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Old 11-16-2011, 09:56 AM   #1
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Trailer: 2008 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 145
Hello again.

Hello!

I can't remember if I posted here way back when I first joined so I thought I would now.

Our FG History:
We first joined in late 2007 to research and find a fiberglass camper to pull behind our Jeep JK. We ended up ordering a new 2008 Scamp 13 and really enjoyed it. Times changed and we sold our little camper using this forum! We moved on to a 2009 Pleasure-way class B and enjoyed it too, so much, we decided to go fulltime as soon as we can. Realizing, no matter how much we like the idea of "living in a van down by the river", at this time in our lives we need a little more space especially for our two dogs Corbin and Jolie.

We fell in and out of love with traditional fifth wheels and liked the idea of one vehicle but those just seemed HUGE. Research led to confusion which led to ideas --> confusion --> ideas --> confusion --><insert months> --> then finally back here! Bigfoot is a theme amongst those who fulltime in a TT, as is Airstream etc...

I dusted off my account and refreshed my memory. This is where I have to say... it wasn't only owning the FG camper that was so great, this forum is one of (if not the) best one I am a member of. We instantly new a FG camper is what we'll begin our fulltime adventure in.

Us
I'm an application developer who recently left a very good government job to go solo as a consultant/contractor with the desire to one day work out of a camper. My wonderful wife (Mandi) is a CPA who works an an auditor and aspires to be unemployed if at all possible. At this writing we are 37 and 33 respectively. We have sold all of our "big" things and now share a car which will be replaced by a truck. We own a home and are in the process of getting it ready to be put on the market. We wanted to sell the house then buy the camper but happen stance landed us a 2006 Bigfoot 25RQ with the couch option, a must have for us. We were leaning towards the 21 but it is what it is and we are very happy with our new home.

The Future
We figure retirement is not a viable option for our generation, well not in the traditional sense, so we want to take a few years to enjoy what we can. Our goal is to be on the road in a year and to never stop but it will become what it's supposed to. We're saving for at least 3-5 years but it would be nice to start with some kind of income.

That's it. At some point we'll be starting a website to chronicle our adventures, mishaps, epiphanies and stupidities. I'm sure we'll need to lean on you all for advice, guidance and solutions to whatever our gigantic, more like Ostrich, Egg and travels may bring.

-John
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Old 11-16-2011, 10:50 AM   #2
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Welcome back John and Mandi!

I love your idea to "do it now"! You are very lucky to have fallen into a Bigfoot 25 RQ my all time favorite full timing trailer. Mike and Lori the former owners of this site have one and it is a great trailer.

I'll look forward to hearing about you adventures!
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Old 11-16-2011, 02:28 PM   #3
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Hey John welcome back! Have you followed the adventures of Technomadia? They too are a young couple, full-timing. They've recently gone from a 17' Oliver to a vintage bus. You may want to read their blog and get ideas too.

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Old 11-16-2011, 02:43 PM   #4
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Thanks! I found their blog sometime ago when they were in the Oliver but stopped following at some point. I need to do some reading to get caught up on their progression.

-John
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Old 11-16-2011, 02:55 PM   #5
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Trailer: 2008 13 ft Scamp
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Originally Posted by Lizbeth View Post
Welcome back John and Mandi!

I love your idea to "do it now"! You are very lucky to have fallen into a Bigfoot 25 RQ my all time favorite full timing trailer. Mike and Lori the former owners of this site have one and it is a great trailer.

I'll look forward to hearing about you adventures!

Thanks. It's a bit crazy with a side of let's just see what happens. We have been very fortunate in life so far but the traditional dream just doesn't "fit" us.

When we found a Bigfoot 4 hours away with the couch option we had a hmmm moment. Sadly Mandi's grandmother passed shortly after which had us traveling right past the seller. A couple of emails later we arranged to see it on the way home. A few weeks later we went back to kick the tires again and bought it. We are indebted to a close friend who let us use his F250 to get it home. It's a large camper by our standards with ample storage space. We hope to have it a long long time.

