My intro.

[PSYS]

thanks for the replies, everyone!

i wouldn't even think about jumping into this head first if we were not 100% debt free which would include selling our home.

I also don't necessarily feel anyone and everyone who dislikes their full-time job should quit, sell everything and spend the rest of their lives in an Airstream. I think for me, personally, it's a plan that I've begun to seriously strategize and my wife is completely on board.

I DO, however, feel that spending 55+ hours going to a job you can't stand isn't anyway to spend the rest of your life. If you own your business, kudos to you. If you work for someone else and enjoy it, again, kudos to you. My wife and I are, unfortunately, not in that boat. In fact, I've begun doing a little amongst family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and mere acquantances and I've asked them a very simple question:

Do you love what you do? And not only do you love what you do, but you love it so much that there is absolutely nothing else in the world you'd rather be doing than working full-time at your current place of employment. And on a scale of 1 to 10... 1 being you tolerate your job and 10 being you want to burn the place to the ground, where do you fit in?

...I've not come across one single individual as of yet (and I've asked 64 people as of today over the course of the last 2 weeks) who has given me a solid "YES". Not a "Yes, BUT..." This is a black & white question from my perspective. You don't get a "YES, but..." You don't get a "Sometimes..." You either get "YES" or "NO". For the second part of my question, all of them answered with an "8" or higher except for one "6" and a "7"

Think about that for a moment. 64 people who can't stand their place of employment? 64 people who don't like what they do? 64 people who would rather be somewhere else, doing something else? ...that's sad to me.

I'm opting to make a change. No, unfortunately, I don't have all the answers... at least, not right this second. But I know for sure, I'm not going to sit around and work for one big corporation after another where I'm just a number in a sea of people who don't matter. Life is far too short to not live life to its fullest.

[SeeMore]

There is nothing wrong with living life by a different drum beat except to those who follow the standard cadence. To them it is a scary notion too fraught with danger. I jumped off the treadmill almost 14 years ago and have never thought about a return path. Luckily, I kept the house as the shop I built there seems to need regular use for Airstream repairs or mods, and a place for my other outlet of building furniture for the beauty it can possess.

[millertimeUS]

To the OP, just my thoughts. You never mentioned what you plan to DO, your new purpose. An airstream is not going to make you happy. I doubt a life whose purpose is to travel will suffice for long. A life dedicated to one'a self is a losing proposion. History is fraught with examples.

Toys, stuff, airstreams may provide FUN, but will never bring contentment. We all need to find purpose in why we do, it is obvious you see no purpose in your work. That is not your work's fault, nor your coworkers you dislike.

Find a passion that involves serving and helping the people of this world, and if that integrates into living full time and traveling then you just hit the jackpot brother. Best of luck.

Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by PSYS

thanks for the replies, everyone!

i wouldn't even think about jumping into this head first if we were not 100% debt free which would include selling our home.

I also don't necessarily feel anyone and everyone who dislikes their full-time job should quit, sell everything and spend the rest of their lives in an Airstream. I think for me, personally, it's a plan that I've begun to seriously strategize and my wife is completely on board.

I DO, however, feel that spending 55+ hours going to a job you can't stand isn't anyway to spend the rest of your life. If you own your business, kudos to you. If you work for someone else and enjoy it, again, kudos to you. My wife and I are, unfortunately, not in that boat. In fact, I've begun doing a little amongst family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and mere acquantances and I've asked them a very simple question:

Do you love what you do? And not only do you love what you do, but you love it so much that there is absolutely nothing else in the world you'd rather be doing than working full-time at your current place of employment. And on a scale of 1 to 10... 1 being you tolerate your job and 10 being you want to burn the place to the ground, where do you fit in?

...I've not come across one single individual as of yet (and I've asked 64 people as of today over the course of the last 2 weeks) who has given me a solid "YES". Not a "Yes, BUT..." This is a black & white question from my perspective. You don't get a "YES, but..." You don't get a "Sometimes..." You either get "YES" or "NO". For the second part of my question, all of them answered with an "8" or higher except for one "6" and a "7"

Think about that for a moment. 64 people who can't stand their place of employment? 64 people who don't like what they do? 64 people who would rather be somewhere else, doing something else? ...that's sad to me.

I'm opting to make a change. No, unfortunately, I don't have all the answers... at least, not right this second. But I know for sure, I'm not going to sit around and work for one big corporation after another where I'm just a number in a sea of people who don't matter. Life is far too short to not live life to its fullest.

Scott, I disagree with you in a respectful way.

