What am I afraid of?

[retiredhappy]

I agree with Diana, Roadtreks do not have the insulation that bigger rigs have BUT I don't winterize my RT cause I take off for a few days all thru the winter. Texas has been having some REALLY cold nights. I have an electric heater that I plug in (don't want to empty my propane tank); I open the cabinet doors so heat circulates nearer the water pipes. Don't hook up a water hose or at least, disconnect it from your rig for nighttime. Turn off water pump and open faucets to empty the water lines as much as possible and flush toilet to empty those water lines as well. Use an electric blanket or as in my case, add dogs under the covers for heat. I keep a couple of half gallon water jugs in the rig to flush the toilet at night and to drink during the night. I also leave the water heater ON to keep the water in the hot water tank from freezing. All this means you need electric hookups - no boondocking.

[Bethers]

I'm on the other end of things. Had I gone for only a month, I probably would have quit. A month you will plan like you do a vacation and you won't ever sit back and relax. It took me 2 -3 months to learn to do that - and THEN I fell in love with the lifestyle. Living it and planning a vacation are completely different things. Not trying to scare you - but if you do a month, make very few plans - don't go far - follow where the road leads you and remember to stop and smell the roses.

I would go for the long term, but not rent the house for the first couple months. Make arrangements with the agency and then let them know when you are ready to rent or not.

And whatever your decision, you're going to have some nerves - it's normal.

Just my two cents.

[Redetotry]

On the other hand, going for a month will give you an idea of how livable your Roadtrek is both in terms of space and comfort, some of the newer ones I believe have a winter package that are able to handle cold temps. A month would also give you a feel for the space available and if you feel that would be an issue long term, then you could start shopping for a slightly larger rig and have a better idea of what you need in the way of being able to travel to the places you want and still be comfy. If you find you can't keep warm in cold weather you'll know pretty quickly, then you can drive on to a warmer spot to finish out your trial run. It didn't take me but a few days to know I couldn't stand to be on the road very long in the space available in my Pleasure Way, which is the size of your RT!

[WickedLady]

If you are in a cg with hookups you can put a heat tape on your water hose and use a small electric heater inside to keep warm.

[judi]

Wickedlady! What a great idea! I'm going to look into that. I learn so many things here!

[Cougarfan]

Hey Judi,
Check this out: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/12-ft-pirit-heated-hose/74842 It is also available in 25'.

That should take care of your water hose outside. Then, run a little heater inside like others have suggested.

OR

You could just go somewhere warm...

Laura

[judi]

Laura, I just ordered that hose. I had no idea there was such a cool thing! Thank you!

[daibraik]

I probably don't have anything additional to add that hasn't already been said, Judi. It sounds like you already have your Roadtrek, I believe. I understand about the possibility of missing grandchildren, especially that young. You can always Roadtrek your way toward home when you're missing family. You just have to make sure to take the best route for the weather. I'm from Western Washington, just about 2 hours from you, and had to watch the weather on the way down to Arizona. I sold up my house in 2007 and bought a fifth wheel, full timed for 2 years. Then I returned to work and back to Washington to see grand babies. But the wanderlust never left. So, back on the road I go this time, only I'm keeping my house, and my significant other takes care of it and the pets. In some ways, selling the house was easier (not work wise...that was a pain), but in never having to pine for "home." My home was my RV, as Judy B. said.

Trust yourself. I suspect you probably had some anxieties about the changes you made in your life in the past and pushed through them. Just like you're doing now. What is the saying? Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. Something like that...

I had tons of fears before I got going. Then I didn't. Then I did.

Dawn

[linann]

I wouldn't want to RV long term in really cold weather. A few nights of low 30's is OK, but not much lower than that for me. As long as you have electric hook-ups, you will be able to use a heater and stay warm.

It is so exciting that you are going to have this opportunity. Don't worry about staying in touch with family and grandchildren. Cell phones, SKYPE and Facetime make it a lot easier to check in. If you really need a grandchild fix, you can always fly home for a visit or have them come see you. Your family might welcome the excuse for a fun vacation. While it may be too tight for them to stay with you in the Roadtrek, I am sure there will always be hotels nearby.

Several of the Forum members own or previously owned Roadtreks. Carolb and Liz are two who can give you input on how well they handled staying in their Roadtrek for long periods. However, if during the year you decided you absolutely had to have more space, you could always trade up. We have a friend who full-timed for a couple of years. He took his RV in for routine service and started looking at the dealer's RVs while his was being serviced. He saw one he liked and decided to trade his RV because he wanted a bigger bathroom. He spent a day in their parking lot moving things over and off he went.

