Red Roads Fulltiming Family
Fulltiming FAQ's
There are many different reasons for fulltime traveling and many different ways of living the life. A number of people have written books about how to do everything from selecting an RV to buying insurance. We read several of these during our research years. Since we started fulltiming, we've learned a lot from other RV'ers. Here are some questions we've asked and been asked. Our personal answers are sometimes supplemented with information about how other people do things.
Communication:
Finances:
Our truck:
Our fifth wheel:
Family Life:
Traveling:
Household:
Communication
1. How do you get your mail?
We use the mail forwarding service available to members of Escapees. We pay a yearly service fee plus actual postage costs. When we sold the house, we completed a change of address form through the US Postal Service. Our new street address includes a PMB (personal mail box number). Escapees mail service uses this number to identify our mail. When we want to receive our mail, we call the service and ask for our mail to be sent to us in care of a family member or friend whom we will be visiting. Sometimes we have it sent to General Delivery at a local post office. Sometimes the office of a campground will also accept mail for us. As long as we have a physical address (not General Delivery), we are able to receive UPS and Fed Ex shipments, too.
Communication
2. How do you make phone calls?
We can usually send and receive phone calls on our cell phone. Sometimes we use a prepaid phone card at a pay phone. This was necessary in Canada, where we had no cell phone coverage.
Communication
3. How do you get your e-mail?
We have a satellite Internet dish. This works well most of the time. If we are someplace where we can't hit our satellite, we can use a web-based account to send mail. However, we seldom receive messages there, except in response to ones we've sent, because most people don't know about that account.
Finances
1. How do you do your banking?
We have maintained a relationship with the bank we used for many years while we lived in the house. The folks there already knew us as people, not just numbers, and they understand our new lifestyle. A couple of times we've had to get things done by telephone and they have been quite helpful. They offer the features we need as we travel: on-line banking to monitor our account between paper statements and to make transfers among our accounts if necessary; a debit card that also functions as a credit card from a merchant's perspective; and a willingness to accept mailed deposits to our accounts.
Finances
2. How do you get cash?
We frequently shop at stores that allow us to get cash when we use our debit card for purchases. There is no service fee for this option. Very rarely, we have used ATM machines. Since our debit card has a credit card logo on it, we can also go to a bank and request a cash advance against our account. (We haven't tested this option yet.)
Finances
3. How do you pay bills?
Our monthly bills are taken care of by auto-payment through our debit card. Our yearly bills (dues, insurance, etc.) can be paid on-line or by telephone, using our debit card.
Finances
4. How much does it cost for a family to travel fulltime?
Expenses for
living on the road probably vary as much as expenses for living in a house.
While we no longer pay property taxes or have a mortgage payment, the items in
our monthly budget are very similar to when we lived in the house. However,
there are choices as to which categories get the most money. For example, our
"entertainment" category has grown because it now includes attraction
admission prices, parking, and a lot more eating out than we used to do. On the
other hand, food, clothing, household supplies, and health/beauty aids have
stayed about the same.
Some expenditures can be controlled by our choices. We save
money on campground fees by boondocking at the homes of family and friends or in
the desert. We also tend to avoid destination-type campgrounds which charge
high fees because they have so many amenities (which we don't use). To cut back
on fuel expenses, we stay in one spot for a couple of weeks. If we're using a
lot of propane to run the furnaces, we know we need to move to a warmer
place.
Our truck
1. Is that a semi?
No. It is a medium duty truck (MDT), also known in the industry as a "business class" truck.
Our truck
2. Do you need a CDL to drive that?
No.
Our truck
3. How do you get around town, like to the grocery store?
We drive the truck, since it is our only motor vehicle. If I have someplace to go by myself, I drive it. People seem concerned about parking and about maneuvering in traffic. It's 22 ft. 8 in. long, so I usually try to find a pull-through parking space, that is, two spaces where two vehicles would normally park bumper-to-bumper. It is essentially the same length as a one ton crew cab with an eight foot bed. Along the street, we try to find a space at the end of a bunch of spaces, so we can "hang out" over one end of the space, if necessary. It's not bad to drive in traffic, for a couple of reasons. First of all, everybody else sees us. Secondly, the driver of our truck sits up high and has a good view of traffic. Thirdly, the truck is quite responsive for it's size. It has an automatic transmission and a very tight turning radius.
