How do you....? Full timer Related

[docque]

I was thinking about this and how do you do certain things full time?

Get vehicle and RV inspected when not near your home state?

I have a disease and I need to see my Doctor once or twice a year. How do you deal with that?

Veterinarian?

I guess anything you may not think of until you are out there and thinks. "Oops, how do I do that?"

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

I was thinking about this and how do you do certain things full time?

Get vehicle and RV inspected when not near your home state?

I have a disease and I need to see my Doctor once or twice a year. How do you deal with that?

Veterinarian?

I guess anything you may not think of until you are out there and thinks. "Oops, how do I do that?"

We domicile in Texas, that is to say that we joined Escapees and have a physical address in Texas for the purposes of vehicular registration, voting, taxes, insurance, and other registration needs.

For vehicle inspections and registration, Texas allows you to remotely reregister your vehicles and for the annual inspection you have an option to check "out off the state". However, the next time you are in the state, you have 30 days to get the vehicles inspected.

For doctor visits, our original plan was to head back to Albuquerque once a year where our PCP and specialists are, with video visits during the year, but my employee health plan provider won't allow out of state video visits because the providers aren't licensed in the state we are physically in. (Okay, I get that this is a legal thing, but come on!). So instead, we are establishing our doctors in Texas.

Our vet has all of our dog's records (and so do I). If and when needed, we will go to the most convenient vet, bring the records, and get the dogs seen.

For vehicular maintenance, I purchased the maintenance contract from Ford when I bought my truck, after calculating the cost of oil and filters alone (which was more than the contract cost). I figured I was going to pay for the maintenance either way and it was best to hedge against a possible rise in prices (glad I did, because they have gone up).

I can't think of anything else...

 

[Steven@147]

I was thinking about this and how do you do certain things full time?

Get vehicle and RV inspected when not near your home state?

I have a disease and I need to see my Doctor once or twice a year. How do you deal with that?

Veterinarian?

I guess anything you may not think of until you are out there and thinks. "Oops, how do I do that?"

Well, question no1 really depends on what state your RV and tow vehicle are registered in. States have different renewal requirements. Our domicile state (permanent address) is Texas, our state allows you to renew your license plates (sticker) online and receive your new stickers through USPS and certify that you are out of state when they are due. Then when you return to Texas you have a few days to get the RV and tow vehicle inspected. In our case we always return to Texas for the winter months (Dec-Mar) and so renew in February. You can renew up to 90 days in advance of the expiration date. I know some owners from Texas haven't been back there in years. Even though they my drive through Texas on their way to some other state.

Drivers license is good for like 8 years but you have to show up in person to renew them.

We only see our primary care physician once per year for our annual check up an so we schedule our Dr. appointment @ Feb-Mar when we are back in Texas. I know some people who need to see their Dr more often and they tele-health with their primary Doctor online. Unless they need lab work done and then they just plan their travels so that they visit Texas at the appropriate 2 times per year.

Additional - Our health insurance, Medicare is based on our domicile, Livingston Texas. We have coverage wherever we are in the US. We have had our prescriptions refilled all over the US and usually use WalGreens or CVS.
You can go online and look at the health policies that are available in your area from your primary residence, and pick the best one that fits your needs.

We are Escapee's RV members and there is a wealth of information on fulltiming on their site. https://escapees.com/

To expand to other issues like banking. We bank with two different places, one nation wide and one that is local to a specific city in Texas. All our banking is done online. All our financial things are done online.
Vehicle insurance - pick the company you like the best. Our vehicle insurance is through a nation wide company but our agent is in Livingston Texas. We have never seen our local agent.

All of our USPS mail is handled by Escapee's and forwarded to us when we ask for it.

Between Tami and i we have been called for jury duty (Livingston Texas) 3 times in 2.5 years. We check in with the Jury Duty online portal and inform them we are out of state and have not had to return.

Not that you would but, Whatever you do, make sure the companies you deal with, banks, investment firms, insurance companies and the like, knows that you are fulltime RV living and traveling. Do not try to hide anything from them, that will get you into trouble.

 

[BrokeDown]

We have a permanent address in an RV resort in FL. We do not have vehicles inspection and we only renew our driver's licenses every 8 years; plus there is no state income tax. Another benefit of FL is that the FL driver's license allows you to drive any size RV whereas some states require a special license for things like air brakes or being over 26,000 pounds.

We had a dog for the first 4 years. While in FL (about 5 months of the year), we used a local vet. While traveling, we used whatever vet there was in the area.

I still work full-time and have medical insurance. We get the annual stuff done while we are in FL and then use local doctors, clinics, etc for non-emergency stuff and emergency rooms for emergencies. My wife uses teleconference for her medical needs e.g. disease specialist. BTW: I find that the doctors in FL are excellent at taking care of us old folks.

I hope that helps.

-B

 

[Rabbit]

Most of the services you mention are discretionary so you’ll need to schedule them when in the area where the support agent is located. We’ve found that the campground has had recommendations when we need a vet, medical or RV/TV repair need. For recurring prescriptions use a National chain so you have sources nearby.

