Roadrunner Reflections: 5 Years Full-timing, Take 1

I remember wondering what it would feel like to 'be out there' on the road.  It took over two years for us to really decide to do this.

But the 'fulltiming' mindset began back then--way before we sold the house and bought the motorhome.  The planning and talking and imagining what it would be like has been part of the journey.

The perspective of a fulltimer is something that took us a while to grasp and figure out.  The thing I thought about when I actually got the picture of someone living in an RV was wondering how people afforded a second home.  How did they pay for these things?  

Then once we decided we were going to give it a shot, we had to figure out how to live with less and embrace the idea downsizing.  And at the same time we wondered if we were crazy to pull up roots and leave it all behind.

Now, after five years of this the verdict is out:  Its been great!

Even with all the planning and research and thinking through things -- it still is not quite how we think it might be.  One big notion was all the wonderful campsites and campgrounds.  The beautiful scenery, never ending mountain ranges or beaches or whatever.  Truth is, we have been to some good campgrounds but they have been few and far between.  Most are adequate but often times are not anything special.  The special part is how close we have to beautiful places or parks or beaches.  But the actual campsite?

Another notion we had was that we would gravitate toward State Parks and National Parks.  Instead, the bulk of our time has been at military campgrounds.

We had friends over last night who knew us before we launched and left Fairfax, VA.  We moved into the motorhome (subsequently named The Roadrunner) in mid-May 2009 after our home sold.  We were then able to rent back from the new owner for a couple of weeks and complete my time at work.  One question they asked was, "How long are you going to do this?"  

We set out thinking at least five years. Now that we are at that point - we don't have any other plans or desires to do something else. The thought of 'hanging up our keys' does not appeal to us.

We still love it. Seeing people and new places and new things is great. It is like reading an adventure travel book only we are living it and enjoying it with each other.

Along the way here are some thoughts/reflections/stream-of-consciousness take aways:

• If you think you'd like to do this - give it a try. We have met many folks who lament they wish they had done it sooner.
• A good sign would be if you and or you mate is excited about it. If one of you has to be convinced, it probably won't work. Or work very well for long...
• Some people do it for a year or two, and then sell the RV and do something else. Some get on the road and travel south in the wintertime. Others travel only in the summer. There are many ways to do this.
• Some folks travel from rally to rally or on caravans. Others plan and travel around on their own and basically travel alone.  We gravitate toward traveling alone.
• We are more comfortable now with the change in scenery.  We no longer feel like 100 things are coming at us from 100 different directions.  When we first started sight seeing, it was too much to absorb and process.  Now we feel like we have an approach to sight-seeing that works for us.
• Learning about how to operate and maintain the RV was a bit overwhelming at first.  The learning curve was steep for about 18 months.  It is normal.  We learned to 'not panic' as a first reaction when things come up that we do not understand.
• Learning to drive this big thing was better than I expected and not too difficult.  I only remember laying awake at night a couple of times thinking about driving it.  The key is to use the side mirrors, not drive too fast, learn where the exhaust brake is and take wide slow turns.
• We love volunteering and helping friends and family with house projects.  We volunteered with NOMADs for a while, then found we really liked Habitat for Humanity.  Then we do Habitat for _____ (insert family member name here) which we name our family relations projects.
• Without good TV, Internet and cell phone service, we feel disconnected.  Even if we don't use it, we still like to be able to have the option.  We have DirecTV, an HD Traveler satellite and use Verizon MiFi for our internet.  Our phone service is with AT&T.
• We love national parks, state parks and out of the way stops, but we are not drawn to being out in the boonies with no services for more than a few days.
• Boon docking is fine as long as we plan for it and it is not in the middle of extreme heat or cold.  We need our a/c and heaters.
• The Roadrunner does not do well on uneven or unlevel or steep sites.  I hate it when the wheels are off the ground after we get it level. The only time we sheered a bolt on a slideout was pulling the slides in and had the back wheels jacked up pretty high.  
• RV rallies are not our cup of tee.  We have been to a few (RV-Dreams, NOMADS annual meeting) and enjoyed them but have never been to Escapees, FMCA or Good Sam rallys.
• Military campgrounds work well for us.  We never intended to use military campgrounds but they are mostly adequate and usually cost less than commercial or National Park Campgrounds.
• Despite downsizing to go full-time, we (I) still have a lot of stuff.  Especially T-shirts, baseball caps and books.  I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, then I got a Kindle and yet I am still drawn to the free exchange book racks at campgrounds and the $1 books at flea markets.  Some  times you can't get away from yourself.  No matter where you go, there you are.  I just need to read faster and read more...
• We are lucky to be doing this.  I don't believe in luck, but you catch my drift.  We are very fortunate to have each other and to be able to share our experiences and love for travel.  
• $4100 is a good number for us to live on.  While I know that is a lot of money to some folks and less than what others spend each month, after 5 years, that number is pretty much what it has cost us to live.  All things considered: regular expenses, repairs, gifts, unplanned for maintenance, pop up trips, insurance, books, gas and diesel gas, big items, little items--all of it) 
• Enjoy the days.  Probably won't get the chance to do this again once we get off the road.  Meanwhile, joy, purpose, fulfillment--are worthy goals.
• This lifestyle is not a panacea.  So take the bad days with the good.  Life continues and hard things happen--as the death and or sickness of family and friends.  Can't avoid it. Some friends and family are in the midst of tough times.  We do what we can but this life style does not prevent us from hurting along with those folks that are hurting.  But if you can't have a good outlook on life while doing something you love (like full-timing) in spite of the ups and downs, when can you?  Now is the time to enjoy life.
• We've been coast-to-coast, border-to-border a couple of times and we need to do it again - especially the northern border of Montana and Wyoming in the summer time.  And New England in the summer. And beaches - we are drawn to the beach and love to sit and just enjoy it. 
• Some favorite places:  Glacier NP, Zion NP, Acadia NP, Key West, Grand Canyon, Oregon Coast down highway 101, Monterrey, CA, Virginia Beach, Fort Myers
• I have a lot to learn about blogging and picture taking and photography.  These are two hobbies I have picked up since we started this adventure.  Both can be a lot of work and can seem more like work than fun if I let them.  And it has been fun. I have met and corresponded with a whole lot of great new friends 'out there'.  One of the big benefits of doing this.

There are lots more bullets rattling around in but enough for now.  Maybe I'll start putting together Reflections on Year 6...

I intended to get this out shortly after our 5 Year Anniversary on June 1, but I couldn't decide how I wanted to organize it.  I drafted a couple of different versions and this is Take 1.  My next post will be Take 2.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  And to all you loyal readers, viewers, followers, commenters and the like - a big THANK YOU! over the last 5 Years!