What lessons have you learned full-timing?

[CynicalSailor]

For those of you are living full-time in your fiberglass RV, what are the big lessons you've learned? What tips would you give to newbies like us (we've only been full-time in our 13' Scamp since mid-December)? What would you do differently in hindsight?

[debandsue]

We are also newbies, just since October. Biggest surprise? There is more than one way to fulltime. I expected to travel more and boondock more. And yet here we are in our favorite desert, happily tucked into a small park enjoying the ease of full hookups and the warmth. This is being a great transition to retirement. This is our life, not an extended vacation. Living large by being small! Only regret: wish we were traveling with more movies because some days you just want to stay inside and snuggle.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[RogerDat]

I don't full time but find on long trips having routine for doing set up and tear down and other regular chores really helps, putting things where they go, and trying different approaches or arrangements to refine the routine.

Sometimes a little change in where something is stowed or a small organizational change makes a bigger difference than one might think.

Both parties should try as much as possible to be interchangeable. Know how to hook up. Each able to do all the set up and tear down tasks. You may well settle into each doing certain tasks every time but being able to cover for and help each other on those tasks is worth it. I don't mind doing the hook up but it is good that my wife know how and can double check my work, or even do it if I was sick or had a sprained ankle or something.

[honda03842]

We're in year 14 of 7.5 months per year. Beyond your partner, the most important aspect of long range/long period travel is organization. We spent a lot of time configuring our trailer for travel. Everything has a place and we've made a lot of extra 'places' within our trailer.

The following is a thread that shows how we've adapted our Scamp 16 for travel.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...6-a-46387.html

[CynicalSailor]

Norm & Ginny - thanks for the link to the thread on Scamp modifications! So many great ideas!

RodgerDat - great point about having routines and both folks knowing how to do all aspects of setting up/tearing down camp. We've pretty much got a routine down, but because we're so new to it all we also have a checklist to make sure we don't forget anything.

Deb & Sue - I know what you mean about movies. we burned a whole lot of our movies onto an external hard drive (stored the DVDs at my sisters). Since we don't have TV it's been really nice to be able to watch something at night.

Do any of you full-timers have blogs? Would love to read about your adventures.

[Ron Merritt]

I don't see how disorganized and chaotic people can be happy RVing.

At some campgrounds, I've seen some people keep their campsite like a refugee camp. Stuff everywhere. That would make me crazy.

I keep my RV neat and orderly. If there isn't a spot for something, then it, or something else has to go. Alot of folks use the in/out method - that is if something new comes in, something old must go out.

I also make a rule that nothing can be loose around the cabin. That is, it must be in a compartment, drawer or cabinet. Not just stuff laying on the floor.

I find this philosophy to make RVing not only more calming and relaxing, but also alot less work.

[honda03842]

Ron,

Totally with you on being organized. It makes RV life so much simpler and efficient.
I think there are significant opportunities for little storage places that help organization. Types of storage locations you would not consider in your own, bigger home. I think extended RVers require a change in mindset.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Ron,

Totally with you on being organized. It makes RV life so much simpler and efficient.
I think there are significant opportunities for little storage places that help organization. Types of storage locations you would not consider in your own, bigger home. I think extended RVers require a change in mindset.

Agreed. My Mom has been a full timer for about 25 years. We've talked about all the adjustments she had to make to full time in an RV, since she used to live in a restored Victorian with 3 floors. The one thing she preaches is organization - a place for everything and everything in it's place.

[honda03842]

Robert, You have a great model, 25 years is a long time. We only have an outside chance of 25 years of travel.

[Jerry Jacobs]

I found that having a fully loaded MP3 player, which had 30+ books on it, starting out on a three month trip, was a great comfort. Hot coffee and a great book to listen to can make a bad day a great one.

[CynicalSailor]

Jerry - books and coffee are a must in our Scamp too. We also have a bunch of DVDs with us to watch at night (we don't have a TV).

[padlin00]

Do any of you full or part timers use extra rooms, like screen rooms or some such?

How long do you sit in one place, weeks, months?

[honda03842]

We travel most of the year and usually spend about a week or less at a single stop. With this kind of schedule we see no reason for a room. I have a collection of 1500 e-books as well I usually buy at least a book a month. The Internet gives access to our state library system where we can download books.

We do carry a wi-fi hotspot that gives us access to netflix. For music we have Pandora or our CD collection.

[padlin00]

Have you read the 1500 e-books? I find now that I frequent a few forums, my book reading is way down. Have you looked at https://www.bookbub.com/home/,
Another source for free books. Usually unknown authors, many part 1 of X.

[honda03842]

Bob.

I was gifted with 1500 books, a very eclectic set. I just pick one to read every now and then. I always carry a couple on my phone and when I'm waiting for ... I read.

Also while waiting I'm likely to select a TED talk to watch.

Thanks for the book tip. We own Nooks and have Kindle ability. Nook offers free books weekly than Ginny does download.

[Monica M]

My advice...anything that comes in a box that you can transfer to a bag (ziploc) do it. Saves a LOT of space. Happy traveling!

[honda03842]

Monica,
Thinking about the box versus bag suggestion. I guess I like boxes. I'm an anti-pile person and like the independence of boxes. I admit to being a box consolidator. When a box of cereal gets low, I'll open a full one and pour the almost empty one into the full one.

[Ron Merritt]

I gotten about all the tupperware/ food storage containers out of my life. Much prefer to use ziplock bags - either quart or gallon with the easy pull closers. Makes stuffing the refrigerator with left overs alot easier, and if something ends up looking gross, you can just toss it without emptying anything out, or needing cleanup.

[honda03842]

We carry a single set of plastic containers. There are 3 sizes in the set. Each size is twice the previous in volume. They all have the same size opening and they slide into each other, each just deeper than the next. As a result they all have the same size top. They take up little space. Nothing is ever jumbled.

Ron, With an Oliver you have a much larger fridge. Bags would not work in our little Scamp fridge.

[Monica M]

We each have our own way, for sure. I also got rid of my tupperware for the same reason. Less cleanup after finishing off left overs. Saves on water when I boondock for months at a time. Also things like q-tips, sugar, coffee, etc. go in ziploc bags. For cereal, I ditch the box immediately and just use the bag it came in with a clip for closure. You can do the same with cake mixed and such. Heck! I even put the ziploc bags in ziploc bags and ditch the box they came in. Much less wasted space in the parts of my cabinets where the curvature of the trailer itself does not fit the squareness of boxed goods.