Year One – Part 2: The Good

Our first year at this is behind us. As mentioned in the first installment of our ongoing series, (Year One – Part 1: The Bad) January 31st marked the one year anniversary of our saying goodbye to a brick and sticks home and launching our new, traveling RV journey.

There have been many adjustments, many learning experiences, some things that we didn’t like so much, but also many things that we really do like a bunch. The first segment covered The Bad, (Yes, I went out of order) part III, (The Ugly) is still upcoming, but here, we get to the The Good stuff.

10 Things we like best about full timing.

10) Oh, the places we’ll go – What we want to see, and where we want to go is only limited by our vision, ability to plan and health. Quartzsite, Yellowstone, a Route 66 trip, New York, Maine, the Florida Keys, Washington DC, the Great Lakes, Canada, Alaska, every national park in the nation… it’s all on the table.
09) Always something new around the corner – There is something new and great coming up. Usually soon. Every new destination means new people, shops, sites, sounds, experiences, places of interests, things to see and, of course, great views. And then, there will be another new place. And another. And another.
08) The Views – We’ve only been at this for a little over a year, and we’ve already experienced extraordinary vistas. Sure, not “Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.” and “C-beams glittering in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate,” extraordinary, but still pretty amazing just the same. (Yes, I worked in a Blade Runner reference. Thank you, I’ll be here all week!) Seriously though, we’ve stood in awe, gawking at magnificent and inspiring deep forest, mountain, beach and coastline and remote desert views that are breathtaking. And that’s just in the first year when we’re still relative rookies getting our sea legs under us. I expect it to only get better.
07) Scheduling flexibility – Where we’re going to be in 2 weeks, a month, 3 months, 6 months, or even a year out is not always a given. In some cases it’s even impossible to say, nor would we want to be planning that way. We are able to pick general destinations, (Let’s visit family in New York, or, let’s do an Alaska trip.) and then plan a suitably flexible and open route that will get us there at a good time (Usually weather related. i.e. Alaska in winter = not good) yet also allow for great camping, site-seeing and layover destinations along the way.
06) Self reliance – “Cutting the cord” is a term used today to describe ending the reliance on for pay Cable and/or Satellite feeds and either go all streaming with Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and the like, or just free, over-the-air television broadcasts. We cut this cord, but we cut all the other ones as well. Extreme cord cutting of cable/Satellite, electricity, gas, water, trash, gardeners, the bug guy, the guys who paints your address on the curb, the friends and family (love you!) who crash with us for a “little while,” (or 2 – 3 years) who don’t pay rent, utilities, food, or do chores. If we want/need electricity, we generate it ourselves, (solar, generator) or head to a park to plug in, (included) I fill our propane tanks, maintenance I also do myself if at all possible, and it’s so much easier to manage and afford than traditional houses. Really, all of our daily living needs are extremely self contained and quite easy to stay on top of. Even cleaning is smaller, easier and more enjoyable.
05) Cost savings – Houses and the lifestyle they require, particularly in Southern California, are a big “nut.” Mortgages, insurance, taxes, HOA dues, maintenance, repairs, tools, supplies, parts, gardeners – or gardening and lawn-care equipment and supplies – plumbers, electricians, roofers, exterminators, termite tenting, curb appeal, cable TV, electronics for all the entertainment, furniture to fill all the rooms, new furniture and new electronics when the old wears out or is obsolete, everyday dishware, guest and entertaining dishware, appliances and upgrades, and… well, you get the idea. Our traveling life is basically fuel, much lower -and easier – RV and tow vehicle maintenance, (not to mention much of that is user doable) a very reasonable RV payment and the cost of where we choose to stay. Between our park memberships, boondocking and wild camping mixed with an occasional more upscale luxury style park, we could – based on our choices – pay an average monthly cost ranging anywhere from $0 to $20 nightly. Even at the top end of that scale, that’s the cheapest monthly “rent” we’ve ever had. The math on this is easy.
04) Simplicity – A big part of this journey and lifestyle choice is voluntarily, willingly giving up all the traditional “ties that bind.” We don’t have a garage, a spare room or detached studio or shed to keep extraneous toys, tools, hobbies, activities, furniture, collectables/collections or any of the day-to-day detritus that used to occupy our time and living spaces. We basically have a small, one-bedroom traveling house on wheels with very limited storage and spare space. Simplicity in lifestyle isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Less things to own us, and more experiences to enjoy.
03) Photography – I’ve always been “into” photography. I took my first photo when my brother was 5, making me 13, had my first real camera, (A Minolta SRT-201) as a sophomore in high school. I was playing at making money with it in the late 70’s and early 80’s and opened a studio in ’86. I’ve transitioned from high school yearbook and newspaper work to paying commercial/industrial, to people and portraits to high end, fine art portraiture and now I’m mostly doing landscapes, nature and pure art and personal interest stuff. Needless to say, photography is important to me. Being able to plan destinations and journeys for great photo opportunities is beyond amazing.
02) Every Day is Saturday – Those of us who’ve had Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 jobs – even the self employed kind – know the feeling waking up on a Saturday with a whole long weekend in front of you for your stuff: household maintenance if you want, hobbies, recreation, a weekend getaway, head to the beach or mountain, catch a movie or a game or just lazing the day away. Whatever you feel like doing, and in your time frame. For the most part, that’s pretty much what all our days are like. Permanent Saturday.
01) Freedom/Independence – We go where we decide to go, when we want to go there, how we want to get there and hang out with who we want to hang out with. Whatever experience we want to try, be it, mountain cabin, remote desert hideaway, a beach bungalow, a lakeside cottage or a deep forest lodge, there’s a place out there we can go to. We just pick up and go, and it doesn’t even take that long. A little more than an hour and we’re on the road to the next thing. Warmer places in the winter and cooler places in the summer. Our entire home, with all the fixin’s is literally on wheels. Better weather – or better anything – is just a short drive away, (usually) I’m not sure how it gets better than that.