Resources for lifestyle for single woman

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bethlin

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2017
Posts
6
Hi all -

I'm likely to be single in a few months and am considering using my portion of the settlement to get a 5th wheel and take to the road for a year (or more). Late 30s, no kids, likely to also lose my ol' lady dog in the next few months so no pets soon ( :( ), and I work remote. I do need to have access to good cell and internet coverage to do my job, but I make pretty reasonable money working from anywhere. I'd like to connect to and learn from other women who've made the leap to full-timing to figure out if this is a good choice for me.

I love camping, hiking, snowboarding, and am getting into a couple other outdoorsy sports (kayaking and caving). I like the idea of parking somewhere like Breckenridge CO during the day, working 6a-2p, then boarding or hiking in the afternoons sounds brilliant. Then unhitching a truck and going out into the mountains for a rougher camping or longer hiking trip would be lovely. Eventually, I'd like to take a few months off and hike the Colorado Trail or another iconic long hike.

My fantasy life involves buying a reasonably new (but used) RV, remodeling it like a hipster, then saving some money while trying this lifestyle for a period of time. I would like to talk to someone else who has done something similar to really figure out if that fantasy can become a reality.

Any specific references people can recommend? Blogs? Books? Whatever?

B
 
Here is the first blog I could think of.  Lots to learn there.

http://lifeontheopenroad.blogspot.com/

Good luck.
 
bethlin said:
My fantasy life involves buying a reasonably new (but used) RV, remodeling it like a hipster, then saving some money while trying this lifestyle for a period of time.
How did you come to the conclusion that this lifestyle is going to allow you to save money? Unless you are renting in San Francisco it is not any cheaper than living in an apartment or a house in most cities.
 
bethlin said:
Hi all -

I'm likely to be single in a few months and am considering using my portion of the settlement to get a 5th wheel and take to the road for a year (or more). Late 30s, no kids, likely to also lose my ol' lady dog in the next few months so no pets soon ( :( ), and I work remote. I do need to have access to good cell and internet coverage to do my job, but I make pretty reasonable money working from anywhere. I'd like to connect to and learn from other women who've made the leap to full-timing to figure out if this is a good choice for me.

I love camping, hiking, snowboarding, and am getting into a couple other outdoorsy sports (kayaking and caving). I like the idea of parking somewhere like Breckenridge CO during the day, working 6a-2p, then boarding or hiking in the afternoons sounds brilliant. Then unhitching a truck and going out into the mountains for a rougher camping or longer hiking trip would be lovely. Eventually, I'd like to take a few months off and hike the Colorado Trail or another iconic long hike.

My fantasy life involves buying a reasonably new (but used) RV, remodeling it like a hipster, then saving some money while trying this lifestyle for a period of time. I would like to talk to someone else who has done something similar to really figure out if that fantasy can become a reality.

Any specific references people can recommend? Blogs? Books? Whatever?

B

Sounds like a great plan!  Go for it.  The part (in bold above) about going to Breckenridge in the winter will take some detailed preparation because of the cold temps... as you know, water freezes at 32 deg and B'ridge can go way below zero so you need to figure out a way to keep the water from freezing and to keep warm yourself.  You can google it and learn the ropes of RV'ing in the winter but it's not trivial.  If/when you buy one, some are better designed for winter than others... heated compartments, for instance.  Most RVs depend on propane for heat but the normal tank might be 20-30 gallons max and depending on the size and design of the RV that much propane might last a week or less so an aux tank will be needed or frequent refills?  In the warmer months (hiking...) it will be much easier. Also, many RV parks close in the winter so finding a place to park with primo hookups will be important.  RV dealers in Colorado can be really helpful.  an example: https://rv-roadtrips.thefuntimesguide.com/winter_rv/

Do a search on this forum for the ATT Mobley, great solution for secure internet service in many locations.
 
SeilerBird said:
How did you come to the conclusion that this lifestyle is going to allow you to save money? Unless you are renting in San Francisco it is not any cheaper than living in an apartment or a house in most cities.

That's what I want to find out. My current contribution to the mortgage/house bills is around $1500 a month. I believe I can do better than that in some RV set ups,  but I feel like there's lot of conflicting information out there.
 
taoshum said:
you need to figure out a way to keep the water from freezing and to keep warm yourself.  You can google it and learn the ropes of RV'ing in the winter but it's not trivial.  If/when you buy one, some are better designed for winter than others... heated compartments, for instance.  ...Also, many RV parks close in the winter so finding a place to park with primo hookups will be important.  RV dealers in Colorado can be really helpful.  an example: https://rv-roadtrips.thefuntimesguide.com/winter_rv/
Thanks!! That's the sort of thing I know I need to think through. I know Breck is cold, but I have no idea how RVing plays into that. Maybe I'll need to plan on just renting a house in mountains for those months and using the trailer or RV as a "three season" purchase!

Do a search on this forum for the ATT Mobley, great solution for secure internet service in many locations.

Awesome! Thanks for that info! I don't love my job right now, but I sure love the paycheck. I want to have the option to keep doing this work on the road.
 
Most RVs are not designed for winter usage so you really need to work hard at finding one that has what is sometimes called an Arctic Package.  In essence it should be better insulated, have dual-pane windows, have a heated utility bay, and have good heating and cooling.  Be warned that winter RV living can be expensive because of the high heating cost.  Also, many campgrounds have a "season" (generally summer) so finding open campgrounds in cold-weather areas can be challenging.

