Looking to Learn!

[LizzieBean]

Hey, everyone! My name's Lis, and I'm a 29 year old cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. I'm currently living in New Jersey, after a somewhat abrupt breakup with my boyfriend of 8 1/2 years, whom I had lived with for 7, forced me to move out of the apartment we shared in Philadelphia.

After my break-up (and after the initial first wave of shock and depression), I began looking at my life, and realized that I had done very little with myself since moving to Philly. I had been pushing and working to peruse my freelance art and self-published comics, but I almost never left the house and my social life was nonexistent. I got the crazy idea during one trip back from my father's after dropping off some of my things that I would buy an RV and full-time. My work allows me to literally work from anywhere so long as I have access to an internet connection, electricity, and some way to ship packages. I also have friends and family scattered around the US, allowing me to visit people I usually never get to see as well as meet new people. And of course, actually get OUTSIDE and see all the amazing things this country has to offer!

I realize that you guys probably have a lot of people coming here with no RV experience confidently declaring they will be full-timers. Which is why I, instead, am coming here proudly declaring that I want to learn as much as I can about Airstreams, RV living, and everything related to it, to decide if this is in fact something I want to do, or if it is just a crazy notion I cooked up to keep myself from getting post-breakup depression and maybe save it for the future when I'm more settled and want some way to escape for occasional camping trips.

Right now, my dream trailer is one of the 30' Safari Bunkhouses (I know, I just HAD to pick one of the rare ones), because it allows me to use the large bedroom as a studio/office once the bed is removed, while still having another dedicated bed (ideally the layout with the wider bunk beds). I'm also shopping around for a truck, but I know I need to do a LOT more research as far as what exactly I need and what I can afford before I say what kind I'm going with or not.

I don't mind if you think I'm crazy, and in fact I definitely encourage you to step forward and say something. I am still going to do a lot of research and take this plan as seriously as possible - I'll be renting an RV with friends in a month for 2 weeks to give living in a small footprint a test-run - and any advice/warnings/concerns is only going to help me make sure my preparations and research are that much more thorough.

So I guess that's me! I'll probably be doing mostly lurking for a while, but I look forward to reading through and learning from you guys as much as I can very soon!

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums, Lis. We're glad to have you with us. Your plan is basically sound. It might need some tweaking as you proceed. You have found the right place here on the Forums to get the information that you will need.

[BIGED52]

Lizzie, Welcome to the Forums! Before you think about renting one let me ask you one question. What will you pull the rental trailer with? You need to know what size of trailer and weight it is along with tongue weight to be able to search for the proper tow vehicle. Plan in advance for the heavier trailer you may purchase in the future so upgrading the TV won't be necessary! The ideal tow vehicle (TV) will need a tow package and transmission oil cooler along with a brake controller. It must be rated to tow at least 20% more weight than the trailer will weigh loaded. Keep in mind that any items to be carried in the TV as well as people all count in the weight that the TV will be required to haul. Ed

[SpikeC]

Best of luck with your quest! You have a great opportunity to do some serious exploration here.

[Kevin245]

Welcome LizzieBean,

We're glad to have you here with us regardless of the circumstances. Wishing you success in your search for the "Perfect Rig" and with the first post under your belt you're no longer considered a Lurker.

[Big C]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
We have a good friend who lives in Jersey.
First off, you ain't crazy. Little Texas slang there, but you will just love traveling and the outdoors. The countryside, the fabulous people you will meet along the way. You never know who you will meet. Just last year on a trip to Aspen and Crested Butte we were in the local grocery store in Aspen. Walk in, looking around like the tourists we were and the manager walks up to help. Turns out he had lived not far from us here in Texas. Great catch and release trout fishing there by the way,,, My wife had a great time biking the grades,,,
Only one example of many...
Don't get discouraged since "the best laid plans" always need tweaking along the way to your destination.
Chris

[billdunlap]

Lis,

Welcome to the Airstream forum. You will find a lot of great information here. You might also want check Escapees Discussion Forum which is the Escapees forum. Many on this site are full-time RVers. Best of luck.

