WHICH RV IS BEST?

Last night I dreamed of traveling in a large class A.  Very nice with lots of room, there were 3 of us sitting at the table and moving around the rv and we had plenty of room.  Did I mention the rv was moving at the time.  Yes, a very strange dream, the rv was driving it's self down a gravel road around curves and through the mountains all while we were in the back talking and visiting.  Wouldn't this be great if you could put a destination in the gps and just sit back and enjoy the trip.  I'm sure this stems from my fear of buying an rv then not being able to drive it.
Sometimes I think I will need a travel trailer so I will have a vehicle to drive while workcamping.  Then I think a small class c would be so much easier to drive.  I wish there was a way to drive different types of rv's before making the decision.  How much does having a class c and not pulling a car limit you? 

Some things I do know
RV needs and wants:
comfortable bed with lots of support *
comfortable chair for reading and tv *
tub & shower combo
outdoor shower
lots of windows *
led lighting
solar panels
tall sink faucets
2 door refrigerator
thermo pane windows

* is for must have.  Bed and sitting in comfort becomes an issue when you have back problems.  I don't have a lot of back problems but one bad night will cause me pain for days. 
Back to work.  Have a great day!

January 26, 2014
I went to the Rv show yesterday.  Spent a lot of time looking at travel trailers.  I was very impressed with the Lance.  Of course the price was outrageous. I wouldn't be able to buy a new Lance and a truck so I'll be looking for something used.
The thing I really liked about the Lance was the true 4 season pkgs.  I think I could live in this for a month in Kentucky during the winter.  Certainly not all winter but when I'm in town visiting my children.
However, looking at the amenities and storage for the smallest trailers leaves a lot to desire.  Regular cab pickup is about 19' and then the smaller trailers are about 19' so now your about 38' or 40' in length.  Increase your trailer size to 22' or 24' to add the extras you want and your over 40' in length.  This does not sound easy to drive, much less park.
We also toured some Bs and Cs while at the show.  When it comes to driving these seem much easier to handle.  Of course you lose a lot of storage area.  If I was going to keep my house I would definitely go for a B.
So much to think about.  Will I ever make a decision?
Have a great day!

January 22, 2014
Sunday my daughters, grandchildren, great grandchildren and niece came for dinner.  I love having them over.  I can't imagine not spending time with my family.  We don't get together weekly or even monthly but I love it when they can all be here.  This is what worries me about selling the house and traveling.  It wouldn't worry me if I had the money to keep the house and travel.  To go months without a visit is not a big deal but years would not be possible.  I have to work this out in my mind somehow.
My brothers and sisters are scattered all over the country and we seldom see each other.  My parents divorced and lived 1000 miles apart.  Some of us grew up in Ky and some in Fl.  We now live in KY, FL, TX, MO and KS.  Sometimes we go for years without visits.  I have nieces and nephews I've never met.  Thank goodness for facebook which has allowed me to see pictures of their birthdays and accomplishments.

THE BEGINNINGS

Everyone starts their rv journey from different places.  This morning I was reading a blog about a woman that had filed bankruptcy and lost everything - her home, her car, her business.  She started over with a truck and used trailer.  I've read many blogs like this and I've read many blogs where people chose to sell their house and go fulltime rving.  Sometimes they are out of work and can no longer afford their house, sometimes they have retirement money available as well as social security.  Some people choose to live in a van or small rv to avoid rent or house payments.  Some people choose to live in a high end rv and pay rent at rv parks and resorts.  Every story is a little different but in the end we all want the freedom to travel and see what is out there.
I know I would be happy keeping a house here near my children and traveling several times a year but I don't see that as an option.  (I think I've written this before.)

It is 11 am and I've only had one customer this morning.  Sales have been declining since the beginning of November.  Sales during September and October were up from the previous year which gave me some hope that maybe I could turn the store around.  I gave myself a goal in August to save $300 a month on average.  (I say "on average" because when you own a business you know that money does not come in on a regular basis so you may be up one month and down the next.)   So far for the months of September, October and November I've saved exactly $300.  In October I did have to pay the business insurance so I knew there would be no saving during that month.  The disappointing part is November sales were so bad I not only didn't save but I couldn't pay one of my bills.  So roll that bill over to December and hope that I have an unusually good month just to keep up with my bills never mind saving.  Then the new year brings taxes and more worry.
I hate being so negative but I'm trying to be honest about where I am with respect to meeting my goals to travel.

MORE THOUGHTS ON FULL TIMING!