 

[BrokeDown]

Most of the services you mention are discretionary so you’ll need to schedule them when in the area where the support agent is located. We’ve found that the campground has had recommendations when we need a vet, medical or RV/TV repair need. For recurring prescriptions use a National chain so you have sources nearby.

Great point. We found most services by talking to the campground office or other campers that have been there a while.
-B

 

[triplethreat]

I added a more descriptive title to this thread

 

[Steven@147]

I was just rereading the posts and that got me thinking about our fulltime experience so far. We have only been on the road 2 years, not 2.5 years, seems longer to me for some reason. I tend to lose all track of time, have trouble remembering what day of the week it is, Tami keeps me grounded in that department.

Not that our fulltiming experience has been bad, just the opposite, its been an enjoyable time. We have right at 16K miles on the rig at this point. This year our loop trip to the western states was about 9,600 miles, took us 3 months for the trip and we loved every minute. We are kind of chilln out here in Indiana close to the kids before we head back to Texas first of Dec for the winter. Yes this year fuel costs have been particularly bad, so we are kind of staying longer at places to cut down on fuel usage. Our budget took a hit with fuel prices but we are just dealing with it, like everyone else.

Round about next March, from Galveston we'll head out again touring the country. I think we'll head out to Big Bend Texas and work our way West and up to the Southern rim of the Grand Canyon. We visited the North Rim this year in July.
From the South rim we'll head East back to the midwest to visit the kids/grands again. From there who knows where we will end up. Using RV Trip Wizard really helps us plan our trips and movement.

For those wondering how we are coping with our rambling around the country so far, we have had to fix the RV a few times, nothing major. We have done the repairs ourselves, I say we, I've done them, Tami watches. A water leak, replaced the converter, new exhaust fan in the bathroom, put new tires on the rig last month while at an RV park, nothing a big deal. Our tow vehicle maintenance, oil changes and the like, we end up at my Son's home or the SIL, and I do it there and its easy to recycle the used oil. Had a couple flat tires on the truck we had to fix or replace because of nails/screws, only needed one other repair to our tow vehicle so far, local Ram dealer where we were fixed it the same day, nothing major.

So far on our fulltime adventure everything has worked out great with how we have our living set up, with no problems. Even with the little problems we have had we just roll with it.

You can view a lot of fulltimer U-tubes with people having all sorts of major set backs and problems. Also from different age brackets, we are mid 60's. Some have left the fulltime life, it just wasn't what they thought it was going to be. Others like us are really enjoying the lifestyle like U-tubers 'Changing Lanes', "RV Texas Y'all", "Switch It Up", and "Why Wait". These guys seem to be making it work. We have a lot of videos up on U-tube as well but ours are not public they are only for our family and close friends. It's kind of like a scrap book of our adventures.

Fulltiming is not for everyone, its a choice we made.

 

[Rabbit]

Ooops. Different situation for sure.

 

[Second Chance]

I was thinking about this and how do you do certain things full time?

Get vehicle and RV inspected when not near your home state?

I have a disease and I need to see my Doctor once or twice a year. How do you deal with that?

Veterinarian?

I guess anything you may not think of until you are out there and thinks. "Oops, how do I do that?"

• Domiciled in Texas with Escapees RV Club which includes:
◦ Legal domicile (tested in courts)
◦ Physical mailing address
◦ Voter registration (just mailed in my ballot for the mid-terms yesterday)
◦ Drivers' licenses
◦ Vehicle registration
▪ Renew on-line
▪ Inspection waived when out of state - 3 days (not 30) to get inspected after returning to Texas. We have passed through TX on the way to NM without any issues.
• Medicare with Tricare for Life which cover us anywhere in the country
◦ Recently switched providers from the Augusta, GA, area (where we launched) to the Harford County, MD, area (where we spend a lot more time near grandkids). Specialty care is a lot better around Baltimore, anyway.
◦ We are required the annual health check once a year for MC/TFL. We just make sure we're back in the area for that. During the pandemic, even that was done by telemedicine with us going to a local lab for bloodwork.
◦ We have been seen in emergencies (Laura was even hospitalized) in other states without any issues.
• We don't have pets (but have three veterinarians in the immediate family)

You can go to the Escapees RV Club web site and they have a whole educational section on domicile and all the implications.

Rob

EDIT/PS: Sorry - the outline didn't paste in very well...

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

• Domiciled in Texas with Escapees RV Club which includes:
◦ Legal domicile (tested in courts)
◦ Physical mailing address
◦ Voter registration (just mailed in my ballot for the mid-terms yesterday)
◦ Drivers' licenses
◦ Vehicle registration
[emoji830] Renew on-line
[emoji830] Inspection waived when out of state - 3 days (not 30) to get inspected after returning to Texas. We have passed through TX on the way to NM without any issues.
• Medicare with Tricare for Life which cover us anywhere in the country
◦ Recently switched providers from the Augusta, GA, area (where we launched) to the Harford County, MD, area (where we spend a lot more time near grandkids). Specialty care is a lot better around Baltimore, anyway.
◦ We are required the annual health check once a year for MC/TFL. We just make sure we're back in the area for that. During the pandemic, even that was done by telemedicine with us going to a local lab for bloodwork.
◦ We have been seen in emergencies (Laura was even hospitalized) in other states without any issues.
• We don't have pets (but have three veterinarians in the immediate family)

You can go to the Escapees RV Club web site and they have a whole educational section on domicile and all the implications.

