This is part two by Ingrid Hubbard of her original post “Why I miss a home base.”
Since our children live in Phoenix, Arizona, this is where we spend the most time throughout the year, and because of that, we made Phoenix our legal domicile several years ago.
Considering Phoenix is a winter hot spot for snowbirds, having a reservation in this entertaining city is an absolute must, especially during the most popular months of January, February and March. Also, prepare for the city to explode in population during those prime months making traffic potentially difficult, but the good thing is with that influx in people, there’s no shortage of like-minded folks to mingle with and meet, and personally, we like that … just another upside to Arizona.
This is our third winter camping at the Pioneer RV Resort near Anthem, Arizona, and it feels like home. It’s now our home base and a place we have the freedom to come and go without concerns of reservations or fears of backing in the RV. We know exactly which site is ours. It’s a place we can leave our second vehicle and a place where we feel a sense of community.
We decided to contract for an annual site last spring after our first six-month stay at the park. Six months in one location? Wow, we didn’t think we’d last that long without hitch-itch setting in, but we did. We also felt more relaxed than we had in years. Renting a year-round site seemed to solve most of our travel fatigue without making a long term commitment.
I’ll admit, paying the monthly rent on an RV site all summer while we were away did grind at me, but when put it into perspective, it’s not so bad. Let’s face it, if we had purchased a sticks and bricks house, we’d be paying property taxes and all the other things associated with homeownership every month including the months we are away traveling. So, this is no different and our monthly rental cost is significantly less expensive than most monthly expenditures for real estate.
FOR NOW, THIS WORKS and solves some of our weariness. And with a mere thirty-day written notice, my rental obligation is nullified. This is the perfect solution for two people with location commitment issues. Perhaps if we didn’t have children, we might have chosen a place to purchase real estate by now. Or maybe, we’d still be drifting around. One never knows!
A lot of our RV friends that hit the road full-time when we did have either come off the road altogether or have gone part-time or have purchased lots at the Escapees parks or other similar parks. Then there are others who rent annual lots at various RV parks throughout the country as we’ve decided to do.
This changes everything!
So, with a monthly commitment, Al and I won’t be rolling much in the next year or two. We know we’ll be spending 6-8 months living in Phoenix, and during the hot weather months, we’ll escape the heat by traveling north. We’ll probably spend 3 months this summer back in Hayward, Wisconsin, doing a repeat of last summer. We enjoyed that visit with family so much so that we’re already looking forward to this summer’s trip.
Will I miss our winter travels? Absolutely! But the travel downtime and the knowledge of knowing where we’ll be sleeping is very much needed at this stage in our journey. 2021 might look the same or we might shake things up. Aren’t choices wonderful?
Ingrid Hubbard and her husband, Al, are full-time RVers who blog at LiveLaughRV.net. Sign up for their wonderful newsletter.
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RV Resorts or housing sub-divisions built around RV owners. I wish RVTravel would explore these subjects.
Can you sub rent your space while you are traveling to mitigate some of the cost?
Freedom……..it’s a wonderful thing!
“Those who wander are not all lost.” Although, selling our Nor-Cal home after settling nine years ago away from our twelve year full time RV lifestyle; we’re back on the road as seniors. Missing the place we’ve come to love. Leaving only because it was getting too expensive to stay there. We’re floundering as we move forward. Some of us who wander are indeed lost.
My wife and I have tried Florida, Texas, and everywhere in southern Arizona the past several years. It is tough having to make new friends every year as we go from park to park. Like you, we have decided to settle down. But we were tired of paying the higher and higher rent every year. We found an ownership RV park in Apache Junction, and after buying the lot (which should go up in value) we are paying less than 2 grand a year HOA dues. So for those who want to settle down, there are great options in the Valley of the Sun. And you get to meet old friends every fall when you come back.
My wife and I are full time RV’ers. Phoenix is our home so we have spent 5 winters at Pioneer RV Resort. We enjoy the friends we have made over the years. I am however disappointed in their decision to no longer accept the 3 month advanced payment. This allowed a monthly discount on lot rent. Being that we are retired and on a fixed income, this was a much appreciated break. Hopefully they will reconsider the change.