New Big RIg RVer and member here

[utmtman]

My wife and I have gone from tents to a tent trailer to 27 footer to a new Holiday Rambler Vacationer we bought this year.  We hope to get out from under this years finances by the summer of 2008 than going full time RVing.  We are trying to learn all about the full time RV scene and where to go to during the winter over the next 18 months.  Also we are hoping to learn all the ins and outs of full timing by then.  We look forward to learning from you all.  And getting to know others as we go along.
Lee

 

[Shayne]

Welcome to the forum and for starters you would be very wise to read from the Library the  numerous articles available.  And Ask questions no matter  if you think they are silly are not   cuz someone else is sitting there thinking the same thing and scared to ask for being silly.  Lots of pros here and you will find help in every direction and a cast of forum staff that is unsurpassed anywhere.   Good luck on you new venture.

 

[Ron]

Welcome to the RV Forum. Please look around the forum,  join in on any of the on going discussions, start new discussions, or ask questions. Thanks for joining us.

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Lee,

Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place to ask questions. Where to go in the winter is pretty easy....Southern Ariizona, Texas, Florida, depending upon where you are in the summer....or not. We do Florida or Arizona and enjoy both. There are many more places to explore during other times of the year.

We have been full timing for ten years and still enjoy it very much. There is so much to see and do in this great country and there are two other countries to visit as well. Look around our library for ideas and ask all your questions. They will be answered!

 

[Jackliz]

Howdy, Lee.
Welcome to the RV Forum. We have members who are fulltimers(we are) that will share info with you. For the winter, Arizona, Texas and Florida are choices. We are currently wintering at an Escapees' co-operative park in Hondo, TX, west of San Antonio, TX. AND speaking of Escapees, it is a fine organization with lots of support for fulltimers. Please check it out at www.escapee.com. Glad to you are here!!

Regards,
Liz

 

[Ned]

The correct URL for Escapees is http://www.escapees.com/  We don't want anyone to get lost on the way over there

 

[utmtman]

I have looked at the escapees site previous to joining here and have saved it to my favorites for looking into further down the road.  We took too many trips this year and it set us back for a year.  Got some catching up to do before we join or do too much else.  We are members now of Good Sam Club and The Presidents Club.  And I have just recently joined the RV Forum at RV Today, Full Time RVing Forum, and this Forum.  I am also looking into Passport America, THE NATIONAL RECREATIONAL VEHICLE OWNERS CLUB, and FMCA.  I know I might be biting off more than I can chew but for now we are looking and learning.

 

[Shayne]

Be prepared for an on-slot of mail now that you have become a member of GS.  Even if you move with No forwarding address you will inundated with Junk mail from GS and all their affiliates including GMC insurance.  Now Passport America is a great purchase can't speak for the others.  You have to use GS many many times to make it worth while to recoup your dues. 3 times and PA pays for itself. The other 2 are fine too.  Presidents club I have doubts about.  JMHO

 

[Jim Dick]

Utmtman,

Do not get caught up in too many organizations! Escapees is OK and we do belong but the Passport America and FMCA will offer a lot more in terms of savings and service. PA membership fees will be covered with just a few visits to their affiliate campgrounds. FMCA offers great rallies with a lot of seminars geared mainly to newcomers to the RV lifestyle. Escapees offers mail service and some campground discounts where they own the campground. I would strongly advise against any membership in groups such as Coast to Coast, RPI, and like organizations. Their fees can be extremely high and sometimes you just can't get out of the payment unless you are lucky enough to sell the membership!!!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I would choose one of either Escapees or FMCA, but not both. They are fine organizations with similar goals and services for RVers, but [IMO] there is little to be gained by joining both. We were Escapees when we owned trailers but chose FMCA when we moved to a motorhome because I like the FMCA magazine better!  8)

We stay at enough Good Sam parks each year to recoup the membership cost.  I always hold out for a bargain subscription rate - usually a new member deal, so it takes only a half dozen nights at 10% discount to recover the cost.  We switch between my name and the wife's name to take advantage of new member pricing - sometimes just $12/year.  We do get  junk mail, but not an egregious amount.

