Can I Do This? Challenges of Full-Timing

[BirdbyBird]

I am not sure I would want to full-time but I don't mind traveling for months on end either....

[LadyTexan]

Judy, thanks for your honesty about your adjustment to your new lifestyle. I'm in the planning stages, and you raise some questions that I have had. I'm pretty much a loner too, don't mind doing things by myself, but would I want to be alone all the time? I think not. And thank you to the other commenters, you have provided an interesting view into this new world for me.

[JudyJB]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I am not ready to give it all up yet, but I do think I need to find a pattern to my life that keeps me happy. I may be ready for workamping in a year or so, but not right now because I want to see stuff, and move around a bit for now. And the part-time job I already have is enough for me right now. I might end up with a double class for the fall semester, meaning 50 students instead of 25. That will help my finances and keep me really busy.

Tomorrow is going to be a big cleaning day. I am going to strip my bed and wash everything, including the coverlet. Will get my vacuum out and do some major vacuuming, plus doing some thorough dusting and even scrubbing the floors. The place is getting dusty, and it will feel good to have a clean place.

I've been making a point to get out and walking or doing something physical each day. Today went to Page via shuttle and had a restaurant breakfast, visited a museum, and did a bit of shoopping. I have lost weight in the past 18 months (32 pounds total), so now I need to put some muscle on my legs and get more fit cardio-wise. Would like to lose another 20 pounds, but want to do it slowly so it stays off. Also want to be able to walk at least two miles, as well as biking more than 15 miles.

[Redwahine]

Good for you losing all the weight. Kudos. We all know how hard it is. Keep up the activity and as you get more stamina and become more active, you will feel better too!

[BirdbyBird]

Judy...check with Nan...she has a theory about how to lose weight.... She has determined that traveling and camping with others that are great cooks and make delicious desserts is hard on the pant sizes. So there might be a benefit of traveling solo...easier to avoid food temptations......

[OregonLuvr]

Judy, you are just in the "learning" mode to slow down and smell the roses. I think you are doing great and have covered lots of miles since you started on this journey. One of the things I have found in my travels is the longer you stay at a place the more friends you tend to make. Some people go for a month at a time and others just a few nights.

I tend to be a bit chatty sometimes when camping so seem to make friends easily. I love my alone time but then its nice to chat to some adult persons other than my dog on occasion. I am not a "joiner" in campground activities per se. I hate organized card games, bingo, etc. But some have a coffee hour that is fun to partake in, usually on a Sunday. Sometimes I go, sometimes not.

My job usually puts me in one place for 3 months at a time when I am working so I definitely tend to meet other fulltimers and part timers during my stay. Some campgrounds are more conducive to meeting people and others are just stopovers for the area, not a destination.

I know I could absolutely NOT do without my TV. I need to keep up on the news and my favorite shows so I have DirecTV at my house and then I just take my receiver out and put it in the motorhome and then try and not park under any trees as I have the Kingdome mounted on the roof, more difficult to find a signal with trees. (it also isn't fond of HEAVY rain). I just don't have the storage for a portable dish, AND I like just pushing that button to automatically find a signal (talk about lazy). For Internet I have the Verizon Mifi aircard, can connect up to 5 different devices (not that I ever have but can). I usually use the Wifi if the signal is strong enough, and if not then I use my aircard. So guess with all my devices I don't get bored. I also have a DVD player and several movies I am always intending to watch but haven't yet. Saving them for the emergency with "NO SERVICES...GULP"

You sound like your doing great. Take your time seeing everything, remember you are no longer in a hurry. Let me know if you ever get Oregon bound.....I might be here if not working.

karen

[retiredhappy]

Are you in Page AZ? If you are please try to take in one of the slot canyons. Most of the tours will pick you up at the campground. When we were there we toured Antelope Canyon and were lucky enough to have a young Navajo play his flute inside the canyon. It is something I will never forget- the acoustics were fantastic.

[JudyJB]

I visited Antelope Canyon last year with my son and his family. There is another tour that takes you to a different canyon and includes a hummer tour over some hills, but it is just too hot for me right now, and that one is expensive.

I will be driving back this way in three weeks or so, so I might take a tour then, assuming the temps drop. We folks from Michigan are not used to the heat!! My favorite temp is 75 with cold nights.

I am thinking next year, of going into Canada in May for a month and then heading west, either through Canada or the upper states. Maybe i will visit Oregon then. I love Canada--all of my grandparents were born in Canada and did not emigrate to the U.S. until they were married. I have found several distant cousins in various places in northern Ontario who have offered to show me the old homesteads of my great-great-grandparents, so I want to do that soon. Besides, I need a supply of pea-meal bacon, which is extremely hard to get in the U.S.!!! (It's the real Canadian bacon.)

[monik7]

Judy, I can relate to your feelings, but in a slightly different way. I'm not full-timing, but recently finished up babysitting my grandchildren because they're all in school now. I retired early 10 years ago and went immediately into caring for the grandkids almost full time. While not a job per se, it did take up all of my time during the week just like a job. So now, here I am, no one to care for, no job friends, I live 40 miles from my daughter and the grandkids and have just my 2 dogs and 1 cat to talk to. The point I'm trying to make is that the feelings you're having now with such a big change in your life are similar to those felt by others when they retire.

I think you have an advantage over others however because you can move and travel to places you've never been to, visit and make new friends along the way, take on some workcamping if you want, etc. The sky's the limit. This is part of the reason for getting my RV in May. I'm hoping to do these things myself. My drawback is that I'm not a Type A and very shy, finding it difficult to talk to people I don't know. But I'm going to work on that, just like you're working on building your stamina, losing weight, etc. Give yourself time and don't get discouraged. It takes time to adjust to a new life. You need time to decide what appeals to you most in the area of how long you want your stays to be, where you want to go, etc. I'm sure you will find the freedom of the open road and the opportunities to do whatever you want whenever you want will be a lifestyle you'll become accustomed to very quickly. Now I just have to convince myself that I can do it too.
Sandi

[JudyJB]

Being alone does make it easier to lose weight. Lunch is often a chunk of cheese. I also have learned to eat small portions to control irritable bowel syndrome. Hard to get motivated to cook. I do try to eat fruit a couple of times a day and drink milk. Gets boring however to eat my own cooking!

One advantage I have is that I traveled for business a lot alone in 90s. Got used to staying in hotels alone and eating in restaurnts alone. Also got used to sightseeing alone. Took a while to adjust to that too

[ellenw]

This is a terrific topic, perhaps one that many of us haven't given voice to yet. I'm not retired (about 3 more years) and I haven't made many decisions yet about my future, but I'm allowing for full-timing as a possibility. I wonder if maybe trying to keep this topic active might help me and others do some heavier-duty thinking. Judy, you've written so articulately and honestly about your feelings. Thank you for giving me a lot of food for thought.

Another one of my mantras is, "Very few decisions in life are irrevocable." That is, MANY of the big decisions we make CAN be reversed if we just give ourselves permission to be honest.