As I mentioned before in April of ‘27 I will qualify for an early retirement at the young age of 44. At that time my bride will be 41 and our kids will be 14, 11, and 9. They are homeschooled now and there is zero chance that’ll change between now and then.

Once I move into early retirement we plan to vacate commiefornia. We’ll sell the house and either sell, give away, or throw out nearly everything else except my 73 Nova, tools, and probably a few boxes of keepsakes. What’s left will be packed up, including the car, and placed in storage or left with trusted family (to include guns).

While talking about this with my wife we realize we don’t know where we want to settle, but we have a few places on the potential list. She suggested we buy a large RV and, upon retirement, spend 12-18 months on the road and just exploring our country. I kinda live the idea though I also realize it’ll be a big transition for everyone.

Anyone ever done something like that and have any insight or cautions?

A few concerns jump out…

Schooling: reliable internet would be very helpful but we can homeschool the kids near anywhere. Maybe Starlink will have an Rv option? I think I heard they are working on it.

Eating: our current diet on road trips ain’t great… but I think with a kitchen that travels with you it could work out very well… is it feasible to have a crock pot churning away while traveling??

Guns: I don’t feel the need to bring all my weapons with, but a concealable pistol and a shotgun sure seem like a necessity, and some sort of defensive type rifle would be nice. The pistol shouldn’t be a problem anywhere due to LEOSA, abs I suspect a pump shotgun wouldn’t be an issue, but a rifle would take some careful planning. Thoughts?

RV concerns: never owned one… my parents had a travel trailer when I was growing up in the 90’s, but I imagine things have changed. I suspect learning to drive one properly wouldn’t be too hard? It seems to me that maybe we’d want to purchase the vehicle a year or so in advance and start doing trips in it to learn it’s quirks before heading out. Seem logical?

Legal residence? We kinda have to live somewhere on paper, right? The RV (and potential tower vehicle) have to be registered somewhere… are there some states that this sort of thing would be easier in and better from a tax perspective? I recall that some states have no income/retirement taxes… it seems it would make sense to set up residence there? But what exactly entails being a legal resident? It occurs to me that insurance ties into all this as well.

What am not thinking about? I’m sure there is a ton. Thanks!

If you're planning on a travel trailer or fifth wheel, payload capacity, gvwr and gawr's are more important than the overall towing capacity number. You will run out of payload before towed weight.

Above a combined gvwr you may need a different class of driver license depending on your state. That can also be true if your vehicle includes equipment like air brakes on a big class A.

You may consider renting one for a weekend trip or two before jumping in to be sure it is your cuppa. We have had a lot of fun traveling around Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas in our wee travel trailer, especially during Covid. Our longest stay was nearly two weeks and we were perfectly comfortable. We have booked a two week trip to Big Bend NP for next year. We do plan on getting a bigger truck and trailer and traveling extensively in the future.

South Dakota is a State where a lot of RVers register as their "home."

Yes... for 13+ years. We retired early at 48 and after looking at various RV options (5th whedls/trailers, etc.) we bought a 37' motorhome.
We had a dog but no kids and this was our first RV. Look into joining the Escapees RV club for mail forwarding and establishing a legal residence.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Redleg06,

Also, these guys have been a tremendous source of information about RV'ing in general. Highly recommend checking out their page and YT videos.

https://www.keepyourdaydream.com

We are in our early 50's and still working. Like you, we are planning of retiring early (58-60). We have been RVing for 10 years now. Started with an 18 ft. Travel Trailer (2 years). Sold it and purchased a 32 ft Class C (5 years). Traded it for a 33 ft Class A-Gas (owned for 2 years now).

A piece of advise.... do your research on what you really want to purchase (to avoid selling and trading at a later date). You will lose money in doing so. We did.

But the Class A we have now is what we see ourselves using Full Time when we retire.

When you purchase your first RV, look around and compare prices. Expect to pay 30% OFF MSRP (pre-Covid pricing). During the peak of Covid, dealerships are price gouging all makes, models and brand. They sell "at MSRP". Now that the Covid RV hype slowed down, there are some first time owners that realized RVing is not for them and sold their slightly used RV. This units can be purchased at much lower prices compared to Brand New unit. But of course, it is always a good feeling to be the first owner, then customize to your specs.

