A Question for Other Fulltimers

[Exnavydiver]

How do most fulltimers schedule stays and trips? Do you stay for several weeks or months in one spot or a few days and move? We have basically been staying in one spot till we get tired of that spot them move to another... Dave and Betsy

[stiles watson]

Yes to all. That's what fulltiming is all about. Make it up as you go. Stay as long as you like, overnight over a month or two. Whatever suits you.

[HamRad]

Dave and Betsy,

We are not full timers so cannot answer your question from experience BUT it sounds to me as if you've got it! I think what you are doing is exactly the right way to do it.

Wish I could talk the DW into full timing. I'd love to be out there doing exactly what all you full timers are doing. In the meantime I'll continue to be happy doing the EXTENDED process.

Keep on enjoying!

Dennis

[Glenn and Lorraine]

With few exceptions we travel without reservations. The main reason we don't do reservations is our entire working life was scheduled for us. We had to be at work at a scheduled time, we ate lunch and diner at a scheduled time, we went to bed at a scheduled time, we got up at a scheduled time and repeated that schedule 5 days a week. Even weekends was a schedule of mowing the lawn, doing laundry and other stick house chores that you couldn't fit into your weekly schedule. We hate schedules and avoid them where ever and when ever possible. And a reservation is a schedule.
Without reservations we can extend our stay to our liking. This summer, after we had the July Good Sam Rally reservation behind us, we pretty much made our own schedule one day at a time. We did this right up until Sept 16th when we were "SCHEDULED" to be in Goshen for the rally. Immediately after the rally we were back on our day to day lifestyle.
There are always exceptions. For example we do have reservations for Nashville for the week before and into Memorial Day. The only other commitment we have is the fall MOC rally. We do "plan" on attending both the Branson and Northeast rallies but it is way to early to make those commitments.

[adelmoll]

We schedule only the places that we have to be for a rally or special event that we want to be sure to have a place to stop.... Otherwise from Mexico to Alaska, Washington to Maine and Florida and all places in between, we come and go as we please... If our first spot is taken, we go a few miles down the road and find another... It hasn't been a problem yet and if the fuel keeps on going up, it will be even less.

That to us is the biggest difference in full-timing... We just don't have to do anything today.

Dennis, it sure would be great to see you and Mary Kay doing the same thing.. Sorry MK... The devil made me say it.

Helen

[rvfirefighter]

Scheduling when you fulltime is a personal choice and ours changes the longer we travel. We schedule our winter time more than any other time. We host in a state park in Fl. and stay in another park in Palm Harbor Fl. in Jan. and Feb. We have to make reservations there or we would not be able to stay there.
When we are on the road we have found that reservations are not needed unless you are in a busy area on holidays, especially if you camp in state and federal parks.

[mobilrvn]

What Glenn & Lorraine said. We have a sign that we got in Victoria BC that we hang on our hitch which says, "When we come to a fork in the road, we take it."

[HamRad]

Mobilrvn,

It doesn't get much better does it! Keep taking those "forks in the road" and enjoying this great ride!

Travel safely.

HamRad

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by Exnavydiver

How do most fulltimers schedule stays and trips? Do you stay for several weeks or months in one spot or a few days and move? We have basically been staying in one spot till we get tired of that spot them move to another... Dave and Betsy

Both. For us, anyhow. Some places we stay for a month. In a couple of cases we've stayed more, up to two months. Other places we stay a few days or a week. And sometimes we're "enroute" and just overnight for several nights.

The idea is there is no one way that is best for every fulltimer. Whatever works for you. When we get to our "destination" we like to explore backroad areas and find things most "tourists" never know about. We also need days for laundry, shopping, maintenance, and just plain being retired.

We have nearly always had reservations at our destination. For the overnight places, I usually pick out my preferred park prior to that day's travel but only make reservations for overnight in areas and times of high tourist activity.

Someday we want to pick a state and a starting point and stay until ready to move to another part of that state. And keep doing that until we're done with that state. Then move to another state. But, for now, we're still picking destinations and heading in that direction with a target arrival date previously set.

