The DOWNSIDE to full timing.

[Don Madge]

We went to Oludeniz 25 years ago, there were only a few buildings, all single storey and very basic, and the main road was made of dust and sand. There was one hotel by the lagoon but I forget its name. What a great place. In the last 20 years, given the rising popularity of Turkey I bet it looks a little different now.

Jim,

There's a few more buildings now but the roads are not too good, this was the main street in Oludeniz in March 2002.

And this is one of our secluded posts where we relax.

If you are loners - isolationists like us you will love Turkey.

Don

 

[TJ-RV]

It hard to knock Tom for all the work he has put into telling people why they should not fulltime but thats not really the topic of the thread is it!!

Hm, I thought the original poster asked for downsides, and I tried to present a few.

If someone spends so long pursuading people why they should not fulltime .....

Not me. I've never, here or elsewhere, suggested that anyone should not fulltime. We have a number of close friends who either fulltime in an RV or fulltime on a boat, and some who split their time between RV and boat. For most of them, it's absolutely the right lifestyle.

I've been participating in RV-related forums for 15+ years and usually make a point of not making a big deal about the downsides of fulltiming because, as I said in my opening line, I don't want to throw a wet towel on someone's dream. I made an exception here, and I'm beginning to wish I hadn't.

In addition to knowing many fulltimers who wouldn't change the lifestyle, and many who openly say they shouldn't have done it, I've met quite a few who don't want to openly admit they made a mistake. Publicly, they'll argue 'till the cows come home about the great lifestyle but, after a few drinks, the truth slips out.

 

[Jim]

Publicly, they'll argue 'till the cows come home about the great lifestyle but, after a few drinks, the truth slips out.

We probably have some of those. Especially those that do not have a choice because they are off the property ladder (or is that a snake right now?) When you couldn't care less about bricks and mortar and you are full timing because you love it, this must be fantastic . However a few people are pretty much forced into full timing, (or have grown to hate it and have nowhere to go) then I am sure they must feel pretty trapped and must hate every minute. The thing is, those people are hardly likely to post on motorhome forums so we will never know.

 

[artona]

Hi Tom

Fair enough but in your opening line you actually said

I hate to throw a wet blanket on someone's dream, but I've watched folks go down this road so many times over the years, and we have many friends and acquaintances who fulltime. We even considered it ourselves at one time, but decided against it, preferring to be part timers.

not

because, as I said in my opening line, I don't want to throw a wet towel on someone's dream

so you see it sounded differently to how you say you meant it


stew

 

[artona]

Hi

We probably have some of those. Especially those that do not have a choice because they are off the property ladder (or is that a snake right now?) When you couldn't care less about bricks and mortar and you are full timing because you love it, this must be fantastic . However a few people are pretty much forced into full timing, (or have grown to hate it and have nowhere to go) then I am sure they must feel pretty trapped and must hate every minute. The thing is, those people are hardly likely to post on motorhome forums so we will never know

Very true Jim. However no one is forced to fulltime. I would say that sometimes people lose direction.

We came across a 62yr old recently who desperately wanted a house but said he did not have a chance of a council property because he had been on the waiting list for over 8 years.

I explained to him that he must have been dropped off the list and advised him of what to do. Within two months he was housed. If you are over 60 you are vulnerable and the council have to legally house you. If you are under 60 you can always rent privately and if you are not able to cover the rent you will get assistance.

Although I fell into the trap of working my backside off to pay for a house I wish I had been like a mate of mine when I turned 18, he asked the council for a house and got one. Fifteen years later they sold it to him for £10k and five years later he sold it for £200k profit.

stew

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[Bulletguy]

Its hard to knock Tom for all the work he has put into telling people why they should not fulltime but thats not really the topic of the thread is it!!

If someone spends so long pursuading people why they should not fulltime I wonder if deepdown they really would like to do so. I sometimes wonder if we fulltimers are a selfish lot as we rarely try to talk someone into doing it - maybe we want to keep this fantastic life for ourselves.

