bghouse
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2015
- Posts
- 101
Greetings again to everyone... Warning... long post ahead ;-)
I went quiet here for a while, when life continued to throw curve balls my way. I've spent time thinking about settling down in the city I live in now, being "responsible" and buying a house, etc. And yet I just cant get the idea of living the fulltime RV lifestyle out of my head.
I was reading a book called The Magic of Thinking Big - and was really struck by this part about how if you truly believe you can do something your mind will start finding a creative way to do it.
This winter has been hard on me (I'm in the Seattle area), as I really miss the sunshine and I'm so tired of being cold. Bought an expensive lamp to try and simulate vitamin D to keep myself from going insane. Found myself in the furniture stores browsing around thinking "why do I feel so out of sorts that I need to buy things"? Then my poor car ended up in the shop and $4000 later (aaarrrggghhh!) All I could think was "this can't really be all there is to my life??"
Today I went back up to one of my favorite RV dealers, who is very understanding that I can't make up my mind to save my life and let's me look around - lol. I looked at motorhomes today (was looking at 5th wheels before), and trying to figure out what the heck I want my life to be.
I'll turn 50 at the end of this year in December, and I really want to make the next chapter of my life epic. I can come up with a thousand reasons holding me back of course, but I'm really trying to think of creative ways to make this work instead..
I'm still completely torn on what type of RV to get. You would think it wouldn't be this hard and I could pick between towable vs motorhome and some semblance of size. But wow, it's truly difficult.
Today I looked at the Winnebago Trend and the View. I also looked at some Minnie Winnies.
I think I need some advice on how to figure out my priorities. I mean, I realized that nothing is going to have 100% of everything - some compromises must be made. But I need to narrow myself down to something in order to move this from completely fantasy to possible reality
I'll be traveling alone. I don't currently have any pets, although that might be nice. I still work and need internet access (computer software programmer). I realize that Wifi in parks can be awful, and that wireless is very expensive. I've thought about maybe going small, like a Class B, so I can sit in a parking lot and piggy back free Wifi - and then realized that I'm gonna hate being that cramped
I want to experience new things. My old corporate job allowed me to travel internationally, and I found I loved exploring new places. New stores to window shop, new restaurants, a museum, etc - I love these things. I end up feeling trapped when I'm in the same place over and over again, no matter how much I liked it initially. I'm into year 3 here in the Pacific Northwest and my feet are completely itchy again.
Money is a concern of course - I wish I had big ole lottery winnings, but nope that's not the case. I realize this wont be about saving money really - but I can't increase too much from where I am either. So between realistic budget for gas and needing to work full time still, I would say that I'd try to spend a couple of weeks to a month in an area before moving on. I'm definitely more the "stay in an RV park" type instead of boondocking. I love looking at nature of course, but when push comes to shove I lean more toward the full hookup life
My car is a Chrysler Crossfire, 59,000 miles, paid in full plus a recent OMG amount of maintenance, and it can be towed 4 wheels down. So it could be a toad if I needed one. To do a TT or 5th I'd also have to buy the truck.
So, knowing all the above - what elements should take priority as I try to figure out my needs? As a solo female, should I prioritize a MH from a safety perspective? Do I have to worry about Diesel engines being more difficult to find places to service them - like the guys said the Mercedes Sprinter on the View could be problematic? Do I need to make do with less and go smaller and use it as my daily driver, or should I try to learn to tow and have more space. Can I do a towable without having to have a big honking truck as my car?
Any advice appreciated as I attempt to somehow find the right place to focus, instead of wandering aimlessly through everything.
I went quiet here for a while, when life continued to throw curve balls my way. I've spent time thinking about settling down in the city I live in now, being "responsible" and buying a house, etc. And yet I just cant get the idea of living the fulltime RV lifestyle out of my head.
I was reading a book called The Magic of Thinking Big - and was really struck by this part about how if you truly believe you can do something your mind will start finding a creative way to do it.
This winter has been hard on me (I'm in the Seattle area), as I really miss the sunshine and I'm so tired of being cold. Bought an expensive lamp to try and simulate vitamin D to keep myself from going insane. Found myself in the furniture stores browsing around thinking "why do I feel so out of sorts that I need to buy things"? Then my poor car ended up in the shop and $4000 later (aaarrrggghhh!) All I could think was "this can't really be all there is to my life??"
Today I went back up to one of my favorite RV dealers, who is very understanding that I can't make up my mind to save my life and let's me look around - lol. I looked at motorhomes today (was looking at 5th wheels before), and trying to figure out what the heck I want my life to be.
I'll turn 50 at the end of this year in December, and I really want to make the next chapter of my life epic. I can come up with a thousand reasons holding me back of course, but I'm really trying to think of creative ways to make this work instead..
I'm still completely torn on what type of RV to get. You would think it wouldn't be this hard and I could pick between towable vs motorhome and some semblance of size. But wow, it's truly difficult.
Today I looked at the Winnebago Trend and the View. I also looked at some Minnie Winnies.
I think I need some advice on how to figure out my priorities. I mean, I realized that nothing is going to have 100% of everything - some compromises must be made. But I need to narrow myself down to something in order to move this from completely fantasy to possible reality
I'll be traveling alone. I don't currently have any pets, although that might be nice. I still work and need internet access (computer software programmer). I realize that Wifi in parks can be awful, and that wireless is very expensive. I've thought about maybe going small, like a Class B, so I can sit in a parking lot and piggy back free Wifi - and then realized that I'm gonna hate being that cramped
I want to experience new things. My old corporate job allowed me to travel internationally, and I found I loved exploring new places. New stores to window shop, new restaurants, a museum, etc - I love these things. I end up feeling trapped when I'm in the same place over and over again, no matter how much I liked it initially. I'm into year 3 here in the Pacific Northwest and my feet are completely itchy again.
Money is a concern of course - I wish I had big ole lottery winnings, but nope that's not the case. I realize this wont be about saving money really - but I can't increase too much from where I am either. So between realistic budget for gas and needing to work full time still, I would say that I'd try to spend a couple of weeks to a month in an area before moving on. I'm definitely more the "stay in an RV park" type instead of boondocking. I love looking at nature of course, but when push comes to shove I lean more toward the full hookup life
My car is a Chrysler Crossfire, 59,000 miles, paid in full plus a recent OMG amount of maintenance, and it can be towed 4 wheels down. So it could be a toad if I needed one. To do a TT or 5th I'd also have to buy the truck.
So, knowing all the above - what elements should take priority as I try to figure out my needs? As a solo female, should I prioritize a MH from a safety perspective? Do I have to worry about Diesel engines being more difficult to find places to service them - like the guys said the Mercedes Sprinter on the View could be problematic? Do I need to make do with less and go smaller and use it as my daily driver, or should I try to learn to tow and have more space. Can I do a towable without having to have a big honking truck as my car?
Any advice appreciated as I attempt to somehow find the right place to focus, instead of wandering aimlessly through everything.