Revisiting the Full-Time Option

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Sallisaw KOA, Sallisaw, Oklahoma

We took yesterday off, mostly because we were tired and had some doubts about continuing long drives when we are tired. But there was also the minor little problem that I had run out of clean underwear. So we camped in, did laundry, went to Walmart for a few supplies, and took a nap. (No, I don't like to shop at Walmart. But it was close and besides, if we are staying at a KOA, we can shop at Walmart!).

Humidity was pretty intense and with 90 degree temperatures, it was a bit challenging for us New Mexicans. With all that energy being built up, it wasn't surprising that our phones started broadcasting severe weather alerts. Around 11:00 pm a major thunderstorm rolled through. I guess there were tornado possibilities, but none developed here. This morning, it is a lot cooler which will help with hitching up.

One of the things we have been discussing recently is whether we could do this full-time or not. We've been playing that out with various thought experiments to imagine how it might work and whether we could do it or not.

One thing we know is that we would need more space, a lot more space. Although neither one of us really approve of big motorhomes, they start to become attractive if you are thinking about making your only home a mobile one. We don't like the fact that mobile homes limit your travel options, but that can be mitigated a bit by towing a four wheel drive vehicle of some kind behind you. (Whether that would be the Land Cruiser or something smaller is another question.)

Without a permanent home base, a lot of travel becomes unnecessary - like this trip home. From Tennessee, we have about 1500 miles of driving to get back home, which is long, and, at times, very stressful, especially after an 80 day trip. But if we were already in our home, we wouldn't need to do that. We could camp out somewhere, probably in Tennessee, for a week or two and make plans for the next destination. Trips might be shorter because you wouldn't need to pack so many places into them in order to justify the week's worth of travel on both ends.

I have no idea how reliable motor homes are, so I don't know what the repair downtime is like, but if you aren't tied to a long schedule, mechanical problems are easier to absorb. There are other logistical issues, like prescriptions and regular health care (but, hey, if Trump abolishes Medicare, we won't have to worry about doctors anyway. We'll just go back to home treatments, like bloodletting!). There is mail to consider, although most of that is junk these days. And where does one vote when on the road (maybe voting will be abolished by then, who knows?)

We would need to sell the house, which is increasingly unlikely, and most of our belongings, which I don't think we need anyway. And it seems like we'd have to change how we enjoy cooking and movies, for example. But at least we wouldn't have the damn road to our house to contend with.

As with all things, there are tradeoffs. And we are all creatures of habit anyway, so it isn't too likely we'd actually make this lifestyle change. But it is always fun to think of how things could be different. (17.1.81)

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Comments

[Missy]

homestead
You could always park on our 7 acres if needed for repairs/downtime if you full time rved!