Yes that is the thread topic and precisely the reason i titled it "what is the DOWNSIDE"? I wanted to know from those who have 'been there done that' or in some cases still are, what the negatives are......not what the positives are.

It's a bit like when someone falls head over heels in love. It may well turn out to be 'the wrong person' for you. But you can't see that because you don't want to. All your close friends can....but you can't because you are 'in love'! So you have this blinkered vision and ignore whats in the real world around you. Thats when things can begin to go badly wrong......and all too often, expensively wrong!

So when you mention the financial side then i can identify with that. If i sell up in a couple of years time, take early retirement and put some of my money into buying a year round liveable mh....then i have to 'get it right' because i can't afford to screw up.

Of course there will always people at the other extreme like your friend, for whom having bucket loads of money still isn't enough......they want more and more of it, even if it means having no holiday!

 

[Bulletguy]

I mentioned earlier that it takes some unique personal charactertics to make a good fulltimer. Here's a few of those characteristics, based on a combination of our own observations (of folks who enjoy fulltiming) and some inputs from others.

• Willing and able to part with your accumulated "stuff".
• Having a sense of adventure and enjoy exploring new and strange places.

As I scan down the list, I see things for which I'd check yes and things for which I'd check no. Most fulltimers are likely to check yes to them all.

I'm sure others can add to the list.

I have a heck of a lot of accumulated stuff!

As for sense of adventure and 'strange places', i've just recently spent some time out in the wilds on the Ukraine border....where nobody spoke one word of english and looked at me and my van as though i'd just arrived from another planet!

 

[TJ-RV]

... so you see it sounded differently to how you say you meant it

The story of my life Stew. OTOH I have to smile when I see folks look for things to pick on or to justify their own position, but I'm sure you didn't mean to come across that way.

If you read some of my prior posts here, you'll see that I'm pretty much a WYSIWYG straight up kinda guy who has been helping folks online for many years. So, please don't (mis)read things into my messages.

 

[TJ-RV]

I have a heck of a lot of accumulated stuff!

There's no good answer for that. I hate getting rid of stuff, whereas my wife is the exact opposite. If she doesn't see an immediate need for something, it's tossed in the garbage bin. I sometimes joke that one day she'll toss me in the garbage.

When we moved from the UK to California, we took just what would fit in our suitcases ..... well, almost. There were things I just couldn't part with, so I packed them in several large boxes and had them shipped by sea. Some weeks later I received a call to pick them up at US Customs in San Francisco. 15 years and three houses later I hadn't opened the boxes.

Some close friends made the decision to go fulltime on their boat (later modified it to be 50/50 boat and RV). They had a large house and had accumulated a lot of stuff, including many professional trophies. The husband had no problem getting rid of most of his stuff, but his wife had a real tough time, especially with her clothes. With the clock ticking on the sale of their house, the husband had a rental dumpster (disposal skip) put in his driveway. He told his wife that, for every two outfits she threw out he'd buy her a new one. Three weeks later the dumpster was still empty.

....where nobody spoke one word of english and looked at me and my van as though i'd just arrived from another planet!

That could have been Wales when I was growing up

 

[TJ-RV]

The thing is, those people are hardly likely to post on motorhome forums so we will never know.

You may be right Jim. OTOH we have friends who are in that situation, either trapped in an RV or trapped on a boat, and they all spend a lot of time online.

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[paul&stella]

My fault we seem to have gone off topic. Please can I hear some more stories about 'full-timers' its addictive!

 

[Jim]

My fault we seem to have gone off topic. Please can I hear some more stories about 'full-timers' its addictive!

Hi Guys, If you like reading about full timing read this thread, but especially post 39 on it. Enjoy

 

[TJ-RV]

Another trait of fulltimers that I've observed, maybe more of a discipline learned from experience &/or necessity) .....

