How do you know when it is time to retire? For me, it has always been a difficult decision.
I left my corporate dream job to live the dream of an RV adventure, dragging my husband along for the ride (literally). It was hard, really, really hard, to leave a 40-year career as a food photographer and studio manager. I would startle awake at night, dreaming that I was in the studio and they were saying I couldn’t come back and escorting me out the door. I shed more than a few tears. I am so over that now!
However, I have decided it is time to retire, at least partially, from RVtravel.com. I am no longer as diligent about writing the Campground Crowding and RV Service columns as I once was. Skipping a few weeks here and there, pushing it until the last minute to get something in by the deadline. That is unfair to you, my loyal readers.
My husband and I are currently consumed by our remodel project and all the work needed for our fixer-upper house project, which has gone awry. The first contractor took out the entire support wall for the house and vanished. The first plumber gave up on the whirlpool tub install and apologetically left.
The list of house transgressions goes on. But there is progress, albeit slow. The roof is now supported with jacks and not caving in, two bathrooms are done except for the flooring, three out of four appliances are installed, we have an offer on the other house, and the driveway is finally widened and gravel applied.
And we are living in our house on wheels on our own 5.5 acres of land. The RV is no longer languishing in a dusty storage lot for the winter. We have hookups, heat, and killer views. I hated it when we moved to a house and started half-timing from being full-timers. But now, things change. We change. We get older but not necessarily wiser!
I remember the first article RVtravel.com published of mine. I was so excited. I read it to my 90-plus-year-old dad, and he had the good grace to listen while not understanding a bit about RVing. Or why in the world I would want to live in an RV.
Thank you, Chuck, Emily, Diane, and all the other writers for allowing me into your RV family and giving me the excitement and joy of writing for the newsletters.
I will still continue to write for RVtravel.com when I discover something relevant to you, an essay here and there, or find a place worth exploring. That is, of course, if you will continue to invite me in.
Editor’s note: Nanci, you are such a joy. I (and we) have loved, and still love, every minute of working with you and getting to know you. You ARE a part of our RVing family, and your weekly absence will be missed. Please continue to write for us often… We’d miss you too much! —Emily
Note from Diane: Nanci, This makes me sad.🥹 It’s been such a pleasure working with you and reading your wonderfully insightful and heartwarming posts. Please continue to write when you get a chance. And good luck with your fixer-upper house. Hopefully, it will soon be just how you and your husband first envisioned it so you can relax and enjoy the fruits of your (extensive!) labor. Take care.
Nanci has written more than 1,000 articles for RVtravel.com. She is a rockstar! Here is the first article she ever published, which she mentions above. You can read all her other articles here.
RVT1238
Your contributions have always been appreciated by me so thank you for the great entertainment and here’s wishing you nothing but the best with this new chapter in life!
say it ain’t so. I read all of your ariciles, even if they do not directly apply to me.
Time for you to consider writing a book combining your words of wisdom and pearls of thought. I’ll be first in line to purchase it.
Nanci,
I have always enjoyed your writings and look forward to reading them each week! I will also miss your writings but look forward to reading them when you do write. Best wishes on your second retirement and enjoy your fixer upper home!
I have enjoyed reading your columns and I hope you find time to write in the future. Best of luck to you and your husband.
I will miss your articles greatly! Nanci, you are a very fun writer and always had a unique viewpoint. I look forward to your musings and I will miss them greatly.
Thank you for all of the many articles you have written! I have enjoyed them! Hope all starts to go smoother on the house!
Thank you for all your contributions to this newsletter!
Nanci, I have really enjoyed your articles and will miss them. I wish you hope, luck and success with your sticks and bricks. I also hope that you will find many relevant things to keep you writing for RV Travel.
Thank you, Nanci. I’ve enjoyed your articles and sharing of life. Life is composed of phases and you are on to your next one, Enjoy!
Sad to hear this news!
I always enjoy your articles.
They are well written and informative, and I feel I can trust the info you are giving.
So please continue to write some articles.
I do hope you enjoy your semi-retirement.
Have always enjoyed your writing. Please follow your plan and do an article for us now and then. Good luck with your house and future plans!
Nanci, I’m sorry to hear this because I have really enjoyed your articles. But mostly because I feel a bit of a connection to you because we full-time in the same motorhome you have (I can tell from pictures you have had in your articles that it’s even the same floorplan and colors) and we have also discussed buying a fixer upper on some acreage and part-timing. I was hoping you would write a bit about this part of your journey also. Whatever you decide, please know you have been an inspiration to me, and I wish you all the very best. Enjoy your new chapter, even the rough spots. I look forward to every article you give us in the future.
