We’ve got a guest post today from my Dad, who recently ended a 606-day stint as a Fulltimer with my Mom. I asked him to reflect on his journey, and this is what he wrote back:

“After our full time journey in our RV, it was good when we were finally be able to settle back home in Central Arizona after visiting 26 states over the course of 606 days.

Would we do it all over again? It’s hard to say. We experienced the majesty of driving the coast of Big Sur, and we walked among the mighty redwoods of Northern California. We huddled in our 5th wheel as a Category 2 hurricane passed over our campground on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and we marveled at the splendor of the mammoth caves in Kentucky. We spent way too many noisy nights at “Camp Wal-Mart”, and way too few glorious nights at 5 Star RV resorts. We dined at 68 different Cracker Barrel restaurants, and used our oven in our RV exactly once. We had no traffic incidents, accidents, dents, flats, or scrapes, but we blew out our black water holding tank in a campground in Jacksonville, Florida because I wasn‘t paying attention to details! Our 2004 Ford 6.0L diesel blew a head gasket just outside of Truth or Consequences, NM and left us stranded there for 6 weeks, But… Truth or Consequences ended up being the best town we visited, with absolutely wonderful people, great BBQ, and delightful hot spring soaks under star studded nighttime skies! Through our journey, there were times we cried tears of laughter, and there were times when we cried tears of despair.

Our GPS was the best investment we ever made, and $4.00/gal diesel fuel was the worst.

We walked the quiet Florida beaches at sunrise, and held hands under the starry skies in Texas. The last night we spent in our 5th wheel was our second best night, and the day we sold our RV was actually sweeter than the day we bought it.

So… would we do it all over again? We’re just too close to look at the whole experience objectively, but IF we did it again, we’d do it a little smarter next time, a little sweeter next time, a little less hurried next time, we’d be more prepared next time, with a much bigger budget, and we‘d do it in a quality Class A RV with a small car in tow.”

A big thanks goes out to my Dad, Nick Spencer, for so graciously contributing his thoughts to FulltimerBlog.  Thanks!

-Brad

Checklists will save your butt sometime. That I can promise you.

With all of the things you have to have on your mind when you are moving from one campsite to another, maintaining your rig, spring cleaning or winter storing, you can very easily forget something!

Forgetting something small might not be a big deal… but if you incorrectly flush your septic system you can get really sick. Or, if you incorrectly install your battery you could blow your main fuse and be stuck looking for an Auto-Parts store in the middle of the night.

Check out this example of a good checklist:

This wonderful woman, Malia, has come to the rescue and created checklists for every part of your RV lifestyle.

Now, I know you might be saying… “Awe, I don’t want an eBook, I like the feel of a real book.”

Yes, if there were a novel I would agree whole-heartedly with you. But, with this ebook you can print out as many copies of any page as you need and mark all over them with pens and pencils and never run out of pages!

You might also be thinking (especially if you are a guy like me), “Yeah, I know a lot of new folks who are new to RVing that will need one of these. I feel for those poor, poor souls who forget everything.”

But you know what? We all forget something. Heaven forbid you have something on your mind while you are moving the RV and forget something. Or, worse yet, what if you have to leave in a hurry or in inclement weather?

Do you really want to remember something you left when you are 2 states away?

I would suggest that anyone that owns an RV, Motorhome, Travel Trailer, Camper, Class A B or C, or even a Camper Van get a copy of Malia’s RV Checklists. It’s only 11.95 and you can have it in 5 minutes.

Learn more about the RV Checklists now!

A generator is great to have. Without it, you are going to be pretty limited on what you can use in your RV… like a fridge, TV, A/C, etc.

The most important things that I think of in buying a generator for an RV or motorhome is:

How quiet is the generator?
Does it start easily?
How much current does it put out?
How large is the fulltank / how often are you goint to need to refuel it?

I’d suggest you head out to a RV and/or lawnmower type store and talk to a salesperson about what you need. Bring the RV if possible, and you can see about getting the fit right and connectors you might need.

Safety first! Always keep in mind when you use a generator there is carbon monoxide. You should always inspect the exhaust system on the generator set before using it. Do not operate a generator with a damaged exhaust system. If you’re using a portable generator set make sure the exhaust is directed away from the camping area. Test your carbon monoxide detector for proper operation prior to using the generator. Never run a generator when you or anyone else is sleeping. Observe campground etiquette. Do not run your generator after quiet hours.

Buying a used RV isn’t as simple as it may seem. It can be especially difficult are you are going to be living in the camper or 5th wheel for any amount of time. It could be likened to buying a car and a house at the same time, except this house has wheel and goes 65 miles per hour, and this car has a stove and shower.
For that reason, when it comes to looking over a used RV before making an offer, it’s important to get a professional opinion. You can rely on friends or family who have limited experience with RV’s. You could listen to the opinion of a seller who is surely looking to get this RV sold. Or, you could become a professional yourself.