If they decide to buy something (other than food or drink), they throw something else out. When fulltimers visit us and my wife takes one spouse shopping, the other will chime in with "if you buy something, don't forget the rule ..."

I sometimes wish I could be that disciplined. If I buy something, I inevitably find somewhere to stuff it in.

 

[Pikey Pete]

So I'm a fulltimer and a solo one at that. Not someone who rents their house and "fulltime with an escape clause". I have only what I have in the van and a bit in the bank.
Downside ? Not found any yet, but I'm sure there is still time.
Upside ? Too many to mention.
The freedom to go where you want when you want is priceless, and thats why I shall keep doing it till I am physically no longer able.
Just found out that I have creased earlobes so I am likely to die of a heart attack any time, just hope I'm not driving the van at the time, I would hate it if she got damaged
What is fulltiming like ? Try it and find out, it's the only way you will ever know if it's for you.
Pete.
PS Summer tour over, back to Spain tomorrow.:thumb:

 

[Jim]

Is it so different with an escape clause?

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[Pikey Pete]

A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu

It's your signature and it sums things up pretty much I think.

 

[billym]

The Downside for us ...................is deciding where to go next.

I know that sounds condecending but is absolutely true. It would be so much easier in that respect if we were to live in a house, send the kids to school and have a two week holiday each year and clean the car on Sundays..... then spend the rest of the day looking out of the window admiring it.


What shall we do this winter ?

 

[TJ-RV]

The Downside for us ...................is deciding where to go next. I know that sounds condecending ...

We hear that a lot, and don't consider it in any way condescending. It's a nice "problem" to have.

OTOH we don't fulltime and have the same problem. We're empty nesters i.e. our kids are long gone, we're retired, and we can (and do) leave whenever we want. We stay away as long as we feel like it, come home when we feel like it, or stay here if we feel like it.

 

[restlesskiwi]

enter restlesskiwi

After signing on to your website this morning,while the rain continues to fall, as it has done for the last 7 days,in my little slice of nz,i must give thanks to all who have contributed in putting together a most interesting and informative site.
It took me a wee while to find,but man!!!! was it worth it.
Having just returned from a 5 week visit in the uk,seeing the sights on offer, (by car i might add) i found that in escence,im not really over the moon to be back.Dont get me wrong,i love NZ,have a great family,nice house high on a hill, overlooking the harbour,but now,the kids,all 2 of them,old enough to fend for themsel
ves in this fast paced world,IT`S TIME TO DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday,told my boss of 7 years,that i wouldn`t be returning,house goes on the market asap,then back to UK,to attempt to live my dream as a full timer.
If it works it works if it doesn`t then so be it.But i don`t want to get to a stage when i`m too old,thinking to myself.......... i wished i`d done that!!!
Sorry to cramp your style guys and guyesses,but look out here i come!!!:thumb:watch this space!
All the best RESTLESSKIWI

 

[Jim]

Hi restless Kiwi, I hope your dreams are realised. We'll see you soon then:thumb::thumb: Welcome to the fun.

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[Road Runner]

Four major things worry me.

1) What to do when I am old?

2) I look forward to going away in the bus, what would I look forward to when living in it.

3) Where would i live if anything major went wrong with thew bus?

4) I am tablet dependant and obtaining repeat scripts would worry me.

 

[TJ-RV]

Yesterday,told my boss of 7 years,that i wouldn`t be returning,house goes on the market asap,then back to UK,to attempt to live my dream as a full timer.

An exciting time and a wonderful dream. Please check in here periodically and let everyone know how it's working out. Your story will be an inspiration for others who might be trying to decide.

 

[TJ-RV]

Four major things worry me.

Valid concerns John, but not showstoppers. I can't help with 1) or 2), but ...

3) Some repair shops will let you live in the coach while it's being repaired, although you'd probably have to vacate during the day. If I happen to be at a Monaco factory service center, they provide campgrounds with hookups and the service techs will return the coach to my assigned site at the end of the work day. I'd be allowed to visit the coach at any time while it's in the service bay. If I happen to be at a Cummins Coach Care facility, they also provide a place to camp with hookups. OTOH there are always hotels, motels or B&Bs around.

