Full-time camping advice...

[cowboy_71]

We've been thinking and talking about retiring early (if 60 is early) and just taking off for a new adventure in full-timing...Maybe sell or lease both houses and just leave...what are the pros and cons from you that have done it? Any advice would be welcomed...What do we need to know...

[Lloyd]

Cowboy:
Maybe this link will give you some of the things you are looking for.
http://crossroadsrv.com/forum/forum_...D=418&PN=1

[Silverbacknoons]

We have thought about going full time, but as to date have not done so. I bought a book called "Complete Guide to Full-Time RVing, Life on the Open Road" by Bill and Jan Moeller and found it very helpful. You must ask yourself and your spouse are you bothwilling to give up your home, possesions (pictures, collections, etc), family and friends? You definitely cannot take everything with you on the road. Do you want to lease your home and have someone else take care of it? Are there health issues? What we are doing is campground hosting in which we will be there for a month or soand hope to get more areas within our state, but you can get jobs like this in other states. Right now my husband has a few health issues, so I look for areas that have a VA hospital close. Just a few things to think about.

[rcflyer]

Before you go whole hog and sell out I would suggest you tryit for three months or so. Have someone look after your home and after three months you will have a better feel if it may be for you.

[BDLuke]

I watched someone on how NOT to do it.



My FIL has tried full timing 2X and both times sold the furnished house.He wanted to hit the road and see the country. Each bout was brought to an end because my MIL was jumping out of her skin after about 1 year and wanted a "real home". Now they are both in their middle 70s with a mortgagefor the rest of their life,little savings and very few options.



All the cautious advise regarding planning for your later years has merit. If one of you passes, can the surviving spouse meet all obligationson the "revised" monthlyincome?

[KHUNLINDA2003]

Before you do anything if you don't have health insurance that is not tied to your employment, apply for private health insurance. At 60 you are unlikely to get an insurance company to insure you even with a very high deductible. After my husband was laid off in Jan 09 I investigated private insurance to compare it with COBRA and boy was I surprised. I have very mild asthma that only requires using one inhaler per year (most use 1 per week) and was declined for an insurance policy that has a 15K per person deductible so 30K for both my husband and I. The probability they would ever pay one dime is so remote but still if you are 60 you can just about forget being insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Minnesota has a high risk pool for people who have had cancer or heart issues so I can get insurance through the MN pool. Check to see if your state of residence has a high risk pool or change your state of residency. If you have to change state residency most states require you to be a resident for 6 months before you are eligible.

[cowboy_71]

Thanks guys, all good advice...we will continue the debate, but sometimes it just sounds really good, know what I mean?...

[mbinohio]

I think we all enjoy camping for the reason we get to escape reality and get soem real rest, nice to just relax and enjoy life, what makes it good is the anticipation of getting to go, waiting till the day you go, and knowing your only going for a short time or a few weeks, but to live in one for an extended period of time would sure not be easy, all the fun would be gone, and now it's just a place to live, and I would think after a bit that the cramped living would really get old, we all need "our space", and health issues would sure factor into the situation, sooner or later you'll retuen to normal living, then have to start with another mortage or redo the house that you leased out, we had a few friends who tried it, lasted a year, they had a good time, did some work camping, but in the end they came home....and I know some will disagree with me but if I were going to live in a unit for along period of time it sure wouldn't be in a crossroads product, and not because of any warranty issues, I don't for a minute believe the unit could stand every day living, the furniture would not last too long and the kitchen cupboards would for sure fall apart, compressed paper covered wood grained paper is not for everyday use...if you bought a nice higher end unit, one built for 4 seasons I am sure it would be better, but I would bet most of us enjoy coming home and sleeping in our own beds.......just my 2 cents worth

[cwit]

I know we can snowbird but full time I don't think so. I have talked to to many people who sold every thing and now regret that they did it. I do have to disagree with my own bed theroy because our camper bed is more comfortable than home. I do agree with mbinohio on the quality of not just crossroads but most campers. They can't take full time.

[KHUNLINDA2003]

We have spent as many as 9 months in our 37fl ZCrossroads Silverado when we went to Alaska in 08, and enjoyed every minute. The Silverado has a basement both below the front living room and below the rear bedroom. That model also has alot of inside storage so we don't find it too constricting. Ours is an 04 so we did replace the carpet and have purchased new recliners but otherwise the kitchen furniture and the sofa still look like new. All the other years we spend 6 months in the winter in our 5ver and then spend the majority of the time in our 53 foot Bluewater yacht on Lake Superior. We only spend just the coldest 2 months in our townhouse and come back each week for 2 days to check on my mother who is 84. I know lots of people wouldn't be happy with that much traveling but I agree with some of the other posts I would try a 6 month trial before selling everything. Good luck.

[scott]

53' BLUEWATER???I would find my from cold water to warm water in the winter months without the need for a 5ver. That really sounds enjoyable.