It's been a while since I visited because our American RV dream has been shelved during the pandemic. And now it's back with a vengeance and I could use some help.
A recap of our situation -
Couple in early 50s + teenage boy arriving in the US in July with a two-year work visa. Our flights are booked and we're coming to Florida, where we'll stay for a few weeks and get settled in with our papers, including a local Florida DL. We want to travel out of Florida by early August, to escape the heat and hurricanes and come back once the weather is better in November.
Working from home, the idea is to find nice campgrounds in a nice natural setting where my husband can hike and spend 2-3 weeks in each place exploring the area and moving on to someplace new. The rig needs to be large and very comfortable to live full-time in, including two bathrooms and two bedrooms so we're thinking a 5th wheel (36-40 ft). We have friends who live in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, so getting there is a goal.
Two options at this point -
1. Buy a decent truck (F-350 or the like) in Florida and then use that to drive up north where we'll buy the RV.
2. Buy both truck and RV in Florida and drive to New England in the RV.
Since Florida will be our domicile, how difficult would it be to buy the RV elsewhere? Can we buy it in another state and register in Florida? Or register in the other state and then drive back and spend time living in it in Florida?
We have no RV'ing experience. We have read up on it and watched entire YouTube channels on RV's (the pandemic lockdowns were good for that!) We've traveled in the US extensively, including several coast-to-coast trips. Never in something larger than an SUV though. I'm also wondering about whether we should buy the truck and then rent a 5th wheel on RVshare for a few days, just to see what it feels like driving the beast and how big of an RV we can actually tow. Or do you think towing a 36' rig vs. a 40' one doesn't matter much?
Any input on our plans would be hugely welcome.
A recap of our situation -
Couple in early 50s + teenage boy arriving in the US in July with a two-year work visa. Our flights are booked and we're coming to Florida, where we'll stay for a few weeks and get settled in with our papers, including a local Florida DL. We want to travel out of Florida by early August, to escape the heat and hurricanes and come back once the weather is better in November.
Working from home, the idea is to find nice campgrounds in a nice natural setting where my husband can hike and spend 2-3 weeks in each place exploring the area and moving on to someplace new. The rig needs to be large and very comfortable to live full-time in, including two bathrooms and two bedrooms so we're thinking a 5th wheel (36-40 ft). We have friends who live in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, so getting there is a goal.
Two options at this point -
1. Buy a decent truck (F-350 or the like) in Florida and then use that to drive up north where we'll buy the RV.
2. Buy both truck and RV in Florida and drive to New England in the RV.
Since Florida will be our domicile, how difficult would it be to buy the RV elsewhere? Can we buy it in another state and register in Florida? Or register in the other state and then drive back and spend time living in it in Florida?
We have no RV'ing experience. We have read up on it and watched entire YouTube channels on RV's (the pandemic lockdowns were good for that!) We've traveled in the US extensively, including several coast-to-coast trips. Never in something larger than an SUV though. I'm also wondering about whether we should buy the truck and then rent a 5th wheel on RVshare for a few days, just to see what it feels like driving the beast and how big of an RV we can actually tow. Or do you think towing a 36' rig vs. a 40' one doesn't matter much?
Any input on our plans would be hugely welcome.
