have a growing desire to move and see more.
I think I can blame this "mental defect" on owning an RV. We have a hard time sitting still in one place for any length of time.
A new insight has happened to us this last year. There was a shift in how we think, a little light bulb turned on over my head. Here's the revelation: Owning and living in an RV allows us to travel anywhere in the world. How is that, you may ask?
An RV can be parked/stored and almost all the financial obligations can be suspended. (Assuming the RV is paid for.) We can redirect the fuel and camping costs towards other forms of travel. We just finished a 3 month experiment by going to travel around Europe. Our costs during this time only exceeded our normal expenses by $1,000.00 ($333.33 per month). We do travel and live on the cheaper side. We have learned from RV'ing how to live on the economical side of things.
I don't believe that this mindset could have happened if we were still living in a sticks and bricks (normal house). The ongoing expenses and responsibilities required to maintain a home would have limited us in our thinking. I'm grateful that the RV lifestyle can be lived in so many different ways.
__________________
Russ & Terri Ranger
Travel since July 2013
Home base: Buckeye,AZ
Wandering the USA & Canada in our Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40' PDT Motorhome
Travel so far: 49 States - International Travel -19 countries
Having your rig paid for and being debt free does allow freedom. When you figure your consumables which today is Food, Phone, Insurance, Internet, follow you everywhere, then as long as those are covered the rest is easy. Parking means no fuel cost, so a EU rail pass for 30 days is easy), campsites = cheap hotels or hostels, etc. In the '80's I spent many nights sleeping in sleeper compartments for the extra $5 (Before the Euro- so it was Francs, Marks, Lira, etc). The trappings of modern life where you have to have 2 cars, house, traditional jobs, etc is restricting......especially when you get to experience the other side.
Very true. Unfortunately, many of our relatives don't seem to understand the difference. They think we are on a permanent vacation, and are surprised when we say that we're spending the day cleaning the coach or doing laundry. This is especially true of the one who owns a camper. They take their camper out to a local lake once or twice a month for the weekend, and sometimes take it on a week's vacation. They equate being in an RV to being on vacation. We split our time between working (money coming in, free campsite), volunteering (no money coming in, usually free campsite), and doing our own thing (no money coming in, we pay for the campsite). Obviously, we DO always have retirement money coming in, but the work makes life much easier.
-- Edited by kb0zke on Sunday 17th of July 2016 07:01:46 AM
Thanks so much for your observations, Russ. My hubby was just suggesting the same thing!
We'll be full time RVers in September but are already scheming about other bucket list trips in Europe and elsewhere. Storing an RV is ever so much simpler and cheaper than leaving a sticks and bricks house and property. This idea sounds promising! It makes our new lifestyle choice even more attractive.
There are a few other expenses involved in leaving your rig behind and travel elsewhere. Bill and I have thought about this also. It is probably minimal, but insurances still have to be paid for, and I'm sure a storage fee for wherever you leave your "home" unless you have family you can leave it with.
Having said that - I'd love to hear about how you traveled Europe!
Also, if one travels with pets, then there are considerations for their care and upkeep while one is gone. And older animals don't always do well in kennels, etc.
__________________
Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
