Full Timing: Greenhorn Airstream Owner

[Pagey]

We are in our first year living full time in our 31' Classic. We have customized it to make it our home and have no regrets about getting rid of the inherited stuff and selling the house. In fact, we are still getting rid of stuff.

In this first year, husband has gone to school to get a certification as an RV technician, we work camped for six months at an RV park in Florida, played in Florida state parks, boondocked with RV Dreams in Tallahassee, and are presently in SC with Maggie Hayes and others awaiting the beginning of Alumalina. From here, we will be making our way to Yellowstone, where we have above minimum wage, seasonal jobs awaiting us. We have made new friends and then said goodbye as they roll their way and we roll ours.

This life is not for everyone, but we find it quite comfortable. We sometimes think we should have gone smaller and may in the future.

[FreshAirStmr]

We are now 9 weeks into full-timing in our new Classic. We are still (and will be for months) deciding what we need and don't need, but we have no doubt that the Classic has enough (and maybe more than enough) storage and living space for us. It's also extremely comfortable to live in, which is key for us as full-timers.

I was sweating our Escapees SmartWeigh appointment last week, certain that we were carrying too much in our truck and in our trailer. But happily we found we are well under the maximum weights in all categories, which is great news especially considering we already know of several items we want to get rid of. We'll also be adding bikes soon.

Since being on the road, we've toured the rigs of friends we've met along the way -- all Class As and Fifth Wheels. Our private reaction to all the storage and living space they have is not envy, but relief -- relief that our lives aren't complicated by the cleaning, care and maintenance of those bigger rigs along with all the extra stuff one can bring along. No judgment -- just different approaches to the roaming life.

Joanne

[Ninanet]

My first plan was to full time but after lurking on this forum it's changed to selling the farm (tired of mowing grass and upkeep) getting a small (tiny) apartment that I can come back to in winter . I decided that I want to be home for the winter Hollidays .

[Lily&Me]

That's what we've always done.


Maggie

[BoldAdventure]

I feel like those of us who find our Airstreams have "enough" room or "more than enough" are in a small minority of people.

Running out of space = Problems I don't have.

[Lily&Me]

I find a lot of full timers out there, BA, who are very happy living on the road.

For some of us, it is not a matter of "space" but of having loved ones we want to be near....so having a home base to be with them is important to us.

Wouldn't be without my little house, where I raised my kids and have my grandkids, for just those reasons.


Maggie

['55 Airlight]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Wouldn't be without my little house, where I raised my kids and have my grandkids, for just those reasons.

Maggie

Agreed, Maggie!

Before I retired, I'd traveled 'round the world a couple of times on jobs, and was out of state away from my home-sweet-home on many more, sometimes for two or three months. I'll admit when I was on location, I missed my home -- my house! -- like a member of the family. I built it 35 years ago, I don't want to give it up, it gives me joy.

So I am one of those seasonal full-timers who lives in his little trailer for three months a year, camping around the west. My annual spring-into-summer ramble and drift, returning to vintage trailer rallies year after year, renewing old friendships, is the life for me -- and in part, for my wife.. It recalls an authentic American western tradition, when mountain men and Native Americans annually met for a weeks long rendezvous, to catch up on a year's worth of stories, to re=provision, make a swap meet, trade, gift old friends, drink lots of firewater -- a nice tall cool refreshing cocktail in camp! -- to feast, and to laugh.

Oh so eager to hitch up and head out! Just a few more weeks now.
<Michael>

[kb0zke]

Our children are 1100 miles apart, so having a base doesn't really make sense to us. We're also physically able to travel and want to see as much of the country as we can while we can. Eventually we'll have to settle down somewhere, but at this point we don't know where that might be.

BTW, we sold/gave away/threw away most of our stuff before we hit the road. Some is still in "storage" with our children with the idea that if we ever want any of it back we get it, otherwise it is theirs. That way they aren't going to have to deal with a bunch of stuff when we no longer need it. Those questions have already been taken care of.

[KJRitchie]

Originally Posted by Ninanet

My first plan was to full time but after lurking on this forum it's changed to selling the farm (tired of mowing grass and upkeep) getting a small (tiny) apartment that I can come back to in winter . I decided that I want to be home for the winter Hollidays .

So for the majority of the year you are not using the apartment or you just find an apartment for the winter each year? I don't think I'd want to pay rent and utilities on something I don't use most of the year unless you can afford it.

We have thought about a buying place that we could rent out during the travel season, a vacation rental, and return back to it during the winter but not sure if we want to mess with something like this.
Kelvin

[Ray Eklund]

Several days ago the local news reported flooding conditions in low areas of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The snow was melting and the ground was saturated with water having no place to go, except into flat areas supporting trailer parks.

