Sunday, August 28, 2005

Motorhome Shopping

Amy and I went to Marshall's Traveland yesterday to check out the motorhomes.

Wow! They are incredible. Miniature homes on wheels with a lot more amenities then you get in a traditional home.

We especially liked the Fleetwood Bounder 35E. It has two slide-outs and even has a combo washer and dryer. But at over $100,000, I really think we need to look at something less expensive.

I had hoped to look at a Fleetwood Fiesta or Terra but they didn't have any in stock. They start out at $68,000 and the one I think we'd like best is $78,000. It has a slide-out unlike the other Fiesta/Terra models.

Slide-outs make all the difference and really open up the living area. I'd prefer 2 slide outs with one in the bedroom.

We also like the passenger side computer tray. It let's you put your laptop right up on the dash in front of the seat so you can work on your computer as your traveling the down the road. This will come in handy not only for working but for looking up local information, getting driving directions, and finding campgrounds.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Movin' On

I went to the library today and checked out the book Movin' On: Living & Traveling Full Time In A Recreational Vehicle. It is a little outdated and is geared more towards retirees and people with motor homes (vs. a fifth-wheel or travel trailer), but offers a lot of great information.

The book gives practical advice on:

  • Who Full-timers are

  • The Full-timer lifestyle

  • Staying connected to family while on the road

  • Choosing and buying an RV

  • How to prepare for a full-time RVing lifestyle

  • Working on the road

  • volunteering on the road

  • Taking care of investments and finances

  • Having a traveling home office

  • Taking care of medical and dental needs while on the road


Highly recommended!!

The Purging Begins

This morning I spent some time packing up boxes of books to take to Half-Price books to sell. I also started a box of beading books and supplies for Amy's mom, Fay. I plan on getting rid of a lot of my beads and other art/craft supplies I don't use. In fact, a couple of months ago when we where cleaning out the garage, I went through my closet in the studio and got rid of a bunch of fabric and other sewing supplies I had been carrying around for years.

I spent last night reading pages on the Escapee website. They are an organization dedicated to full-time rv'ers. They have a lot of great information including some downloadable PDF booklets. Last night I read the one entitled, Full Time RVing: Is It For You? that reassured me that I'm not doing anything really crazy by giving up my home and going full-time in an RV.

Amy and I also talked about moving out to our mobile home in Marble Falls before buying the truck and RV so that we can save up for both. And for money while we are on the road. It is looking like that we want to travel around more then just move to Seattle area to settle down. Maybe my dream of living up there part of the year (summer time )and here in Austin part of the year (winter time) can really be a reality. And in between we can live lots of other places too.

This way we can keep the mobile home which will be paid off sometime next year. It will be our home base (our domicile) so that we can claim Texas residency (read no state income tax and other taxes lower than Washington state). Escapees even have a park 8 miles south of Port Townsend. A place I'd love to live for a while, especially during ArtFest. It is about an hour and a half from Seattle so we could visit Mom and Brian and Kelly.

I think I'm getting EXCITED!!!

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Plan To Full Time RV

Okay, I need all the morale support I can get. I don't have 60 years of stuff like mom did when she got rid of all her stuff and moved to Seattle last year, but I have about 40 year's worth of stuff. Deep breath!!! It is time to purge!!!

The Plan

Amy and I have been talking about selling the townhouse and getting rid of all our stuff to move into an RV and start traveling, eventually ending up in Seattle to live.

This blog will be our weblog of our adventure. Both of us will be posting about the pre-adventure stuff like purging all our stuff, selling the townhouse, finding an RV and a place to put it in Austin until we have enough money saved to travel for 3 to 6 months.

When we get on the road, we will also be posting about our adventure including posts about the places we visit, the people we meet, and the things we do. There will be lots of pictures too!!

So sit back and enjoy the journey with us!!!