When you do the PDI (pre-delivery inspection), MAKE SURE that everything works BEFORE you sign the contract. Dealerships are notorious in putting pressure on buyers.

I heard Montana have a 3-year registration that is cheap. But you actually have to be a resident.

I carry a firearm in the RV with 10-round magazines if my travel route will take me to commie States. If we are only travelling thru free states, I bring my hi-cap magazines.

If you decide to get a Motorhome, my advise is to pull a "flat towable" vehicle, instead of using a dolly to pull a car. We did pull a car for 3 years on a dolly. We are now flat towing.

Good luck with your travel plans. Let me know if I can answer some of your questions.

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
We are in our early 50's and still working. Like you, we are planning of retiring early (58-60). We have been RVing for 10 years now. Started with an 18 ft. Travel Trailer (2 years). Sold it and purchased a 32 ft Class C (5 years). Traded it for a 33 ft Class A-Gas (owned for 2 years now).

Thanks for chiming in!

Can you expound upon the real-world differences between similarly sized Class C and Class A?

I don’t want to drive a bus-sized yacht, however, I understand we’ll be 5 people in a relatively small living space (at least small compared to the house we are in now, and likely the only living arrangement our kids will have known.

8 years full time. For a meaningful discussion, email in my profile.

^^^ That's a nice tow rig.


I'm in the process of converting a bus (coach not school), but don't have plans on living in it or using it full time.

The biggest thing that led me in this direction was the safety aspect with my family on board. An actual commercial chassis bus is not only sturdier from a mechanical standpoint but will generally survive an accident better. I even have a parts bus, that absent all of the window glass survived a pretty serious tornado.

I believe that your average RV built for full time use is more or less geared towards a couple as opposed to a family.

If you are just trying to check out possible locations to move to and you are not going to be working, would it not make more sense to just move into a rental for 3 months at each possible location and then pick the one you like best after trying them out? 5 people living in an RV might get a little cramped especially with the kids doing school there.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
^^^ That's a nice tow rig.


I'm in the process of converting a bus (coach not school), but don't have plans on living in it or using it full time.

The biggest thing that led me in this direction was the safety aspect with my family on board. An actual commercial chassis bus is not only sturdier from a mechanical standpoint but will generally survive an accident better. I even have a parts bus, that absent all of the window glass survived a pretty serious tornado.

I had the passing thought that converting a bus to our needs specifically would be great… but I don’t have the space or skills for such an undertaking.

quote:

I believe that your average RV built for full time use is more or less geared towards a couple as opposed to a family.

I suspect you are right, but I’m sure I’m not the first to have this intention. I suspect once I start digging into this I’ll find info from others who have done similar.

quote:

Originally posted by Stlhead:
If you are just trying to check out possible locations to move to and you are not going to be working, would it not make more sense to just move into a rental for 3 months at each possible location and then pick the one you like best after trying them out? 5 people living in an RV might get a little cramped especially with the kids doing school there.

I think new-location scouting is secondary to the travel itself… we see a lot of value for our kids in the exploration of our country, it’s history, and the varied land and people that inhabit it. We’ve hit, at least quickly, NM, NV, UT, ID, OR, and WA in the past 18 months, plus we’ve spent a lot of time seeing the sights here in CA this past year. In the event we go to the eastern side of the country it will have made sense to done a lot over here on the western side while we are based here.

As an aside, it truly is a shame what we have allowed to happen to CA. It really is a staggeringly beautiful state… We have 2 more National Parks to visit but even when considering the ones we’ve been to (Yosemite, Joshua Teee, Death Valley, Pinnacles, Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods, and Point Reyes National Seashore) demonstrates the sheer majestic in variety that is possible.

There's quite a bit of resources out there to help you.

Here is one resource that may be quite helpful to you. Escapees dot com LINK

Best wishes to you.
.

The Class A we currently have, it has significantly more living space area. It is all dependent on the floor plan. Since you have 3 kids, my suggestion is to look for a unit that have 2 bunk beds located towards the rear of the RV. Then an overhead bunk bed toward the driver's area. Both Class C and Class A have this combination. The one thing we like about the Class A we have, the front bunk bed is designed to be driven even with the bunk bed on the down position (in case the mechanism breaks). And they do break. Remember, RV is a moving house. Things will break. Good thing about a Class C, you have the driver and passenger doors in the front. As well as the main house entrance door. The Class A we have do not have the driver and front passenger door.

