Full Timers?

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

How many Full Timers do we have out there living and loving Bus Life?

I have been full-timing for 25 years now traveling all over the country in my converted 1967 Eagle 08 Suburban.  Who else out there is doing this and what are some things that you recommend that people do before they consider moving into a bus and traveling and living full time?

[Dave5Cs]

We are on our second full time experience. 11 years a go we full timed for 22 months and then went to work on a ranch for 9 years. Now we have been on the road for 1 year and 1 month. What we learned so far is make sure if you buy a car for a toad in another state make sure that the state you want to register in does not require smog checks. We did this and filed for out of state no smog until we were back in our state and were turned down. They immediately cancelled my wife's Disability plates and would not let us register the car in California even though the bus is registered there. Now we have to get residence in Kansas and register it here at least for now.

North is the summer and south in the winter. We are only here because the wife is getting Liver treatments here. Propane is cheap but with temps in the minuses we go through a lot of it.

Look for long term stays which we have found in states where a lot of rver's avoid at $ 245.00 a month plus electric @ .13 KWH  (Missouri) and $ 325.00 a month plus electric @.14KWH(Kansas)

CHeck Wi/fi before you get registered and hooked up because a lot of places say they have it but it is terrible speeds or spotty at best. Also check phone service. Roads in and out of a camp site in case of evacuation ordered.

For long term check out local food places and food stores walmarts etc.
Remember you are not on Vacation you are living in your RV. We cook in the Coach a lot and outside a lot on grill and a griddle. You will find it gets expensive to always go out to eat and gets old fast.

Have a few ways to get water weather you have a filter or not and filters by the way can freeze up too. some places like Arizona and taxes have terrible water so you will have to buy it or carry 5 gallon blue bottles like we do with a pump.

Storage on board, if you don't need it leave it out.

[Glennman]

Great idea for a subject. We (I) would like to spend at least one year on the road to test the waters. We are planning a trip to Colorado Springs at the end of July, and will end up in Texas in August. That should give us a taste of spending a lot of time in the bus. The only problem is that I probably won't have the bus ready by then, but we will be going one way or another regardless. However, I would love to try living in it at least for a while.

[Tedsoldbus]

After 25 years of "bliss" in the military, we hit the road in a 38 foot Allegro Bus. We went to all the places you are supposed to go and more and had a fantastic time. Alaska to San Diego, Maine to Key West and many less famous spots along the way. I admire Gary's endless adventure but after a year on the road we found ourselves wanting a home plate again. We are glad we jumped in and did the above adventure and highly recommend it.
BEST ADVICE was already given by Dave5cs: If you don't need it, don't take it!

We sold our house just prior to our year on the road and the military was able to store all of our "stuff" for up to a year, free of charge! The bad news is we could not access any of the stored things until we were ready to have all of it delivered. That made the "What do we take and what gets locked up for a year" decision difficult. You have to take things you don't want to - like clothes for a Funeral and clothes for all seasons. The bus filled up fast. Well into the trip Rita wished she had left about half the kitchen stuff in storage and I wished I had not packed the belly with way too many tools and "man" stuff I never used.

[dtcerrato]

In our working years we full timed in the bus traveling through the states. Early times was with wifey with our first child born while full timing. With two boys five years apart by the time the second son was born it was time for wifey to throw the anchor out to school the boys. Somewhere in life we found the time to build our log home & wifey more of less squatted at the homestead while I continued to pound the road for work. Got bus smarter through the years and the mention a couple times of smart packing the bus is probably of the utmost importance. Now retired we enjoy the best of both worlds. Hunkering down on a rural ponderosa and hopefully this year for the third time (every third year) will make another run to AK from FL which is a 6 to 7 month full time interval in a bus that we have been loving & driving now for over 42 years...

[Sebulba]

Hi Gary and all,

We have been in our bus full time since it was purchased on November 17, 2021, building as we go.

Seb

[RJ]

Gary -

I'm full-time, have been since Spring of 2019.

More later. . .

RJ