I do own my own business with a partner.
He's great, but every now and then I'd like to see a building fall on him.

We really have great employees
BUT now and then a once good or great employee goes sour - and it's agonizing, but we have to fire him.

We have great customers
BUT every once in a while, we fire one.

Children can fight to the point of bloody noses one day, and be best friends the next day IF their parents will let them resume their friendship. Most of the time the parents are still duking it out years after the kids can't remember that they ever fought.

Being an adult means you see some shades of gray - and NO job or career doesn't have bad spots. Adults who are truly happy DO acknowledge and accept the dark parts as "just part of the job and part of life". Being honest doesn't mean you're depressed or stuck in a horrible job.

Hey, my life is pretty happy BUT

• I wish I had pretty feet and slim ankles
• I wish my bustline looked like it did when I was 19
• and on and on
• HEY my life is good, but winning a bit lottery WOULD make i better in some ways!

Is a person who is 100% thrilled with his job a positive role model, fibbing or just delusional? Robin Williams - a career and life that we all envied and dear lord he killed himself.

If you're looking for PERFECT happiness... you'll spend your life looking... being CONTENT is not the same as settling, it's just living in reality instead of pursuing an impossible goal.

Paula

[cory_can]

Matt, I liked your post. This is a smart aspect to consider when someone wants to get away from the rat race....a new life purpose that will actually be fulfilling.

OP, why not set off on your adventure as a temporary longterm trip rather than a complete life change. You probably just need to recharge a little. After the honeymoon of full timing has passed you may find a compromise between the two extremes makes more sense. If not, continue with the temporary adventure perpetually

Originally Posted by millertimeUS

To the OP, just my thoughts. You never mentioned what you plan to DO, your new purpose. An airstream is not going to make you happy. I doubt a life whose purpose is to travel will suffice for long. A life dedicated to one'a self is a losing proposion. History is fraught with examples.

Toys, stuff, airstreams may provide FUN, but will never bring contentment. We all need to find purpose in why we do, it is obvious you see no purpose in your work. That is not your work's fault, nor your coworkers you dislike.

Find a passion that involves serving and helping the people of this world, and if that integrates into living full time and traveling then you just hit the jackpot brother. Best of luck.

Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[nvestysly]

Originally Posted by millertimeUS

To the OP, just my thoughts. You never mentioned what you plan to DO, your new purpose. An airstream is not going to make you happy. I doubt a life whose purpose is to travel will suffice for long. A life dedicated to one'a self is a losing proposion. History is fraught with examples.

Toys, stuff, airstreams may provide FUN, but will never bring contentment. We all need to find purpose in why we do, it is obvious you see no purpose in your work. That is not your work's fault, nor your coworkers you dislike.

Find a passion that involves serving and helping the people of this world, and if that integrates into living full time and traveling then you just hit the jackpot brother. Best of luck.

Matt

76 'Airstream Tradewind

To the OP... welcome to Air Forums - this is certainly one of the best places on the internet to find information about Airstreams and Airstreaming.

Danielle and I can certainly relate to your lament. While we both had a certain level of disdain for the working world I don't think our case(s) were quite a bad as yours and we wish you and your spouse the best in your endeavors. The life of RVing is full of challenges and as Matt indicated above having a sense of a purpose will likely lead to a much more satisfying RV experience.

There are lots of volunteering opportunities out there. Danielle and I are not full-timing but we take time to travel on extended trips up to a few months now and then. As much as we like the travel aspect of our journeys it's the volunteering we do along the way that makes the time even more special.

Identify your core pursuits and decide where that fits into your RVing life - giving back to others is a significant component of living a life that is happy, wild and free!

I know you didn't specifically ask for advice on volunteering opportunities but I'll make a shameless self-promotion for Habitat for Humanity RV Care-A-Vanners. It's a wonderful way to meet other RVers while building decent, affordable housing.

On Edit:

This blog is not related to full-timing but it is certainly about living life in an off-the-beaten-path manner, including early-retirement. Take a look at Mr. Money Mustache

[PSYS]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

...Being an adult means you see some shades of gray - and NO job or career doesn't have bad spots. Adults who are truly happy DO acknowledge and accept the dark parts as "just part of the job and part of life"...

Bingo.

Thankfully, at 40 years of age, I'm definitely not naive to think a perfect life or job exists. Obviously, it does not and as you referenced earlier - I'd spend a lifetime chasing that proverbial carrot.

