I don't think I can full-time

[zapper]

Originally Posted by pdavitt

Be careful of the "Grass is always Greener" syndrome.

I recently retired from a high stress, high paying job. After about a year away from it I was bored, really bored. So I started a project that is more stressful than my old job; instead of using OPM (Other Peoples Money), I'm using my own. Life is good again.

What ever floats your boat, is right for you.

Pat

Originally Posted by rlhendren

So my original plan was to sell everything and full time in the Airstream. But after much thought, I think a better option for me would be to sell most and half-time in the Airstream.

Here's the setup: Burnt out at my high paying job, but in an industry that once I quit, there's no going back. Single with a 15 year old daughter whose college fund is completely funded. Currently living in a ridiculously cool and ridiculously big house which is on the historic register. Again, burnt out at my high paying job (I feel like I really need to stress that one).

So I bought a house which is the polar opposite of my current one. It's 1/3rd the size, no frills, very low maintenance, on a lot big enough to park the Airstream as well. And now I'm in the process of downsizing my possessions so that everything I own will fit in a much smaller house.

I can't really put into words how cathartic it is get rid of all this stuff. Every time I place a really beautiful (insert possession here) into the "give away/sell" pile, it is a huge relief! One less thing to dust around in the new house! But even though I've loaded up one dumpster with junk, have the dining room filled with to-be-garage-saled items, plans to get rid of 3 sofas, 2 love seats, three chairs, 1 bed, etc, it's still difficult to get rid of enough stuff so that what's left will fit in a smaller house. I cannot even begin to imagine getting rid of enough stuff so that it all fits in an Airstream! And this is why I cannot full-time in an Airstream.

The proceeds from the sale of the current house will give me a big enough nest egg to retire to a modest life style. The smaller house will decrease my monthly expenses so that I can still afford to travel. I'm trimming unnecessary expenses, eating out less, trying to eat both better and cheaper at the same time (sort of difficult), etc.

So thank you to all the members of this forum who have posted on ways to live a more frugal lifestyle! I'm taking your advice. Hopefully by the end of 2018 or 2019, I can retire to my life as an Airstream half-timer.

Not sure there was a question here. By inference in the subject line rlhendren seems to be searching for an answer to a question only she can answer. Wish you luck.

[gary1burke]

Hi CWF,

Looks like you may be part of the North Texas Airstream Community? We are coming that way in mid-April, would welcome the opportunity to connect. We've had our 27 Int for 1.5 years now, and this is our first BIG trip - planning to be out close to 2 months. Any tips are appreciated!

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by zapper

Not sure there was a question here. By inference in the subject line rlhendren seems to be searching for an answer to a question only she can answer. Wish you luck.

You're exactly right! There wasn't a true question. But one of the things I appreciate about this board is the friendly advice that you receive, even when you don't ask for it! Lot's of helpful thoughts, words of encouragement, "don't forget about _____" comments, etc.

I posted here because it's semi-anonymous. I can't really tell these things to my coworkers and there's only a few friends that I trust enough to keep it under wraps until I'm ready to pull the trigger and retire.

I do appreciate all of the comments, however.

[75Bob]

I retired in 16 and took wife (made her quit) and our AS and went to find a place to live because our monster house is way to big and taxes for something we no longer use is wasteful. She wants a house for 6 months a year, I want a pole barn for my hobbies. Our dilemma is, do we buy the house up north and travel south during winter, or buy a house say in Santa Fe and travel north in the summer. High school will fly by and your daughter will be off to college and then gone. Your on the right path and go slow is definitely good advice. Don't waste time over thinking your old work situation as time will take care of that for you. Enjoy your daughter and your AS, you only get one life.

[Hittenstiehl]

It sounds like you are on a good path. Knowing and thinking about the possiblities and limitations is part of the process.

Maybe chapter 2.3 has work but not the kind you do now.