4) I'm sure there are many others who have solved the script issue over there. Here, I can be anywhere in North America, call my doctor, and they'll call or fax a script to the nearest pharmacy. The nationwide pharmacy chains will even call the doctor for me. If I'm close to the Mexican border, I just walk across, buy what I need without a script in whatever quantity I can carry, and walk back.

 

[johnsandywhite]

Four major things worry me.

1) What to do when I am old?

2) I look forward to going away in the bus, what would I look forward to when living in it.

3) Where would i live if anything major went wrong with thew bus?

4) I am tablet dependant and obtaining repeat scripts would worry me.

1) The same as everyone else who live in a house, villa, apartment, caravan etc.

2) Being able to go wherever and whenever you want.

3) Park it on a camp site and continue enjoying the rest of your life?

4) We get our repeats via the family and usually 3 months supply before we go.

 

[Jim]

Four major things worry me.

1) What to do when I am old?

2) I look forward to going away in the bus, what would I look forward to when living in it.

3) Where would i live if anything major went wrong with thew bus?

4) I am tablet dependant and obtaining repeat scripts would worry me.

Hi John I think you worry too much Your questions answered

1. John you are old

2. Looking forward is no way to live John. Life is a journey, not a destination live for this moment, not one in the future, be happy now and you will not miss having something to look forward too.

3. I am sure that a week or two at most from a bus in a B& B or similar wouldn't be a problem. Thousands of people move out of their homes, for fire, flood, subsidence etc, its an inconvenience if your bus went wrong but not a deciding factor.

4. Easy enough to sort out, thousands of pensioners on medication live all over Europe.

Go for it John, I know you'd love to try:thumb:

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[artona]

Hi

1. John you are old thats a very naughty comment Mr Ringleader lol, lol but then if you base it on my father who died suddenly at 59 then I guess 56 is pretty old.

Live for today - tomorrow is not guarenteed

stew

 

[Road Runner]

3 reasons why i couldn't contemplate it now

1) I am caring for my father (wont always be doing this though)

2) Spent all my saving and no value in house due to constant downsizing and a family legal battle i should never have tried to sort as never anything in it for me and lost a small fortune (what a twerp i am for sureoh::Angry

3) and biggestoh:got a wife who wouldn't do it or enjoy it.

I would love to be sitting near or a beach in Spain for health reasons, plus love the sun and sea.

Maybe one day who knows?

 

[Road Runner]

4. Easy enough to sort out, thousands of pensioners on medication live all over Europe.

Go for it John, I know you'd love to try:thumb:

Hoy


Interesting point though as one day in my late 50s someone who has lived his whole life working for myself, never been on benefits (well not yet anyway) so who would employ me now taking into account my various illnesses

 

[Jim]

I would love to be sitting near or a beach in Spain for health reasons, plus love the sun and sea.

Maybe one day who knows?

Lets hope its one day soon mate:thumb:

 

[TinaGlenn]

Four major things worry me.

4) I am tablet dependant and obtaining repeat scripts would worry me.

My brother in law lives in Spain and is dependant on certain tablets for his health, he is registered at the same doctors surgery as us, and when he comes over once a year to visit, he pops in has any tests needed and gets his repeat prescriptions all sorted out for the next year. As long as he has a valid prescription the Spanish pharmacies will supply it for him. In the uk you just take it to your nearest chemist to get it.

After a 2 month holiday in our van earlier this year we would love to do more long term travelling but at the moment the kids and dogs make this impossible, but the plans are there. Who knows we might end up more van than house based in a few years time, rent the house and go where we want to.

Glenn's parents sold their house, banked the money and took off in a caravan for 18 months when they were in their mid 70's, only going back into a house when neither could drive due to bad eyes. They had a great time and were always sorry when it came to an end.

We don't want to wait that long.

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