Our truck
4. What kind of mileage do you get?
Our mileage is just about the same whether we're towing or not: a little better than 8 miles per gallon.
Our truck
5. Do you need special insurance for that truck?
Yes. Our insurance needs changed when we sold the house. No longer homeowners, we needed a policy that would give us personal liability coverage. Fulltimers' coverage does just that. Specialized RV insurance provides different coverage from an automobile policy. Coverage for medium duty trucks varies from state to state, so I researched several companies before selecting RV Alliance America, now called Aon Recreation Insurance. I won't go into details here, but you can visit their web site to learn more. You can also do a search for "RV insurance" to find web sites for other companies.
Our truck
6. Why did you buy such a big truck?
For us, the
first issue was safety. We knew we wanted to travel many places, including
mountainous regions. Being able to go up long, steep grades was important to us;
being in control while coming down long, steep grades was even more important to
us. 
When we began to investigate RV's, we looked at small,
light-weight campers. We soon learned that there is a big difference between a
vacation camper and a unit designed for fulltime living. As we visited dealers,
we studied the used models, looking for things that wore out. We talked with a
fulltiming family who had lived in a "camper" for a couple of years.
When they were able, they purchased a Travel Supreme and were very happy with
it. We were impressed with how homey their rig was, but we were concerned about
its heaviness. None of the pick-up trucks we had found in our research was rated
to tow the nearly-20,000 fifth wheel we had in mind.
We had heard of medium duty trucks and decided it was time to
find out more about them. Less than two hours from our house was a dealer who
sold MDT's for RV towing. David test drove one and was amazed at the ease of
handling. We learned that several companies offered "conversion"
trucks, with plush, custom interiors and tow bodies for storage and a fifth
wheel hitch. The towing capacity, including stopping ability, of these trucks
would certainly be more than sufficient to meet our safety criteria.
The second issue was economics. We knew that a vehicle driven
at or beyond its design limits is stressed in all components: transmission,
brakes, drive train, differential, etc. Costly repairs would put a crimp
in our budget. Medium duty trucks, however, are designed to be driven hundreds
of thousands of miles and our towing requirements would put little strain on the
components mentioned above. This also meant that the truck's resale value would
be a considerably bigger percentage of its initial cost than a pick-up's would
be.
In very little time, we knew that if we bought a big fiver,
we'd also buy a medium duty truck. As it turns out, we did both.
Our fifth wheel
1. How long is that rig?
Our Travel
Supreme is forty feet long. It has two bedrooms, so the kitchen/living room area
is similar to a shorter fifth wheel. When the fiver is hitched up to the truck,
the overall length is fifty-seven feet. It's usually fellow RV'ers who ask this
question. They seem to be mentally comparing it to their own fifth wheel or
motorhome. Perhaps they try to imagine what it's like to handle such a rig.
I'll admit that, even though I have driven the whole rig a
few times, I have not yet developed confidence in judging its whereabouts in
relation to curbs, other vehicles, and trees. 
David does quite well with it, though, even in Wal-Mart parking lots! Unlike me, who had never towed anything before,
he'd been towing various kinds of trailers since he was a teen.
Our fifth wheel
2. Is it a problem to find campsites big enough?
We haven't had difficulty with this. Sometimes we'll try a campground and find that they have no spot for us. (This might be just because they are full.) So far, we've always been able to find an alternative overnight parking place, usually at another campground. We do check directories for descriptions which specify maximum site length. More and more advertise "big rig sites." But we have found that if we show up and check out available sites in person, we've almost always been able to find a suitable one.
Our fifth wheel
3. How many people does your rig sleep?
There are two
bunks in the rear bedroom and a queen-size bed in the front bedroom. These accommodate
the four of us. My brother has spent his vacation with us and reports that the
queen-size hide-a-bed in the living room is satisfactory. Actually, a bigger
issue when determining how many people can stay in the rig is bathroom
usage. 