-John
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Old 11-17-2011, 07:50 AM   #6
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welcome back, john and mandi! when you say that "the traditional dream just doesn't "fit" ", .....you are lucky to be able to make changes now, while young, instead of waiting until traditional retirement....there are countless stories of people who HAVE waited many, many years to be able to pack up and go---and unfortunately, never got to live their dreams.
years ago, dennis and i sold our house, quit our jobs and bought a VW campervan. we headed south---and while we were in florida, ran into a number of people who told us, in no uncertain terms, that we had not "earned" the right to be living that lifestyle!!!! we, too, were young. i truly hope that nowadays, people have become more accepting or else just less vocal with their opinions....and i hope no one gives you two the same "speech". good luck to you both.
as the saying goes, life is short, eat dessert first. you will be!!!
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Old 11-17-2011, 08:34 AM   #7
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welcome back, john and mandi! when you say that "the traditional dream just doesn't "fit" ", .....you are lucky to be able to make changes now, while young, instead of waiting until traditional retirement....there are countless stories of people who HAVE waited many, many years to be able to pack up and go---and unfortunately, never got to live their dreams.
years ago, dennis and i sold our house, quit our jobs and bought a VW campervan. we headed south---and while we were in florida, ran into a number of people who told us, in no uncertain terms, that we had not "earned" the right to be living that lifestyle!!!! we, too, were young. i truly hope that nowadays, people have become more accepting or else just less vocal with their opinions....and i hope no one gives you two the same "speech". good luck to you both.
as the saying goes, life is short, eat dessert first. you will be!!!
Thanks! The beauty of "judgement" is it only has power if we allow it. I'm sure there will be times when someone gets to us or that we need to move on. Maybe we can change a couple minds along the way, or at least we hope to. Everyone has something wonderful to share but don't always say it the best way. I'm sure we'll even experience a little resentment which is a great ice breaker, especially when pointed out!

I admire what you did which inspires me even more. We were watching a House Hunters International Episode over a year ago, I think it was a re-run, about a young couple in Costa Rica. Their philosophy was: retire first, then get the real job later.

We have talked about when we first started out how we were just as happy as today. Sure we make more money and have more things but life didn't change... somewhere we changed how we were living it. We get asked "where are you going to go first" all the time. Being planners by nature it is so liberating to reply "we don't know, we'll see when that day gets here". I guess we really do just want to live each day, our way.

Thanks for inducing the introspection!

-John
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Old 11-17-2011, 02:42 PM   #8
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Name: Bob Ruggles
Trailer: 2015 Escape
Michigan
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I don't think you have to "earn" the right to do what you did. One piece of free advice I give younger people is to "retire" just as early as they can make the finances work since none of us knows how much time we may have left, regardless of our ages. You could be 25 and get hit by a bus. IMO, life is too short to spend it all working. And, even if you live to 100, life is short. I'm twice as far from 25 as I am from 100 and I've got a lot to do and places to go yet.
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Old 11-17-2011, 03:01 PM   #9
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Trailer: 2008 13 ft Scamp
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Hey Bob,

I guess I'm about halfway to where you are.

I agree! We are embarking on a life restructuring or reinvention. We'll move slow and smell each rose. No rush, little worries and the joys of new friends in wonderful places. Just living.

-John
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Old 11-18-2011, 08:47 AM   #10
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Trailer: 1978 Trillium 4500
Texas
Posts: 49
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Go For It!

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Fazio View Post
Hello!

I can't remember if I posted here way back when I first joined so I thought I would now.

Our FG History:
We first joined in late 2007 to research and find a fiberglass camper to pull behind our Jeep JK. We ended up ordering a new 2008 Scamp 13 and really enjoyed it. Times changed and we sold our little camper using this forum! We moved on to a 2009 Pleasure-way class B and enjoyed it too, so much, we decided to go fulltime as soon as we can. Realizing, no matter how much we like the idea of "living in a van down by the river", at this time in our lives we need a little more space especially for our two dogs Corbin and Jolie.