Rob

EDIT/PS: Sorry - the outline didn't paste in very well...

Ah, thanks, on the inspection. I thought it was 30 days.

 

[Second Chance]

Ah, thanks, on the inspection. I thought it was 30 days.

Not a problem. Every couple of years, we schedule two nights someplace in Texas while we're passing through (last fall, it was Amarillo) to get the vehicles inspected. I wouldn't want them to think I'm an habitual evader!

Rob

 

[docque]

I added a more descriptive title to this thread

I just figured since it was in a Full Time area that it was a given.

 

[Steve & Katey]

This past week we switched our domicile from Georgia to Florida. We use MyRVMail in Crestview for our physical address. The folks at the tax office in Crestview seemed quite accustomed to new people coming in and getting drivers licenses and tags for RV's. Aside from the standard questions there were no surprises or issues getting this done. We also went to a local branch of a nationwide bank and created new accounts. Next year we'll find local doctors and we'll make sure to come back 1-2 times per year for our annual checkups, etc.

As for veterinary care, so far we haven't had an issue finding a local vet where we happen to be and getting our dogs seen in pretty short order (in one recent case we nearly had to have emergency surgery, but fortunately for us and the dog this resolved itself). Admittedly not the same as our home town vet but these random vets have worked out ok for us.

While getting our FL tags they asked if we wanted two year registrations which is nice. No renewal needed until late 2024. And drivers license is good for 8 years.

 

[Steven@147]

That's the great thing about RVing, and fulltiming, owners can do it however it best fits their life style. FL, TX and SD seem to be the big three states fulltimers flock to. FL and SD seem to have the fewest restrictions on vehicles and licenses. We have run into a few people that were interested in TN. They do not have a state income tax either but I don't know the details about vehicle licensing restrictions.

For many fulltimers, pre Medicare eligible, health care is a major consideration and must factor into the decission. Break Downs, Maintenance and Repairs can be a worry for a lot of owners. Many of us fulltimers put money aside in a separate banking/savings account to use for just repairs and maintenance. We do this and also with the financial institutions we use, we can electronically transfer funds between accounts at the same or totally different banks.

Boondocking - On our trip out West, SD, WY, MT, UT Tami and I saw many owners boondocking on federal land, or staying in out of the way state rec areas with minimal services. This can really drop your costs and get you into some beautiful places.
We are not set up for boondocking much beyond an over night but we have thought about upgrading our rig to do more of this. We have friends that live near Albuquerque and have a lot of land. They have invited us to spend as much time as we want boondocking on their land. A lot of wild horses run on their land, from pictures, its beautiful country. I have started looking into what we would need to go a week 5-6 days(power) without connections, and wow am I dazed and confused. Lithium batts, bank monitor, wiring, converter, inverter, controller, and solar, oh my! We already have a genny.
Thinking about mainly power here not necessarily holding tanks, but that has to figure in also.

Our friends "RV Texas Y'all" have an extreme boondocking battery and solar setup on their motorhome and could go @ 10 days before their tanks fill up or fresh water is out. They could go indifferently with their power set up.

We don't need to go that extreme on power but for what we are thinking about, without running air conditioners off batteries, it would be a costly investment, probably somewhere in the $3000-3500 area. With that kind of an investment we really need to make sure we would use it for the cost.

Looking forward to our future adventures and expanding our capabilities.

 

[Rockhound 7]

South Dakota does not have vehicle inspection. Registration is by mail and internet. Must be in residence 24 hours every 5 years to renew driver license.

 

[docque]

South Dakota does not have vehicle inspection. Registration is by mail and internet. Must be in residence 24 hours every 5 years to renew driver license.

What is the meaning of, "in residence"? Park your RV at a campground for a day in any part of the state?

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

What is the meaning of, "in residence"? Park your RV at a campground for a day in any part of the state?

Stay overnight, anywhere in South Dakota, be it a campground, hotel, etc. As long as you can get a receipt proving the over night stay.

 

[docque]

Stay overnight, anywhere in South Dakota, be it a campground, hotel, etc. As long as you can get a receipt proving the over night stay.

Thanks for the info. I know some other states are odd when it considers you a resident.

 

[Rockhound 7]

What is the meaning of, "in residence"? Park your RV at a campground for a day in any part of the state?

Simply be in the state for 24 hours. That can be in your RV at an RV park or at a hotel or motel overnight. Boondocking doesn't count because you need a receipt to verify your stay. Last time, I flew in from my snowbird roost, stayed overnight at an airport hotel \, got the receipt and flew back the next day. That was all the proof I needed.