Family Life
1. Do you homeschool your children?
Yes, in the sense that they don't go to school away from home. No, in the sense that we don't do "school" at home. For a more complete treatment of this topic, see the "Applying the Motto" page of our Red Roads Learning section.
Family Life
2. What do you do about privacy?
For privacy from
other people, we stay in our rig. We have learned that most people in
campgrounds respect a closed door as a request for privacy. Sitting on the patio
under the awning, especially with an extra chair or two, is an invitation to
visit. David's tinkering around the truck also attracts visitors.
Privacy from other family members is a little more
complicated. Having a second bedroom is a blessing because it means we have
three spaces (not counting the bathroom and the separate "water
closet"!) that can be separated from each other by a closed door. We have
two TV's so that different shows can be watched at the same time. We can also
use headphones for late night TV watching in the living room after J and Bud
have gone to bed. If a person really needs to get away from the others, he or
she can sit in the truck. Yes, we really do that!
Living in the rig has also taught us to get along better with
each other. There doesn't seem to be as much need to "go do your own
thing." I'm not saying there are no tense moments and no raised voices, but
I honestly don't think we desire privacy as much as we did when we had lots of
space in the house.
Family Life
3. Do you meet many other traveling families?
No, we really
don't. In the summer, we meet vacationing families, if we're in state parks or
other places frequented by weekend campers and vacationers. More typically,
however, we meet retired couples, or workamping couples who do not have children
traveling with them. Through the Families on the Road e-mail
list, we have
"met" families traveling around the country. There's a lot of
information sharing on the list.
People who ask this question are often wondering if our kids
get to spend time with other kids. Not as much as when we lived in a house, but
even then they didn't spend eight hours a day with scores of kids their own age.
J keeps up with friends and extended family members via e-mail, instant
messaging, and telephone. These activities are not as important to Bud, but he
is more likely to spend time with another boy he meets in a campground.
Family Life
4. How do you decide what activities to do?
We consider a
lot of factors when choosing activities: cost, educational value, memory-making
potential, individual special interests, etc. We each have things we'd like to
do as we travel, things like visiting certain national parks we've heard about,
or trying something new like skiing or salmon fishing or trail riding, or going
to places with fun activities, like a science museum. All of these things are
taken into consideration as we plan our stops.
To find attractions, activities, and places to visit, we used
AAA Tour Books, state welcome center brochures, travel magazines and books, the
Internet, and personal recommendations from family, friends, and fellow
travelers. See the "Resources"
page of our Red Roads Traveling section.
We also take into consideration our need to do
"ordinary" things, like doing household chores, reading, playing with
Legos, and completing math lessons. We make sure to have stay-at-home days, so
we don't start running in vacation mode. For more on this, see the "Applying
the Motto" page of our Red Roads Traveling section.
Family Life
5. Where is your home?
One response to
this question is the title of a book
by Kay Peterson, co-founder of Escapees: "Home is where you park it."
Another answer might be, "Well, today home is Wenatchee," or Yuma, or Soldotna.
When people ask this question, though, they are usually just
striking up a conversation, looking for common ground. We usually say,
"Before we became fulltime travelers, we lived in a house in northwest
Ohio." That's enough to satisfy their curiosity or to continue the
conversation, according to their inclination.
Family Life
6. What adjustments have you had to make?
David retired in
March, 2002. We rest of us were used to being together all the time since J and
Bud did not go to school. Being "four together 24/7" was a challenge
for all of us.
We began living in the rig in late September, 2002, because
our household furniture had all been sold. We still had a lot of unsorted
"stuff" with us that had to be gone through and reduced before we
headed out on the road. Our living quarters were crowded and disorganized for
several weeks. This was difficult for us, but we were glad to be in familiar
territory (geographically) as we went through this process.
It took us quite a while to adjust to the closeness of 400
square feet of living space: sharing the only bathroom; moving things around to
find the best "assigned space" for each item; not being able to stock
up on pantry items and household supplies; and even learning to walk through the
rig without bumping into objects or each other!
