You guys have great advice-please help! - Montana Owners Club

Montana_6246 · 09-22-2006, 04:09 PM

We just purchased our first Montana and our first RV ever. I recently retired and my husband semi-retired but he is still working as an independent contractor. We can travel every couple of months if we want to for a couple of weeks at a time or more. I am worried that I will get bored being in one place while he is working. Right now I am living in the stick house while he is living in the Montana 2 1/2 hrs away while we decide what to do. We don't like being apart from each other and our dogs. We definitely want to full time ASAP. Please, full timers, share with us the pros and cons. For those of you who rate it an 8 instead of a 10 , why?
We are new to this forum. It has been really helpful to us. You guys have great advice-please help! As you can tell this is a little scary for me. Quite a few changes in a short period of time.

mobilrvn · 09-22-2006, 05:05 PM

An eight or a ten, who cares? Is the average five or six, then it sure means to us that it is pretty good. Do you rate your life a ten? What do you do in your stick house since it is always in one place? We do get "hitch itch" after being in a place for a while, but we have been in one place for months at a time when we had to work. We have two dogs and they are conversation starters in every CG--meet the folks in your CG--we have made life long friends that way. Walk the dogs often. Every place as wonderful things to do and see. Being in one spot for a longer period lets you do things more in depth---a picnic can take a whole day instead of a couple of hrs. There are always a number of places which need volunteers for a variety of things--help at a school or thrift store. Plan your next trip if you can. By all means, get a computer if you don't already have one. Work part time. The list goes on.

I tell folks that I do nothing all day long and I still have plenty of nothing to do the next day. We can't figure out where our time goes, we are always busy doing something.

CountryGuy · 09-23-2006, 01:41 AM

Crafts, hobbies, reading are all great ways to spend your spare time. Volunteering is also a great way to help, feel useful, and spend time.

Life is a series of ups, and downs, lefts and rights. It changes seasons, as does the weather. Life in a RV is still full of grocery shopping, laundry, paying the bills, many of the same things we do in the stick built.

We do not full time, we long time, and as our sig line says, tis a much better day in Montana!

Good luck in your decision and welcome to the land of Montana and this forum.

Carol

Montana Sky · 09-23-2006, 03:18 AM

I am also a long timer who wants to go full time. There is so much to do and see out here on the road, I cant see how anyone would get bored. As already stated, get out and explore. If you nervous about exploring in a new town, go buy one of the GPS units. I have seen it in action while at the rally. There is no way a person could get lost anymore.

Montana_6246 · 09-23-2006, 05:27 AM

Thanks for your replies Mobilrvn, CountryGuy, and Montana Sky. It is nice to hear from people who have been there and lived the life. I(this is Hubby talking now) keep telling her there will be many things to do. She has been running our business for 20 years full time and now has spare time for a change. She is very creative and will come up with something, I'm sure. She is begiining to experience detachment from our "Stuff" for the first time and that is different for her.

I'd like to thank everyone that posts on this forum. It has been very helpful to us in learning about Rv's and the lifestyle. There are many very knowledgable people out there. By the way we do have a Garmin GPS and it is one of the greytest tools ever! Love it!

stiles watson · 09-23-2006, 06:13 AM

My wife worked for NASA for 28 years before retiring and then we sold the stick house. She is having the time of her life. New places create new opportunities to meet people and see other parts of life here-to-fore unobserved. It is a big, big world. I am convinced that being bored is a condition where we expect to be entertained or stimulated from outside sources rather than developing an insatiable curiousity that provides a stimulation of its own.

Parrothead · 09-23-2006, 11:31 AM

I have just the opposite problem - I have too many things to do. Books to read, needlework to finish, quilts to repair, photos to scan, family history to complete (now there is a real time user), material that needs sewing into something usable, tennis to learn, etc., etc. All of these can be done in the Monty. I had been a workaholic for many, many year and was really afraid of retirement but I've found all these things I use to do and always wanted to do and now I have the time. Plus many of the campgrounds that cater to seasonal visitors have crafts, square dancing, libraries, computer rooms, etc. so the campground itself may offer you something. One CG I was looking at the other day needed volunteers in their computer room to help people with computers. Just up my alley since computer training was something I did when I worked. Oh and then there are the museums and other places to see in the area where you are and if there happens to be a casino close by, we will visit there. Enjoy your new life!
Happy trails........................