In my opinion, learning enough about RV’s to make an educated buying decision is just good common sense. What you learn before you get the RV will certainly carry over into what you’ll need to know to keep your new rig in tip-top shape while you are on the road later.

Being “armed and dangerous” with some knowledge can save you the wasted time and money of getting a lemon. And, more importantly, it’s going to save you the stress of having problems while you are out on the open road.

So where do you go to get professional knowledge about finding a great RV for the right price? Right Here. Someone has already done all of the hard work and put together a great ebook that you can download immediately that’s going to make sure you get a gem of an RV.

Some of the good things about this ebook over the other resources out there are that it contains:

* The insider secrets of RV inspection
* The Truth About How To Buy A Used Rv
* Proven Tips, Tools and Tactics To Buy A Used Rv
* Step by step road map to the selection of a trouble free used RV.
* How to spot problems before you buy!
* What-to-look for and especially what to look-out for!
* Download over the Internet – get yours instantly!

So if you are even considering getting a Used RV, 5th Wheel, Trailer, Camper, or Caravan anytime soon then head over and see if this ebook is for you.

So you’ve decided that running the rat race isn’t meeting the spiritual and emotional bills anymore. Or, you retired and discover that sitting on your buns and playing golf a couple of times a week isn’t enough to keep you occupied. Or, just maybe, you are a twenty-something individual that doesn’t want to get locked into a life of servitude to meet the mortgage payment.

These are all possible reasons to join the ranks of a growing group called “Fulltimers”. As a fulltimer, you live “fulltime” in an RV, Camper, Class A, or motorhome. You might travel from state-to-state or sit stationary. You might work or you might live off of a pension or trust fund. Heck, you could live a million different ways, but as long as you live in an RV then you are a fulltimer.

If you are already a fulltimer, then this isn’t the article for you. I am hoping to talk to the millions of people who are considering the jump to the other side. See, if you are already a fulltimer, then you know how easy it is to just “make the leap”. You would think that what I’m saying here is just too darn easy. You would tell me that all of this is common sense. But if you think back far enough, you can probably remember a time when making the move was just a twinkle in your eye… a time when not getting stuck in rush hour twice a day seemed impossible.

Having weeded out the people who have already made the move, I am now speaking directly to those of you who want to become a fulltimer but is on the fence. That’s you, right? Well the good news is: It is easier than you think. Here are:

4.5 Simple Steps to Becoming a Fulltimer:

1. Get Control of Your Spending: I like to look at my finances like a bucket with a whole lot of leaks. My bucket is my bank account, the leaks are where my money flows out, and the water in the pail is how much money I have. Now, the idea is to get the money to be overflowing like the universe (or God) intends for all of us. In order to get to that abundant place, we have to fix the leaks. Leaks might be a mortgage payment, a cell-phone bill, a cable bill, eating out, etc. I consider a leak anyplace that your money flows out because of bad habits or unconscious spending or monthly recurring bills. This type of spending needs to get nixed and fast. If you are going to be living on the road, you have to learn to spend smart and to cut down on superfluous spending. Truth be told, you don’t have a basement to fill with all of the junk you don’t need to buy anyways. Realize that this is the longest step and may take up to a year to do, but it will be well worth it when it’s all over.

2. Research Your Reasons: If you are hitting the road because you are having problems at work, home, school, relationship problems, or so the bill collectors can’t find you, then you have got to remember the old quote: “Wherever you go, there you are.” Quite simply, if you are running from a situation then you might as well stay at home because wherever you go you are going to find the same problems. In short, the problem is you. Well, more accurately, you are creating your problems. So the point here is to look at your reasons for doing this and ensure that they are good reasons like “adventure”, “exploration”, or something constructive. If that describes you, then read on.

3. Chart a Trajectory: Some people call this setting goals or making a plan. I call it charting a trajectory because trajectories can change and are prone to be more fluid. Whatever you call it, you’ve got to get your thoughts on paper. Some of the things you might want to chart down are:

-When are you leaving your job?
-What does my budget look like?
-What type of rig are you going to get?
-How are you going to keep in touch with family and friends?
-How long are you going to live this way?
-What do you hope to learn from the experience?

Get everything written down and put this sucker on your bathroom mirror to see ten times a day to keep you on track.

4. Quit the Job, Move into the RV, Hit the Road: Now is the time to just do it. A march of one thousand miles begins with one step. So just do it!

4.5 Realize it was a great decision: It’s going to take you a few months to get used to life on the road. It’s OK- you have plenty of time. Enjoy the ups and downs and ride the wave of life. There is going to be a learning curve, but remember that there are plenty of fulltimers out there to keep you safe, comfortable, and happy on this trip to nowhere we call life.