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  1. #1
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    What To Do When You Stop Full Timing

    The wife and I are 60 and 62 respectively. We currently live in Texas for 15 years and 90% of the extended family and our kids / grandkids live in Indiana & Ohio. In a year or two we plan on going full time. We want to down size anyway. A 3000 sqft, 4 Bdrm 3 bath, 2 acre homestead is just too much for us now keeping up with it.

    In discussing our full timing plans with friends and family, the most often question they ask is ,"what are you going to do when you get too old to haul that thing around". It's like they think we are crazy. I want to reply to them, what are You going to do when You get too old to take care of your house, your vehicle, yourself? The DWs parents are there now. 80+ years old, live out in the country and can't mow their own yard, fix anything in or on their house, have to hire it all done for them. Hardly leave their house for any length of time and become hermits during the winter time, but do have family around to help them get food and take them places.

    Our extended plans are, that when we stop full timing (who knows what age that will be, 80? who knows), traveling all around the country, we park the RV permanently, or get a park model type RV, mobile home or finally move into a small retirement apartment or condo. We don't want to finally re-settle up there, its to dang cold in the winter! They say, if you permanently anchor back in Texas, your half way across the country, how are we going to help you when you need it? What happens if your health gets real bad, who is going to help you? Well, my Aunt lived in a park model RV down in Pharr Texas, (McAllen) and loved it, when the family thought she was too old (85) they hauled her back up to rural Indiana to be closer to them and she hated it. Died shortly after that.

    Well a whole lot of things can happen between now and then. Been reading lots of blogs, sites and places like escapees web. Not much on the subject. When that time comes, we or even one of us will make that decision then. I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

    What are some of you all's plans?
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  2. #2
    Seasoned Camper Bob/OlallaWA's Avatar
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    Roll with it, make a change when one has to made. When the time comes, weigh the pros and cons and run with it. We are not full time, we do have a place in AZ for winter but wouldn't want to live there during the summer. An assisted living apartment might be the best choice, maybe our health will choose for us. Tough call for sure.
    2019 GMC 3500 HD:)
    2016 Reflection 313RLTS:cool:

  3. #3
    Site Sponsor orbiker's Avatar
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    I see many old timers that have put roots down at their favorite rv park.

    The problem with that is, there are not enough parks to hold all that retire.

    2 more years till we go full-time, KEN
    Backpacker and tent camper all my life, including BSA as a kid and adult.
    Motorcycle trips across the USA with a tent - 1978 to Present.
    02-10-2005 - 2002 F350 SWD PSD and 2003 Citation 10'8S mostly for Crater Lake Ski Patrol.
    10-29-2015 - 2016 Grand Design 380TH. It's HUGE compared to a camper.
    10-19-2018 - traded truck for a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW Laramie CC 4 X 4 Long Box.
    03-16-2019 - Traded Momentum for a New 2018 374TH-R Solitude
    FULL TIME RV'er Nov 2021

  4. #4
    Big Traveler SouthTX's Avatar
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    As another displaced Hoosier/naturalized Texan, I understand completely. We have friends and family up there that are essentially trapped in their homes for six months of the year or they live in Florida for the winter. With their humidity, the summers are more miserable than South Texas.

    Perhaps the real question is not what are WE going to do, its why do THEY stay up there.
    John and Jean
    Springer Spaniel furkids Mea and (the late) Molly
    Blogs - BataanMissing.com - AirSafety.info
    2017 Ford F-350 6.7L CC SB, Andersen Ultimate Hitch.
    2018 Reflection 337RLS fifth wheel.

  5. #5
    Long Hauler D2Reid's Avatar
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    We sold the house and went full time in 2011. We figured 5 years, we could travel around, see different places etc., and find a place we want to live when we get "old".

    In 2016 we had to extend the mission out another 5 years. We saw and did a lot of cool stuff/places. But we could never decide on what was the perfect place, we are still searching.

    When I did my retirement planning the investment/insurance folks figured I would die when I was 86. It will be interesting to see how accurate their estimates are. That's of course barring health issues. My Grandfather lived to be 101, my wife's dad passed at 94. Both still lived in their homes and pretty much took care of themselves. My dad did a very good job of planning for my parents old age. He had long term care insurance and structured his investments to continue to pay over a long period of time. Then he fell at a pool and was dead in less than 4 hours. My mom on the other hand, is 87, has dementia, is in a memory care facility in Houston, TX. She sleeps about 20 hours a day, has not interest or purpose of life. I sure hope I die before I get to that state. I know she is unhappy, it breaks my heart.

    Our plan when we can no longer do what we are doing, or no longer want to do what we are doing, is to invest in one of those staged long term care facilities. You come in when you able to care for yourself, then more assistance is added when you can no longer do what's necessary. In the end, hospice care. It's staged based on the knowledge that as we age we are less able to do for ourselves, care for ourselves.

    Like so many other choices in life there are no right and wrong answers, only decisions that each of us have to make at some point in time. If you do a little planning ahead of time it goes a long way to having a more pleasant outcome.
    Dallas
    2017 Momentum 376TH, 2019 Ford F450, Dual Rear Wheel, 4x4, diesel.
    2015 Harley-Davidson Street, XG750

  6. #6
    Long Hauler DaveMatthewsBand's Avatar
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    We're 47 and 51, quite a bit younger than most RV'ers we meet, with no children, so we have a few more options than others.
    The current plan is to sell the whole setup, truck and camper after 2 or 3 years of seeing North America.
    Then buy a 50 or 60 foot catamaran and set sail for a few more years, before finally deciding where we want to settle down.
    It might not even be this country for all we know.
    Resistance is Not Futile, It's Voltage Divided by Current.