As others have said, I enjoy reading your articles and will miss your viewpoint. But moving on to other things can be exciting, so I wish you the best in your new adventure!
We are going to miss you Nanci! But I do understand. We love our winter RV park (leave an apartment size RV trailer here year-round). Mostly it is the community. But we (especially me) are tired of the maintenance a traditional RV requires to not simply rot away. Physically it is getting harder each year.
To stay in the community, we are deep in our research for a park model (not destination, but tiny home that qualifies as an RV). It is a true house, but transportable if you have a semi-tractor. In short, its stationary. And pretty much the same maintenance level as a house. My spouse can do it if I am not able. When we are road weary it may become our FT home.
I agree with every compliment posted! Have always enjoyed your articles. Best of luck going forward. You will be missed.
I can’t beg you to stay if you are really ready to move on. What I can, and am, going to do is encourage you to keep writing whenever possible and without the pressure of deadlines. Otherwise we would certainly be less informed and entertained and you might explode. Happy trails.
I’ve enjoyed reading your articles and am sad to see you go. Good luck with your fixer-upper. Looking forward to your occasional stories.
Best of luck in the new adventures. I hope you can update us on how the house rebuilding goes sometime. We’ve learned from your compassion.
Say it isn’t so! Good luck with your decision. I too enjoy every article you’ve written and look forward to them.
You guys have been a mainstay of our RV life. The information posted was second to none. You are appreciated!
The older I get, the more I am faced with the reality that nothing lasts forever.
Happy trails.
Nanci, thanks for all your articles here. You should be proud of your contributions.
You have a lot on your plate right now and it’s commendable if you recognize that you may not be able to do it all and can make the hard decision to scale back on something.
Good luck with the house projects! And if you feel the urge to send in an article, I’m sure everyone here eagerly awaits reading and enjoying it.
We are all getting older by the day! You’ve had a great ride that we were graciously allowed to go on with you. Take a break, slow down, enjoy. Remember there are go-go years, slow-go years, and no-go years. Maximize each period. One day your great grand kids will be reading their first published article on space camping to you, and you’ll have no earthly idea what they are talking about. 🙂
Nanci,
I have always enjoyed your writing. Thank you for sharing that skill with us.
As far as your house rebuild goes you really need to hire professionals that let you work with them. Or you end up doing the work yourself. Two house rebuilds and two bus conversions has convinced us that there are a few jobs best left to the pro’s. Engine rebuilding is one. We have stopped full timing after almost twenty years. The permanent home will take at least another two years to satisfy our selves for livability. Still traveling during the hot weather but unknown for how many more years.
Thank you and for future sharing.
Bill/Lynn
Thank you for the years of articles you’ve shared with us, Nanci! I’ll look forward to the occasional future article, wishing you time to pursue that dang house!
Congrats on your retirement.
As with everything in life, there is a beginning, middle, and end. It is always bittersweet to reach the final mile.
Best wishes for the future!
Have always enjoyed your style and candor. Look forward to the occasional article. Happy next adventure!
Good luck with that messy stressful remodel and may the next several laps around the sun bring you only joy and blessings.
Thanks for all your hard work and great articles over the years. You will be sorely missed. I wish you and your husband all the best in your future endeavors.
Nanci
Sorry to hear the news – your articles are the first ones I look for each morning. Take some time off and I look forward to at least seeing a few articles on occasion.
Some time off to get the house in “order” (good luck with the project) may be all you need. After everything calms down maybe you will be back writing again (We hope)
Best of luck with the house.
I wish it were possible to put into words the joy and education you have brought to us/me over these past several years. So, let me just sum it up this way: Reading thru all the comments below or above, where ever this post ends up, is a summation of my thot’s on your decision. We will all look forward to an occasional submission from you into the future. Best Nanci, Best!
Enjoy your retirement, it is absolutely the right thing to do!
I also loved my job, but I woke up just at the start of the pandemic and said, “that’s it, I just don’t want to work anymore.”
You will be missed, but as Nike said, “Just do it!”
