coming back to my senses

[Edinburgh]

Hi folks. What a great forum. I don't own an Airstreamm yet but plan to within the next six months or so. I've joined this forum to gain as much information and knowledge about them as I can, before I buy.

I'm also not in the US, but in Scotland. Having developed an illness in the last few years I've stopped working and plan to sell my property and do the things I've always wanted to do. Freedom! Owning an Airstream and travelling and then finding a suitable location to settle and live a simple, self-sufficient life is my aim now. So I guess we're talking about full-timing here.

If I'm honest, my ideal would be live in the US, but immigration in the US is so tight these days as to make it prohibitive. So, my plan is to tour around Europe once I buy the trailer and towing vehicle and hopefully I'll find the right spot. Once I find it, I'm aiming to have a little land on which I can grow my own food. Solar power, multi-fuel/ wood burning stove, some sort of solar shower unit if possible.

My ideas so far are based on seeing an International CCD28 - the newer one. I like it due to the number of windows as I want a brightly lit interior, and about 28ft will be about right for space I think. However, I am open to considering older models (suggestions welcome), especially since my budget will be tight. They've started selling European versions over here and the 27.75ft version is about $75k! which is way more than I would be willing to pay. It's also not as attractive as the International CCD28 in my opinion.

I wondered whether it might be possible to try to import a pre-owned Airstream into Europe. There are a couple of companies in the UK who apparently do this, and one in Germany. I imagine eventually settling in France, so importing it to there might be wisest depending on import taxes etc. But I'm willing to consider any safe, efficient way I might do this.

So, I guess my initial questions would be around the possibility of purchasing from a US dealer with a view to importing it here. Anyone know of any reputable people in the US who would do this?

In any case, any suggestions are very welcome.

Thank you.

[Lily&Me]

These sound like wonderful plans. Welcome and good luck in your search for the perfect Airstream.

[InsideOut]

First of all, welcome to the forums! Sounds like you have a major lifestyle change planned...I don't know anything about importing & exporting trailers, but there is an entire "Global 'streaming" forum set-up here for discussions of this sort. You may find some of the answers to your questions - or come up with new ones. In the meantime, enjoy your adventure ~ I hope you find the trailer of your dreams!

Shari

[Edinburgh]

Thanks folks - much appreciated. I haven't had a proper look around the forum yet, so thanks for the link Shari - I'll definitely check that out. Yes, major lifestyle change and I'm excited about it. I'll be making up for all the years I worked and didn't 'play' enough! no more managers, no more mortgages and hopefully minimal bills if the self-sufficiency thing works well. Thanks for the welcome.

[Foiled Again]

Dear Frank, you might find it hard to immigrate to the USA, but it should be very easy to go to Canada. It is part of the British Commonwealth. I know Canada is cold as hell in winter, but man, you live in Edinburg! Would you even notice the difference?

Half of the Canadians in the world spend the winter in the southern USA. We commonly call them "Snowbirds" and VISITING the USA from Canada is easy. Simple passport and welcome.

Here in Virginia Beach (not the most cosmopolitan area in the country) we actually have an RV park that won't hire workers who don't speak French - simply because so many people from Quebec visit!

Oh and on the 28 CCD. Nice layout but a bit short on closet space if you get panoramic windows in the bedroom. With the small window, you'd have two small closets on each side of the bed (not a big issue for a man perhaps). The disadvantage in Europe of the newer Airstreams is they are 8.5 feet wide if they are 25feet or longer. You'd be fine on the major roads but some of the country lanes and congested villages... EEK!
The older streams that don't have the designation "widebody" are only 8 feet wide. Many people here do "the full monte" and rebuild old ones. Time consuming, expensive, but overall less costly than a brand new one.
However check our "classifieds" here... I think I even saw a 28 CCD recently. And if you want to truly drool, look at what Airstream is coming out with next. They call it "Serenity" a new variant on the CCD... but it made me get excited

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f224...via-59063.html

Welcome aboard. Paula

[cameront120]

Welcome to the forums! I'm assuming you are fan of 'Millenium' (or maybe 'The Pixies')? Don't let Paula fool you, there are places in Canada that stay quite mild during the winter. Right here on the West coast of British Columbia is one of those places. We get more rain than we do snow. Some folks don't care for all the rain we get, but at least you don't have to shovel rain. Canada may well be a viable option for you, if you're truly keen on coming to North America.

