Hello please help me get on the road

[mitch5252]

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Welcome to the Forum, Sherryrose!
We're glad you joined us.

Heck, at 66, you're still a young woman.
You will find nothing but support here - from women of all ages and all levels of experience.
So, you found a good one.

Look forward to some great advice and encouragement...the ladies here will have you on the road in no time flat (but maybe not before the first snow - it is Illinois, after all!).

Whereabouts in IL? The founder of this forum is from IL (north 'burbs) and I'm originally from IL (Wheaton area) and we have several members still living there.
Any dogs? (we're, almost to a one, dog lovers here...cats, too.)

So, jump right in wherever you want and ask away. The only dumb question is the unasked question!

[Rufflesgurl]

Hi Sherryrose - Welcome to the forum from N. Central CA. Happy travels in your RV when you decide which one to get!!

Linda

[avalen]

Welcome, hope to see myself on the road soon too, my retirement is right
around the corner and I've been shopping for a rig as well. My preference is
a Phoenix Cruiser, come in many different sizes.

[JudyJB]

Welcome to the forum! The women on this forum drive a wide variety of vehicles, so someone can surely help you.

Width can be a little scary at first, but it really does get easier with time. You might want to try renting a small Class C for a weekend to see if you can get comfortable with it. Oh, and I am 73, and met an 83-year-old lady this spring who had been on the road driving her smaller Class A for 6 months, so you still have a few years to go before you are too old for this.

[cnq50b]

Welcome SherryRose,

You've found the best group of women there is! Want support? it's here. Advice? plenty of it! A caring network of really smart ladies? this group is made up of them.

As the others have said, you'll get used to whatever you get after you've been on the road a bit so don't let that stop you.

I have a class B so I can't help you with your specific questions but I think everyone starts out fairly nervous & gradually gets more & more comfortable with their rig.

Looking forward to see what you end up with & hearing about your first trip.

Take care,
Catherine

[BirdbyBird]

Welcome to the forum. Try to look into as many of the rigs as you can. Use your imagination as to how you will use the floor plan. We are all different in our preferences. Some want dedicated beds that we don't have to make up every night. Others don't want to give up the space. If you can travel to any of the gtg'ers try to make it. There is so much to learn sitting around a campfire swapping stories, mishaps and adventures......and laughter.

[Bethers]

Welcome. What everyone else has said! If you like an rv, go for it. You CAN do it. I bought my first, a smaller Class C without ever driving one. My first time driving it was from Wisconsin to Alabama, on a rush trip to drop it off and fly back north until I could return a few months later to start my full time adventure.. I quickly got used to it. And have never looked back.

[snowball]

welcome Sherryrose...
there are lots of women out there of various ages so you will fit in perhaps you can drive over to a
near by campground and see what people are driving ask how they like it...ect it would be hard
to start out without someone cheering you on so we will be your cheering section
sheila

[MandysMom]

Welcome Sherryrose from northern California! Keep asking questions, we love to share our favorite topic, RV lifestyle. I went from a small Toyota van to a 22 ft class B (Leosure Travel van)'amd it is easy to drive.
Velda

[Acadianmom]

I had never heard of an Orion so had to look it up. It's made by Coachman. It's nice looking but I think the older you get the less you would want to be climbing up and down to get in and out of the bed. Most rv's don't have the most comfortable beds. If you had to put a topper on the bed would it be able to be raised all the way up? Trying to find THE ONE is hard. I have had 4 motorhomes. All with different floor plans. Each one was what I needed at the time I bought it.

Have you been to any RV Shows? They are usually in the spring so you probably won't find one now. I'm not sure what area the get togethers in the North are going to be, I'm on the Gulf South. If you could attend one of the get togethers you could check out more models. Some campgrounds have cabins you can rent.

Martha

[IrishIroamed]

Hi Sherry ~ welcome from the Plainfield / Joliet IL region.

I've seen a (Winnebago I think) that has drop down bed at the Rosemont RV show and thought it was a cute little thing, but the drop down bed made me think just one more thing that could break, but then again, a lot of class A's have them over the cockpit, so the mechanics are probably pretty reliable. My opinion of this type of layout is that it's probably suited more for weekenders, but not if you decide to fulltime.

By the way, I heard this morning on the radio that the Blackhawk statue is getting covered again this winter. Someday maybe I'll see it uncovered. A few of us last year had a mini-GTG at Lowden SP, so you never know who could wind up in your area. Keep an eye on the GTG thread. Feel free to stop by and visit even without an RV. Right now I'm heading up to central WI on Oct 4th and Eileen is planning on meeting me there also, so come on up!

Good luck in your search for an RV. Took me 4 years to decide, and then instead of a C, I ended up with a trailer so I could get out there and start learning before retirement. You'll find something and just say 'perfect!'.

[retiredhappy]

Welcome from Texas. One of our members is in her eighties so you're not too old. I was in my 60's when I bought my first RV, My first was a 19' camping van, then a 30' class C with a tow vehicle, then back down to a 19' Roadtrek. The vans were easy to drive, easy to park and could go anywhere. Yes, they're small but you tend to spend a lot of time outside and I like how they could go anywhere a truck could go. I lived fulltime for three years in the 30' class C. The downside to me was that you need (I think) a tow vehicle so you can sightsee or just go to the grocery store if you're parked for a while. The vans I could just unhook and drive them all over then back to the campground. I bought used on all three but had each one checked before I bought. This forum has women all over the US and several Get Togethers each year. You can also just travel and visit us all over. I have a 30 amp plug and water available for anyone who wants to come stay in the middle of a hay field in East Texas. Currently our driveway is in pretty bad shape from all the rains last year so wouldn't recommend anything bigger than 25'. Do you have a dog? Great traveling companions and makes you get out and walk around and meet people. But you're also walking in the rain.

I have no friends here locally, we just moved here last year but I have lots of friends on this wonderful forum. Welcome, again.

[Othersharon]

Welcome, Sherryrose from central PA. I went from a 19 foot RT to a 22 foot RV. When I looked at it and the salesman handed me the key to test drive it I was scared to death. Took a deep breath and figured I could do this! Amazing how fast I felt comfortable! The gals here are great and can offer lots of advise and encouragement. Don't let your age stop you, it's only a number! If it's what you want, go for it! As usual, when you see it, you'll know it's the one!

[lostintime]

Hi....Bought my 25' class c this year and its amazing how quickly I got used to driving it. I started with several short trips to nearby provincial parks (I'm in western Canada) and in July I went on a 2400km road trip, alone, and now I've noticed that I am very confident both on the road and backing up. My big worry starting out was staying in the middle of my lane because of the width of of it, but now I find it comes very naturally. One of the reasons that I bought my particular rig was that there was a bed and I didn't have to take down a table every night and build it again every morning as I thought that it would get tiresome and annoying for me eventually. I love getting out in my motorhome and hiking the trails with my dogs...... just get out there and do it.....its really much easier than you think.

[WickedLady]

Welcome, Sherryrose. How wide doesn't matter as much as how long /high. It will still fit in a car lane. Good luck hunting.