When we lived in a house, I sometimes had to spend the first
waking moments of my day remembering what day of the week it was and what
activities were planned. Now I still have to do that and also figure out where I
am!
Grocery shopping can be quite an adventure as we move around.
Store names are different; preferred brands are sometimes unavailable; and our
refrigerator is a lot smaller than the one we had in the house.
Traveling
1. How do you decide where to go next?
So far, this
hasn't been much of a problem for us. We started fulltiming as winter approached
Ohio, so we headed south in search of warmer weather. David had spent time in
the Southwest and thought that would be a good place to spend the winter. It was
easy to find places and people to visit on the way from Ohio to Arizona. Even
before we sold the house, we were pretty sure we would go to Alaska the
first summer on the road. (In case the traveling life didn't work out for us, at
least we would have had an Alaskan adventure!) Our family members wanted to know
when we'd return to Ohio for a visit. We wanted our time in Alaska to be as long
as possible, so we told them we would see them in September. By then we hoped
we'd know whether we wanted to continue traveling. If so, we'd leave Ohio again
in October.
This circle route (from Ohio to Arizona for the winter, then
to Alaska for the summer, then back to Ohio in the fall) served as our skeletal
agenda. Fleshing out the plan was a matter of choosing stops along the way. We
visited family members and friends, went to tourist places we'd heard about for
years, and saved time for unexpected adventures. We will continue to use this
general plan as long as it works for us.
Traveling
2. How long do you stay in one place?
During our first
year of fulltiming, we moved frequently, even though we made a conscious effort
to avoid vacation mode by staying a week or two in most places. We have learned
that many fulltimers set a hectic pace their first year on the road. There is an
excitement and intensity about the new lifestyle which can be exhausting and
frustrating. (In fact, some people become disillusioned with their dream of a
traveling life and quit after a year or so. Although there can be many reasons
for this, one cause may be their own failure to slow down, simplify, and
prioritize.)
As I listened to and learned from other fulltimers, I began
sharing with them a comparison that almost always brought a smile to their
faces. The first year of fulltiming is similar to the first year of marriage or
the first year of parenthood: you couldn't pay somebody to go through that time
again, but neither would they trade that precious experience for any amount of
money.
Traveling
3. In what kind of campgrounds do you stay?
We usually look
for small places with big spaces!
Our budget figure for overnight stays is an
average of $15 per night. We've found this to be a reasonable figure for us
because we often stay at fairly inexpensive campgrounds like Escapees Rainbow
Parks and Co-ops, state parks, and other public parks. When we boondock at the
homes of family and friends, or in the desert, that lowers our average cost,
too. Then we can afford an occasional brief stay at a destination park or in a
popular vacation area where everything is higher priced.
One reason we typically avoid campgrounds that belong to
national chains is that they charge prices suitable for a vacation budget.
People go there and stay in the park for their week-long vacation, using the
pool, game room, playground, shower house, etc. We don't use those amenities, so
we don't like paying for them. These parks often charge a per person fee for
more than two people in a site, and they are "conveniently" located
near major highways. For us, these three reasons add up to three strikes.
We have met many people who belong to membership parks and
are usually quite happy with them. Before we left the house, we visited a local
campground that belonged to a national membership plan. We were not impressed
with the facilities nor with the reception we received as "drop-in
researchers." While we are not judging all parks by this one, we have not
been interested in pursuing this option. Of course, since we know so little, we
are not giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down on membership parks.
Traveling
4. Do you always have hook-ups?
No. Sometimes
we boondock (Here
is another good page.), with no hook-ups at all. We've enjoyed that at Quartzsite,
AZ, and Slab
City, near Niland, CA. We added four solar panels, six batteries, and an
inverter to our
fifth wheel and a small generator in the truck to help us boondock. The two main challenges we face while parked without hook-ups is water use
and trash disposal.
When we park in the driveways of family and friends, we
usually have electricity. Water use is not such as issue if we use the house
facilities. Sometimes in campgrounds we have only electricity and water; then we
have to watch our water use to postpone a trip to the dump station. If we are
only staying someplace for one night because we are in "traveling
mode," we usually use only electricity, even if we have full hook-ups. It
just makes breaking camp easier and quicker in the morning.