We fell in and out of love with traditional fifth wheels and liked the idea of one vehicle but those just seemed HUGE. Research led to confusion which led to ideas --> confusion --> ideas --> confusion --><insert months> --> then finally back here! Bigfoot is a theme amongst those who fulltime in a TT, as is Airstream etc...

I dusted off my account and refreshed my memory. This is where I have to say... it wasn't only owning the FG camper that was so great, this forum is one of (if not the) best one I am a member of. We instantly new a FG camper is what we'll begin our fulltime adventure in.

Us
I'm an application developer who recently left a very good government job to go solo as a consultant/contractor with the desire to one day work out of a camper. My wonderful wife (Mandi) is a CPA who works an an auditor and aspires to be unemployed if at all possible. At this writing we are 37 and 33 respectively. We have sold all of our "big" things and now share a car which will be replaced by a truck. We own a home and are in the process of getting it ready to be put on the market. We wanted to sell the house then buy the camper but happen stance landed us a 2006 Bigfoot 25RQ with the couch option, a must have for us. We were leaning towards the 21 but it is what it is and we are very happy with our new home.

The Future
We figure retirement is not a viable option for our generation, well not in the traditional sense, so we want to take a few years to enjoy what we can. Our goal is to be on the road in a year and to never stop but it will become what it's supposed to. We're saving for at least 3-5 years but it would be nice to start with some kind of income.

That's it. At some point we'll be starting a website to chronicle our adventures, mishaps, epiphanies and stupidities. I'm sure we'll need to lean on you all for advice, guidance and solutions to whatever our gigantic, more like Ostrich, Egg and travels may bring.

-John
Welcome, John and Mandi (happen to love that name, since my oldest daughter is Mandy). The old guy and I, wish you the very best and say "go for it". Believe it or not, we thought we were lucky to retire in our mid 50's. The OG was a fireman for 30 years. We definitely felt like we should take advantage and do all we could, while we could. We have done more than a thing or two, in our 44 years of marriage, that made our friends roll their eyes. Starting with building a log house (cutting down trees, up) when we were in our 30's. Over the years, we built two more houses from scratch and our last small endeavor, was to build a very small cabin in Southern Colorado. We live there, for not quite half the year, and get away from this blistering E. Texas summer.

It took us three summers to get the little cabin finished. Now we are ready to venture out a bit, from that location, and see some things that we have yet to experience. About 6 weeks ago, we purchased a 1978 Trillium. This site, the wonderful folks and the wealth of information, greatly encouraged us to go with the FG camper.

There is a lot of talk these days, about "thinking outside the box", and yet most folks are very much, locked into that box. This is the town, where we grew up and went to school. Many of our old friends, don't even get...how we can leave family, friends, etc. and be away, as much as we are. We always told our children (3 daughters, 2 son-in-laws, 9 grand-babes and one great grand-babe on the way), we have a life of our own, and wish the same for you. We love them, but life is OUT THERE, just waiting to be lived. We greatly admire your spirit. The best "box" that we can imagine to be in, is a molded fiberglass one, rolling down the road to new horizons.

My favorite quote (sorry, can't remember the author)
If you always do, what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got.

Happy travels, JO and the old guy
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Old 11-18-2011, 09:03 AM   #11
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Trailer: 2008 13 ft Scamp
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Thanks Jo. We just figure if the boomerang comes back and smacks us in the head we at least tried it. Square and round pegs... who says they need to go in holes?

One of my favorite quotes is from Steve Jobs' commencement address to Stanford. He was quoting The Whole Earth catalog...

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

-John
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Old 11-19-2011, 10:50 AM   #12
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Posts: 37
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Welcome to the road guys.. it's awesome to encounter others following these paths (we were both 33 when we hit the road, and now 38)! As we were introduced above by others, I won't bore you again with our story.

But we can say - life is great out here on the road. And it is entirely possible to mesh having a fulfilling life of meaning and career while being mobile. It sounds like you both have great career choices for being mobile.