Finding good communications will be tricky because most RV parks don't have wifi that's good enough to support business usage.  Many of us (even retirees) figure out our own way of communicating so we can avoid unsecured and iffy wifi systems.

Check costs carefully because many people think living full time in an RV will be cheaper but that's seldom the case.  We have a really good forum here so started perusing the various discussions so you have a realistic idea of what you're facing, including maintenance, travel costs and overall expenses.

There are quite a few solo women (and men) on the RV Forum so you'll probably hear from them too.

ArdraF
 
RV's do best in mild climates. If I had to choose between very cold and very hot I would go with hot. You might check out Rvillage for singles groups.  Escapees is a excellent club to join and  they have Xscapers. Also search lonersonwheels. Good luck with your new life and come back with any questions. No matter what age rig you buy your number one objective is to NOT get burned with a water damaged rig. Dont buy a tow vehicle until you decide on a rig. Verify everything because dealers and private sellers will lie lie lie. There are sales people out there who have never towed anything!!!!
 
How much work are you going to do, and how flexible are the hours?  If it's a strict M-F 9-5 without fail (OK, 6-2 in the West) you're pretty much locked into staying for a week or a month at a time in a single location with good Internet access.

Or can you work more flexible hours, taking off an occasional day or two to travel or in case you happen to find yourself in a campsite with marginal or no Internet?

Taking a look at Breckenridge as an example at http://www.rvparkreviews.com/, I see rustic Forest Service campgrounds starting at $9-12 per night, mid-range parks at $30-40 per night and one RV resort at $85-100 per night.

The Forest Service campgrounds usually don't have hookups, you have to be self contained with a generator or solar panels to power your electronics.  Private parks almost always have full utility hookups.  What's your preference?
 
I am a single female a bit older than you but still working. I bought my rig in Aug 2015 and went full time this past June.  I?m glad I  had time to learn about the RV before I took off. There?s a lot to learn.  I am in the medical field so I take temp jobs. Just starting my first assignment Monday. Depending on where you stay and how often you move-it?s not a cheaper lifestyle-at least I have not found it so. Perhaps you will boondock more than I do. Technomadia is a great resource for Internet and just living and working in an RV.
Interstellar Orchard is a blog written by a single 30?something female that would be helpful as well.
It?s a great way to live and travel as long as your do your research, ask questions, learn, and are able to roll with issues that arise. Good luck to you.
 
I am a 74 year-old woman who has been full-timing on my own for the past five+ years.  I also teach online half-time while I travel to help pay my bills and prevent me from having to dip into savings. 

I agree that this life style is not cheap, but if you are spending $1,500 per month on housing, you probably will save a little money.  However, consider that I bought new five years ago, since June, I have spent $2,400 on maintenance, mostly on new brakes, transmission maintenance, and a house water pump and toilet resetting.  Any my motorhome is reasonably new.  Just make sure when you buy a trailer and truck to pull it that you do not go too cheap and end up with something that requires a lot of work.  Get the RV part inspected by a competent RV inspector and ditto for your truck.  Also make sure your truck is capable of easily pulling whatever you buy.

There is a forum for women only that you can join to find women who are currently full-timing or part-timing as you want to do.  You have to apply and then post an introduction to get full access--that process prevents spammers.  Check out http://www.womenrv.com/forum/.  Most of us in that group are old, but there are some younger ones and even some ones who started out RVing very young.

By the way. the Breckinride area is very nice during the summer.  There are several federal or state campgrounds just north of there, including several with access to a wonderful paved bike trail around Dixon Reservoir.  I would strongly recommend that you start with spring or summer camping before you tackle winter stuff, and maybe your idea about renting a house if you really want to ski is a good idea. 
 
We spent part of one winter skiing at Breckenridge.  Most (all?) Of the federal campgrounds  close for the winter.  We stayed at Tiger Run, where the winter rates are much lower than the
summer rates.  It's the only RV park I  know if that has its own ski club.  I think they also had rental units.

You will need to have an RV outfitted for cold weather.  We had many nights there with temperatures below zero.
 
bethlin said:
That's what I want to find out. My current contribution to the mortgage/house bills is around $1500 a month. I believe I can do better than that in some RV set ups,  but I feel like there's lot of conflicting information out there.


It?s very dependent on if you finance vs buy cash and what type of park you stay in and what their monthly rate is, as well as how often you move but but I save a ton of money living this lifestyle. I?m parked and pay 500 a month including utilities in spot rent, coupled with my camper payment and insurance I?m still under 800 a month which is half of what I would pay for even the cheapest of apartments in my area. That?s just my personal experience but it is doable.
 
Bethlin, my story similar to yours im a bit older, recently single had been contributing $1,500 covering ex's mortgage, bills who I moved in with after my surgery and during recovery. The housing costs here in Western WA State are absolutely ridiculous especially when you don't own real estate already, got sick sold my place to pay medical bills versus being locked in mortgage etc. Even though my credit was strong It was much easier for me to purchase fairly new (never really used) 5th wheel 2016 Jayco Eagle KLTS 323 to live in versus battling 2 income households in bidding wars to purchase what little in way of inventory of homes for sale here where I live. Also purchased 2011 2500 Dodge Ram Cummins Diesel for towing her. Scheduled to park my RV in a RV resort end of this month to get back to having my own space; looking forward to not having ever action I take being criticized, picked apart. Been hard not having my own space to relax in the past 2 years. (added- looking into if my pick up is rated to be able to tow my 5th wheel from some here I'm being told it's not)
 

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