As the worst of the RV Park was being scanned... THREE Airstream trailers in the mud and puddles in all their glory. Apparently everyone else was getting out before it became a worse situation.

Makes you want to Full Time in the mountain ski resorts... and join the Spring Thaw.

If anyone has skied Steamboat Springs in the Winter... the new snow seems to be a daily event while there. It would be interesting if any of these Airstream trailers frequent the Airforum. Maybe a few more weeks before that dries out... after this next storm expected by this weekend.

Steamboat Springs Campground

Searched on the internet and did not see any photographs of the RV Park... but then again there are 123,000 results to narrow it down.

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Several days ago the local news reported flooding conditions in low areas of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The snow was melting and the ground was saturated with water having no place to go, except into flat areas supporting trailer parks.

As the worst of the RV Park was being scanned... THREE Airstream trailers in the mud and puddles in all their glory. Apparently everyone else was getting out before it became a worse situation.

Makes you want to Full Time in the mountain ski resorts... and join the Spring Thaw.

If anyone has skied Steamboat Springs in the Winter... the new snow seems to be a daily event while there. It would be interesting if any of these Airstream trailers frequent the Airforum. Maybe a few more weeks before that dries out... after this next storm expected by this weekend.

Steamboat Springs Campground

Searched on the internet and did not see any photographs of the RV Park... but then again there are 123,000 results to narrow it down.

I found this photo.

[truxpin]

My wife & I are Full timers of a different sort. We were tired of home ownership, we did it mostly for the kids. ( now grown & on their own ! ) We wanted to be free of all the debt & maintenance of the "keeping up with the Jones's" lifestyle. My father spent his first 8 years of retirement touring the USA on his Harley, the next 5 on a sailboat along the West coast. This is the kind of experience we want. Our only problem..... we're only in our mid 40's and still have about a decade of work before we can "jump". Our solution..... We tell people we're " retirees in training" We bought the Airstream, sold the house, got rid of all the "stuff" & moved somewhere warm (Tucson)
For the time being and considering our age, it's the best of both worlds. We get to enjoy the RV lifestyle here in the park, when we take off for vacation we literally get to bring the "house" with us and gain all the RV travel experience at the same time. Our new "mortgage" (Airstream) was paid for 26 years quicker than our house and was about $1300/ month easier on the budget. With savings like that and our remaining decade of work ahead of us, it's giving us the opportunity to "supercharge" our 401k's and IRA's. When we finally make that leap to "real" full timing, we'll be seasoned veterans!!

[Ray Eklund]

Post #51.... Lakeside camping, alright.

Great photo and the ability to find it gives Thalweg the first open site at this Campground next Spring for a Senior discounted rate.

[Ray Eklund]

truxpin... not everyone is capable of making that trade off for space and stuff to fill that space. You are probably one out of 100 who thought making the transition would be possible. One common thing I have noticed were those Full Timing... was in a 34 foot.

Some day you may have to open a Thread and explain HOW you managed to do this and succeed.

Money Management for those attempting to downsize would be very interesting. Some RV Parks are very proud of their monthly rates. I find that true in Boulder City, NV where you can own your site but pay those monthly 'maintenance fees'.

I could have used a trailer beginning in the late 1960's at 19 years old, had I the influence of those who knew what they were talking about and been capable of getting the trailer / tow vehicle financial hurdle. I would have camped out along the Vertebrate Fossil sites at Ranches in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming and had an entirely different life to experience. A tent was nice... but a 20 to 25 foot trailer... wow!

You have done what few can. Make the best of it and make better use of your savings for the day you can hook up and go anywhere, any time and not concerned how to make ends meet.

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Post #51.... Lakeside camping, alright.

Great photo and the ability to find it gives Thalweg the first open site at this Campground next Spring for a Senior discounted rate.

I think that fifth-wheeler is pulled by a boat. If only I knew how to use Photoshop....

[Jeffndaile]