Charlotte · 09-24-2006, 06:31 PM

Graytdogs:
I understand where you are coming from as I am somewhat in the same position. My husband's work contracts usually run for three months at a time. This gives us time to really explore the area around the town where we are located. As for me, I have a dog and cat to keep me company. I do a lot of exploring on my own, have done some volunteering, jewelry making, a lot of reading and of course, the same household chores that I did in the stick house. I had a large yard and garden that kept me busy at the stick house. I was afraid I would miss all that gardening, but a year after selling the house I am just happy not to have to do all that work that was causing me a lot of pain. I admit that I do have some plants that I carry with me. They just help me feel at home wherever I am. Life is too short, I intend to enjoy all the time I have left and I have met some very nice, interesting people that I wouldn't have if I had been sitting at home.
Charlotte

Random Line · 09-25-2006, 05:11 PM

each other and our dogs. We definitely want to full time ASAP. Full timers, share with us the pros and cons. ---------------------------

If you have no reasons to stay in your current community go for it.

We just finished two years of fulltiming in our Montana while we sold one house, changed towns to be nearer to family after retirement, and built another house. Would we do it again? You bet.

We found our 2003 3255RL to be a reasonably good unit as trailers go and easy to live in. We found Montana to be looked on favorably by potential buyers who were in other brands of trailers and wesoon found a local buyer for our unit. Our 2002 F350 was sold sometime earlier.

We did have some warranty issues on a couple minor things and some problems with our double pane windows but after some discussion and time both Montana (Customer Service) and the Kenrow window company did the right thing and we are satisfied.

This house we just moved into is a major effort for us so we may hang around here for a while. But if we decide to resume our travels in a fifth wheel trailer I suspect you have guessed from these comments what name will be on the front.

Good Luck in your decision.

anker · 09-28-2006, 02:21 PM

This looks like a good place to get some information I am desperately needing. My wife and I have our house up for sale and it looks like it will be sold. One of the options we are considering is full-time RVing (we are both retired). Some questions that come to mind are:
If you are moving around a lot, how do you have your mail forwarded?

What do you do for a permanent address for mail, voting, driver license, taxes, etc?

Thanks for any help anyone may offer.

sreigle · 10-05-2006, 05:34 PM

It sounds like your concern is being in a place you maybe wouldn't choose for a vacation or sightseeing but have to be because your husband's work takes him there. In our 3 1/2 years of fulltiming we have found just about everywhere has some really interesting things to see and do. Check with the rv park for brochures and info on upcoming events in the area. Likewise the visitors center or chamber of commerce. Explore. Just pick a road and go. If you'd like to get some idea of what I'm talking about, click the link in my signature and browse around a bit. Many of the things on our website have to do with well known tourist areas but many others are things many people never see because they don't have the opportunity to explore.

You also can do just about anything you would do in your stick home except maybe yardwork and gardening.

jrgwdenner · 10-06-2006, 03:12 AM

Anker, there are businesses who take care of all the concerns that you mentioned. The Escapees is one major group that caters to fulltimers. For a second approach, a South Dakota residency and a mail forwarding company is all you need. The mail forwarding company will give you a permanent address (not a P. O. Box, which some times isn't acceptable)for voting, etc. And you'll love South Dakota taxes!

larryngail · 10-27-2006, 04:13 AM

I'm another one with plenty to do. "Bored" doesn't exist in my vocabulary, for sure. What do you do with your time now?

boat391 · 10-27-2006, 04:59 PM

Man I can't wait till I can say I'm bored lol I have a long way to go before I can think about the full time thing but I still just can't wait lol

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