  7. #7
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
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    It's a much-discussed topic on the forums with sub-forums for full-timers (or places such as the Escapees forums as mentioned). When we first went full-time we joked about the "Thelma and Louise" solution but decided we didn't want to leave a carbon footprint as large as the rig would leave at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. A health incident this spring caused us to revisit the exit plan topic (you know the sequence of events: 1] visit from grandkids introduced a virus, 2] virus made us susceptible to Flu B despite having had flue shots, 3] Flu B whanged our immune systems and we both ended up with streptococcal pneumonia - and Laura ended up septic with a five day inpatient stay).

    We have aging mothers in Richmond, VA, and Las Cruces, NM. Both in their late 80s (actually born just 10 days apart). Neither of them are likely to still be around when we come off the road. That leaves kids and grandkids in Augusta, GA, Baltimore, MD, and Cincinnati, OH. The two kids in Augusta are my adopted kids with my late wife and neither of them are capable of/in a position to help when we get to the point of needing it. Neither Baltimore nor Cincinnati are places we would want to spend winters, either. Laura lived and taught in East Tennessee for a number of years but was born and raised in South and Central America (missionary kid). She would love for us to move to Cuenca, Ecuador, but I would have problems being that far from family and living out of the country since I'm retired military and have Medicare and Tricare. So, as we continue to travel the country, we are still looking for that "sweet spot." Right now, the focus is on the upstate Carolinas or western Virginia. Some of our criteria are:

    1) Proximity to tertiary/specialty health care
    2) Access to at least a regional airport
    3) Tax structure for retirees
    4) Cultural resources (we both like college/university towns and cultural diversity)
    5) Cost of living

    The plan is to build a small (like 600 sq. ft.) cottage that we can take care of until they haul us out horizontally. Laura has her heart set on a very small log home, but those come with some major maintenance issues, so we'll see about that. If we're still able to handle some part-time RVing, there will be a covered storage pad for the fifth wheel.

    Another alternative we've thought about is the Jojoba Hills Escapees co-op park at Aguanga, CA. It is a fantastic place to settle down in the RV. The only problems are the 25 minute drive into Temecula for shopping and primary care - and an airport and tertiary care are even farther away. It's also a bit hot in the summer, so folks who are no longer traveling mostly get out in the early AM or late PM. There are lots of activities, a large club/activity center/pool, etc., and fully-equipped woodworking and mechanical shops. Anyway, it's a bit isolated for us.

    I guess the bottom line is that exit plans are different for everyone. We all have different interests, family situations, and priorities. The importing things are to enjoy the mobile lifestyle while you can and carefully consider the end game and what fits your specific situation and needs.

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

  8. #8
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Thank you for your responses. The wife and I are reviewing / validating our plans for full timing and what happens thereafter. That is what prompted my question.
    You see, the wife and I were both born and raised in small town northern Indiana. We have known each other since grade school, in fact her Dad drove the school bus. The day after we were married 40 years ago we left Indiana and never looked back, headed to California (LeMoore), I was in the Navy. Since then we have moved all around. Never stayed in one place more then about 10 years, until now. I guess you could say we were somewhat nomads going where the Navy or later corporate america offered up to us. So we never had that tight bond "back home again in Indiana". All the family stayed home and still lives up there, even our kids moved or stayed up there close to family in that area. Why I dont know, I guess its having roots, something the wife and I have never had and never missed.

    We bought a big house in Texas for family and friends to come visit and as an investment. Thought In-Laws would stay with us through the winter months and go back to Ind. during the summer. Now we dont need this big house and all the stuff we have accumulated over 40 years. We are planning for our fun time, going full time RV living. Traveling the country, staying up in there with the kids / grand kids for a while then coming back down to Texas during the winter and to get away from the family for a while, if you understand what I mean.

    We are planners and like to have everything in place before we jump off. So we bought an Imagine 2950RL to try out the RV thing and find we love it. In some ways a more simple easier life than taking care of a sticks & bricks but with its own unique rolling little house challenges. Although the wife isn't sure about her capabilities driving this rig. Our plans when we go full time is to upgrade to something like the Reflection 337RL and a new TV. That would be even more intimidating for the DW to drive so we have added RV insurance to cover driving the rig if needs be. When we sell the house and get rid of all the stuff, we will be up a good 6 figure amount. That with our retirement accounts and eventual social security we should be good to go and enjoy the RV living lifestyle for awhile.

    However the really unknown, or thoroughly understood or wildcard if you will, , is what happens later at the end of the RV lifestyle whenever that maybe. How can you plan on something if you dont know when or where that maybe or happen. I guess one morning we (Ma & Pa) will decide that's it, we are staying put. We love Texas, the tax structure, the climate, the food, county music, places to see and go and especially the gulf coast, so that is the plan for now, subject to change :-)
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  9. #9
    Site Sponsor Cate&Rob's Avatar
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    Our "plan" might be to RV until we are 80 . . . but that can change in the blink of an eye. We have friends who were comfortably into their RV retirement plan when a minor stroke took away his driver's licence. She wasn't about to do the driving, so their whole plan had to change.

    Then, there is the "Canadian" aspect. As much as we love travelling the southern US in the winter, our health care system requires us to be in Canada for any of the extended care benefits. Back to Canadian winters won't be a lot of fun, but the upside (like others have noted) is that this is where our families are.

    So, as much as our finances would look a whole lot better if we sold the sticks-and-bricks, this is a safety net that we can't be without.

    (another) Rob
    Cate & Rob
    2015 Reflection 303RLS

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