Aspiring Snowbird from BC

[islandmomma]

Hi there...so nice to have found these forums as I expect to have lots of questions over the next 6 months or so and then in an ongoing way once I am on the road.

I am not new to trailer travel as my husband and I towed a smallish unit in the late 1990's and since then have spent free time in a stationary model, parked at our seaside site near us on Vancouver Island. His medical issues and then, later, my own, mitigated against us doing much travelling for awhile at all.

Now I am better and that wander-lust has never left me so I am in the market (with my eye on a good prospect a few hours from here) for an older Class A to continue to embrace some of those old dreams. I retire at year end and hope to be on the road in early January.

Anyone have any particular tips for women travelling alone (well with one or two little dogs) or useful questions for first-time Class A purchasers to ask?

jan
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[Marsha/CA]

Welcome Jan,

There have been a couple of threads dedicated to women traveling alone.  YOu can do a search in the library and if you are not able to find anything, give a hollar and we'll help out.

I have heard of several RV Groups for single women and men who travel alone.  Hopefully someone on the Forum will jump in with the information.

FWIW, many of the women on here drive their rigs, although they are not single.  I am one of them.  I really enjoy it and also I can set up camp if need be, as well as dump holding tanks....  Perhaps you could call me a "Drive & Dump Gal".

Please feel free to jump in on any conversation and ask all the questions you want.  We are glad to share!!!

Again, Welcome

Marsha~

 

[Tom]

... I can set up camp if need be, as well as dump holding tanks....  Perhaps you could call me a "Drive & Dump Gal".

Marsha,

You just got designated the "blue job" trainer for the gals at our next (and future) rallies. Time to dispel the myth that Betty has been spreading, i.e. that pink jobs are inside jobs and therefore for the gals, while blue jobs are outside jobs and therefore for the guys.

 

[Ron]

Welcome to the RV Forum and thanks for joining us.  Please look around, ask questions, check out the library, and join in on any of the on going discussions.


Marsha,

Was nice of you to volunteer as blue job trainer. ;D ;D

 

[islandmomma]

LOL, have to admit that for many years I have done all the jobs...never understanding there were blue and pink ones, just jobs that needed doing! In particular I have always been the person responsible for parking the unit in its site....

Not to leap into 'bad' territory' already, but is it really necessary to have a gun as a single woman travelling alone? I have only ever held one once in my life (our gun control laws being much more strict) and I am afraid of firearms but, if it is best, i can always take a course....

Personally, I have tended to find that RV folk are unusually law-abiding and rule-following in general, and that they look out for each othe. My experience has been mostly with people who are are pretty much innocuous types, much as we are anyway LOL! My Canadian friends (female), however, think I must be crazy though... needless to say, i am ignoring them.

I am looking at units 32 to 35 feet. They seem huge to me but I have never travelled for a year or more in one and, as that is the plan, does that seem unmanageable for one person alone?

Thank you all in advance for all the help. When I become a 'pro' LOL, I will help too. In the meantime, I know a lot about diseases and am a moderator on a cardiac site so perhaps i can even be an asset to some...

jan
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[Gary RV_Wizard]

Carrying a weapon is an individual choice, but you certainly don't need one to RV alone. I'm comfortable with guns and used to own some, but have never carried one in the RV and never even considered carrying one for self defense. If I thought I needed a gun to defend myself, I wouldn't go RVing. Others will likely advise you differently, but you can make up your own mind based on your own lifestyle. And yes, RVers are generally good neighbors.

You won't have any problem with a larger RV. A single person can handle a 35 footer just as well as a 25 footer.

 

[Marsha/CA]

Tom...sure no problem.  I'll just teach the gals to back into the sites...get close as you can to the sewer connector.....take out the stretchy thing....shove it into the hole in the ground and voila`.  You are connnected.  Will that be considered a "Blue Job" job descripton?  FWIW when I worked, I did professional job descriptions for insurance companies and attorneys.  Such fun  ;D

Jan,
We carry a gun and I hope and pray we never use it.  I can handle it and took lessons.  I don't want to use it.  If I were traveling alone, I wouldn't have it the coach.  I would make sure I stay in nice campgrounds and near other people.  I would join groups and travel with a caravan for the commerardie as well as safety.

Another thought, I have pulled trailers; both bumper pull and goosenecks (what horse people call 5th wheels).  We have a motorhome and I find that it is much easier to manipulate, easier to see out of and simple to do.  I also think a motorhome is safer, in that if you are uncomfortable or find yourself in a bad situation, you can just drive away.

