Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Since we sold our coach numerous people have asked me if we "miss our RV". Now that we have moved from our Florida home to our rented summer cottage in Black Mountain, NC (near Asheville), perhaps I can answer that better.
Getting ready to go was obviously different, packing stuff in suitcases instead of the closet, disposing of refrigerator items instead of just moving them to the coach fridge, that sort of thing. Not a big deal for us, just a different procedure. We brought fewer changes of clothing, but didn't feel that was a significant restriction. Our furnished cottage is well-equipped with washer/dryer, full kitchen, etc., so we really didn't need a lot of stuff.
We upgraded the size of our car (mid-size Verano to full size LaCrosse) for greater travel comfort and luggage space and that worked well, at the expense of a few mpg. However, driving the car and averaging 30.4 mpg instead of 8.1 on the motorhome wasn't hard to take at all! Likewise the ability to simply drive into a friends apartment complex for a visit enroute was a real plus.
Staying in a motel enroute is of course a difference, but we use motels a couple times per year anyway and have a well-honed procedure for overnight stays. We keep our "overnight kit" separate so its easy to carry in/out of the motel, and unlike some we have no qualms about rental beds and bathrooms. We choose mid-class motels to get decent/clean beds and baths, but them we also chose mid-upper grade campgrounds, for similar reasons.
So far the major thing we miss is the campground environment and the opportunity for people watching and meeting folks. Our cottage is at the back of another property, with its own driveway, so we are a bit isolated even though near the heart of the village and its lakeside park. We don't see a parade of rigs coming and going and don't see other campers strolling by or chat with them. We have to visit the park or the village downtown to socialize and I suspect that laziness will limit us a bit in that. It's almost too easy to sit on our deck and relax, or on the patio, or even just stay inside. The living room has two sets of double glass doors) that gives a very outdoorsy feel and plenty of fresh air when open. Not exactly hermits in a cave!
Our situation may be more extravagant than some would have, but on an annual basis the rental cottage costs us about half what the RV did (including both loan payments & operating expense). Maybe would think differently if the RV had been fully paid for.
OK, enough philosophy! Time to decide where to go for lunch today...
Getting ready to go was obviously different, packing stuff in suitcases instead of the closet, disposing of refrigerator items instead of just moving them to the coach fridge, that sort of thing. Not a big deal for us, just a different procedure. We brought fewer changes of clothing, but didn't feel that was a significant restriction. Our furnished cottage is well-equipped with washer/dryer, full kitchen, etc., so we really didn't need a lot of stuff.
We upgraded the size of our car (mid-size Verano to full size LaCrosse) for greater travel comfort and luggage space and that worked well, at the expense of a few mpg. However, driving the car and averaging 30.4 mpg instead of 8.1 on the motorhome wasn't hard to take at all! Likewise the ability to simply drive into a friends apartment complex for a visit enroute was a real plus.
Staying in a motel enroute is of course a difference, but we use motels a couple times per year anyway and have a well-honed procedure for overnight stays. We keep our "overnight kit" separate so its easy to carry in/out of the motel, and unlike some we have no qualms about rental beds and bathrooms. We choose mid-class motels to get decent/clean beds and baths, but them we also chose mid-upper grade campgrounds, for similar reasons.
So far the major thing we miss is the campground environment and the opportunity for people watching and meeting folks. Our cottage is at the back of another property, with its own driveway, so we are a bit isolated even though near the heart of the village and its lakeside park. We don't see a parade of rigs coming and going and don't see other campers strolling by or chat with them. We have to visit the park or the village downtown to socialize and I suspect that laziness will limit us a bit in that. It's almost too easy to sit on our deck and relax, or on the patio, or even just stay inside. The living room has two sets of double glass doors) that gives a very outdoorsy feel and plenty of fresh air when open. Not exactly hermits in a cave!
Our situation may be more extravagant than some would have, but on an annual basis the rental cottage costs us about half what the RV did (including both loan payments & operating expense). Maybe would think differently if the RV had been fully paid for.
OK, enough philosophy! Time to decide where to go for lunch today...