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Post Info TOPIC: A Question for Full-Timers


RV-Dreams Family Member

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A Question for Full-Timers


We anticipate full-timing starting mid-2017.  There may be times we need to fly home to care for my elderly mother or to visit our family in the Chicago area during the Christmas Holidays. 

What do others do with their rig when having to fly to see family?  Where do you store your rig?  We would not want to drive back north during the winter months - so we would need to fly and leave the rig somewhere.

I'm looking forward to your ideas/suggestions.

Barb



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Barb and Frank

2016 Landmark Key West

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Fulltimer for 10 years. Have flown home a few times (death in family etc) but not many. I left the rv plugged in at an rvpark. My thinking was, power for fridge etc, security of park setting (over storage yard where people know no one is home) and less hassle moving the rv.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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When we've had to return home, we leave our fifth wheel behind plugged in at an RV park. We kept our car when we started full timing. So we just drive our car and leave our truck and 5'er behind.
If we didn't have the car, we would still leave the 5'er behind in an RV park.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Just leave it plugged in on a site where you're wintering…it's cheaper for multi month stays anyway. Most RV parks in temperate climes do this…and in addition have storage for longer periods although that's usually in a parking area with no power.

 



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Ditto the above. I've had to fly home for sick parents, sometimes for 3 months! Usually it's been while we've been workamping, so the RV stays at the park. Storage can be less expensive, but we feel better leaving it in the park even though it costs more.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Thanks everyone!

As I was reading the answers I thought to myself that it makes total sense to leave the RV plugged in - especially if you want to keep your refrigerated and frozen items. 

It sounds like private RV parks have no problem with folks leaving a rig for a week or more at a time.

Is there anything that would prevent someone from hitching up your rig and driving it away?

Barb

 



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Barb and Frank

2016 Landmark Key West

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RV-Dreams Community Member

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Barb / Frank
I have a FW and I use a hitch lock when ever I park and will be away. These are available at most RV stores.


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A hitch and hop


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Thanks - A Hitch and hop!



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Barb and Frank

2016 Landmark Key West

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Barb and Frank,

I think you will find that RV'ers are less prone to steal than otherwise.  Now, if you are in an RV park where you aren't comfortable with the people around you, then you might want to consider better places.  We lived in an RV park in Colorado for 20 months and had to leave the RV a few times for vacations or helping sick relatives.  I don't even lock the outside storage bays because it would cost more to replace and repair the door than it would to buy new stuff that might have been taken from the basement areas.  We never had a problem with anyone, and we've even stayed in National Forest campgrounds and left the RV for the day with no problems.

Terry



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Terry and Jo

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Also, not all RV parks are happy with you leaving an unoccupied rig. Some places don't allow it. We always check, but then, we have a cat, so if we fly we are usually looking for a cat sitter in the RV park.



-- Edited by soos on Tuesday 18th of October 2016 09:29:35 PM

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We took a cruise and were gone for over 10 days. We boarded the cat and RV park gave us a special rate to have our rig plugged into a 20 amp circuit, just enough to run the refrigerator and keep the battery up. We even paid someone from the park to take us to a nearby airport and pick us up when we returned. The person parked nest to us said he would keep an eye on our rv while we were gone. It worked out great.


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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Like others, we usually leave it in an RV Park. In AZ we've had really good luck finding people who offer pet sitting services in the larger parks, even had a couple of times (before Uber) where one of the local retirees offered inexpensive rides to the airport. If we're going somewhere for 10 days - 2 weeks, we book for the entire month to save some fees. Plus it gives us time to use the RV Park laundry facilities before and after the trip, restock before heading back to Quartzsite, etc.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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This past winter, we left our rig plugged in at the rv park in AZ and drove to CO for the holidays.  While on the road over the summer in PA, we did the same and flew back to CO for a graduation.  Naturally, if you're in an area where it might get below freezing, disconnect the water.  At minimum, turn the water off so there's no risk of blowing a line and flooding your unit.  I know that would be a 'no brainer', but you'd be surprised at what you see some folks do.



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Pkhalin - Thanks for the info.

Barb

 



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Barb and Frank

2016 Landmark Key West

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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My mother's husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and initially we thought we might have to get home quickly. Thankfully treatment appears to be helping. Our plan was for me to fly home and Lee to stay with the rig and continue working. With a few exceptions I think we would need to divide and conquer on a family emergency. Part of that is time (we are usually out west and our family is east coast) and part is financial (our operating income account would take a major hit if we both dropped everything and left jobs to go home. That being said, depending on the circumstances we are open to both flying home and leaving the RV for a short period or driving cross country to get there. Would need to weigh each situation individually though of course.

Trace

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Thanks Trace - we never thought about one of us flying home while the other stays with the rig - it could be an option for us in the future.

Barb



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Barb and Frank

2016 Landmark Key West

2016 Ram 3500/Cummins Diesel/4WD



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A person I've been assisting in the RV lifestyle shared with me the one thing I shared with him over a year ago saying the following was the most important, helpful and overarching perspective I gave him:

"An RV is not a house.  It may have "residential" type or looking things.  It may have home like furniture.  But it is not a house.  Things happen in RV's that don't typically happen in houses.  Don't expect the RV, which is now your "home" to be like your former "house" as pertains to how it works, how one must take care of it, and how reliable it is."

After now some 40 years of RV experience, including full-time living, that is the umbrella perspective I always share.  Not good.  Not bad.  Just is.

Bill



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Bill & Linda



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Barb and Frank wrote:

Thanks Trace - we never thought about one of us flying home while the other stays with the rig - it could be an option for us in the future.

Barb


 Come the end of Jan, I fly to Seattle for a week to stay with my mom while my sister goes to a quilting retreat.  Dave stays in AZ, so everyone has a week doing somerging different.



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