A newbie with lots of questions........

[bigmamma6868]

Hello, My name is Jacque. I am residing in Kansas, Dorothyland....born and raised here, but there is so many place I would love to see in the US, from Oregon to Maine, and many place in between. I want to go "off the beaten path" so to speak. I have been dreaming of buying a ??? smaller RV ??? (I am tossed between a pull behind trailer and a motor home) and going anywhere and everywhere that I choose. I have lots of concerns and questions that need to be answered first. I would be traveling alone and that scares me a bit. I also am not of medicare age, and when I leave my job, I will loose my medical insurance. What do I do then? I have been searching for insurance....I would like to know what others do.....for insurance. Please let me know what you are doing for health insurance.... surely not going without.... are you? What about insurance for your rv, do you keep your state residency? Did you put all your home items in storage? Sell everything? Still have a small ???rental??? What about internet access, what have you found that works good? Does not work? I am tentatively planning on going to "an area", stay for ??? maybe find a temporary job and explore the area till I get bored. Then move on. Please tell me what is working for you, what things I need to consider. I would appreciate any feedback. I would also love to find maybe a group of others that I could follow, as least for the start, or maybe to catch up with on occassions, is there a group like that around? Thanks and good travels.... Be safe. Jacque

[Bethers]

I could answer all your questions individually - but have done so several times. I suggest you use the search feature on the forum and then ask some of the questions again as needed in some of the other rooms, or in some of the threads discussing what you're looking for. Lots and lots of information already on here. But if you can't find something, please, ask again - we are all chatty and will repeat

One thing I'll mention - I got my own health insurance my first several years out - am currently without. You'll have to way the costs, etc and do what works best for you.

Welcome, and glad to have you with us.

[sharon]

Welcome Jacque from the west coast! I don't full time, just a part-timer so as Beth suggested, do a search for answers. Lots and lots of info on here.

[sunshinecruiserTN]

Welcome, Jacque.

[VickieP]

Welcome to the forum, Jacque.

[BirdbyBird]

Welcome aboard. Besides doing the research of threads. When we refer to "threads" for example, there have been lengthy discussions regarding air cards (internet connections), cell phones, "why we each chose the rigs we did", work camping, rv insurance, emergency road service, ....you get the idea. I would also recommend trying to make it to one of the GTGs. Nothing compares to sitting around a campfire and listening to all the discussions in real time. I also recommend the Escapees organization.

[rvgrammy1953]

Welcome, Jacque....You have come to the right place to ask questions on full-timing and part-timing....and as Beth has stated there's TONS of info already posted on here....take your time searching and absorbing all you can and take notes....we've been full-timing for the last 7 years and neither one of us is on SS yet. (My DH gets his next April.... ) So the one thing I can advise you on is to have a budget....Many of us "work-camp"....we camp host for the military as the DH is retired from the Army.....others work camp for private, commercial, state parks, National Parks, Corps of Engineers, etc.....oh, I could go on and on, but you get the idea..... When you get confused or need more detail....just ask....we're all willing to give opinions and advise.... And, hey, don't forget to stop and join in on any thread you find interesting and/or entertaining.....just relax and enjoy....we're here if you need help....

[JoanE]

Hi Jacque,
I am still a newbie too although I've gotten my feet wet already. I "lurked" on this forum for quite a while reading what the others had to say. When I still had questions I found these gals to be very forthcoming and helpful. Keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for another. We all have our lifestyle preferences and quirks. I would suggest that you go to as many RV dealers as you can and look at all the rigs. Try to imagine yourself living in one for extended periods. What I consider large, another might feel is too small. You get the picture? I also visited a large campground in my area and asked for a tour. While on the tour, I asked the host a lot of questions too.

I find I still have questions or make a decision and then want to rethink it after I get a little experience. One of the best practices is not to try and reinvent the wheel when you are starting out. Rely on sage advice. You can do your own experimentation later on when you have more experience. I am traveling alone and intend to use common sense about where I stay and what I do. In campgrounds, I have found the other campers to be friendly and helpful. I was rescued by a woman while trying to get my awning up on my first outing. Actually I was able to handle it, I guess I just looked like a klutz to her. But I let her help and was then invited to visit their campsite to see how she and her husband were set up.

