Red Roads Fulltiming Family

My Life as a Teenage Fulltimer
by Bud Smith (KC8TZV) and his mom, Bonnie Smith

    [The following article appeared in the July-August 2005 issue of Escapees magazine. It has been edited only slightly to be published here. See the end of the article for 2007 update comments.]

    Bud is a 13-year-old fulltimer. He travels with his parents, David and Bonnie, and his older sister J., aged 17. The Smiths sold their house in northwestern Ohio and hit the road in November, 2002.

    In the following hypothetical interview with a fellow Escapee, Bud shares some of his thoughts about the family’s current lifestyle. The questions are typical of those that people ask him.

Escapee: What do you like best about RVing?

Bud: I like seeing a lot of the country and meeting a lot of people. We get to see a lot of things I wouldn’t be seeing if we still lived in the house. I think it’s really neat. I’m having a lot of fun!

Escapee: How do you like being on vacation all the time?

Bud: Well, it’s not really like being on vacation. When we lived in a house and went on a vacation, it would only be for a week or two. We knew that we’d have a lot of fun and get really tired. But we could rest up when we got home. When we travel now, we have to make sure we schedule time to just stay home and relax. Even when we’re in places like Yellowstone National Park, we stay home some days.

     Another thing that’s different is that Dad would have to go back to work after a vacation. Now he’s retired, so he spends all his time with us.

     I like having all my stuff with me while we travel, instead of taking a suitcase, like on a vacation. Also, I get to sleep in my own bed every night, and we eat in our own kitchen a lot.

     I also have work to do now, like chores and lessons. When we took vacations, I got a break from that.

Escapee: Do you have any favorite places of those you’ve visited?

Bud: I really liked fishing in Alaska with Dad. Haines was a neat place for that because we got out in the river on the rocks. There were eagles flying around, too. We didn’t catch anything but Dolly Varden, though. In Soldotna, I caught an eight-pound red salmon that Dad cooked for supper. That was cool.

    I also liked jumping on the sand dunes at Death Valley National Park. Using the snow mat on the dunes at White Sands National Monument was fun, too.

Escapee: What do you do about school?

Bud: I’ve always been home schooled, even when we lived in the house. Mom finds lots of museums for us to visit, so I learn a lot about history and science. We also read signs and trail guides when we take hikes. I’m studying for my general [second level] ham radio license. That involves a lot of math and science. Of course, I have a math book, too, but I don’t use it every day.

Escapee: Don’t you miss your friends? Do you get to play with other kids as you travel?

Bud: I have one good friend from when we lived in a house. His name is Cody. When we’re in Ohio, I spend time with him. Sometimes I stay at his house. When we’re traveling, I call him on the weekends because we have lots of cell phone minutes then. His family just moved to Kentucky, but I’ll still get to see him because we can go to his new house on our way to Ohio to visit my grandparents and other relatives. Cody and I also chat on-line, through instant messaging. Sometimes I IM with other friends and with my cousins, too.

    We meet other fulltiming families sometimes, so I play with kids then. But usually in campgrounds, kids are on vacation and doing things with their families.

    J. and I play cards or Legos together, sometimes. She doesn’t do that as much as she used to, though. Dad plays pool and ping pong with me if there is equipment available at a clubhouse. I also like to swim, ride my bike, and play shuffleboard.

    I like talking with adults, too, because if they’re fulltimers, we have a lot in common.

Escapee: Do you miss living in a house?

Bud: Yes, some parts of it. When we had the house, I had this huge room and I left my Legos sprawled out all over it. Well, I can’t do that any more because we don’t have the room. Other people need to be able to get around, so I have to clean up. Also, I don’t really have a place where I can be alone. Even if I close a door, I can hear what people are doing and talking about. Another thing is we had a yard I could play in by myself. In a lot of campgrounds, I can’t go anywhere without one of my parents, for supervision.

    Another thing is, when we lived in a house, I was learning to mow the lawn. We had a multi-level lot, so Dad wouldn’t let me do some of the hard parts. I earned money from mowing, but now I don’t have any way to earn money. RVers don’t have many odd jobs for a kid to do and we don’t stay anyplace long enough for me to get jobs with other people.

Escapee: Do you have any hobbies or special interests that you can do in your RV?

Bud: I really like building vehicles with my Legos. When we left the house, Mom let me bring along eight bins of Legos. After a year, we left two bins at my grandma and grandpa’s house, but I still have a lot. I even take them in the truck with me when we’re traveling. I use a lap tray for a work area. Legos work out great with RVing because they’re small, light-weight, and really fun.

    I also have a collection of hat pins from National Parks and other places we’ve visited. They’re small so that’s nice. But I don’t wear them much any more because I’ve got so many of them. Counting my 7 National Park Junior Ranger badges, I have 68 pins.

    Ham radio is an interest of mine, too. As we travel, we can talk with other hams we meet or we can talk on the radio. I have my own hand-held radio. When Dad has one of his radios set up, I can use it, too. We’re members of the Escapees Amateur Radio BOF. Every year we go to Quartzfest, a big ham rally in Quartzsite, Arizona. I like learning about how other hams have set up their radio rigs in their RV rigs or trucks.

    Another thing that I like to do is use our laptop computer. I play games, and I’m also learning some programming. We have satellite Internet, so I can find lots of interesting information.

Escapee: What chores do you do for your family?

Bud: I take the trash to the dumpster and launder my own bed sheets. Sometimes I dry dishes. I have to pick up my own stuff so it’s not spread out in the living room.

    When we break camp, I pack up my things in the rear bedroom. When we hitch and unhitch, I climb into the back of the truck to lock or unlock the hitch. J. and I usually take care of the wheel chocks. We help Mom with the boards under the wheels if we have to raise one side of the trailer. We also take care of water and power hook-ups. I know how to check the water pressure and the polarity of the electricity. When we’re setting up camp, I help Dad with the TV and Internet dishes. I work inside while he works outside.

Escapee: How do you like being an Escapee?

Bud: I like parking at Escapees parks. The people are friendly and mostly fulltimers, like us. There are also gatherings at SKP parks that are kind of neat. The activities are designed for people to talk and meet each other, like social hour and ice cream socials and things like that. If we’re in a parking lot or rest area and we see a rig or “toad” with an Escapees sticker on it, sometimes we go over and talk to the people.

Escapee: Do you think you’ll have your own RV someday?

Bud: Sometimes I think about that, but I don’t really know yet. I guess I’ll be traveling with my family for a while. I can’t really think what it will be like not to be living with them, when I’m older. I’ll just wait and see.

2007 update comments

    As of February 2007, for the purpose of publishing this article on our web site, now fifteen-year-old Bud says that the responses he gave in 2004 in preparing the original article pretty much reflect his current thinking. He adds that he really misses snow! [Dad doesn't miss it, and he's the one driving the rig!] We've put more Legos in storage, so he's down to two-and-a-half bins. The list of really enjoyable places we've visited now includes Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.