Booked Another Year Fulltiming

[Steven@147]

Well another year in the books fulltiming. July 2024 will be our 4th anniversary fulltiming.

For 2023 we only towed 5341 miles versus 11,541 miles for 2022. No major problems with our Solitude this year, performed like a dream.
I did replace some suspension components on the rig, upgraded to MorRyde equalizers and replaced the left side leaf springs (going flat heavy side of the RV). Leaf springs are almost a maintenance item on the rig as they take a lot of punishment.

2023 Year
Site costs - $9071 or average $27 /night. Stayed at private CGs or resorts, no boondocking or Harvest Host like sites, no work camping. Mostly week / 2 week or monthly stays. Electric not included.
RV Repairs and Maintenance - $3495 (replaced microwave, suspension, black tank valve, leaf springs and misc, rig wash and wax).
Truck Repairs and Maintenance - $2532 Tires, oil and trans fluid and diesel filter changes. Total miles on truck 95,000. Ran like a dream.
Total diesel costs - $5573 towing or not.
Groceries - $7392 our monthly budget is $600 and actual was $616 / month
Dinning Out - $6830 monthly budget is $550 and actual was $569
Entertainment - $879

We didn't feel as stressed this year with only traveling 5341 miles towing. Started 2023 in South and West Texas going to Big Bend, then western trip to NM, AZ Grand Canyon South then East through OK and Branson MO to Indiana to be with family & holidays (5 months stationary) then Dec 27th back to home port for the winter in Galveston. Still loving life and enjoying the fulltime experience.

 

[SGT ROC]

Overall sounds like a pretty good year. I sometimes think about full timing, but my wife would never do it. Have to be around the grandkids, especially our granddaughter. They are almost inseparable when she's here.

 

[WhittleBurner]

Another good year in the books for you! It'll be fun to see where 2024 takes you.

I would love to full time, we are closer to full than not , being in the trailer at least 7 or 8 months out of the year. We keep the house more as a medical base than for any other reason. I have been working on purging slowly so who knows what will come. This summer will be a giant yard sale then the rest gets donated or given directly to someone in need..either way my son will have less household junk to deal with when we both are dead

 

[Steven@147]

Another good year in the books for you! It'll be fun to see where 2024 takes you.

I would love to full time, we are closer to full than not , being in the trailer at least 7 or 8 months out of the year. We keep the house more as a medical base than for any other reason. I have been working on purging slowly so who knows what will come. This summer will be a giant yard sale then the rest gets donated or given directly to someone in need..either way my son will have less household junk to deal with when we both are dead

We were looking forward to this year traveling up through Michigan and UP into Canada, but that might get put on hold.
We've been there done that Marcy! In preparing to go fulltime it took over a year to get rid of all our stuff, sell our house, and get set up to go fulltime. We don't have a storage location, got rid of everything. Our kids still thank us for purging early so they don't have to go through all our stuff at the end. We lived near Austin TX and they live in Ohio and Indiana.

We were stationary this year for 5 months, when Tami's Dad passed away suddenly in Oct, her mother could not stay by herself, 85 years old (dementia / alzheimers) so the family had to place her in a full care facility. Costs $96,000 / year.
We had to prepare their house for sale and go through their things and get it done in two months. Tami's mother collected porcelain dolls, her Dad antique glassware over the years, so it took a while to go through. Her parents were married over 65 years, sifting through her parents things, It was a big task and painful for the family. Its never easy to look at the things we all collect and then sell, donate, purge, give away.

We are really glad we went fulltime and able to travel the country while we can. Out of the places we have traveled so far that is close to the area of where family lives, Knoxville ranks right up there for a place we might want to stop fulltiming around. Our Daughter lives near Cincinnati @ 2 hours away from the Knoxville area. But my gosh the beautiful places we have visited so far,,,,,,,,,,,, a dream of ours come true! Still with lots more to see!

 

[WhittleBurner]

We're looking for a wooded parking place in the SC foothills in the Pickens area (within an hours drive of the Asheville NC Veterans hospital/med center) If we find the right spot , maybe an old Mobile home pad that has ele and septic would be perfect. If we find that we will have more incentive, the house wouldn't be far from being up for sale so we need to purge , Spent aq good deal of last summer boxing up the stuff...beong gone so long sure makes it easer to get rid of stuff... did I miss it....nope throw it into the discard pile! The biggest thing I'd miss is my Kitchen Aid mixer... it might end up in our FL shed on our campsite lol

If you buzz thru MI let us know where you stop if we're in the area I'd love to get together! Ususlly in MI off and on June thru Sept

 

[lineman1234]

Lets wake it up hear.............

How has the full timing been going this year so far?

Me im back at it. I retired going on 8 years ago, sold/gave away every thing i didnt need. Had a ram diesel 2500 and a new TT, hit the road. After about 7 years decided to take a brake and try normal people living. Sold pickup camper and got an apartment in my hometown in very, very upper wester MN, and got a new car. That only lasted the that summer and the winter, and this spring gave up the apartment gave everything away and got new pickup and clean used 5ver. Having the car didnt even last 7 months and i needed a pickup again.

I have spent the summer at the hometown campground just like the last 6 years, and will stay till harvest is done, as i grew up on a farm and love playing with big trucks and tractors, i dont have to pay for or fix. That will take me to mid or end of October, then its head to the gulf coast of Texas for 4 or more winter months. I have been going to that area for 5 years,,, but this time ill be going to a campground thats more up-scale..

