Wanderlust: A strong desire to travel
In the summer of 2009, our one and only vacation together without family and children, Dave and I went to Colorado to go camping at one of our favorite camping spots, Big Meadow campground, a USFS campground just outside of South Fork, Colorado. We met some wonderful folks there by the name of Bobbie and Jim Chapman, and Charlie and Dawna Ramirez. They told us stories of traveling and working on the road. Charlie and Dawna lived near us in Choctaw, Oklahoma, Charlie was a firefighter for Oklahoma City. Sadly we lost Charlie last month to Covid 19. He was a wonderful person who loved to share his campfire, food, and the Lord with you.
Bobbie and Jim were the Campground Hosts at Big Meadow and were instrumental in giving Dave and me "Hitch Itch". For 5 years Dave and I planned and researched how to get our home sold, buy an RV, and get out on the road to explore this beautiful country of ours.
Where does one start when one gets "Hitch Itch," you ask?
First, you have to ask yourself if you are ready to sell everything you own, not put it in storage, but get rid of everything, the house, and all the memories in it. Also, are you willing to leave your friends and family to go out on the road? Do you want to meet new people? If yes, then you proceed to the next step.
Next Step: Research, research, research. I cannot stress this enough. When I first proposed this to Dave, he was not on board with the idea. However the more I talked about it and we met the people who were living the lifestyle, he finally got excited about it and started telling people we were going to go out on the road. I was given several books on how to retire and work from an RV and then bought a book that I called my RV Bible. We joined the Escapees RV Club along with Passport America. Read every RV blog we could find (made new online friends that I still connect with today) lived vicariously through their blogs, lost friends due to cancer or stupid car accidents. Went to countless RV shows to look at RV 5th wheel setups and motorhome setups. Pros and Cons of each. Went to seminars to learn more. Joined local RVing clubs to meet new people. Watched tons of YouTube videos. I had a plan in place for when we came off the road. It was a great plan too. I will share later. All these things have to be considered. How do you support your RV lifestyle? I asked tons of questions of my new RV friends. I got great information back. The RV community is a wonderful community of very caring people. They truly do look out for each other.
The RV: You have to decide what kind of RV you want. If you get a 5th wheel, what are you going to pull it with? How big a tow vehicle do you need? How much horsepower do you need? If you get a Motorhome, are you going to have a towed(second)vehicle? Is it going to be a flat tow or are you going to have to have a dolly? Are you able to find a vehicle that can be flat towed? All these questions have to be answered. Do you have the funds for upkeep? Motorhomes are not cheap and they break down a lot. Each time I took mine out on the road something was always breaking down on it and It would cost me nothing less than $500.00 or more to get it fixed, hence RV repair insurance. This is why you have to do your due diligence and check everything out and make doubly sure you have the funds to keep the wheels rolling. I did not. Besides, I had a very bad back, and trying to keep the RV and my back up and going was costing me a fortune.
Money: How much money do you need for expenses? Start-up costs? Equipment, Food, Gas, tires, (for 2 vehicles), insurance, towing service, RV maintenance insurance, clothes, personal items, RV park fees, memberships, propane, repair expenses if something breaks down (How handy is your husband or yourself, if you travel alone). Are you going to have to work to supplement your income? Cell phones expense, apps, antennas to boost your power, internet connections. Computers, printers, camera gear, entertainment, passports. Are you bringing a pet? Upkeep, vet bills, pet food, pet insurance, all this adds up.
Work: Do you have the funds to keep the wheels rolling or are you going to have to supplement your income? Where are you going to work? Amazon, oil field gate guarding, sugar beet harvest, camp hosting, freelancing, IT service, ad sales? There are a plethora of jobs out there, but you have to find what is best for you. A lot of the work is hard work. However, the pay is good. For instance, if you can work the grind at Amazon long hours, there are bonuses if you stick it out through the Christmas season. They also pay for your lot rent at a local RV park while you are working for them. The sugar beet harvest is another great gig but be prepared for the bitter cold as you work out in the elements. The biggest thing before going on the road is to try and be debt-free as much as possible. The people I know who have lived this lifestyle will tell you that it is a wonderful lifestyle, and I quite agree. All the couples I have met have come off the road, except for one couple, and have gone back into sticks and bricks homes. Age and health have a lot to do with it. Also taking care of elderly parents.
Health: How's your health? Do you have good insurance? How are you going to get your monthly meds? Are you able to get down on your hands and knees? Are you able to crawl under your RV? Can you climb up high and walk on a roof. Are you able to hand clean, maintain, and caulk the roof of your RV? Can you lift your tow bar and attach it to your vehicle? Believe me, it's not light. You have to be healthy to do these things. You have to have a healthy back and knees in most of these cases.
I will continue this conversation in the next post...
See you down the road...