My suggestion is go to one of the RV dealerships and look at the floor plans. That will give you a better idea on the living area (if the slide outs are deployed).

We love our Class A and don't regret trading our Class C.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
We are in our early 50's and still working. Like you, we are planning of retiring early (58-60). We have been RVing for 10 years now. Started with an 18 ft. Travel Trailer (2 years). Sold it and purchased a 32 ft Class C (5 years). Traded it for a 33 ft Class A-Gas (owned for 2 years now).

Thanks for chiming in!

Can you expound upon the real-world differences between similarly sized Class C and Class A?

I don’t want to drive a bus-sized yacht, however, I understand we’ll be 5 people in a relatively small living space (at least small compared to the house we are in now, and likely the only living arrangement our kids will have known.

If I were single...

Be aware there are theft rings that swoop in and take disabled RVs from the sides of the road.

Friend had that happen in South Carolina. Was left alone on the side of the road a couple hours as he and his wife went to get a tire repaired, and by the time they'd gotten back, the RV was gone.

Local PD told him that the usual end-locations for the stolen RVs was as miscreant's dwellings, well off the grid, and that the only thing that might possibly turn up later for recovery was the pistol he had in a safe, as the serial number got put in the system. Irreplaceable stuff on the notebook PC and a special-to-him guitar he'd put a lot of time and money into - they said forget ever seeing it again.

He changed his setup when he got a replacement RV, put in tracking stuff and a bit of hardening. The only good news was his wasn't his main dwelling, so most of his stuff was still back home.

Main point of the above, don't neglect security in your planning, and think hard about how to handle roadside issues.

Re : doing your own conversion...

As one that fell for the lure of such
as a hobby project, decades ago when I
erroneously believed I had the time, energy, finances and available
tekkie skills, etc. let me assure you whatever
level of cost, frustration you anticipate as tolerable, the Hard Edges of Reality
will find the holes in your decision.

Good luck

One caution about converting a bus. There are RV parks will only accept RVs with the RVIA medallion. In other words, no home built units.

We spend half the year out in our class A coach. We absolutely love it but it’s not for everyone.

Maintenance is constant and expensive if you don’t do your own work. Since Covid, campgrounds are full way in advance. Don’t go anywhere without a plan.

Don’t fall for the allure of multiple big screen tv’s and flashy interiors. What matters is in the basement..engine, drive train, build quality, plumbing, electric, etc.

Do lots of research and try to buy your last coach first.

I believe buying a well sorted used coach is best. Pre Def, is you can. New build quality across the board is a challenge.

Others mention Escapee’s. Great organization, they can help with anything.

Buy a Coach-Net policy. They will rescue you if you get stuck with a blown tire or mechanical issue. It includes towing. At some point we all end up on the side of the road.

We absolutely love the lifestyle and can’t think of a better way to see the USA.

We love where we live in the mountain and stay here during the summer and fall. This is prime time for RV’ing but it’s also crowded and hot. Part time works for us.

Keep Your Daydream. Watch all ten seasons. They go through several variants of essentially full time living. Try very hard not to lust after…well, about everything they have and do. Presently they are full time with a 3/4 ton F250 and an Airstream. They have done simple standard trailer, F450 and fifth wheel, Jeep with tiny trailer and tent, Class A, and back to the Airstream. Most recently they showed Airstream improvements by a fellow in Alabama that make it truly full-time worthy. At one time, they had three kids in a bunkhouse variant.

We are renting now. We have a tow vehicle, and can rent anything up to about 11K pounds. As we learn more, we zero in on the optimum for us.

As far as residences, SD has a very generous residency test. There are benefits to being a SD resident, as you might imagine.

Be careful of tax implications of owning a RV. Virginia, for example, taxes the heck out of “personal property” and a RV might cost you 6% of its assessed value each and every year. A very nice Airstream at $150K would cost $7500 in annual personal property taxes. Again, SD has benefits.

We plan to rent over and over again, until we are certain of a reasonable first purchase. We do not want to buy new, ever, with the massive depreciation and of course, poor quality manufacture that requires much sorting out.