HMMM Did you not get the PUSH notification “Doctors say ‘dumping blueberries for breakfast &, meeting publication deadlines prevents Alzheimers” Having done my share of authoring professional articles, full-timing, and rehabing a home I would never attempt to do all 3 at once. When it’s not fun anymore it is time to look in the mirror and practice saying “no”. Good luck and hire a project manager
Thank you Nanci and good luck in your retirement and home reconstruction.
Nanci, thanks for your insight on what was going on around us. I hope your retirement is pleasant and relaxing. And please do drop an article every so often of your short or longer travels once your home is completed.
I understand, remodeling a fixer upper takes so much time, will look forward to updates & best wishes!
Sorry to see you (partially) retire. Always loved reading the positive, and (not so much) negative comments your column would always generate. Enjoy yourselves…I can see that you are on another adventure!
OMG … this is terrible news, as I’ve always enjoyed your columns in the Newsletter. But, I do understand, having managed or written for several newsletters on various subjects during my working career. Writing for a newsletter does take time and commitment, and I appreciate everyone who contributes here.
Yes, eventually you have to weigh the benefits and impacts to any commitment, and anything with “deadlines” can be a real problem. I retired a while back and now pick and choose where and when I commit to anything. Life has been good, and I hope the same will happen to you as you pull back and focus on the house.
Good luck with that, and we hope to read you in here from time to time.
I enjoy all the writers at RV Travel, but you are my favorite. Your writing style just connected with me most! I’ll miss your regular writing, it’s better to go before you’re forcing words out! You have a big project ahead of you with your home remodel and hope we’ll get updates on that, too! Enjoy the next phase of your lives!
Hard to believe you will be leaving us. Especially enjoyed your Tiffin comments, as we have traveled in an Allegro RED for 10 years.
Nanci – I have enjoyed your articles over the years and wish you a happy retirement! You also have my condolences on the home remodeling as we’ve been there and done that! I look forward to reading whatever you continue to contribute!! Best of luck to you. . . .
I am one of many who have enjoyed your articles. As you mention in many articles, things change. Enjoy your new life.
Nanci, I’ve always enjoyed your articles – you will be missed! Best of luck in this new chapter in your life.
Nanci, You will be missed! I understand the pressures you have now of fixing up your home, but please don’t forget about us. I have read all of your articles over the last couple of years and have learned a lot from you. We have as of yet to make a trip longer than 5 weeks, but I am not dreading it like I once was. Thank you for your insights to make life easier for us newbies!
Nanci, Like I said back in October, Just keep rockin’ along. Kick a few, throw a few, stack a few and if the spirit moves you, toss us a few. A rock with a note tied to it will be accepted.
Nanci:
Thanks so very much for all of your articles and advice!!! You will be greatly missed!!
Best of luck in your new adventures!!
Mike
Nanci: I and 99.99999999% of the readers of this wonderful newsletter have enjoyed the many articles you have written over the years. [I’m old enough to remember when Chuck first started writing this platform.] Likewise with your articles, they have been refreshing to read and often gave me new information or confirmed that I was doing things the right way. As I approach my 81st birthday in seven weeks I just wanted to say THANK YOU for your wonderful information. I hope you have a wonderful retirement and continue to enjoy all the many wonderful things there are to see and do on this giant rock we call Earth as it spins around a warm sun [star]. Blessings to you and your family. Tom G.
We will so miss you. We have enjoyed your expertise writing on the RV world. Enjoy your new chapter and don’t work too hard.
Nanci, thank you for all your time and effort here. It seems like a new era for you with some changes. Bittersweet, I’m sure. But it doesn’t have to be exactly like the expression “When one door closes behind you, another door opens in front.” Maybe keep a foot in that door, and come and go as you like! As a writer with tons of experience RVing and all it entails, you could continue to contribute good stuff when it suits you. At least drop in to say “hi” at times. Bless you and yours moving forward.
I love reading your articles! Best wishes to you and your honey.
Nanci
Even though I don’t RV and don’t even tent camp any longer, I still enjoyed your articles.
I’m also too old for “”fixer uppers””….
Enjoy your retirement and stop back often.
Mike
What lovely and honest tributes everyone has written to you. Go with the knowledge that you are loved. Go with a happy heart knowing that you have made a difference. Go with joy as you continue to embrace your adventures and experience new things.
No, Nanci! Please don’t leave us!
Please stay with us at least part-time.
I’m very happy for you but sad for us – whenever your name is on an article we know we will learn something new and love your writing. Enjoy your new freedom and we hope to still find your name from time to time. Thank you