OK do I dare write our story.....
I am 55 years old my wife is 45 years old. We got married 24 years ago and over a lot of coffee a lot of mornings we discovered that children were never going to be in the grand scheme of things. Several reasons why come to mind but mostly childhood memories clinched any desire. As a child growing up, mom and dad always had it hard. Food came hard, bills came hard, the car payment came hard, and things were just.... hard. Coupled with the fact that my parents were Gypsies didn't make things any better. I was branded slow to learn and believed it, hook, line and sinker until I was in my 30s.
Nothing is worse on anybody than when you become self branded as a, shall we say, simple minded person. I later figured out that I was smarter than my parents figured I was after going to college and getting a degree. That made me feel better about myself but unfortunately it didn't improve my overall financial standing and probably realistically won't. (Not being hard on myself here)
I got married when I was 30, my wonderful wife and I started a great adventure with dreams not very high off the ground (which, by the way makes them more attainable). The pinnacle of our "home achievement" was to own our own airstream trailer. We bought that old airstream trailer and commenced to poor blood sweat and tears in it and about $20,000 later had a very nicely rebuilt unit. One day while draining the black tank and I was doing a refill rinse got sidetracked and overflowed the toilet by no small measure and got so irritated with myself that I entertained ideas of living in a single wide mobile home of sorts. To make a long story a little shorter we ended up buying that single wide mobile home on a rented lot and our landlords were so nice to oblige us in every building project we wanted to do that we soon had a Doublewide on a rented lot with no real idea that we, in about 10 years time would have to move that whole monstrosity to another lot due to plumbing issues in the ground. We were really proud of our house unfortunately the only thing that was of value at that point was the trailer it's self underneath all of the other building that I had done and so all of the building materials got donated to my landlord and we took what we could get for the trailer, paid off a few bills and decided unanimously that it was time to go back to our beloved airstream trailer.
The funny thing was that we reminisced about our little airstream just about every week that we were in the mobile home and are very happy to be back where things just make sense. My wife and I have always been tiny house people. After getting married we lived in our Volkswagen bus for three months and I figured if we were still married after that we had something good going. And something good is exactly what we have:-)

Full timing for us just simply means that our airstream is not skirted and is ready for an adventurous weekend whenever the mood strikes. If things get too hard, or if Bills stack up or life just gets too serious, in 45 minutes we could have this critter taken down and be on our way to anywhere else.
Sometimes the work week gets overwhelming and it just feels good to drive my little work van up to the front of this trailer and look at what's possible even if we don't go anywhere all winter long. Happy state of mind, northern Idaho

[Jeffndaile]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

I feel like those of us who find our Airstreams have "enough" room or "more than enough" are in a small minority of people.

Running out of space = Problems I don't have.

Love that statement:-)

[stanlee]

Originally Posted by Jeffndaile

OK do I dare write our story.....
I am 55 years old my wife is 45 years old. We got married 24 years ago and over a lot of coffee a lot of mornings we discovered that children were never going to be in the grand scheme of things. Several reasons why come to mind but mostly childhood memories clinched any desire. As a child growing up, mom and dad always had it hard. Food came hard, bills came hard, the car payment came hard, and things were just.... hard. Coupled with the fact that my parents were Gypsies didn't make things any better. I was branded slow to learn and believed it, hook, line and sinker until I was in my 30s.
Nothing is worse on anybody than when you become self branded as a, shall we say, simple minded person. I later figured out that I was smarter than my parents figured I was after going to college and getting a degree. That made me feel better about myself but unfortunately it didn't improve my overall financial standing and probably realistically won't. (Not being hard on myself here)
I got married when I was 30, my wonderful wife and I started a great adventure with dreams not very high off the ground (which, by the way makes them more attainable). The pinnacle of our "home achievement" was to own our own airstream trailer. We bought that old airstream trailer and commenced to poor blood sweat and tears in it and about $20,000 later had a very nicely rebuilt unit. One day while draining the black tank and I was doing a refill rinse got sidetracked and overflowed the toilet by no small measure and got so irritated with myself that I entertained ideas of living in a single wide mobile home of sorts. To make a long story a little shorter we ended up buying that single wide mobile home on a rented lot and our landlords were so nice to oblige us in every building project we wanted to do that we soon had a Doublewide on a rented lot with no real idea that we, in about 10 years time would have to move that whole monstrosity to another lot due to plumbing issues in the ground. We were really proud of our house unfortunately the only thing that was of value at that point was the trailer it's self underneath all of the other building that I had done and so all of the building materials got donated to my landlord and we took what we could get for the trailer, paid off a few bills and decided unanimously that it was time to go back to our beloved airstream trailer.
The funny thing was that we reminisced about our little airstream just about every week that we were in the mobile home and are very happy to be back where things just make sense. My wife and I have always been tiny house people. After getting married we lived in our Volkswagen bus for three months and I figured if we were still married after that we had something good going. And something good is exactly what we have:-)

Full timing for us just simply means that our airstream is not skirted and is ready for an adventurous weekend whenever the mood strikes. If things get too hard, or if Bills stack up or life just gets too serious, in 45 minutes we could have this critter taken down and be on our way to anywhere else.
Sometimes the work week gets overwhelming and it just feels good to drive my little work van up to the front of this trailer and look at what's possible even if we don't go anywhere all winter long. Happy state of mind, northern Idaho

A little long, but nice story
I love happy endings. ENJOY