The mysterious disappearance of wannabe fulltimers

[Orlop]

make sure your air conditioner is in good working order. Hopefully you will have a sewer and water connection that hooks up permanently ..... as well as a good 30 amp service. At some point you may want add a shelter of some sort.

Good luck, sounds like fun.

[Orlop]

DKB_SATX and I were posting the same thoughts at the same time .... Cheerz

[SpiritAtBay]

Hey All,
Thanks for posting, it is great to have this conversation!

I've posted some pictures in the gallery. Look for "A Renovation Begins". I also found Owner's and Service Manuals in the trailer for a 1975 Trade Wind. so perhaps she is a year younger than anyone thought!

The a/c works well, it is less than a year old. The trailer will be under a shelter that the landowner is building. And, I grew up just NE of Houston so am quite familiar with heat and humidity! I don't mind heat, it is being cold that i don't like.

I like the name suggestions, esp "Paid For". I definitely want to make a rustic sign post to put at the bottom of the driveway, "Tin Can Alley".

BTW, I've searched with no success for threads discussing painting the vinyl walls. I found one who used BM low VOC paints. I've used that paint before and was NOT pleased with results.

ALSO, do yall think anyone would be interested in the parts and pieces i pull out of this Trade Wind? Much of it is already trashed but i did (belatedly) realize that it might be of value to someone wanting to restore. And there will be more to be removed. (Overhead cabinets for instance. i did save 3 tambor door fabric panels, in really good shape.)

Thanks again,

[Carlita]

Originally Posted by bugnot1

Sounds like fun to me )) Try to think about it as 'concentrated living'...........and try to leave your boots outside )) All your essentials are in place - and enjoy yourself. Where are you and what is the climate? Could be a wonderful experience )) We're fulltimers - almost two years (Halloween) - and not looking back. I don't miss the big house - don't miss feeling so 'locked-in' - I like knowing that I'm mobile - and look back long enough only to wonder what ever possessed me to buy all the junk I did way back when )) I'm having a lot more fun now -

Jan

********** Well hello everyone! I'm loving that this post has been reignited! Great conversations! Bugnot1, it's so cool what you are doing!! You too, Spiritatbay!! I'm happy and excited for you both!!!

I'm full timing myself and can't begin to describe how freeing it is! After caring for my wonderful Mom & Dad these past 8 years & them both passing away, I knew I needed to de-stress and simplify my life. I bought my little Bambi, retired early ( with a teeny but so grateful pension) then sold my house. I don't regret any of those decisions! A huge weight came off my shoulders when the house finally sold this past July ( with a very thankful $10k profit). So many houses aren't selling & many are foreclosed on so I feel so lucky!

Thanks everyone for sharing here & on other threads on the forums. I've learned so much & love the camaraderie!! Take care & safe streamin' to all!

~Cari~
aka Carlita
:^>

[kb0zke]

We've not disappeared. Thanks to the many wise and generous people on this forum I've gotten a lot of questions answered. Retirement is just under three years away.

We're getting a lot closer to deciding on what our full-time coach should be, and then we have to decide on exactly what that coach must have, what's nice but not necessary, and what must NOT be there. We're pretty much down to an Airstream or a Foretravel.

The big advantages of an Airstream, at least for us, is that it is closer to the ground and I won't have to deal with some of the more complicated systems that a MH would have. The disadvantages, again for us, are that we'd be using an F250 or F350 class pickup for our daily driver, whereas a MH would allow us to use a more economical vehicle for a toad. Also, the MH would be kept at a comfortable temperature all the time, even while driving, whereas any towable will have the heat or a/c turned off while traveling, which means some delay while it gets comfortable.

I suspect that it will all come down to what's available when we decide to buy.

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

We're getting a lot closer to deciding on what our full-time coach should be, and then we have to decide on exactly what that coach must have, what's nice but not necessary, and what must NOT be there. We're pretty much down to an Airstream or a Foretravel.

We’ve had both. Prior to retirement, we traveled in a 22’ International and then a 30’ Classic. When we went fulltime, we sold the Classic and bought a Foretravel - went with them after doing alot of research (between Foretravel & Country Coach). Can’t recommend them enough - truly outstanding coach. We tow a Jeep Wrangler for sightseeing and shopping. Foretravels are made in Nacogdoches, TX - a visit to the factory is very informative. MotorHomes of Texas in Nac has a good inventory of used Foretravels & Country Coaches.

After having fulltimed for several years, we’re going to settle down and just do short trips of a few weeks to maybe a month or two and will do so with an Airstream. For us, the motorhome suited our needs very well on the road, especially in colder climates - gotta love the AquaHot and unlimited hotwater, superb radiant heating. Also... there have been many times where I was thankful, driving into a park during inclement weather, that all I had to do at the campsite, was level the coach from inside and wait out the rain. While there is more maintenance, we never had any major/expensive problems with the Foretravel. Check out Foretravel Owner's Forum -- ForeForums for the owner community.

