How to Prepare for a Fulltime RV Lifestyle

I recently received this email from an RV Cooking Show viewer and thought many of you may have the same or similar questions. Have a look and see what you think. If you are a fulltimer and have some wisdom to share please do so by commenting below.

My wife and I are 35 and we want to fulltime it. We realize that we don't need much, our job has together 24/7, and we've been married for 13yrs. What advice can you give us - we are trying get prep for a three to four year exit, staring from scratch.

How exciting! Fulltiming is a special lifestyle and it sounds like it may be a good fit for you and your wife – there’s a lot of “together time”. Three to four years will give you plenty of time to prepare. Have you camped or RV’d before? If not, it may be a good idea to give it a try. You can rent an RV for not too much money and visit a close by campground. If you live near a campground or RV park (or when doing your trial run) you might spend some time chatting with other RVers – especially the fulltimers. Pick their brains – they’ll be more than delighted to share.

Here are some other tidbits for you to consider:

· Start saving as much money as you can right away. Having cash in the bank will provide you a unique freedom that’s worth every scrimp.

· Start paying down your debts with the goal of being debt-free when you begin your adventure. Again, that’s very liberating.

· Stop buying/accumulating “things” unless they have a critical purpose to your life (helps with the above two tips as well as the next one).

· Now’s the time to begin culling your “stuff”. Be ruthless in identifying what you do and do not need. Give what you don’t need to a worthy charity.

· Attend RV shows and look at as many RVs as possible. Collect brochures for the RV models that interest you. Chances are you’ll purchase a pre-owned RV that’s a few years old. Save those brochures to review when it comes time to make a purchasing decision.

· Review your income sources and talents. Will you work on the road (probably so at your ages)? What marketable skills will you bring with you? Do you need some formal education prior to hitting the road – now’s the time to look into this option.

· Begin researching what state you’ll want to be your “domicile”. Think about insurance – rig/vehicle/health, tax situations, vehicle and drivers licensing, mail – even jury duty calls. Some of the more popular RV states are Texas, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, and Montana. Be thorough and take care to gather all the facts before choosing your state of domicile.

· Develop an exit strategy in writing. Put together a long-term plan – say your four year plan – and when you are three to six months out develop a weekly then daily plan.

· Visit my Young Fulltime RVers page on my website. There you’ll find short videos on a variety of topics on fulltime RVing.

· Log on to www.Escapees.com. Though they are not focused on young fulltime RVers they are the preeminent fulltime RV club.

Best to you. Let me know how things progress,

Evanne
RV Cooking Show