Full Timing Ladies?

[Cathy P.]

Originally Posted by Seeitall

Yes I watched video I sure admire her! My grandmother at 71 would go to Oregon in truck every summer till she was78 young sleep in back of truck and camp all summer..

So much for those people who think life is over at 30 and/or when you get wrinkles and/or when your hair is greying! Women like that are a real inspiration to those that really want to live their life.

[carlkeigley]

Use to some people were suicidal at 50.
I hit that point at 29. But much later I
realized each decade is a new "life span."

At 60, the maturity has hit a point that life just begins.

[Cathy P.]

Originally Posted by carlkeigley

Use to some people were suicidal at 50.
I hit that point at 29. But much later I
realized each decade is a new "life span."

At 60, the maturity has hit a point that life just begins.

Agree. It is sort of like a "rebirth" and you look at what time you reasonably have left and you want to use it wisely. I am seeing many younger people in their 40's deciding to "go for it" and full-time so it appears people are now realizing earlier that life is short and we all really only have today for sure so they are making it count.

I keep thinking how insane it will be for me to try to full-time because of the "bugs" that have to be worked out but I just always come back to that being what I really, really want. And, we have reached the age where we really, really deserve to have what we want!

[courtney]

I recommend downloading the "CamScanner Pro" app onto your smart phone instead of buying a portable scanner. It's only $5. I use it for all my expense reporting for work.

[Seeitall]

Absolutely Cathy..bless her she has out done me! She had been a widow for 40yrs. Before she met her second love at 71yrs..outlived him too!

[katidesc13]

I just got a 1998 Scamp 13' and I plan to full-time this September as I continue to travel as a nurse. I lived out of my Subaru Outback last summer for four months, and any concerns I had about traveling alone were completely gone by the first month. I made sure to make friends with at least one of my neighbors and always met the camp hosts and told them I was traveling alone. I'm only 33, but I look like I'm in my early 20s, so I found that people were more than happy to help me out or keep an eye out for me and my Jack Russell. I was surprised so many times by the kindness that was shown to me!! It's very similar to traveling abroad, where if you just stay aware of your surroundings and listen to your intuition, your spidy-sense will tell you when something feels wrong. Hopefully I'll see you other ladies out there this fall!! Travel on!!

[SimplyLesa]

I'm a full-timer. I am also a single woman - presently. I have a 1983 Scamp 13 ft. Basic.

I have full-timed in my Van (Vandwelling) for 2 years prior to getting the Scamp.

I got lots of support from the CheapRVliving people and at their annual RTR (Rubber Tramp Rendezvous) in Q AZ each January.

I'm on a tight budget. I did pick up common sense somewhere in life. And I have become pretty much independent. ....

[Hidalga]

After being a property owner and building my home, by each nail and screw, I couldn't accept such settled rootedness.

A decade of international drifting and couch-surfing led me to finally purchase a travel trailer this year. She's my mistress, and I adore my new home on wheels.

[carlkeigley]

Congratulations Hidalga

[wel]

I am so glad for you!! I am looking to do the same in about a year. Presently looking..most trailers sold b4 I get there so will probably buy new scamp 13'. Do you have bathroom in yours? I like the room w/out one best. Just not sure so looking for advice. Thx. Wendy


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Hidalga]

Originally Posted by wel

Do you have bathroom in yours? I like the room w/out one best. Just not sure so looking for advice.

Hi Wendy,
No, I don't have a bathroom. It's been working out by staying in campgrounds or at peoples' homes. You have to be comfortable using a variety of public facilities.

[WendyW]

I've been lurking here for several months, and this is the right time and place to introduce myself. I'm WendyW, I'm 68, single/divorced, relatively broke, and when my lease is up in August, I will own something like a Casita and begin full timing. I went to an RV show last month, setting foot into an RV for the first time ever, and it was strange. I expect everything to feel strange at first except for how good it will feel to be free! It has taken me six years since re-singling (since my divorce) to quit worrying that I could be intruded upon at any moment and to become the person I am in the absence of anyone for whom I have to be someone I'm not. It's been a lifetime coming.

The one thing that worries me, and you can help me with this, is whether a 17' Casita will be too small to live in for at least the next year. I want to get off the beaten path and boondock as much as possible, because I'm learning that I'm not as gregarious as I was forced to be during my growing-up days, then working days, then married days. I've found out that being miserably co-dependent isn't normal. Anyhow, even though I've learned from tons of reading that molded fiberglass trailers won't rot and crumble like stick rigs, I find myself yearning for a separate bathtub, a kitchen counter, and four different places to sit. That sort of thing is common in a Keystone 21' something and a Forest River 22' something, both full of amenities. But I feel sure they will emit formaldehyde and mildew and bugs while deteriorating quickly.

Tell me the truth -- how did you do it?? How will I manage to be happy in something so small? Because I really do want to simplify! Thank you, my sisters.