Near spring, the plan is to venture instead of just heading back north to Minnesota. It gets cold quick in the fall and stays cold in the spring for quite some time. The people are super nice. The plan is to check out/migrate other places slowly north monthly mostly and be back up north mid August for the start of harvest, then go or migrate south again, maybe back to Texas, maybe a new direction.

Lots of people migrate north for sugar beet harvest, to work for farmers or for Crystal Sugar at the plants or on pilers to pile and store beets for the winter to be hauled out over the winter. Lots come in campers and leave with there pockets full of money when done.

 

[kb0zke]

We're on our 10th year of full-timing (started in 2014) with a two-year break when I had a "temporary part-time" position as Head Teacher. We've started coming up with a theme for the year's travels. Two years ago it was the Natchez Trace. Last year it was the grand birthday tour, where we visited nearly every grandchild for his or her birthday. The exception was the February birthday in Wyoming. That one got combined with the other two grandkids in May and June. This year it is the Great River Road, visiting each Lock and Dam from Minneapolis to St. Louis.

We generally have some campground hosting each year. This year we'll be at Graham Cave SP near Danville, MO for September and October. That's a small park with lots of hiking and not much else, so very quiet. Come see us.

 

[Steven@147]

Fulltiming can be a grand adventure. Tami and I are still loving it although this year we have had a few more hurdles to jump. A couple hospitals stays for me and Tami dealing with her arthritis in her knees, and now our brake down with suspension problems.

We had to scrap our spring/summer Michigan/Canada/North Dakota adventure for this year, but so far we have managed to keep our fall plans for a military reunion in the Smoky Mountains, then keep moving south with a trip through the Gulf Shores area, New Orleans, Beaumont Texas and finally winding up in Galveston for the winter again.

We still have a positive attitude on fulltiming, whatever comes our way, we deal with it, stay flexible, and move on. Hopefully we still have a few more years ahead of us fulltiming before we have to stop.

We were sorry to see [MENTION=870]Second Chance[/MENTION] drop out of fulltiming, we kind of looked to Rob as our fulltimers mentor, but all of us adventurous nomads have to make the decision at some time or other. We don't have an iron clad "End of Fulltiming Plan" but do have a rough sketch. We are planning to spend a little more time in the Knoxville area this fall to see if that would work for us. Escapees Raccoon Valley Heiskell TN.

To all of our Fulltimer Club Members, we say, hang in there, good luck and make everyday count.

 

[lineman1234]

On the full time end. I want to travel and see where a good base some day may be. I may find one this spring in travels, or hope to. And call that the most time spent place, now or some day. Might leave this 5ver there might get a park model, but a tiny home sounds really good.

I am looking mid country so far. That way i can go in all directions and come back to the base. ( anyone have any great suggestions for mid country please let me know so i can look up then check out. )

Then venture out from there, and back, with no time limits, just wander with a smaller rig. As much as i am attracted to truck campers, a tall cap on the pickup and a nice smaller TT fully self contained with decent tanks, would be great for wandering,, for myself. There is so many cool places to go check out with a smaller lower footprint.

 

[BrokeDown]

Full timing for over 8 years. The way we travel has changed a lot over those 8 years.

After doing the CG thing in FL for our first year, we bought a lot in a Resort in SWFL and we spend every winter there, roughly 5 to 6 months.

During our summer travel, we used to stay in one CG for one to three months and we only use CGs that offer monthly rates. In that way of travel, we would move every month or so.

Starting this summer, the plan changed up a bit. We still do winters on our lot in SWFL, but when we travel, it will stay at one CG for the whole summer.

This summer (2024) we are in SEPA.

Summer 2025, we are booked in Montrose, CO. We spent 2 months there in summer 2023 and totally loved it. So, we will spend 6 months there in 2025.

Last week, we took driving a trip (hotel stays) to Maine, VT and Upper NY. On our way through Lancaster, NH we stopped by CG and fell in love with it, so we plan to book it for summer 2026. We can't book it yet (their books don't go out that far), we will book it in May of 2025 (for 2026).

We plan on doing 2027 in UP Michigan and 2028 in Alaska.

-B

 

[Ahschneid]

Greetings, we have been retired and full timing for three years now. Camped in 46 states and are planning on end of May through Aug trip to Alaska. We plan to camp in Washington, Oregon and northern California Aug through Oct 2025. We are really enjoying the adventure so far. Hoping to be able to meet at a rally in the future. Plan on continue full time at least a few more years. May do some work camping in the future.

 

[Steven@147]

Greetings, we have been retired and full timing for three years now. Camped in 46 states and are planning on end of May through Aug trip to Alaska. We plan to camp in Washington, Oregon and northern California Aug through Oct 2025. We are really enjoying the adventure so far. Hoping to be able to meet at a rally in the future. Plan on continue full time at least a few more years. May do some work camping in the future.

Hello there! You have almost made all 48. Wow a trip to AK, that's great! Tami and I have talked about AK but that is a long way. Doubt if we will ever RV there, may take a cruise though.

We are still living the dream! We've had A few hiccups along the way but when you live on the road you gotta expect a few bumps. 2024 is almost gone and a lot of our plans got canceled so we will start planning 2025 and see what the new year brings.