Passport has been great for us - we actually save money each year!

Presidents Club is worthwhile if you buy enough stuff at Camping World, but you can buy at lots of other places online without any membership requirements and similar or even lower prices. I have a PC card  but I often wonder why I bother, since it's usually a break-even proposition each year. And you can always join instantly if you find the need for a big ticket purchase at a CW store. CW will also generate some junk mail - they are another Affinity company, just like GS.

 

[CurtRR]

I would choose one of either Escapees or FMCA, but not both. They are fine organizations with similar goals and services for RVers, but [IMO] there is little to be gained by joining both. We were Escapees when we owned trailers but chose FMCA when we moved to a motorhome because I like the FMCA magazine better!  8)

I was unaware that FMCA offers a mail forwarding service similar to Escapees.  We're FMCA members and plan to join Escapees when the house sells for the mail forwarding service.  The Livingston, Texas address will lower our auto insurance significantly.

 

[Ned]

FMCA does offer a mail forwarding service but you have no control over the sending day.  Escapees lets you specify when as well as where your mail is forwarded.  FMCA mail forwarding is free except for postage, Escapees is paid plus postage, but more flexible.  The Escapees mail forwarding service is the largest private service in the country.

 

[CurtRR]

FMCA does offer a mail forwarding service but you have no control over the sending day.  Escapees lets you specify when as well as where your mail is forwarded.  FMCA mail forwarding is free except for postage, Escapees is paid plus postage, but more flexible.  The Escapees mail forwarding service is the largest private service in the country.

Is the FMCA address in Texas?

 

[Ned]

No, FMCA is in Cincinnati, OH.  Escapees is in Livingston, TX.

 

[CurtRR]

No, FMCA is in Cincinnati, OH.  Escapees is in Livingston, TX.

There you go.  That alone is a reason to have an Escapees membership, a Texas address.

 

[Ned]

The choice of a mailing address is an important factor in establishing a domicile for the full timer so it's not a decision to be made lightly.

 

[BernieD]

If you can go a week between mail deliveries and know where you are going to be, FMCA's mail forwarding works very well. Based on your last name, mail is sent out weekly. You can notify FMCA up to the day before your mailing day as to where you want it sent. If you are going to be in one place for a while you can set up a recurring shipping point. Mail is usually sent Priority and you only cost is for the postage.

 

[Daisy]

FMCA Mail service has served us very well in over 10 years of full-timing, using their forwarding service.  It is free, except for the forwarding postage.  We are retired, so having daily mail is not an issue for us.  We look forward to the weekly packet and enjoy reading for the rest of the day.    Our day for mailing is on Fri. and we almost always get the packet on Mon., unless it is a holiday, and then it gets delivered Tues.  On our trip up here to Alamo Lake, we called FMCA to have it delivered to General Delivery at the Salome, AZ post office.  Since we have to drive right by it to get to Alamo Lake, it was waiting for our pick-up on Tues, on our day up here.  (Mon. was Christmas Day). 

We have never had a problem, in all that time, and are totally happy with our no extra fee mail service.


Daisy

 

[Tom]

Daisy,

Apologies for the dumb question but, when you're 'home', does FMCA forward the mail to your house? I'm trying to understand if FMCA is your official mailing address.

TIA.

 

[BernieD]

Apologies for the dumb question but, when you're 'home', does FMCA forward the mail to your house? I'm trying to understand if FMCA is your official mailing address.

Tom

FMCA only forwards mail to where you tell it to send. If you are going to be in one location for a month or two, you just tell them to send it to that address from date 1 thru date 2. If you are going to be home for a couple of months, it makes more sense to turn off forwarding at your local PO since your mail is going from your local PO to Cincinnatti back to your local PO and you're paying the postage. Then when you leave you reinstate your mail forwarding instructions with the PO.