Bill Dunlap
Mammoth Lakes, CA

[Hibby]

LizzieBean,

Big C is mistaken... You are in fact crazy, and you'll fit right in. If you pursue this, and it doesn't work out the way you had hoped, you have plenty of time to change direction. On the other hand, if you choose not to pursue it, you will always wonder if it was an opportunity that you should have taken!

You'll meet many wonderful and helpful people along the way.

We look forward to following with you step-by-step through this adventure!

[Big C]

Originally Posted by Hibby

LizzieBean,

Big C is mistaken... You are in fact crazy, and you'll fit right in. If you pursue this, and it doesn't work out the way you had hoped, you have plenty of time to change direction. On the other hand, if you choose not to pursue it, you will always wonder if it was an opportunity that you should have taken!

You'll meet many wonderful and helpful people along the way.

We look forward to following with you step-by-step through this adventure!

Hibby,
I was just trying to be nice... Our kids think we are and my in-laws done wrote me off a long time ago, but they think my wife of 32 years is just fine and dandy. But she is my accomplice and bestest friend in the world hehehehehe

[LizzieBean]

Originally Posted by BIGED52

Lizzie, Welcome to the Forums! Before you think about renting one let me ask you one question. What will you pull the rental trailer with? You need to know what size of trailer and weight it is along with tongue weight to be able to search for the proper tow vehicle. Plan in advance for the heavier trailer you may purchase in the future so upgrading the TV won't be necessary! The ideal tow vehicle (TV) will need a tow package and transmission oil cooler along with a brake controller. It must be rated to tow at least 20% more weight than the trailer will weigh loaded. Keep in mind that any items to be carried in the TV as well as people all count in the weight that the TV will be required to haul. Ed

For my first rental, I was planning on just getting a standard motorhome rather than a trailer. I figure for my first foray into mobile living, going that route would be a good first step; it'd be more of a test to see if the small footprint will drive me nuts or not, rather than ALSO worrying about tow weights and hitches and all of that. If this first trip goes well, dealing with a trailer will be test trip two.

I was planning on getting a truck anyway, trailer or no (I don't do a lot of casual day-to-day driving, and the few times I do it's always because I need to transport large amounts of stuff), so once a truck has been acquired with my someday trailer purchase in mind, THEN I will give a trailer rental a go.

[SafariSS]

there is a sweet bunkhouse 30 on ebay now!!

[TBRich]

Hey Lizzie... Welcome to the Forums!

Knowing what we know now when we were younger, we might very well have been tempted to take the leap for the kind of adventure you seek... There's nothing wrong with your dream. You are young and it's easy to change your direction if you decide you need to or want to change it down the road (literally).

Renting a motor home first is a good idea. We rented a Class C when we were contemplating entering the RV lifestyle... motivated by a dog who had such dramatic health issues that we could not leave her with anyone (not even the vet wanted to take care of her)...so we couldn't even think about taking a "normal" vacation. Ever.

We had a blast with the rental and so did the dogs...and the rest is history... We bought a small motor home shortly thereafter ... and 3 years later sold it and bought our Bambi... We wish we had done it sooner! Now the dog is gone, bless her heart, but our RVing continues and is not going away any time soon.

There's a lot of knowledge packed into this Forum and there are a lot of really helpful and friendly folks to help you learn...

Good luck!

[Uzzah]

You can always rent an apartment, but you don't always get the opportunity to be totally free and roam, while still working. Even if you only do it for a short time, what have you lost? I for one plan on living vicariously through you if you end up doing it.

[LizzieBean]

Originally Posted by SafariSS

there is a sweet bunkhouse 30 on ebay now!!

I saw that! I'm not quite ready to rush out and buy a trailer right now though, and won't be seriously looking to make a purchase for at least another few months. Still need to save up for it AND a tow vehicle first!