BUT... I don't necessarily think I'm opting not to ride out a storm or refusing to take the bad with the good. Why would it be so shocking to simply say I'm not fulfilled in life or satisfied with my current situation and I'm opting for a permanent and structural change? I don't necessarily feel that makes me less of an adult, so to speak. Quite the contrary, actually, in my ever so humble opinion.

And again, I'm not saying that everyone who dislikes their job at one point in time (or any aspect of their life) should immediately sell all of their worldly belongings, buy an RV and live their life as a rover on the road. BUT... at the same time, if a certain person complains day in and day out about a certain aspect of their life and continues living their life the exact same way as they always do while expecting something to change... then, shame on them. If an individual wants to chalk all of that up to "being an adult", "sucking it up", "taking the good with the bad" and "just working hard"... so be it.

I'm opting to do something different.

"What Do You Desire?" by Alan Watts

[PSYS]

Originally Posted by millertimeUS

To the OP, just my thoughts. You never mentioned what you plan to DO, your new purpose. An airstream is not going to make you happy. I doubt a life whose purpose is to travel will suffice for long. A life dedicated to one'a self is a losing proposion. History is fraught with examples.

Toys, stuff, airstreams may provide FUN, but will never bring contentment. We all need to find purpose in why we do, it is obvious you see no purpose in your work. That is not your work's fault, nor your coworkers you dislike.

Find a passion that involves serving and helping the people of this world, and if that integrates into living full time and traveling then you just hit the jackpot brother. Best of luck.

Matt

Excellent points.

My in-laws work/live in Phoenix, AZ. They'll be retiring in a couple of years and we'd be going down to visit with them several months of the year as well as assist them in maintaining their home. In addition to that, I'd be spending some well-deserved time with my wife, enjoying the 47 contiguous states I've not had the pleasure of seeing, enjoying the photography that I love as well as practicing the art that I don't typically have the time to do.

Financially speaking, I know for a fact plenty of people live out of their RV full-time and partake in part-time and/or full-time jobs. Volunteering for camp site spaces is another popular consideration that I see is also plastered all over the internet. What else the financial part of it consists of, I've no idea. Been too busy hating my job.

[PSYS]

Originally Posted by nvestysly

Danielle and I can certainly relate to your lament. While we both had a certain level of disdain for the working world I don't think our case(s) were quite a bad as yours and we wish you and your spouse the best in your endeavors. The life of RVing is full of challenges and as Matt indicated above having a sense of a purpose will likely lead to a much more satisfying RV experience.

There are lots of volunteering opportunities out there. Danielle and I are not full-timing but we take time to travel on extended trips up to a few months now and then. As much as we like the travel aspect of our journeys it's the volunteering we do along the way that makes the time even more special.

Identify your core pursuits and decide where that fits into your RVing life - giving back to others is a significant component of living a life that is happy, wild and free!

Awesome info and much appreciated!

I can most certainly guarantee that I'd find some sort of purpose while on the road.

For my own shameless self-promotion, one of the things that I love doing are random acts of kindness. I do a lot of art (when I can) and actually own and operate the Free Art Friday - WISCONSIN Facebook page. Every week, I paint a new piece of art and then leave it on the streets of my community every Friday for a stranger to find, take home and love.

I've now organized FLOOD the streets with ART! (part II) which is essentially the largest free art drop in the world coordinated by yours truly. I'm asking every artist and creator to leave a piece of art somewhere within their community as a random act of kindness. This would all take place on the one day of the year that matters most... 11/28/2014 a.k.a BLACK FRIDAY. Why ?

The day before here in America, we celebrate Thanksgiving. We sit around with friends, family members and loved ones and give thanks for everything we have in our lives... and then? We rush out in the wee hours of the morning and push, shove and act barbaric just so we can get a four dollar toaster. That seems awfully silly.

I did this event last year on Black Friday and had 2,687 artists partake leaving one or more pieces of art on the streets of their community. Those artists were in all 50 states, 20+ different countries and every continent on our planet (including Antarctica)

This year, I've already got nearly 4,000 artists on board, ready to pounce and drop free art on the streets this Black Friday!

Purpose? ...yeah, I can think of a few I'd find on the road.

https://www.facebook.com/events/649474495168252/

[Tater]

Enjoy whatever you are doing. If you decide to full time it and travel, make the most out of whatever time you have. I've seen lots of people spend their "golden years" saying I wish I had done this or that. Best wishes with your decision.

[MeandMB]

I was forty once and felt the same as you, most jobs have their up's and downs and all professions require long and argous hours. The grass always looks greener and rarely is. Think in through.

Joe

[aftermath]

PSYS, newbie

I think there are a couple of things we as a society tell our young people that have proven to be complete lies and these have caused much heartache and tragedy along the way.