Also, isn't there a restriction on how wide a trailer can be in Europe? Some of the new American trailers may not be legal. Vintage Airstreams at 7'-6" wide may be just the ticket though.

Cheers!

[Edinburgh]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Dear Frank, you might find it hard to immigrate to the USA, but it should be very easy to go to Canada. It is part of the British Commonwealth. I know Canada is cold as hell in winter, but man, you live in Edinburg! Would you even notice the difference?

Half of the Canadians in the world spend the winter in the southern USA. We commonly call them "Snowbirds" and VISITING the USA from Canada is easy. Simple passport and welcome.

Here in Virginia Beach (not the most cosmopolitan area in the country) we actually have an RV park that won't hire workers who don't speak French - simply because so many people from Quebec visit!

Oh and on the 28 CCD. Nice layout but a bit short on closet space if you get panoramic windows in the bedroom. With the small window, you'd have two small closets on each side of the bed (not a big issue for a man perhaps). The disadvantage in Europe of the newer Airstreams is they are 8.5 feet wide if they are 25feet or longer. You'd be fine on the major roads but some of the country lanes and congested villages... EEK!
The older streams that don't have the designation "widebody" are only 8 feet wide. Many people here do "the full monte" and rebuild old ones. Time consuming, expensive, but overall less costly than a brand new one.
However check our "classifieds" here... I think I even saw a 28 CCD recently. And if you want to truly drool, look at what Airstream is coming out with next. They call it "Serenity" a new variant on the CCD... but it made me get excited

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f224...via-59063.html

Welcome aboard. Paula

Thanks for the welcome Paula. Y'know, I'd emigrate to Canada in a minute if I thought I'd get in that easy. But I have ME/CFS which keeps me from working and I doubt they'd want me. I'm not really, really bad with it, but health records tend to be a big factor in the points system as I understand it. To work there in what I'm trained to do would also mean having to retrain almost from scratch. Plus I've given up hope of finding my soulmate to marry across the Atlantic - which would certainly make things easier for immigration purposes! France is heavily regulated but not anywhere near as fascist as the UK is now, plus the weather is better.

Those new airstreams are very drool-worthy, I have to say. Didn't know that about the closet space. I need to get a good look inside one, but I can only do it via photos from where I am. If I could somehow manage to buy a used Airstream, have it inspected over there and could have it shipped here at a reasonable cost then that might be the best I could hope for. If I had a site near the ocean or a lake and a couple of acres to grow food on I'd be so happy. My needs and desires are so simple these days - it's a welcome relief from the consumerist lifestyle I tried to fit into before.

Originally Posted by cameront120

Welcome to the forums! I'm assuming you are fan of 'Millenium' (or maybe 'The Pixies')? Don't let Paula fool you, there are places in Canada that stay quite mild during the winter. Right here on the West coast of British Columbia is one of those places. We get more rain than we do snow. Some folks don't care for all the rain we get, but at least you don't have to shovel rain. Canada may well be a viable option for you, if you're truly keen on coming to North America.

Also, isn't there a restriction on how wide a trailer can be in Europe? Some of the new American trailers may not be legal. Vintage Airstreams at 7'-6" wide may be just the ticket though.

Cheers!

Thanks! Lance Henriksen is a good guy, even though he's been in some terrible films. Millennium was a very underrated show.

I didn't know that about the width issue. I'd better look into that if I'm not going to move to Canada!