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!!
Let me start by summarizing what we've already done:
1. Bought the trailer and truck.
2. Sold the house and massively downsized.
3. Worked with our financial planner to ensure we can afford to live the dream.
4. Made a preliminary plan for leaving Canada Nov. 1, travelling down the west coast and working our way south, then east to Louisiana perhaps, and finally north up through central USA by end of April.
Now what? I feel like a bride who is planning her wedding, has all the big details looked after, but will be hit with a million little ones in the days/weeks/months to come.
These are the things we know we need to look into and finalize:
1. Health insurance.
2. Figure out the best (ie: most cost-effective) way to exchange our money for American.
3. Choose a few specific campgrounds (we hope to leave two - three months of time unplanned to allow for adventure!).
So what else? What next? What more can and should we be doing?
We would love to hear from others who have recently or are currently planning their transition to full-timing, and from any experienced 'old-timers' who have the benefit of perfect hindsight! Thank you all in advance :)
-- Edited by In Laymans Terms on Sunday 12th of March 2017 09:04:41 AM
I can help with questions 2 & 3. Question 1 is way out of my league.
The last four years we have had to exchange our currency from US dollars for pesos or euros. There are cash machines everywhere in the world and Visa or Mastercard negotiate the best exchange rates available. We traveled Europe for 3 months last year and the cash machines provided us our cash with no problems. Mexico is even easier for us, so I think you will have no trouble in the states. Ask your bank for a list of their associate banks and use those banks cash machines whenever you can.
Also look into Visa travel cards to avoid foreign transaction fees. They can provide a big savings when used.
Question 3 is easy for us. We always pick a theme as we travel... light houses, ghost towns, ancient Indian ruins. We let that guide our way. If you are doing the West Coast I would highly recommend the "light house" theme. There are 10 light houses as you work your way through Oregon. Our north/south travel provides a new adventure each year.
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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
Might I suggest you go down the east coast in the fall, across below I-10 during the winter and up the west coast in the spring. Spring on the east coast means storm after storm after storm. We will never do that again, once was enough.
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Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Thanks for the tips, you two. We will check into Visa travel cards; unfortunately, our bank is a credit union so it is Saskatchewan specific. May have to look into changing things up. We do use a Visa c/c though, so that might be good enough. We had visions of using cash to avoid transaction fees every time we paid for something. Does any Canaidan out there use the snowbirds' association offer to buy sums of cash as part of a large group?
Barbara, I should have been more specific: we are not going as far east as the coast, but do plan to venture towards Louisiana at least, and then head back northwest for Saskatchewan. Are we passing through tornado alley doing that?
Thanks for the tips, you two. We will check into Visa travel cards; unfortunately, our bank is a credit union so it is Saskatchewan specific. May have to look into changing things up. We do use a Visa c/c though, so that might be good enough. We had visions of using cash to avoid transaction fees every time we paid for something. Does any Canaidan out there use the snowbirds' association offer to buy sums of cash as part of a large group?
Barbara, I should have been more specific: we are not going as far east as the coast, but do plan to venture towards Louisiana at least, and then head back northwest for Saskatchewan. Are we passing through tornado alley doing that?
Anywhere in the southeast (including Louisiana, east and north Texas, Arkansas) and Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, etc., (the "midwest") can be tornado country in the spring. Barb's plan is a good one.
Rob
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2012 F350 DRW Lariat 6.7
PullRite OE 18K, Demco Glide Ride pinbox
2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes, solar, DP windows
Until June, yes you will be in Tornado Alley and will spend time dodging storms. Head down the midwest in the fall - pretty areas, lots of things to see. Go across in the winter below I-10, then up the west coast. Lived more years than I care to count in the midwest - even Michigan gets tornados in May-June time frame.
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Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
We've already had treacherous weather this year here in Illinois and it's only March. 90MPH straight line winds five days ago pulled down 20 feet of our fence and ripped tons of shingles off roofs in our subdivsion. Early spring in the middle states, especially as climate change becomes more pronounced, will have you with one eye on the TV, one ear tuned into the radio, and both hands ready to pack and haul A$$ at a moments notice figuratively speaking. Better to follow the fall colors south in the fall than watch the greenery sprout in the spring through the American heartland. Barb's travel recommendation is sound.
FWIW, Brian
-- Edited by BiggarView on Sunday 12th of March 2017 11:06:34 AM
There is nothing like the voices of experience! Thanks all. We see plenty of tornadoes in Saskatchewan in summer; I don't want to spend my late winter/early spring dodging more of the same. I have a visceral fear of them. We will definitely haul out the atlas and look at switching around our route.
Now, back to the rest of my original questions, does anyone have more advice on what else we could do to plan and prepare over the next seven months, taking into consideration what we have already figured out and accomplished? Thanks for any random thoughts, advice and pointers!
What do you like to do? In the Midwest, I'd suggest following part of Lewis & Clark journey in reverse, especially Fort Mandan. Baseball fan, go see the Field Of Dreams. Visit Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota. Get a copy of the book "Camping with The Corps" to see where all the COE parks are, just remember to have full water tanks in Montana, South Dakota, etc as parks don't have individual water spigots at sites because of winter weather.
Check to see if your bank has reciprocal arrangements with a US bank. I know Scotia bank has one with Bank Of America. Remember you won't see the same people every week, so it is ok to wash and wear over & over. Even in desert you will need jacket in the winter. Think layering.
-- Edited by Barbaraok on Sunday 12th of March 2017 01:50:23 PM
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Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
FWIW, we use currency exchange companies (typically offering a way better exchange rate with less spread and fees, than any of the banks or otherwise), and have those funds deposited in our Bank Of America Account, and use our USA debit/visa card when in the USA as well cash for gasoline where they charge more if using a credit card especially in FLA. We fortunately exchanged a lot when the dollar was around par as we were building a house at the time, and felt it couldn't hold there long term based on history (no guarantees of course!). When we sell our FLA house, the majority of those funds will be sent direct to a Currency Exchange company for conversion to Canadian Dollars. Depending on how much you exchange at any one time, it can make a huge difference to what banks offer.
Just in case anyone is interested, you may enjoy looking at the historical exchange rates of the USA dollar leading up to an election, post election, and a short time after the new president has been inaugurated. Likewise the start of the election year leading up to the election. Of course things like BREXIT don't occur every year but there's often something of an anomaly most years to affect exchange rates! Again, not everyone's interest or cup of tea, so to speak = just saying, and of course YMMV.
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Breathtaking Alberta. Her Mountains Draw You But Her People Bring You Back