Wendy of Wayzata, MN



Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[mary and bob]

We met a couple single ladies, most likely in their 60's that camped alone. The one that was full timing had a small motor home and a dog for a companion. She was work camping, where she got a free site for doing work in the campground. The other lady, not full timing, had just bought one of those new retro Shasta's and had no clue how to use it.

[honda03842]

" Tell me the truth -- how did you do it?? How will I manage to be happy in something so small? Because I really do want to simplify! Thank you, my sisters. "

Wendy,

Full time RVers trade the actually limited space of their houses, apartments and condos for the unlimited space of an RV. One's everyday routine of a single location can be truly confining in many ways. Living in a single place can subtly trap you in to a sameness, a sameness that can be comfortable, yet a sameness with out personal expansion or growth, a routine though it may be fun, is a routine none the less.

Yes our trailer are small, but serve there purpose well, a small, secure, even cozy home, where one is not overwhelmed by stacks of stuff, mostly unused stuff. A location where you focus becomes what's outside your rv home, a world that extends to horizons and beyond.

Oops he's going wild again. AN Rv presents an opportunity to grow.

[Hidalga]

Originally Posted by WendyW

I find myself yearning for a separate bathtub, a kitchen counter, and four different places to sit. That sort of thing is common in a Keystone 21' something and a Forest River 22' something, both full of amenities. But I feel sure they will emit formaldehyde and mildew and bugs while deteriorating quickly.

Tell me the truth -- how did you do it?? How will I manage to be happy in something so small? Because I really do want to simplify! Thank you, my sisters.

Hi Wendy,
As far as happiness goes, that's found from within. No matter how you live your life, there will always be a compromise.
As far as the smallness of space, I look at it as a dog would; it's my secure little kennel that I can curl up in. The less I want and smaller the space I require for living, the more I'm open to what the universe outside has to offer.

It's great to hear you're open to redirecting your life course. Looking at RV's is a step in the right direction. Look at more, and spend some time in campgrounds to get adjusted to being out of the house. I lived in my car for years, so the little trailer in-tow was my answer to almost everything I lacked in the car. Whatever you choose, no trailer is going to be perfect, and no camping situation will be either.

Realize that this will be your first trailer. You will likely readjust as a full-timer, and maybe down the road, decide another trailer is better suited to your needs. Try starting small, and work your way larger if you desire, especially if your income is tight. You're not married to the thing; selling and buying trailers is a lot easier than a divorce, as you will quickly find out.

[tractors1]

If you tow with an SUV you might fit a small tub in there.....

https://www.google.com/search?q=port...2F%3B640%3B381

[Gourdamental]

Becky Shade, blogger for Interstellar Orchard, about living in her her 17 Ft Casita and still having to work for a living just released her "how to" ebook. This 57-page pamphlet is a guide to those wanting to go full-time. She has included worksheets/checklist. Becky is 30 years and has been full-timing for over 2 years and is a wonderful story-teller. Her ebook is $7.99 but is $4.99 for the first few days after release (3/22/15).

[Perryb67]

Hi Wendy!

You should try to attend the Scrambled Egg Meet MN - May 1& 2 2015. I guarantee you that everyone there will be glad to show and talk about their egg.

If you can't go, then you may want to attend the EGG Fest 2015, near Lanesboro, MN.

Perry & Terry

[WendyW]

I don't mean to hijack this great thread, but I want you several responders to know you really helped. My angst was like a slip, and I'm back on track trusting as always that everything will be, if not fine, then manageable. Of course the Casita will be what I need to start with, and I'll order it tomorrow (build date is mid-June). Thank you! Perry and Terry, I'll see you at the MN Scrambled Egg Meet.

Wendy, feeling gratitude

[Monica M]

Originally Posted by WendyW

I don't mean to hijack this great thread, but I want you several responders to know you really helped. My angst was like a slip, and I'm back on track trusting as always that everything will be, if not fine, then manageable. Of course the Casita will be what I need to start with, and I'll order it tomorrow (build date is mid-June). Thank you! Perry and Terry, I'll see you at the MN Scrambled Egg Meet.

Wendy, feeling gratitude

After seven years full timing alone (I started at 37yrs old), I still get that look of amazement when people realize how I travel. I am looking to move into a bigger trailer in the next few years, but learning to live small will be a GREAT benefit no matter what I choose later. You learn to conserve water, tank space, power, and storage space. I also have found that you can get into places with these little trailers that you could not in bigger ones. I found a great spot at a BLM free campground in NorCal a few years ago. My brother said there was no way I could get my trailer in there. He was impressed when I got it in there first try. Going small in the beginning gives you much you will need in the future.

Congtrats on your new Casita!!!

PS Also, because your trailer is so small, it takes up less space in a campsite which gives you more outside space. I am currently work camping. The guy who was in this site last year barely had room to walk around his big 5th wheel. I have five chairs, two side tables, a picnic table and a serving table.