Newbie from Central Utah

[hokiephile]

I guess I'm more a Wannabe than a Newbie. I'm planning to retire in two years. I've lived in ten different states and I'm not sure where I want to end up. I thought maybe living in an RV for 2 or 3 years would be interesting and give me a chance to visit people I haven't seen in years, and give me time to decide where to put down roots. I've been studying RVs for a year and been to an RV show. I can't decide whether a class B would be too small to live in with two cats for a couple years (though easy to drive) or a Class B+ or C would easier to live in (but harder to drive).
If there's anyone in Utah (or traveling through) who might be willing to let me look at their rigs and share some advice, I'd spring for lunch! And, do any of you live in a B and have a cat? Where the heck do you put the litter box?

I'm a college professor so I have summers off. I'm thinking it would be wise to buy something during the upcoming year so I can use it next summer to make some trips and get the hang of it.

I"m so glad to find a forum for women!

Terry

[Bethers]

Welcome, Terry!

We have another college professor in the group who know teaches online which fits this lifestyle very well. I'm sure she'll chime in. And we have many (and have had many other) wannabees - some who are now on the road. We also have people in Utah - as well as others traveling in Utah for the summer. So, you can meet up with some of us whether you have a rig yet or not.

Join in anywhere - ask any questions. We are friendly. (Most of the time )

[MandysMom]

Welcome Terry! A good person to chime in on drivability of same length B vs C would be Liz who had a I think Roadtrek B and now has driven a small C for a few years. Myself I love my 22 ft Sprinter based (B) Leisure Travel and could do full time myself with our cats but they would need to be leash trained ( mine are) so I could give them more exercise than a B offers or even a small C. That said I would probably put litter Box in rear in front of my sofa/ bed during drive and in drivers well in front of seat during parked times. The fridge in my B is quite small (4 cf) but easy to stop at a store. Newer B plus have a little larger fridge. My B drives like a large van, handles well and I love to drive it. Unless you get a much longer C which will have tail swing (which is the length of rig behind rear axle), a C should be quite easy, just like any new car you drive they all take getting used to. The larger rigs with tail swing you have to know where that rear is as you turn and as you go up an incline such as into a parking lot where bottom of rear may drag.
Stick around, our travelers will chime in as they park and or get Internet signal.
Velda

[monik7]

Welcome from the San Francisco Bay Area. I have a small C (dealer called it a B+) and it's 24'9". It's so easy to drive. I don't full time but know I could with my 2 dogs and cat. I don't think I could in anything smaller.
Sandi

[BirdbyBird]

Welcome to the forum. What space each of us feels we need is just another one of those personal decisions. Some much depends upon what "stuff" we need to bring with us as we travel. What hobbies we have? Do try to walk through as many rigs as you can and us you imagination of where you might store items important to you....like clothes and litter boxes...

[snowball]

we used to have a forum member (she rarely gets on now) who travels with two cats...but also a big motor home...
as for me I have a 5th wheel...what part of Utah are you in Cedar City? I have a 5th wheel and pop into Northern Utah
every so often have kids in both Ogden and SLC...although my 5th wheel spends the summers in Eastern Idaho,..
will look forward to meeting you
sheila

[SoCalGalcas]

Go to "things for sale" on our forum. A member has her very wonderful/well kept rig for sale. I high recommend it. LYN

[WickedLady]

Welcome to the forum. If whatever rig you get has a small cabinet at floor-level you could put the litter box in it. Remove the door and replace it with a curtain.
I fulltime in my 16' travel trailer with a big dog and, until recently, a cat.

[Liz]

Welcome! I started full-timing in a 2006 22' Class B Roadtrek 210. I had a 45 lb. dog and a large cat. The RT had a perfect place for the litter box where the dog couldn't get into it. I had a floor plan with twin beds with bedside platform with drawers between them. The large rear compartment under the twin beds was accessible with the rear doors open and accessible to the cat with the small compartment door open inside. (The dog wasn't able to fit through that door). Inside that compartment is a plastic lined ice chest- size space recessed into the floor. The bottom of a large kitty litter box fit in that perfectly, and the cover with cat door fit flush with the floor of the compartment. The cat could go into the compartment door and access the litter box, and I could access the litter box to scoop or clean from the outside rear doors.

I now have a 24' class c and if I still had a cat, I would probably try to configure something similar under the dinette bench seat.

[JudyJB]

I'm the part-time online college professor who teaches while I travel. For 23 years, I worked a regular job and taught as an adjunct. I've taught 13 years in a classroom and now 15 years online only, which works well for me. The commuter college I teach at in Michigan has been very good to me and treats adjuncts just as the do full-timers, which is why so many of us adjuncts have taught there many years. I enjoy teaching, and it is a very good retirement income, but I don't have summers off--we have four condensed semesters each year, so no time between except for December.

I started out looking at small Cs and then ended up expanding my needs--ended up with a 32' Class C and am very happy with it. I had never driven anything bigger than a mini-van, but it turned out to be pretty easy. (It drove my younger son crazy when he had to follow me when I drove it home 75 miles from the dealer! Actually, it still makes them nervous, but I have not had any accidents yet, other than backing into a couple of poles and scaping something when I got stuck between high curbs trying to get out of a shopping center once.)

Actually, after five years of full-timing, driving my big rig is fairly comfortable. I don't tow, so I take my motorhome into shopping centers and grocery stores. I also take it to museums and wherever I want to go. Very few limitations, really.

[hokiephile]

Thanks for the welcomes and the advice!
Another thing I have to consider is having a second sleeping area for the occasional person who might travel with me. That's another reason (besides the litter box issue) that makes me hesitate about a B. Has anyone tried that bed across the front seats that Roadtrek shows on the floorplans on its site? Is it comfortable? Is it easy for a senior to get in and out of?
I have two extremely lazy boy cats. One likes to go outside on a leash. The other would rather scratch my eyes out than go out on a leash. The one time we tried it he spazzed out so bad he fell in the swimming pool. No more going outside for him. In fact, he's a bit of a flight risk so I don't even travel with him anymore other than the vet. Not that he would actually try to get out. It's scary out there and he's a big pussy. But if there were a car accident or something and an opening, he'd flea in terror and never come back. He really is a big coward.
JudyJB, perhaps you can offer some advice on how to get a part-time online teaching gig. I'm currently the director of my program and they're a little worried about who is going to teach my classes after I leave. I thought I might offer to teach them online but first we'd have to get online versions approved by the program accreditor and that's a ton of work.

Thanks again. I look forward to being involved.
Terry

[Bethers]

When Liz had her RT, it had twin beds in the back... I much prefer that idea if you went with a B, and put storage where the rear seats are.

[IrishIroamed]

Hi Terry from Illinois. I was a Wannabe for a long time before I was (and still am) a Newbie. The ladies here are great for information.