Where has the time gone? This month our pace slowed considerably, but the time has just sped by. Here are month four stats:
Miles on the Motorhome – ONLY 1,194!
Miles on the Jeep – 1,019
For total miles traveled = 2,213 – that’s an average of 74 miles per day – less than half of last months driving. For those interested, our fuel costs were $638. Way under budget!
Number of different camp-spots – ONLY 9! And of those, only 3 were overnighters. Talk about a change of pace! Of course, while staying put saves on gas, it costs more for campsites. We spent $504 on camping in month four – but still very reasonable at an average of less than $20 per night.
Moral of the story: staying put kept us under our travel budget (fuel & camping combined).
Number of fish caught: 3! Even ate one for dinner! (only because he swallowed the hook)
We have really enjoyed this past month. Basically we spent all of our time at the Oregon Dunes and Northern California coast,
then Central California Coast (San Simeon) and mountains (big Meadows campground in Sequoia National Forest).
So what’s not to love about oceans and mountains? We had to dip back into the Central Valley heat a couple of times, but mostly our weather this month has been extraordinary.
Even with all the great sightseeing we’ve been experiencing, it no longer feels like we’re on vacation. Not sure exactly when we made that transition, but I was just talking with Tom about it and he said it’s been quite a while since he felt like we were just on vacation.
When we go out for a day trip or whatever, we always say we’re “going home” to the RV.
We even talk about our home in terms of rooms i.e. “It’s in the dining room” or “look in the office” which kind of cracks me up because we’re smaller than a studio apartment.
I think we’re definitely getting into our groove of perpetual travel.
At four months into our permanent adventure, we’re not exactly experts at full time RVing.
But since someone asked, here are our top five tips for those who are considering going full time.
First and foremost, plan plan plan. Know what you’re getting into by researching the heck out of it. Know what your personal style and needs are so you know you’re getting the right vehicle/combo. Wrap your mind around the idea long before you put the plan in action.
That said, start EARLY! Even if you’re not planning on moving into an RV forever, it’s never too soon to start downsizing (assuming you want to). And (for us) that was definitely the hardest, most emotionally taxing, and most time consuming part of the whole thing. We felt like we started years in advance, but it really got down to the last few months where chaos reigned. So do yourself a favor and don’t copy us! If we had to do it all again (knowing what we know now) we wouldn’t have bought so much crap in the first place!
Practice makes perfect. We have been RVing as a couple since we met (and before), so we knew about dry-camping and RV maintenance. I have heard of people who have never spent one night in an RV and just go for it by hitting the road full time. That may work, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it. Even if it’s on a weekend warrior basis, you need to know what it’s like.
Here’s one that may have gotten people in trouble (so we’ve heard): Do the math! Unless you’re independently wealthy or have the world’s greatest paying job or pension, you need to know what your costs will be. As an accountant, we’ve always known where our dollars have been spent. So it was relatively easy to come up with a realistic budget of what it would cost us to live vs. how much money we have (or will get). It’s not always easy to live within your means, but oh so important.
Get going! If it’s your dream to travel, just do it! We could of come up with a hundred reasons to not do this, or to do it later in life. Wait for the kids to all get married. Wait until the grand kids get older. Wait until we have enough money in the bank (that could be NEVER!). Wait until retirement. Not everyone has a dream of traveling full time in an RV. We certainly didn’t. But if you want to travel (we both always have) then get started. Find adventures in you’re own home town. Plan on one weekend away each month. Traveling and exploring has definitely been the icing of this whole adventure cake.
So there you have it. My words of wisdom for the month. Please add your two cents below!
Happy Travels,
Peace & Love, Joy
I’ve been in the planning stage for two years!!! 😫😫
Too bad it takes so long for the rest of your crew to get on board with your brilliant ideas!
Wonderful advice and so aligns with our thoughts and process, too. The hardest, by far, was getting rid of the stuff. We had almost 3 years to plan before our go-date and still were under stress those last few months emptying the last items. This is a great post. Safe travels! Dawn
Thank you Dawn. Each purge got easier, but I guess we needed the pressure to really let go. Now I’m thinking: Why on earth did I get rid of those high heals that I will need for my son’t wedding in a couple of months!
Good advice here. We too were amazed at how quickly our RV became “home.” I think people are more adaptable than they realize. I feel like my husband and I can get used to anything, as long as we’re together. As for advice, I’d second your comment about planning and starting early. It really is SO easy these days, with all the blogs and forums and Facebook groups and YouTube channels to do research. The information is out there. People just have to spend the time reading and asking questions. All that research made our lives so much easier. There have been very few surprises because we knew what to expect beforehand.
Thank you. We agree – there is so much wonderful information from the “pioneers” that came before us. With Youtube, we could “experience” the life before we leaped.
Love what you guys are doing, great post
Thank you so much. At 16 months now, we’re still loving it.