Although we try not to carry gray water with us as we travel,
we usually have a full fresh water tank. That way we have more flexibility in
picking our overnight parking places. When we know we are going to be someplace
with a full hook-up for at least several days, we use up the water in our fresh
water tank and refill it just before we leave. That helps keep the tank fresh.
We also sanitize it once a year.
Traveling
5. How does it feel to be on a perpetual vacation?
Our fulltiming
lifestyle is really quite different from being on vacation. We don't have to
pack and unpack our rig and we don't worry about forgetting some necessary item
back at the house. We also don't wonder if the house is safe and sound. Our
activities don't have to be scheduled to "get them all in." Our
vacations were typically rather intense short periods (one or two weeks) during
which time we ate out and drove a lot. We did not buy groceries or do laundry or
household cleaning. A vacation was a break from (almost) all of the typical
daily life activities. We are not on vacation now.
Having said that, I'll admit that we do enjoy some of the
excitement of a vacation. We get to meet new people and see new places. We're
learning a lot about our county's history, geography, and physical
science.
Traveling
6. How long are you going to do this?
We have not set a time limit. We'll keep traveling as long as we feel it is the right thing for us to do. It's difficult to look ahead and imagine what it will be like when David and I are empty nesters. Of course, first we'll try to help our children make the transition to being on their own. Since we've never done that before, we don't know if we'll need to "settle down" for a time or not. We're taking one day at a time, thanking God for our health and safety, togetherness, and adventure opportunities.
Household
1. What chores does each of you do?
We share the
tasks related to setting up and breaking camp. J and Bud can install the wheel
chocks, hook up the shore power and the water, and put out the slides. They also
help put leveling boards under the tires, if necessary. David connects and
disconnects the sewer hose. Bud's special assignment is to climb into the truck
bed, under the bicycles, and lock/unlock the hitch. I pack the refrigerator to
minimize shifting of contents as we travel. Either David or I will turn the
propane off/on, put the TV antenna up/down, hook/unhook the emergency trailer
break cord and the power cable, and raise/lower the landing gear. David sets up
the TV and the Internet satellite dishes, with the help of someone inside the
rig.
I also do the housekeeping chores, with J's assistance:
laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping. David and I wash dishes and J and Bud
occasionally dry them. David does the truck maintenance, holding tanks dumps (I
assist), and rig washing.
Household
2. How did you decide what things to bring along with you?
First, we
brought on board things we believed would be used for daily living: dishes,
clothing, bedding, office supplies, books, etc. We tried to be conservative and
realistic, but we didn't really know how useful any given item would be in our
new lifestyle. Next, each of us tried to define "necessities" and
select these from our personal belongings. Portions of our limited storage space
were designated for individual use. We tried very hard not to be critical of
each other's choices, even though eight bins of Legos seemed like a lot to me.
After that, we picked a few special items to personalize our living space, such
as some decorative (and utilitarian!) baskets, a couple of afghans and woven
throws, several pictures, and a clock. Finally, we added things we had
specifically purchased for this new way of living, such as bins for organizing
small items; a small, handheld mixer to replace our big countertop model;
folding dish drainer; and smaller, more compact versions of other household
items.
As we traveled, we continued to add new items, as we
discovered what would make our lives easier. We also got rid of some belongings
that we determined were not particularly practical or needed.
Household
3. What did you do with the rest of your stuff?
We sold or gave
away everything that was easily replaceable: furniture, seldom used kitchen
gadgets, seasonal items, extra bedding and linens, etc. Irreplaceable items were
stored in bins and distributed among family members who were able and willing to
keep them for us: family photos, my wedding dress, childhood memorabilia,
original paintings, etc.
We spent over a year gradually sorting through things and
getting rid of items we probably shouldn't have kept in the first place. I have
terrible packrat tendencies, so I had a lot of plain old junk to dispose of. A
couple of books by Don Aslett were great helps to me: Not for Packrats Only
and Clutter's Last Stand. I read library copies, but these books can also
be ordered at Mr. Aslett's web
site.
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| copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Bonnie & David Smith |
