Once upon a time, what now seems many years ago, I dreamed about doing something different than the normal working the 9-5, six days a week, until I died. Figured I had a couple of choices. One… work the job until I died or was all physically used up… Two… become independently “well to do”… or three… find a alternative. I didn’t like option number one… and option two didn’t quite work out the way I had hoped. So an alternative plan was needed. I figured that going by the averages and what most people had experienced, that even if I lived to see retirement (65), the thought of being physically used up didn’t appeal to me… and the thought that most people died within a few years of retirement certainly didn’t appeal to me either… and staying in the house that I worked all my life for so that I could have a safe familiar place to wait for the final chapter to come to a close… well… that wasn’t very appealing either. I had worked the normal secure life, supporting myself, family, and the “house”. Having the option to take an early retirement… 30 years and out… was an opportunity. So at 49½… after ten years of planning… I took the money and ran. Got out of the treadmill rat race with all it’s pressures and tensions. Retired, so the good paying job was gone, sold the house, so my biggest investment in life was gone, not to mention the sense of security that comes from having your own home, investments… well… Congress & the Economy took care of that… and bought an Rv. My intentions were to drive off into the sunset… jobless… homeless… no car… and wonder to where ever the wind blew me. Everyone thought I was beyond crazy! But I had a clear plan, and the best alternative for me. Enjoy the age of 50-65 to the fullest rather than still working at the 9-5 x 6 x 52 that was slowly draining and killing me bit by bit. At 50 years old, the next 15 years were going to be the best and healthiest years for the rest of my life… why… why would I want to spend them doing what I had be doing for the past 35 years? So the best choice for me… Full-time Rving. Funny how everyone’s first reaction to this lifestyle is “Oh My God” … you’re gonna do what… are you crazy"? … have you lost your mind? Than after you explain what it’s all about, how it works, what little you give up in return for what you get, what you plan to do, where you plan to go, the new found freedom that you have… it’s “Oh My God”.. that’s what I wish I could do! Well it’s all in what you want to do, how you want to do it, all in how you are willing to look at things differently… outside the socially mandated and accepted norm… and consider a different lifestyle that may work better for you. Yep, I gave up a good paying job… but most of that income went to the house and the working situation anyway. Meaning the house, utilities, taxes, maintenance, labor upkeep, and the car plus it’s maintenance, fuel, insurances, work clothes, and all the time invested in the house, getting ready for work, getting to and from work, work it’s self… keeping the yard looking nice… all those hours every week… a quick estimate… lets see… 48 hrs at work, 16 hrs to & from work, 4 hrs yard upkeep, usually at least 8 hrs general house upkeep on average… less see… that’s 70+ hours every week just to maintain the status quo of the house, car, and job. The Rving Lifestyle as a trade off… well… most of the lost income equaled the lost liability and costs of the house, car, and job… not the mention all the hours invested and the physical toll over the years… and the restricted freedom of the old ball & chain house & job… gone! Doing the math… well it’s was all on the upside for me… Fulltime Rving. We don’t have the extra income to buy, buy, buy, like a lots of people, but than again, how many do in this economy. But we have what we need, mostly what we want, and have the freedom to work when we want, and do pretty much what we want and when we want to do it. The past 12 months we vacationed, if you will, for 8 of the 12 months. We don’t really call working at Disney 4 days a month working… but it gets us free admission to the parks and the other perks as well. But that’s another entry. Rving can give you the freedom to see family for extended times… which makes up for those times when you are hundreds of miles apart. Less stress and tension means that we can live healthier and probably longer… and it certainly means we will enjoy the rest of our years happier. “We” … yes… I found the Love of My Life and we share this great Rving experience together… Life is Sweet! Have a Dream, envision it, plan for it, make it happen, and Live the Good Life you always wanted.
Did I mention how inexpensive Rving can be? Well… when we stay in Orlando/Disney area… this year for 7 months… cost per month, staying in a Rv Resort/Campground Membership with full hookups, about $140 / month… and that includes electric! My average electric bill at today’s rates for my old ball & chain house would be in excess of $250 / month. But that’s another entry! Just use the Topic Directory to locate “Rving” Topics.