It is scary to embark on this adventure but I have found that there are a lot of us doing it...and surviving quite nicely, thank you. You will too.

Joan

[sharon]

Jacque, gonna be a pretty good GTG (Get ToGether) of a bunch of us ladies in Oct at a state park in SE Arkansas. It's at a state campground and they have cabins for rent. If you can make it, it would be a good opportunity for you to see different types and sizes of rigs and ask a lot of questions. Look under the board index for the AR GTG. You're more than welcome to come and join in the fun!

[Irmi]

Welcome Jacque! I hope you will consider going to GTG, get to meet some of the wonderful ladies on this forum and then be able to discuss some of the questions you have. For insurance, you may want to consider a catastrophic policy with a high deductible. In the mean time, do lots of reading on this forum and you'll find lots of answers.

[Travelinana]

Welcome Jacque, Since most of us have dealt with any question you will be faced with, you have come to the right place. Good luck with your search...and Happy Trails!

[Colliemom]

Hi Jacque,

I'm doing my own thing alone too. But I still own a stick and bricks, and am working summers at a local state park near me. I hemmed and hawed about getting an RV for a few years, what kind, how big etc. Knew I really didn't want a MH cause of dual gas, upkeep and so forth with that and my truck. Plus I am a person who likes to park and explore an area. so I knew an MH would mean having to pull a toad and I didn't want to do that. So I settled on a small 18ft Rockwood TT for now. With it's slide out, it's big enough for myself and my two dogs. Maybe down the line I will trade, sell or whatever and get something else. I haven't minded towing it and I find campers always willing to help if I have a problem.

I too lost my medical insurance when I lost my job due to reorganization. So I now have an individual policy with Michigan Blue Cross/Blue Shield. It costs me some bucks a month, but it's far cheaper than the alternativeThere is no way I could evefr afford to pay for some kind of medical problem by myself. Not today. It's bad enough that I don't have dental insurance and just had to have some dental work done that's cost me a some bucks

But as the others have said, there is a lot of information on this site and if you can't find an answer to your question, just ask. Somebody will give you the answer. So get out there, look around (that's fun), investigate, lurk, join in on conversations etc., and most of all have fun.

[pattiburchell]

Glad to see you aren't waiting to live your life. My hubby and I were lucky when we started out. He took an early retirement which included medical insurance, so it only cost us $220 a mo, came out of his pension check. Course, now we are on medicare with a suppliment. I know a lot of people go into Mexico for dental stuff, and possibly other things. There are a lot of jobs out there for you to work your way about...camp hosting, working in parks like Yellowstone, etc. Plus if you belong to any RV parks you can possibly work there too. It is scarey to go about with just you. Have you thought about a dog? It would be good protection and company. I am sure the other gals can give you pros and cons on this. One thing I have decided if I go back on the road is to get flare guns for protection. You can carry them across the borders and no one in their right mind would want to be shot with one.

[Liz]

Welcome Jacque! I hope by now you've had time to browse the forum threads and find answers to some of your questions. If not, then ask them again, one at a time in the "General" section, or other threads as appropriate.

I've been RVing since 2004, and recently became a full-timer in my 22' Class B motorhome. It's the perfect size for me and my 2 pets and the type of travel I like to do. (Scenic roads, off the beaten path, national parks & forests, etc)

Hope you will make yourself at home here and perhaps we will meet at a future GTG.

[chalet05]

Welcome, Jacque!

I was born in Clay Center, KS and have family in that area including a daughter near Manhattan!

I have traveled alone for 4 years, but I had full-timing experience when my husband was alive. I started with a 30' 5er, but it now stays in AZ for winters while I have a slide-in truck camper for summer travel. I like to go off the beaten path.

I am new to this forum as well so need to do my own 'searches' for certain topics.