We're also application developers, and have managed to keep well funded while working remotely - and working for our clients as well as producing our own line of travel iPhone/iPad apps.

We loved our 3 years on the road in our 17' Oliver - it was a fantastic home on wheels for us during that phase of our adventure. We don't regret a single moment in it. But, we can say - we are vastly enjoying the space our new-to-us 35' vintage bus home provides us.

As another resource, I direct you to NuRVers.com - Young Fulltime RVers - Doing It Our Way - it's a community of us nontraditionally aged RVers. Great resource for information about living & working on the road, and we have meet ups all over the place.

Best wishes on your journey, and hope to cross paths in the future!

- Cherie (Technomadia.com)
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Old 11-20-2011, 09:18 AM   #13
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Trailer: 2008 13 ft Scamp
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Thanks Cherie,

As we get time we've been going through your site. It's great to connect with others who are doing exactly what we want to do. I'll probably end up developing mobile apps too but at this time my contract work is our bread and butter. We still have some time before we launch, so I'll be starting some of my own ideas soon.

I love your bus. We'll definitely run into you guys at some point. Mandi might get bored but I always enjoy a great geek-out session.

-John
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Old 11-20-2011, 09:23 AM   #14
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Hi John - based at least on our experience, I suspect contract work will remain your bread and butter. Our mobile apps, at best, bring in beer money It's a highly saturated market. Do it because you enjoy it, and anything else is gravy.

See ya on the road sometime!

- Cherie
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Old 11-20-2011, 09:31 AM   #15
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That's what I was thinking. I'll probably just build apps to extend some of the products I'm planning on developing. I'm not a TV person so it'll be one of my evening and rainy day hobbies. More beer, wine, scotch and margarita money would be a big bonus!

-John
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Old 11-21-2011, 11:02 PM   #16
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You sound like you would enjoy reading "International Living" magazine. Although the publishers use the magazine (as well as their free, daily email 'postcards') as a springboard to sell you more services, it is fun to glean some of their tidbits and read the tales of people who have 'retired' early and moved to places like Costa Rica and Ecuador. Some of these people are living comfortably on $1200 to $1500 per month. Many find themselves noticing opportunities and starting businesses in their new homes, yet maintaining a more relaxed, laid-back lifestyle. I find their stuff 'food for thought'.
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Old 11-22-2011, 02:54 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by John Fazio View Post
Hello!

The Future
We figure retirement is not a viable option for our generation, well not in the traditional sense, so we want to take a few years to enjoy what we can. Our goal is to be on the road in a year and to never stop but it will become what it's supposed to. We're saving for at least 3-5 years but it would be nice to start with some kind of income.

That's it. At some point we'll be starting a website to chronicle our adventures, mishaps, epiphanies and stupidities. I'm sure we'll need to lean on you all for advice, guidance and solutions to whatever our gigantic, more like Ostrich, Egg and travels may bring.

-John
John this is EGGSCITING! Somehow you need to let us all know when that website/blog is up and running. I definitely want to follow it. I'm all for living the dream. And the sooner the better.
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Old 11-23-2011, 09:18 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by Mike Magee
You sound like you would enjoy reading "International Living" magazine. Although the publishers use the magazine (as well as their free, daily email 'postcards') as a springboard to sell you more services, it is fun to glean some of their tidbits and read the tales of people who have 'retired' early and moved to places like Costa Rica and Ecuador. Some of these people are living comfortably on $1200 to $1500 per month. Many find themselves noticing opportunities and starting businesses in their new homes, yet maintaining a more relaxed, laid-back lifestyle. I find their stuff 'food for thought'.
Thanks Mike. I'll check it out. We have joked in the past that our dream job would be running a Kayak excursion business in the Caribbean. That's now second place to running a business out of our camper but who knows.

-John
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Old 11-23-2011, 09:20 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Jool

John this is EGGSCITING! Somehow you need to let us all know when that website/blog is up and running. I definitely want to follow it. I'm all for living the dream. And the sooner the better.
Hey Jool. We'll post it once I get around to building one. Keep posting on yours too!

-John
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