Good luck in your search - that’s part of the fun!

[Gene]

Is the outer covering on a Foretravel a foreskin?

Gene

[lewster]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Is the outer covering on a Foretravel a foreskin?

Gene

Good one Gene!!!!! LMAO-ROFL

But actually, it's fiberglass..................

[Carlita]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Is the outer covering on a Foretravel a foreskin?

Gene

Gene, you're toooooooo funny!

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Is the outer covering on a Foretravel a foreskin?

Gene

You're so bad.


Maggie

[Gene]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

You're so bad.


Maggie

Imagine the design possibilities for the Foretravel….

I wonder if they make a pop-up?

Gene

[Carlita]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Imagine the design possibilities for the Foretravel….

I wonder if they make a pop-up?

Gene

Toooooooo funny Gene!!!

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Imagine the design possibilities for the Foretravel….

I wonder if they make a pop-up?

Gene

Aaaaaand, here we go!




Maggie

[lewster]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Imagine the design possibilities for the Foretravel….

I wonder if they make a pop-up?

Gene

No pop-ups, but the newer models come with 4 pop-outs

[Splitrock]

This thread is hard to follow.

[kaece]

I want to buy an Airstream trailer. I like the looks of the 90's models. I'm not sure how much they sell for. I want one I can pull with a 1/2 ton vehicle, clean and ready roll.
I want a full or queen bed, bathroom, good air and heater, do they have generators? I have never bought a Airstream travel trailer. Help!

[ElCamino Man]

Better start savin now lol. A 1/2 ton can pull a 20 footer easily, but Id use a weight distributing hitch for sure. Most AS's came with everything u described (minus the generator... easy add on) and cost depends on a ton of things! The newer 90s models run a bit higher since... well... theyre newer lol. Prolly closer to $10,000 and up. The 80s and on down cost around $6,000 for a good, unmolested one. I just paid $5350 for a 1981 31' with a semi-redone interior. Happy hunting!

[64GlobeTrotter]

We have full timed in a 1964 Globe Trotter (19') for 5 years. We did the sell, give-away and storage thing. Took two years to accomplish - but we had been planning for 5 years prior.
BUT, there are more important things to consider than just downsizing and what sort of TV you should pull your AS with. You still have to live somewhere for insurance, vehicle registration, driver's licence and taxes. We rent a legal address which has mail forwarding services. Another factor is how to manage your business affairs while on the road. Well, we do almost everything on-line so there is very little critical mail. Many books have been written on these subjects that are worth reading before you really get serious.

Ralph

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by SpiritAtBay

I think the responses are probably appreciated by the initial poster as well. even if you never heard back from them.

All,

I do follow this thread and read the replies, and appreciate them.

I find that, as the thread has grown and matured, I am struck by the number of responses from people who have embarked with some degree of success on an adventure of fulltiming. It is reassuring to me to read these, and the wide variety of whys and hows speaks to the many facets of the Airstream community.

A problem endemic to the Internet and its predecessors, since before the September That Never Ended, is that many times the best-written posts are never acknowledged.

[Nolavalkyrie]

And then there's the other side of the story...

I am the newbie. Looking for my first trailer and I will be a full-timer.

Nope, I've never owned a travel trailer, but I know how to tow one. I do know my limits though and I would prefer a trailer in the 27' range (maximum).

I love. To camp and primitive camping doesn't scare me, so boon docking actually intrigues me. Sailboats are my favorite things on the water and I'm pretty good at old house restoration - which I figure can't hurt since what I want is a vintage trailer. Now, does any of this make me automatically qualified to be a full-timer?

Not in the least. Wanting to do anything in life is all about state of mind, intention, desire.

I've done nothing but research, research, research for the past few weeks and there are things that are going to be issues for me...wait, there are day-to-day life things that are issues for me now! So, that's no stumbling block.

I tend to ask A LOT of questions. That can be annoying to people who have "been there, done that" and who think they no longer need to educate the newbies about the forums because surely that baton should have passed on to someone else by now. Fortunately I've been on the Internet since before the World Wide Web, not everyone has had that luxury.

So, as the non-trailer owning newbie, what would make me disappear from the forums?

Winning the lottery, paying someone else to totally refurbish the vintage trailer of my dreams, going to boot camp to learn everything I need to know and then hitting the road. Seriously though, I have a real desire to see this path I've chosen succeed. Some people don't realize just how much work it will actually take to purchase an older trailer, bring it up to snuff and then learn all of its little quirks on shakedown cruises. I think that's part of what scares them off - actually coming to realize the investment of self that this endeavor actually requires.

Julianne