Fulltimers-Tourist Activities vs Lazy Days

Hello everyone,

I am learning all I can about the full timing RV lifestyle in planning for an early retirement (I hope!) I am sure the answer to this will be different for everyone but I am curious about how much time you spend actively touring once you have "camped"? How much time do you spend on just living i.e..days when you don't go anywhere and take care of laundry, cooking, shopping, maintenance or just hang out at home? And the other half of my question how often do you get out and do something wether it's a hike, Tour or some other activity?

I am reading that most people tend to rush around the first year or two and then settle into a slower travel pattern.  Would you consider that accurate?

Looking forward to reading about everyone's experiences

General train of thought is, it seems that those that start their full time adventure like they're going on vacation trying to see everything quite often burn out after 1-2 years and give up the full time life style due to fatigue.

Lois and I decided in March of this year that we were going to do the full time gig before we got to the point in life that we are no longer capable.  We realized going in that it may be a year or two before we can do the travel that we want, but we decided to buy the MH we wanted, live in it to familiarize ourselves with things, then as things cleared up, we would start that journey.  In the meantime, we take trips as our schedule permits.  So far, we are loving it, with no regrets.

We have learned much, with much more to learn.  I am learning that this home is just like living in brick and mortar.  There is always something to do and there is always a new learning curve. The best part about it, is we can move as we please.  It definitely is not a life for everyone, but for those who are willing to withstand a few headscratchers, you get the opportunity to meet some of the best people in the world!

I probably do 2 to 1--two days "at home" to every one day sightseeing.  I have been full-timing for over four years, and am still in travel mode, but I tend to stay a week or so at most places.  The other thing that affects how much time I spend "at home" is that I work part-time online.  I spend evenings watching TV and catching up with work, and maybe a couple of whole days working each week, as well.  My pattern is to always spend the first day after arriving someplace, just relaxing and enjoying the scenery without doing much. 

A lot depends on the place and how much there is to see in the area.  Some places are just good for one or two nights, and then I move on to someplace more interesting.

I do not try to hurry.  If I have been somewhere before, and it is a place I like, I tend to spend more time there, just relaxing.  I will say that having been burned a couple of times, I am a little hesitant to commit to spending more than 3-4 days at a place I have never been to before.  I got burned by making reservations for a longer time at a few places and then discovered I did not like them, so sometimes I just explore a place the first time and then spend more time the next time around.  Sort of like going back to a favorite restaurant!

After the first year or so, my older son wondered why I went back to places I had already been to.  I explained that some places were just comfortable and pleasant to go back to, that I did not need to be continually looking for new places.  Right now, I probably do about 50% new and 50% campgrounds I have been to before. And there really are always things to see and do that you did not do before, even if you have been somewhere before.

I try to get out almost every day for at least a walk around the campground or a short hike. 

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far  . It's very helpful to hear you experiences and makes me think thoughtfully about our plans.

Newcomers to long term RV living often suffer from the "Endless Vacation" syndrome, rushing from place to place and trying to see every attraction at every stop. Nothing wrong with that (except maybe extra cost and rather tiring), but it may not be your usual lifestyle.  How often do you go out and do things at your fixed home? And why would you change it? Available time and more opportunity are factors, of course, but you really should be doing as much, or as little, as makes you comfortable. No need to feel guilty because you didn't visit a local museum or zoo.  On the other hand, you are there, so why not take advantage?

When we first began RVing, we were more in the "get away and relax" mode, but once retired and free to travel longer and wider, we did more "see & do", visiting attractions all across the USA & Canada. Now that we've been there and done that, we have shifted back more toward relaxation, but we still go out for meals often and maybe visit or shop somewhere 2-3 times per week.

Depends on where we are camped. Exm. This summer we spent 8 days at Cherry Hill CG outside of Washington DC and then 5 days near Philly and 5 days in Jersey City across the Hudson from Manhattan (Liberty Harbor RV). Except for travel days in those locations were "touring/sightseeing" every day.  On the 10 days near Bar Harbor we spend many days just walking the Carriage trails. In our 6 month summer trip we spent probably less than 20 days in the campground and some of those were to complete needed maintenance or repairs.

I must admit we are not good at just sitting around. Some days we may just go out for a few hours and other days we'll spend the day.

While we are full-timers we do spend most of the winter on our lot at Happy Trails in Arizona. At Happy Trails we do spend many days in the the park or just visiting with friends (again mostly in the park). Very few days are spend on outside activities (except movies and restaurants). Since we've been here many years we seen the local "attractions". We do take short RV trips in the SW to break up the routine.

We've been doing this for many years, but I don't think I would want to keep up our summer pace year round. I think we only traveled year round in our first year of full-timing back in 1998. I think we have full-timed about 10 out of the last 20 years.

ken

We aren't full timers, more like half timers. We will be gone for 2-5 weeks at a time, back from for a few days or a few weeks, then back out. We really enjoy not being on "vacation time" with all the frenetic activity we did before retirement. We take our time traveling (at least compared to our pre-retirement days), and we have a tendency to go someplace and stay 5-7 days at a time. The day we arrive, we just set up and talk to folks about the best things to do. We then will do one or two activities a day, not trying to fill in the entire day. We generally take at least one day a week to do what I call housekeeping chores - laundry, grocery shopping, real cleaning. Every fourth or fifth day, we just hang around the campground, preferably reading outdoors. I do get friends who haven't retired yet being surprised we don't do all the activities in an area. I always say that's because we can come back another time and finish the list! We do enjoy heading back to areas we have been to before. For example, we have been in Durango at least a dozen times (mostly before retirement), but that was one of the first places we went after retirement, staying a week in a gorgeous Forest Service campground. We did sightseeing and also just sat under the trees and read a lot.

We're not full timers, yet - but do regularly make trips that last 2-3 months at a pop.  We find we do well in terms of losing the "vacation mindset" when we're parked somewhere anywhere more than just a couple of days.  I try to make sure I get my daily bike ride (15-20 miles) in. My DW has things she enjoys (loves water aerobics does it religiously if there's a pool available).  We make sure we get in our daily walking.  We stay on top of coach housekeeping, laundry, etc.  (We keep the coach much neater than the house!).    With both of us retired - we're obviously not forced to be productive every waking moment - and don't mind making time for fun. 

Perhaps the biggest area of focus in terms of combating the "vacation mindset" is on the financial side of things.  We're getting a lot better at researching the areas we in - to find inexpensive activities and take advantage of them.  I look for local bike club group rides to join in with (guests are almost always welcome!), we look for outdoorsy stuff (hiking, kayaking, etc.) to fill days.  We look for local live music (concert in the park type stuff).  We're learning to slow down and explore .....