Beth has a point about trying this for three months. One month is more like a long vacation; three months will give you plenty of time to settle in to get really comfortable with the lifestyle. Your realtor could probably find a corporate executive rental for three months.

It is nice to have so many options. I am sure it will all come together as you work through what you really want to do!

[JudyJB]

My grandchildren are young enough that they do not understand where Grandma is or why she keeps going away. (Ages 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.) I try to send a lot of postcards and little gifts from time to time. I also Skype with them when I can, showing them my "camper" and some of the background.

It isn't the best solution, but I think it does help.

[judi]

I've decided on the trial run for 4 - 6 weeks. If I don't want to stop traveling I will return to Portland, put stuff in storage, rent out the house and hit the road. An executive renter for few months is a good idea - I'll look into that! Thanks for the tip!

I love all my grandchildren so much, but this particular little 18 month old girl has stolen my heart. I see her 2 -3 times a week and we have great fun together. As for getting lonely, that's never been a problem for me. There are so many ways to keep in touch!

I've been thinking that I can always trade my Roadtrek in for a larger one while out on the road. Mine is the smallest one and I would be interested in the Roadtrek eTrek. I've talked with a gentleman who owns a Roadtreking blog about buying his when he's ready to sell, but then it would be easier to buy through a dealer since I could trade mine in. No hassle of selling it myself.

I'm getting excited about this trip! Thank you to all of you. You have lessened my fears considerably.

[Rufflesgurl]

Yay!! Judi When are you heading out?? I think the 4 or 6 week adventure is a good decision. Fun, fun, fun. Are you doing lots of packing and weeding out in the house??

Linda

[linann]

Keep us posted. It is going to be so much fun reading about your launch day and trial run.

[judi]

I don't plan to start traveling until the middle of April. I haven't done any packing or sorting out stuff in my house yet, since I won't be renting it out unless I decide to stay on the road for a year. I don't collect a lot of stuff but I will start going through things. I have so much clothing that I used when I was working! I really need to be ruthless and get rid of things I haven't worn in a long time. If after a trip of a month or 6 weeks and I want to keep traveling, it will be easier to pack up if everything is sorted through and organized. I've been really lazy the last few days and today I feel like I'm getting a cold so I've been taking it easy today. I only went out to walk my sweet dog. Most gluten free bakeries in the Portland are ok, but not great. There is one about 30 minutes away and I finally got a chance to taste their goodies. They are outstanding! I bought their cookbook and made a lemon bread - it was great. Now I'm trying to gather the energy to make more things from the book. I don't like getting sick and I'm hoping that taking it easy for a day or two will chase the bugs away...

I've never had a blog but I guess I'd better start one when I take this trip. Hope it's not too complicated!

[PatStab]

My daughter and I were gone a month last year, hated to have to go home.

This year we left last Friday, came out here to Quartzsite, are going to be here till Friday. My husband usually comes home every 8 weeks but this time will be April 1st before he gets home. Soooooo, I'm thinking we are going to run around a bit more, head for Vegas, maybe back down and across to Florida stopping at lots of stuff we are always wanting to see and miss. Just have to see how it goes weatherwise and issues wise.

I have spent quite a bit on repairs this time already. New fridge, broke my heart and bank account but as my husband says if you are going to have one of these things you should not complain about what it costs because its a choice not a necessity. But wait till he sees this bill! We found a frozen p trap on the washer, the repair guy said it had frozen and been repaired before. Then he found one on the bypass valve of the water heater. We figured out how to get water in the fresh water tank after hubby had done some changes to it trying to make it easier for me to winterize and forgot he did so I guess. We winterized but it got 11 below where we were so pretty brutal. We have now learned about better winterizing. And the water heater quit, the guy still doesn't have it working and has to come back next week. At least I can wash clothes and cook now. But I still need hot water!!

If I were going fulltime and it was just me this would be more then big enough, its 39 foot. But DD has stacked out the bedroom and I end up with the couch for bed. It does make a full size but I'm 5'9" so its a tad short. It's a flex steel so pretty comfortable otherwise. This is the 3rd one I've tried on for size. Had an old 80's didn't like it, a nice 2006 Winnie but blew me all over, had 2 slides so that was nice. This old one 1992 I really like. It drives better then any of the others and I will likely keep it for the duration if it keeps running ok.

You just have to find what is comfortable for you. If you buy a used one, get an inspector to go over it before you plunk down your money. There are guys that specialize in it and it will cost $200 to $300 but its money well spent, then you will know what is wrong with it. And most everyone has something wrong, I mean you are keeping a house on wheels running and that's hard to do.

After you get one, then enjoy it, and I'm sure you will, they are lots of fun.