One is "you can be anything you want." Well, that is simply not true. No matter how hard I would try, I lack the strength, hand eye coordination and dexterity to be a professional golfer.

Another one is that we should do what we "love." Well, I doubt that many of us Love our work 24/7 as you are referring to in this quote.

Originally Posted by PSYS

...
Do you love what you do? And not only do you love what you do, but you love it so much that there is absolutely nothing else in the world you'd rather be doing than working full-time at your current place of employment. And on a scale of 1 to 10... 1 being you tolerate your job and 10 being you want to burn the place to the ground, where do you fit in?

...I've not come across one single individual as of yet (and I've asked 64 people as of today over the course of the last 2 weeks) who has given me a solid "YES". Not a "Yes, BUT..." This is a black & white question from my perspective. You don't get a "YES, but..." You don't get a "Sometimes..." You either get "YES" or "NO". For the second part of my question, all of them answered with an "8" or higher except for one "6" and a "7"...

I retired at 58 from a job I really liked. I was a high school math teacher and got a great deal of satisfaction from my effort. By your scale, because I did not Love it 100% of the time I would struggle to give it a score higher than a 2, something must be wrong.

Look, if you don't like your job you really do need to change. I would caution you about over reacting and selling everything and going on the road at the age of 40. While material things lead many astray, the pragmatist in me says that there is a need for some financial security as you move towards your 50s, 60s and 70s. Living in a trailer, seeking part time jobs to help pay for your rental fees and to put some food on the table does not sound like something I would "love" to do.

Someone has suggested that you try this part time to see how it goes before you jump into the deep water. I think that was a great bit of advice. Who knows, as you move around you might find something that you really would love to do, something that can provide some financial security. Best wishes as you negotiate this time in your life.

[nvestysly]

I really like the idea of Flood(ing) The Streets With Art. I'm not a Facebook user so I can't "like" it but I've passed the information along to several others.

[paiceman]

Scott:

A few suggestions from life's experiences. First and foremost whether you work to retirement age or bag it now do so with NO DEBT. No mortgage, no car loan and no student debt. and NO DEBT on your Airstream of tow vehicle. We worked until 65 with that as a major objective and made it. Also, figure out what you like to do and what you are good at and pursue either getting more training or improving those skill sets. At your age it's going to be tough to "retire" without a significant source of income. Regardless of how inexpensive you think you can live, double it. Trucks break, AS trailers break, things wear out, you must have Health Insurance now etc. Also consider setting up residence in an income tax free state, South Dakota is a good one to look at.

There are a number of books on this subject, get them and read them. We thought of the same thing you are only we also had kids. We decided to stick it out, save, keep physically fit and then at 65 retire with no money concerns, only health and fortunately we have been able to do so. If we had retired at 40 or so, not sure how we would make it financially at 75 or 80 when we could no longer or not easily do the AS bit.

Best of luck, as you stated this is not a rehearsal - its real and no matter what you do there are real consequences.

[PSYS]

Originally Posted by paiceman

Scott:

A few suggestions from life's experiences. First and foremost whether you work to retirement age or bag it now do so with NO DEBT. No mortgage, no car loan and no student debt. and NO DEBT on your Airstream of tow vehicle. We worked until 65 with that as a major objective and made it. Also, figure out what you like to do and what you are good at and pursue either getting more training or improving those skill sets. At your age it's going to be tough to "retire" without a significant source of income. Regardless of how inexpensive you think you can live, double it. Trucks break, AS trailers break, things wear out, you must have Health Insurance now etc. Also consider setting up residence in an income tax free state, South Dakota is a good one to look at.

There are a number of books on this subject, get them and read them. We thought of the same thing you are only we also had kids. We decided to stick it out, save, keep physically fit and then at 65 retire with no money concerns, only health and fortunately we have been able to do so. If we had retired at 40 or so, not sure how we would make it financially at 75 or 80 when we could no longer or not easily do the AS bit.

Best of luck, as you stated this is not a rehearsal - its real and no matter what you do there are real consequences.

Thank you so much!

Jut got several books on the subject coming from Amazon today. Also, I'm definitely not doing this tomorrow. As much as I'd love to, I'm still practical.

In the meantime, I've got my big boy pants on and realized I simply need to make the most of the situation I'm in. That includes putting my nose to the grind, paying everything off and saving.

Thanks to all of you who have replied. I appreciate the support as well as the awesome reality checks.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by aftermath

PSYS, newbie

I think there are a couple of things we as a society tell our young people that have proven to be complete lies and these have caused much heartache and tragedy along the way.