I've spent most of today reading a blog about volunteering and living in housing provided by NWR.  This is very interesting to me.  If I did something like this, instead of buying an rv, I could buy a van for traveling and stay in the housing provided.  This way I wouldn't have to sell my house to buy an rv.  The idea of selling my house and spending all of the money on a rv does bother me.
While I love to travel I haven't really spent much time in an rv.  I like to hike but my hiking is limited to 1 or 2 mile trails with company.  I haven't done any alone  hiking or climbing hilly areas or dry desert area hiking.   When at the Valley of the Gods a few years ago I enjoyed walking around but I tend to stay in shady areas.  I burn very easily and have a family history of skin cancer.  I know this should not stop me from doing something I might enjoy,  just use lots of sun screen and wear hats.
I like the nice a/c and heat in my house.  How would I feel about leaving the rv if it was hot and humid or cold outside?  I don't know the answer so it's very hard to make the commitment.
One fear is spending all the money I have on an rv then not liking it.  There would be nothing to fall back on.  Another fear is not being able to make enough money to travel.  Many fulltimer's that I follow have retirement money coming in, and earn money on the road.
A paying or volunteering job that would provide housing while I travel sounds like the ideal situation to try out this new life style for six month to a year.  I am going to do some research in this area.
I hope this post is not too hard to read, my thoughts are jumping all over the place.
Have a great day!

TRAVELING ALONE

I've been giving the fulltime RVing a lot of thought.  I've been thinking about type of tow vehicle and type of trailer.  I've been researching Casita and other travel trailers.  Then last week I started thinking about traveling alone.
I've never given it a lot of thought.  I love to travel.  I've taken short trips by myself for a night or two but I've never camped alone.  I've tent camped with my children and traveled with friends. Whenever I've thought of traveling I saw myself driving from destination to destination but never really saw myself sight seeing alone.  Very interesting, I may have to rethink this fulltiming plan.
I decided to go hiking alone and that was a failure.  It was only a 1 mile trail and I only went about a quarter of the way before turning around.  There were ticks and spider webs and it was hot and humid.  I never think about these things when hiking with other people it's just part of the experience.  Not a very good showing for my first experiment in hiking alone.
Maybe I should buy a van and try a couple of week long trips before I waste money on the RV.  In the mean time I am working  on getting my house ready to sell by next summer.  I'll be ready no matter which route I settle on.

Here's a little touch of Ireland from our 2007 trip

RAINY DAYS ARE GOOD!

My normal morning routine requires getting up early, walking the dog, exercise, eating breakfast, fixing lunch, preparing food for dinner and getting ready for work. I'm tired before I reach work.
This is why I love rainy days.  I fix tea or coffee and I sit on the front porch watching the rain, my small pond and the birds.  It's so quiet and peaceful.  This morning I drove to McD's for coffee and stopped by the little river near my house and watched the ducks playing in the rain.  Okay, so maybe they weren't playing more likely fishing. All things must end though so off to work I go.

I have been following a blog: http://rvsueandcrew.net/.  It's very interesting.  Sue was in a somewhat similar situation when she decided to full time RV and she is very happy with her decision.  I enjoy reading about her adventures and how she made her decision to go fulltime.  If you have ever considered RVing fulltime you should check out her blog.  She tells it like it is living on the road. Also try: http://www.hitchitch.com/links.html

I've been rather amazed by all the blogs.  There must be blogs on almost every subject.  If you have a dream and feel unsure about following through just start reading blogs about that subject.  The blogs cover successes and failures exposing the good, the bad and the ugly, helping you to learn from others.

Wishing every one the very best with their dreams.

Travel is in my future

My dream situation would be having my house paid for and being able to save money for travel.

 Here I am in my mid 60's and still needing to work to pay the bills.  I don't mind working but I'm not able to earn enough to make the house payment, upkeep and save to travel.  And I will be in my 70's before the house is paid off.

My business is not doing well and barely pays for itself.  This small income and social security just covers my living expenses.  There is nothing left over for savings.  If I close my store and go to work elsewhere at my age I'd be lucky to make anything above minimum wage.  Financially I don't believe I would be better off.

In 1995 I traveled with my mother and step-father to California and back.  They drove their small motorhome and I drove my mini van. It was a wonderful  6 week trip, but at that time I didn't think I would buy an RV because of all the expense and work involved in traveling in an RV.  We stayed in campgrounds - some state parks, some privately owned - I enjoyed the experience but it seemed like a lot of work and of course gas was expensive.  Gas is twice the price now.  Please don't misunderstand.  I loved the trip.  The freedom to travel for 6 weeks was amazing.  Every evening we would sit down and decide how far to drive the next day depending on what we wanted to see along the way.

Now I'm contemplation living in an RV full time.

 If I close the business and sell my house I could buy a RV to live in and travel some.  My days would be filled with work camping jobs and maybe some volunteer work.  When not working I would have to stay at boondocking sites because I wouldn't be able to afford a RV park.

I have spent a lot of time in the last six months reading blogs by fulltime rv'ers.  RVSue, Simple living, Travels with Emma and many many more.  Their experiences have made me believe this can really happen. 

For now fulltime RVing is the direction I am working towards.  We will see where I end up.