Probably more info than you wanted.

Marsha~

 

[Ray D]

Jan, you can't ignore personal security. Paying attention and planning for it are mandatory.

However, there are a lot of things you can do that are reasonably effective, short of carrying a gun. I suggest doing a search on "personal Security" and maybe one on firearms. There is a wealth of information both on the usefulness of firearms and then on other security related tactics, here.

I can't advise on firearms for defence for a Canadian Citizen in Canada, but taking a firearm there for a U.S. citizen is not advised. In the U.S. as a firearms beginner, you would be pretty busy, constantly researching our gun control laws (city, county, state and Federal) and changing the status of your firearm, frequently, as you travel. Hardly worthwhile. I do carry a gun, legally, on my person almost everywhere I go. Just don't advise it for everyone.

And, if I see a situation where I think I might need my gun, I don't go there and don't do that. I don't want to use my gun! If going to a particular place makes that more likely, I'm not going. The gun did not come with a guarantee that I will win a gun-fight!

Two things I would suggest for starters, for you. First, we have a sense - an awareness - some call it a "sixth sense." Use it. If you feel uncomfortable - apprehensive, don't go there. If you are already there, then leave and go elsewhere. That sense will serve you well.

The second, is the question of what kind of RV. May I secondd the suggestion that you consider a motorhome, rather than a trailer. It's a personal choice and a lot of factors play into it. It's a security issue, also. The motorhome advantage is that if something goes "bump in the night," you do not need to exit the vehicle to move on. Just put the key in the ignition and go.

Ray D  ;D

 

[islandmomma]

Thanks all so much for your replies....I seem, unexpectedly, to be the proud new purchaser of a 34' unit off ebay today...LOL. I have made arrangements to meet some friends to assist me in transporting the unit home for changes and for appropriate taxes...
that will apply in this country.The final price was about 55% of that which we might see in Canada... I wil;l let you know how that all compares after conversion...

It is a beautiful, non-slide, unit only 11 years old. I believ eit is a Fleetwood Winnebago. I figure this purchase  was meant to be....I will post the specs when I have settled down LOL...

TY all for  your candour about guns.... I am still reserving judgement...

jan

 

[Betty Brewer]

You just got designated the "blue job" trainer for the gals at our next (and future) rallies. Time to dispel the myth that Betty has been spreading, i.e. that pink jobs are inside jobs and therefore for the gals, while blue jobs are outside jobs and therefore for the guys.

Oh Tom,

You are in so much trouble!!!  The definition of a "blue job"  is any job I don't want to do. (It has nothing to do with inside or outside)  For example, Terry makes the coffee everyday.  Am I spoiled or what?  To Island mamma, by traveling alone,  you get to do all of the jobs and that is colorful.  My hat is off to you for embracing your independence. 
By the way, I don't think you need a gun.  If you are uncomfortable in an area you will sense it right away and leave. 

Betty

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Well, Jan, you seem to have jumped in with both feet. Congratulations on the new motorhome and hope it all goes well for you.

It appears you have bought it "sight unseen". That's not something anybody here would have recommended, regardless of price.  If you have the option to back out of the deal once you inspect it, do not be afraid to do so if it falls short of your expectations. There is too much money and personal convenience at stake to accept something less than satisfactory. Sorry to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but it is easy to get carried away in the excitement of the purchase and the anticipation of a new lifestyle.

By the way, Fleetwood and Winnebago are two different manufacturers, so this new rig might be one or the other but not both.

 

[islandmomma]

Ok, thanks again everyone. I am actually relieved about the gun recommendations. I am afraid of them and have only ever held one once. I am not into 'roughing it' so am likely to be in safe parks.

LOL, I was so excited when I last posted that I mixed stuff up. The unit I bought (and will pick up in early July) is a 34 foot Vectra Winnebago. And yes, perhaps I should have been more wary but I have had at least two dozen photos of everything on/in/about the unit including tires and roof and have spoken with the dealer, asking many questions. I also have detailed written information about it as well. These dealers in Arizona sure know their stuff! We have so few units available locally in comparison and all have mould or leak damage (my nemesis). I will let you all know how it goes but the seller has over 1000 sales through ebay in the past 7 years or so and 100% positive feedback on his ebay seller profile.

I will get my first dose travelling in it, driving up the US to bring it home and have three stops planned along the way with friends already. This is going to be so much fun!!

jan