I assume I can full time but never tried it and WAY to much material stuff. DH is pretty sure he can not full time so I'm pretty sure we'll be good part-timers. For now when we go we're never quite ready to come home.

[Rgentum]

I don't mean this as criticism --- each to his or her own --- I just want to say that I don't understand "full-timing" --- it just seems to me to be "wandering," which for me is a pleasant relief for a while, and after a month or two of being out in our AS, I want to "do" something, work on a project, solve some problems --- be productive. I know there are lots of people who "full time" or "half time" or whatever --- and that's fine, and I have no problem with them or their doing it. I just get bored and restless after a while being "out and about" and "just don't get" the idea of doing that on a more or less permanent basis.

I retired in 2015, and if I didn't have something semi-challenging to keep me at least moderately busy since then, I would have gone nuts (which presumes I haven't gone nuts already).

In any event, rlhendren, I wish you my best in finding what's right for you.

[demijac]

We've been full-timing for four years which to us means traveling eight to nine months of the year and staying put at each of our two home bases - Oregon Coast and Texas Hill Country for six to eight weeks at a time. After our kids graduated from college - we sold everything and haven't looked back. Our plan is to do the Airstream thing for several more years and then settle down in one of the cool areas we've visited.

Our transition to the Airstream lifestyle took several years - we went from 6,000 sq ft to 3,200 sq feet to 1,200 sq feet to our 27FB (I'm afraid to ask) sq feet.

It sounds like you are well on your way through your transition. As others have noted, there is no right or wrong answer as to how fast you complete it and where you land with regard to your definition of full-timing.

One thing to consider for both you and your daughter. It helps to always have the sense that you have a place to come back to. It doesn't have to be a house that you own - it could be, as in our case, staying in the same house every year on the Oregon Coast and parking in the same RV resort when we spend the Holidays with our grand kids in the Texas Hill Country. Not having a sense of having a place to come back to can be disconcerting for some. It might be a good idea to understand where both you and your daughter are on that and how important it might be for each of you.

And one final thing, with regard to retirement and boredom and maybe going back to work. There are lots of fun jobs out there if boredom is the issue. They may not pay the same but usually, if you are able to retire early, they don't need to as boredom is more of an issue than money.

Good luck feeling your way through all the little decisions that are part of your process. You usually can't go wrong by taking it slow and avoiding impulsive decisions. Sounds like that's the path you are already on.

Cheers!

[kdickinson]

Lifestyle is a very personal decision. Options for lifestyle are really driven by available resources and health. Not that it matters what I think but I agree that full-timing is not an option for us simply because the trips we make now are fun and the time away changes our routine. If our routine becomes living in the trailer then being in the trailer every single day of the year becomes the norm. We have met several full-timers in the past several years and there are several reasons for full-timing. Some are forced into it because of life circumstances, others consciously make it a lifestyle and are committed to it long term, others full time because of their work. The group of full-timers that is our (older) age have found that their flexibility and free-style living is not so much that way. Their calendar is driven by family milestones (birthday, graduations, weddings, etc) and holidays. Also - as another poster says - run the numbers and look at the finances. It can be cheaper but you pay for what you get and it is all relative. And, an RV even an Airstream is a depreciating asset whereas a home or land tends to build value over time. Lots to think about for sure!

[1973Argosy]

Originally Posted by Slimpockets

Any chance your female? If so send pics of your Airstream! I'm kidding! Count your blessings. Life is short so have some fun along the way.

Thanks for the smile!

[nvestysly]

To the OP, as well as others, who are thinking of retirement, planning someday for retirement or already retired...

Be sure to check out early-retirement.org which is a companion web site to Air Forums. Both forums, as well as many others, are owned/operated by Andy R. e-r.org has lots of very useful information on a wide variety of topics related to life with a focus on downsizing/frugality/retirement.

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by nvestysly

To the OP, as well as others, who are thinking of retirement, planning someday for retirement or already retired...

