We had a wonderful first summer with our RV. We took several trips to campgrounds and state parks. We went to 2 weddings, using the RV as our “motel.” We learned a lot, especially about the electrical system, including the batteries and generator.
By the end of the fall, when it was time to store the RV for the winter, we knew that we wanted to make the RV our semi-permanent home. Our PBI (partially baked idea) was now a firm plan. We will take a slow trip in a westerly direction, eventually settling somewhere warmer than here. Hopefully close enough to family in California, so we can visit and celebrate holidays with them. We decided to put the house on the market and move into the RV in May (when campgrounds around here open). This serves 2 purposes.
- We will leave the house available to show to prospective buyers at the drop of a hat.
- Our dog Snow will not be in the house barking during a house showing. She’ll be in the RV!
There are a number of challenges involved in a cross country move such as this.
- I’m not retirement age (yet). So I will have to buy health insurance until I find work out west.
- We plan to move our belongings from a 3 bedroom house and garage into a Class A RV. Downsizing and purging is required.
- We will want to tow a vehicle and neither of the vehicles we own is towable. We need to sell our cars and buy a “toad.”
- Our house is in a town where the largest employer (a paper mill) closed its doors a year ago. The housing market may be soft.
- Leaving my family here on the east coast is going to be very difficult.
My goal is to take each of these challenges and let you know our plan/solution. Stay tuned to the next blog entry!
