For those of you who aren’t full-timers, would you ever like to be someday? Some people dream of living in their RV full-time – no sticks-and-bricks home to tie anyone down and the freedom to roam wherever, whenever. Others, though, prefer to use their RV for weekend trips, or short trips a few times a year.
There are, of course, benefits and drawbacks to both part-time and full-time RV life, but mostly it’s a personal opinion on how you like to live and spend your time.
The majority of RVtravel.com readers are not full-time RVers. Please tell us in the poll below if you’re not a full-time RVer, but hope to be someday.
To be able to go RVing is a way to take a vacation from the world. As much as I love it, if you had it every day, its no longer special, or my way to recharge. Life needs contrasts, as much as the countryside needs hills and valleys.
Agreed. When my wife and I retired 2 years ago, we thought the same thing about fulltime RVing. Now we can escape for longer vacations and keep enjoying the contrast.
I answered yes because it is my hope to full time but this is probably what we will end up doing.
I LOVE to travel and for months at a time but I always want to come back to my stick and bricks home.
I did for 18 months. I just returned from a 6 week trip that was wonderful but having a place to relax and recharge from travel is great. And my dogs love it because they can run off leash.
We like using our 21′ camping trailer for vacations of 3 days to two weeks but aren’t really interested in the full-time RV lifestyle.
We are just part timers with a max of 4 weeks per trip.
Thought about it but just not practical for me.
I love my garden too much.
Retiring early, at the end of this year. Our plan is to be on the road for 2 years. After that, we’ll probably do 6 to 9 months on the road. We feel we need a home base. But then again, that could change. Who knows what the future might bring?
We full timed for 14 years and to Desert Hot Springs in winter. Still go weekends some and week trips with camping group.
Already full timed for a few years. Now seasonal.
Can’t answer that question, I think about going full time, and think I would enjoy it, but there are so many practical considerations that even if I hoped to I really can’t say I plan on it.
Summary: I hope to but it won’t happen.
Every trip gets a little longer, but i do worry about my house falling down when I am away.
Give me trips from two weeks to maybe two or three months. I like to come home.
Does living on a boat count?
We take trips from one week to 3-4 months, and always look forward to coming back home to the ‘sticks & bricks’. We love our small 1200 sq/ft house and our neighborhood. We have great neighbors and our town is a nice place to live. And like others have mentioned, we like the contrast of the two lifestyles.
So no, we’re not even thinking of full timing.
Missing a voting category of “Been There & Done That”. I Full-Timed for 14+ years, my wife and I traveled the US & Canada for 8+ of those years but now we are Part-Timers having a winter home in Florida for 6 months and then Workamping or traveling for the other 6 months. Works for us!
Sorry about the Florida thing … the rest sounds great!
I would go full-time in a heartbeat and not have to keep spending money on maintaining and upgrading the house, but my wife likes her home and doesn’t want to be away from our grandkids for too long. I did manage to get her to do a two month trip from home in Florida to Alaska in 2017, but now most of our trips are 4-6 weeks at the most.
I was thinking and voted for “yes” going full-time, but after reading a few comments, it got me to thinking maybe not? Guess when I finally decide to leave my job (not quite ready yet), we will have to see 🙂
Lexi’s mom
I intend to travel full time once I retire. One is not assured of tomorrow but I keep hoping in the future to live in my camper.
Bought a travel trailer to travel, get away, see different places. Full timers; most parked, not using fuel, getting the monthly rate, living in small / tiny homes built for temporary living. One depreciates, the other appreciates. Its all about the $$$.
Just for fun try adding up your fixed-base homes true expenses … taxes, mortgage (if any), insurance, maintenance (new roof in the near future?), utilities, HOA fees if any, and maybe yard maintenance. Don’t compare value of RV versus home … in some midwest and southern states RVs might be more valuable than homes. Anyway, then add up your expected RV fixed expenses … Registration, payments (if any), insurance, and maintenance (the others don’t apply). Then see if your $$$ savings is still relevant. Maybe so, maybe not. Don’t forget to value your peace of mind and satisfaction you get from traveling.
The last 2 years we spent the winter in Texas, from mid-November till April 1st. We plan to do so again this winter. At this point in our lives we don’t want to full-time. We have responsibilities back home in the summer and early fall………county fair, helping neighbors with field work and other things. The grandkids are in high school and they have lives of their own. 5 months away is, for us, just right at this time in our lives.
I voted yes but not sure the length of time as a full time RVer. Not sure if the wife could stand the extended stay from our kids and grand kids since we live on the upper East Coast. But we are going to try. Property taxes and cost of living is absurd.
We just bought our first Class A motorhome to go full-time in about a year. We have been downsizing the last few months with selling our house and moving into a rental home until we retire next year. Can’t wait to get on the road and live the full-time lifestyle on the road. We own another home in Florida that we will eventually retire to but have way too much to do before we “settle” down.
We will retire at the end of this year and will start our extended party time travel of the USA. When we figure out if this is truly the life we want we will extend it a little longer each trip, maybe one day we will just stay out on the roam.
We live in Florida, so we spend the summers in the North. As I took care of my mother’s finances for several years before she died, I saw how important it was to be able to pay assisted live expenses with the money we got from her house. I want to have that to fall back on if I need it.
Besides, my son and his family live in Hawaii, so the dream is some day after Covid to sell the truck and rv, and move to Hawaii to be near the grand kids.
We own a home but have only been there 16 days in the past 14 months. Are we full-time or part-time?
The original plan was to sell the house and go full time, but then the world went sideways and now I’ve learned to appreciate having a ‘base camp’ where I can park for extended periods without having to worry about juggling reservations or campground overcrowding.
I live in Florida-South central FL- and have heat induced asthma and cardiac issues. DH does too. He accompanied the children and me on very few camping trips or vacations. I enjoy gardening, but summer is our fallow time, it’s a winter hobby, with pleasant weather. DH agreed to accompany me “someday”. In 2014 my health was so poor I had to leave my career, and depression rapidly followed, until I decided I would go ahead with my retirement plans to camp more- hiking the 3 major north/south trails in my 40s became buying a motorcycle and a motorcycle camper in my 50s of course I found this site and looked at enough videos to realize buying used was a very bad idea.Then within a few years we had 6 cats dumped on us.In 2016 I bought my molded fiberglass trailer and my tow vehicle. Then I announced I would be taking off a month for camping in the summer.DH decided he would honor his “someday” promise. I was anning for July he told his boss June, which is not as severe as July. One does wh
what one can. I want to do 5-6 months touring and 6-7 months in an area where we can get good medical care.
Did that in the late 90s. We fulltimed for 4.5 years and I was ready to continue more. Husband wanted a home base, no matter how small. Bought a mobile home and he had a heart attack. Talk about timing. Sold our 5th wheel and truck. After he recovered we went to Europe for 83 days which included 45 days in a small Class C. Later had 3 more motorhome, rented small class C in New Zealand, took motorhome on ferry to Newfoundland. Husband has passed. Partner and I now have Class C and were out last year for 5 months. Covid killed our plans for Alaska. Live life while you can!
I don’t see me going full-time however, I do like to go on long trips stretching out over a few weeks.
After ten years on the road during my 50’s, I retired from full time and now try to do one or two extended trips and a week on some months.