[ols1932]

It all depends on our physical desires. If we find a place where we want to do some sightseeing, we stay longer. We do schedule some of our arrivals and departures but we are pretty flexible in that if we want to leave a place earlier or stay longer, we do it. We have no cut and dried rules on our travel except to keep it under 60 mph.

Orv

[bob n pam]

We do all of the above. About the only time we schedule travel is if we are workamping or it is a destination that fills up during a season. Like ols1932 we have no cut and dried rules!

[tom41]

No "set" rules here! We very seldom make reservations, unless we plan to be in a highly visited area. Our "home" has always been on wheels since oct. 1998 and enjoyed every minute. I would say that the one most element that dictates if I travel any certain day would be the weather. I dont like traveling on rainy days, nor in high winds. But thats the beauty of fulltiming! We hardly ever stay any place longer then 30 days, mostly 6 to 14 days.

[Exnavydiver]

Most of the replies are about what I figured and make sense. This is pretty much how last year went. We had some scheduled trips and some free time that we just winged it. This year will be similar as we will be caravaning with friends to Ga. and Fla for about 2 months. After that we will be winging it till the snow and ice leave northern Wisconsin. Hopefully the housing market will improve next spring so we can get out from under our sticks and bricks. After that it is go where we want when we want and stay until we leave. Thanks for all the advise... Dave and Betsy

[FulltimeFollies]

Very good question , especially for the newer fulltimers. How do we do it? Every year, we pick a new "theme" for the year, yes we do stray sometimes, but mostly we decide during the winter, just what it is we wish to see that year, like rodeos, fairs, car shows, manufacturing plants, highways, etc. Then we decide what area, such as a souther swing that last 6 months, or a midwest, or northeast, or northwest swing. We never make reservations ecept for the winter months when we park for several months to beat the cold. We stay at parks for one month minimum, use as a home base and visit everything within driving distance of 2 days and enjoying the theme. Then on to another one month stay and do the same.
Finding out how the locals live in each area of the country is educational and exciting to us. How Iowans live is entirely different than say Tenn people. Each area of the country appears different to us, and the livelihood of these people is of interest to us. We start off each year this way and work our way across the u.s. , and in 25 years of this, we still have a wholeeeeeeee lot to still see.
Try doing a theme trip for 3 months, but make sure each of you enjoy what it is you decide on.

[Montana Rog]

We have two "seasonal" RV sites. One in Northern Wisconsin, and another in the Rio Grande Vally. Wife likes to "nest" so it works for us. Like coming home to family on both ends. I have a shed and concrete on both sites, and it's home for us. While moving from one site to the other, we spend time site seeing on the way. It works for us. I part time workcamp in both locations.

[ols1932]

Only time we schedule is when we must be someplace at a certain time. For example, when we were making a large purchase and we needed to be at a certain place at a certain time for training, that was on our schedule. When we scheduled an appointment with a neurosurgeon, that is where we must be at a certain time. Other than that everything takes its own place at its own time. We love the flexibility of being able to do what we want when we want. As Glenn said, "All our working lives everything was scheduled, now we can do as we want to" (my paraphrase).

Orv

[Waynem]

I'm not on schedule, but then there is the dear wife. So, my schedule is her schedule.

It's like the sign I have hanging in the computer room of the stick house. It states:

"I am master of this house. Whatever my wife wishes shall be done!"

[dsprik]

We have two places we enjoy immensely and we plan a six month/six month split.

Our summer months, we stay in N. Mich near our grandkids, kids, sisters & their husbands and my dad. Our CG is on a pristine, seven mile long, swimming and fishing lake (see signature). We have a 18 ft open bow Hurricane boat that is light enough to trailer to any of the many area lakes.

We do not work in the summer.

We may take one major 4-5 week trip a summer. This coming summer we are planning on the SD Badlands/Mt Rushmore area. Then up to see our son and daughter-in-law in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

In the winter we stay near Disney World in our Montana and work a couple days a week at Disney for the free Disney and multiple and generous discounts that we and our family members get at many of the dining and retail businesses - both in and out of Disney,

Great life!