Be sure to check out early-retirement.org which is a companion web site to Air Forums. Both forums, as well as many others, are owned/operated by Andy R. e-r.org has lots of very useful information on a wide variety of topics related to life with a focus on downsizing/frugality/retirement.

Yes, I love early-retirement.org. It's a great site and I second your recommendation!

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by Slimpockets

Any chance your female? If so send pics of your Airstream! I'm kidding! Count your blessings. Life is short so have some fun along the way.

Haha no, I'm male. Do you still want pics of the airstream? lol

[Slimpockets]

Originally Posted by rlhendren

Haha no, I'm male. Do you still want pics of the airstream? lol

Well I guess not. That would be even harder to explain to my wife.

I understand where you are at. I'm getting to the same point. When I step back and look at my job it's not bad enough to make me go yet. I'm paid well enough and health insurance is expensive. Starting my career over would be an expensive mistake for me.

I'm going to enjoy my time off as much as I can along the way. I have a few more years before my kids are done with school anyway. I'm not miserable at work just annoyed. I was furloughed 3 times during my career and it make me worry about money. When things are good I get nervous. The thing that makes me want to retire early is my dad died youngish (65). I enjoy life but I tolerate the job. I'm unsure of knowing the moment I have saved enough to start having fun all the time.

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by Slimpockets

The thing that makes me want to retire early is my dad died youngish (65). I enjoy life but I tolerate the job. I'm unsure of knowing the moment I have saved enough to start having fun all the time.

Yes, I understand completely and that's pretty much where I'm at. I could retire now but things would be tight. A couple more years of working/saving and I'll have a much bigger safety net. Of course, the one variable that I cannot control is how long I'll live. My neighbor once told me that he has plenty of money to last the rest of his life, but he must die when he's 90. My father died at 55. His mom died at 99. So that's a pretty big range. I'm shooting for having enough money to make it until age 90. Hopefully after that I'll be too senile to care if I'm broke!

[Lily&Me]

It seems you have an advantage that many others looking to quit the rat race and Airstream-it do not...adequate funds from selling your too-large house and its too-much stuff for you and your daughter to live comfortably without your job-related income.

If the job is making you crazy, and you are financially secure without it, why stay? But think the leap thru very carefully before you jump, including health insurance benefits for you and your daughter...perhaps consult a financial planner.

If you find yourself bored and at loose ends at some point, you could surely find something worthwhile to occupy your mind and time....either for a salary, or by donating your well-honed talents to and thru a non-profit to those in need.

I think that downsizing to a smaller home is a good first step, regardless of what you do about your job, but I wouldn’t get rid of a home base just yet...if ever.

It is really, really nice to have “home” to come back to, and your teenaged daughter may especially need that, whether she or you realize that at this time.

Most teens value more than life itself the ability to hang out with their friends, and do the things teens do as they find their way into productive adulthood. A nomadic lifestyle might work against that.

If she loves to travel, and being on the road with Dad seems like a great idea, it still doesn’t seem like a launchpad into successful adulthood, to me, and that is our end goal with our children.

She needs to go to college and/or work at a job, to gain the skills and life foundation she needs to eventually become a productive adult. A nomadic lifestyle may also work against this.

Look at this part carefully, perhaps have a chat with her guidance counselor at high school about how hitting the road might impact your daughter in ways you cannot imagine.

One step at a time, that’s my suggestion.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide and how it all works out.

Maggie

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

One step at a time, that’s my suggestion.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide and how it all works out.

Maggie

Maggie! I read your posts all the time and love them! You're always so level-headed and full of good advice. I don't agree with you 100% on everything, but it's still good advice! I'm honored that you read my post! hahahaha

And thanks for the input. The nomadic lifestyle won't work until the offspring is well into self-sufficiency and on her own. So any extended traveling is several years out. I agree that I need a home base, and my daughter really really really needs a home base.