One is "you can be anything you want." Well, that is simply not true. No matter how hard I would try, I lack the strength, hand eye coordination and dexterity to be a professional golfer.

Another one is that we should do what we "love." Well, I doubt that many of us Love our work 24/7 as you are referring to in this quote.

I retired at 58 from a job I really liked. I was a high school math teacher and got a great deal of satisfaction from my effort. By your scale, because I did not Love it 100% of the time I would struggle to give it a score higher than a 2, something must be wrong.

Look, if you don't like your job you really do need to change. I would caution you about over reacting and selling everything and going on the road at the age of 40. While material things lead many astray, the pragmatist in me says that there is a need for some financial security as you move towards your 50s, 60s and 70s. Living in a trailer, seeking part time jobs to help pay for your rental fees and to put some food on the table does not sound like something I would "love" to do.

Someone has suggested that you try this part time to see how it goes before you jump into the deep water. I think that was a great bit of advice. Who knows, as you move around you might find something that you really would love to do, something that can provide some financial security. Best wishes as you negotiate this time in your life.

Two outstanding observations, in my opinion.

"You can be anything you want."

Two problems with this.

1) statistics. Want to be US President? You must be born in the US (that eliminates 7B residents of the planet). US citizens then have a 1 in >350M chance at the role and since it is usually occupied for 4-8 years at a time, you have better odds at the lottery (and note your odds of winning the lottery are statistically identical whether or not you play ;-) ). There are literally MILLIONS of kids who - for example - play football dreaming of playing in the NFL and there's about 1500 players a year who actually get that opportunity. Those 1500 are thousands of times better than (and may have had better breaks than) the several millions who think they can play at that level. If one is in that number of the million who really can't - being pissed or bummed that you're not in the NFL is a real waste of cycles....

2) the language we use is horrible. You can't "be" your job. You can DO your job, but you can't BE it. We tend to make the job our identity - this might have been useful centuries ago (it could be helpful in a village without Internet to know that Mr. Schumacher is the guy you see about having your shoes made) but it's a convention that may cause more harm than good. One works for a Fortune 100 company and gets unceremoniously laid off. Is s/he a failure? Is s/he no longer a good human? Has his/her identity actually changed?

So, dear OP - my free advice - worth everything you're paying for it - unless you're independently resourceful, try thinking about liking what you have while you're taking every step you can toward having what you like. I wouldn't recommend staying in a situation you hate outright - but since the vast majority of the population just will not have their imagined dream job, the person who can find meaning and beauty in their work now is well ahead of most of the population.

Or if you legitimately can live off the land for the next 40+ years without needing health care or other significant financial resources - dive on in and God bless!

And FWIW - I'm the guy who fully acknowledges that my absolute worst day camping is 10,000 times better than my best day in the office. While I'm squirreling away some nuts to hasten retirement myself, I'm aware that the condition you describe isn't uncommon so I try my best to make the working world a little better for my team than they might otherwise experience. That itself gives me a sense of purpose and makes the grind that much more tolerable.

Everyone's mileage varies. Really wish you the best of luck.

[dbj216]

PSYS - Being a hobo isn't the answer, even in an Airstream. It would get terribly boring and depressing pretty quick. It would cost $800 to pull an Airstream to Phoenix. You hate your job. So start your own job. I heard an old saying down in Iowa "don't judge a person by what they have, judge them by what they don't need." I have a farmer friend who needs almost nothing from the outside community. He grows his own, he makes his own, and he sells the excess that he doesn't give to the neighbor. The Amish are the same way.

I agree with earlier posts that helping others is the most satisfying endeavor of all. So assess your skills and passions and seek independence. Maybe teach art at the elementary level. Children are the most positive things! Helping them grow would be very satisfying.

Quit that darn job that you hate now. Never allow yourself to regret the coming day. It's a free country, take action! Search for a new beginning. But I doubt very much that living in an cold leaky Airstream would satisfy you.

David

PS Go to the rescue league and pick out a cute puppy!

[PSYS]

I get it.

Continue going through the days and not living life to the fullest.
Don't buy an Airstream because they're "cold & leaky".
Don't travel or see the U.S. at such a young age otherwise, I'll fail miserably.
And don't be a hobo.

Good grief. I had to look around and make sure which forum I was on.

Any other advice?

[Piggy Bank]

Other advice?

Realize that dreams are important in soothing away the sharp edges of the daily grind.

So enjoy the planning! It's the process.....

[PSYS]

I love the planning part of it!