Coleen Sykora, fulltime RVer and work camper offers the following Tip:
It’s good to have the perspectives of others — even if you don’t agree with them.
I’ve just posted a series of articles to the Workers On Wheels website that I don’t fully agree with. If you’ve been a subscriber for long, or if you’ve read my articles in other publications, you probably know that I am not a big proponent of detailed planning.
Countless spouses, partners, and adult children have written me with sad accounts of how their loved ones dreamed or planned themselves to death. They never made it full-time RVing because they were always preparing. They literally died getting ready, trying to have everything right before they embarked on their dreams.
Bob and I started out as working full-time RVers under what many would call less than ideal conditions. Our RV was 25 years old. We had very little RVing experience. We didn’t have jobs lined up. We didn’t have a lot of money. We didn’t have the blessing and encouragement of our family. We consider it fortunate that our research into it amounted to my skimming through a couple books and that we really didn’t know what we were doing. We didn’t have a concrete plan. When we decided we wanted to be full-time RVers so that we could travel and enjoy life together, we got after it and did it. That was back in 1991 and it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
Martin M. Shenkman, attorney and certified public accountant, has a different perspective than I do. He stresses the importance of planning and being ready. You can read Shenkman’s Articles on my website.
Coleen Sykora is the webmaster for work-for-rvers-and-campers.com
Wow! I’ve thought lately about friends who worked and worked after they were of “retirement age,” only to die before they ever got the chance to enjoy their “golden years!” We’re kind of at that point in our lives. Need the employer-provided health coverage. Need (maybe) the income. Need to get all our ducks lined up in a row. Your point hits a nerve and makes me think that maybe if we don’t do what we dream of doing, we’ll never get to do it at all. Thanks for sharing your point of view.
I totally understand your point. I have been wanting to get into this for a while, but the wife gets all excited about the idea then second-guesses everything we have talked about. Very frustrating, to say the least.
It can be frustrating when a spouse is not as enthusiastic about full timing. Maybe start out with extended RV trips, whatever length your wife is comfortable, with and see if you can make the next trip a little longer to get her used to being on the road. Visit places that she will be interested in to make the trip more appealing. And most important… take your time on the road. Travel a maximum of 4 hours a day when possible so there is plenty of down time.