This will certainly be a process that may take 10 years. I'm not an impulsive person. Slow and steady. So downsize the house and possessions for now. Track my ACTUAL yearly expenses (I'm 4 months in). Check out opportunities to work less at my current job rather than fully retire. Start taking more frequent and sometimes longer summer trips in the Airstream with and without the progeny. Etc. I'll keep you posted!

[BAB]

Good to have these kinds of conversations early in life. There’s a lot to be said for living a balanced life: personal, family, work, community, spiritual. I doubt anyone ever gets a “perfect” grade on this, but research shows that if you are working more than 50 hours a week you may be avoiding something else. And, there is no headstone in any cemetery in the world that is engraved with, “if only I’d spent more time at the office."

[utahredrock]

I full-timed for 2.5 years in a '73 Airstream and LOVED it. I mean, it was amazing.

But I also had a purpose. I ran a little business on the road going to rock and gem shows (and sometimes doing my own small shows). I sold meteorites and jewelry and other stuff.

Having places to go and things to do were what made it great. I also reconnected with so many friends and family . . . showing up with my own traveling home so I had my own space.

My business wasn't especially profitable but I met amazing people--in the meteorite world and the Airstream world.

If you're going to full-time it seems like you still need to have a purpose . . . something to do. Some people are blogger/youtubers. There are writers and passionate photographers. There are craftspeople who make all sorts of cool things . . .

I think a life of pure leisure has serious limits. But everyone has different needs/wishes/desires/dreams.

What are yours?

I miss my full-timing days and hope to do it again sometime.

[kb0zke]

Five years ago we bought our Foretravel with the intention of full-timing when I retired two years later. Shortly after buying the coach things blew up at the school where I was teaching and I retired. We had already done the research before buying the coach but hadn't done much about getting rid of the excess stuff. We spent a year doing all of that, then hit the road.

We were empty-nesters and our kids weren't all that interested in coming back to our place, so we decided that we'd go visit them. From what you said about your daughter, you would be well served in planning to go full-time after she graduates from high school. You will be busy in the next year or two looking at various college options, and your Airstream may come in handy when you make some college visits. She can choose whatever college has the best program for her chosen career because you can visit her at breaks, or you can be set up in a nice warm place (Florida, maybe) for Christmas and she can come down to the beach.

Start looking at where you might want to domicile, then consider your mail forwarding service. Escapees.com will give you some good information, and you will definitely want to join them.

As for what to do when you get bored, have you considered volunteering? We learned about Habitat For Humanity's RV Care-A-Vanners on this forum, and we've done several builds over the past couple of years. We also work with our church's Laborers For Christ group that helps Lutheran congregations and related entities with their building and remodeling projects. We also volunteer as campground hosts. I don't know what skills you have, but you can certainly find something do do - and you only have to work as it as long as you want.

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

As for what to do when you get bored, have you considered volunteering? We learned about Habitat For Humanity's RV Care-A-Vanners on this forum, and we've done several builds over the past couple of years. We also work with our church's Laborers For Christ group that helps Lutheran congregations and related entities with their building and remodeling projects. We also volunteer as campground hosts. I don't know what skills you have, but you can certainly find something do do - and you only have to work as it as long as you want.

I like your thinking. And any time I mention retirement to someone, there's about a 50% chance that they respond with "won't you get bored?"

Well, this is speaking a little out of turn since I don't have any experience with being retired. But I honestly don't understand people that keep working just because they fear that they will be bored in retirement. I understand delaying retirement if you love, or even like, your job. But all things being equal and assuming one has the financial security to retire, why would anybody keep working at a job that they DON'T enjoy just to avoid boredom? There are lots of things that you can do - volunteer, get a different job that you enjoy which may or may not pay well, try new hobbies, travel, etc. But waking up and dreading getting ready for work EVERY SINGLE DAY (like I am as I type this) is NOT better than being bored.

Thanks for your input. It really is appreciated.