At 52, my 30-year-old husband and I sell everything and take an 18- to 24-month extended vacation. This wasn't a decision that had been thought or dreamed about for years, but simply one that made sense in 2021. While we were lucky enough to do this and pull the trigger, many of you may be thinking or dreaming about making the same decision, but something can hold you back.
On #whereverimayroll's social channels, we can't wait to see the United States, one state at a time, and share it with our followers and readers. Here are the signs that told us we were ready to sell it all and take to the streets in an RV.
1. The value of your home has increased
If you own a home, I hope you have followed its value on Zillow or some other similar website. When the rental home I invested in 9 years ago tripled in value, I called my agent to get it on the market. It didn't sell in a day as some people were lucky enough to witness, but within 3 months I closed the sale.
Shortly after listing the rental, I checked the value of our current home, and it went up by thousands every month. I mentioned this to my husband, and just for fun we sat down and found out how much money we were spending monthly on property taxes, insurance, and utility bills. We left out cables, internet, health insurance and things that we would need regardless of where we live. The crowd was overwhelming. For us we thought we could live in a campsite with a mobile home, give or take something wherever we wanted for the same amount. So we listed our house, signed a contract and closed it shortly afterwards.
Pro tip: Calculate your expenses and see if you are as shocked as I am.
Melody Pittman
2. You want to zoom out
The older we get, the more we can hardly wait to part with the things that we have so carefully collected and cared for over the years. We hardly ever entertain, but we still had hundreds of American Fostorias from life in another state and time years ago. There are so many things I've been lugging around for years, namely our daughters' school books, schoolwork, toys, and books that they don't want to keep at 26 and 28 years old. This generation, or at least our children, just don't have the nostalgic bones our generation grew up with.
Even though we've brought tons of donations to shelters and the like over the years, in all fairness we hadn't even started downsizing as we continued to hold onto things that had sentimental value. So we rented one of the PODS they deliver to your door to store the furniture and stuff we didn't want to part with just yet because we sold our house. The POD is taken to a warehouse and then delivered to the address we call home after our RV vacation. Flea markets, Facebook marketplaces, and thrift stores are great places to sell or donate your items. Some items may also need to be taken to a local landfill for appropriate disposal, such as: For example, old televisions, computers and things that have been in the garage for far too long.
Melody Pittman
3. The itch to see the landscape has to be scratched
As a travel blogger, I've been living on the street for 6 years and seeing amazing things. I can't get enough of small towns, national parks, meeting people everywhere, and sharing great itineraries through my blog and publications I write for. I wanted my husband to come along and do the same. Now we are in control of what we see and do, and we can see everything without going home and looking after a house and the like. We're bringing our 11 year old King Charles Cavalier with us, who is very excited to be part of it.
Our King Charles Cavalier (Photo credit: Melody Pittman)
If you've always wanted to explore wineries and vineyards, visit presidential libraries across the country, visit every ballpark in the US, or whatever you've always wanted to see and check off your wish list, this is it. We plan to spend a month in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas to finish the year.
Melody Pittman
4. You are not in love with where you live
My husband and I did not choose to live in Vero Beach, Florida, we inherited a property there. We came into town to sell the house, but I knew I should live there with all of our family after a brief visit. My husband didn't think I would move to West Virginia where my parents were after 44 years, but I proved him wrong within a year.
Vero Beach is a beautiful city, and if you live in Florida you probably feel like us – very much in love with Florida life. The weather is favorable, there are a million things to do, the tax structure is admirable and we had a beautiful house with a pool and lots of land to move around. But … airports were 90 minutes away, the traffic during Snowbird season is a nightmare, we never really had time to make a lot of friends, and the food scene wasn't our favorite. So it was fine if we think about moving elsewhere. We will miss parts of life in Vero Beach, but for now I subscribe to the feeling of "home is where the heart is".
Melody Pittman
5. You have some lessons from COVID. pulled
Last but not least, COVID taught us that priorities and family are the keys to life. Being together and collecting memories with loved ones or friends who fill this space is the most important thing – and your health. Since we were in pretty good shape, Eddie (the husband) and I thought that life on the road in an RV would never be better than it is now. It is also very gratifying to know that we are staying in our own sanitized vehicle that we can keep clean and safe for our health.
Melody Pittman
6. You can appreciate portable luxury life
Did you know that recreational vehicles have come a long way since my camping days with my family in elementary school? Memories are going to the outhouse, too hot or too cold, the life of cold cuts and the occasional can of soup or the like is a thing of the past. Our motorhome, a Cedar Creek 291RW fifth wheel, has all the comforts of home and more. Fully stocked kitchen appliances, loungers that lay flat for a good nap, loads of storage space, a porcelain toilet, and a shower (with a seat) that would make any cruise stateroom jealous are some of the things that appealed to us.
While settling on a fifth bike, we went through the RVs that could rival a luxury resort. I suspect you can add any luxury feature you want to your RV to make your life as comfortable as possible. We were even able to take our Sleep Number bed with us.
Melody Pittman
7. You want to offer your grandchildren unique experiences
My main reason for buying an RV was to take my only granddaughter to explore state and national parks. She is already a natural cat and I want to show her the country and the peculiarities of each state. Now we have a place to camp overnight along the way and plenty of space for them to bring their toys and essentials.
We weren't the outdoors parents, and since she loves the outdoors so much, I hope to nurture her love for trees, plants, animals, and landscapes. This will be a far cry from how we raised our children who have had a lot of travel experience but stay at the hotel the entire time. It is incredible how long as grandparents we will go to create these memories with our grandparents and I know many of you can understand that.
Melody Pittman
8. You can work from anywhere
My husband and I both have jobs that we can do remotely. We'll have to buy MiFi, a portable Wi-Fi device, to connect to the locations we need for our work, but many campsites that we choose will come with free Wi-Fi as a convenience. I've already received a lot of comments from people who sell everything and travel a motorhome full time, but they wonder how good and reliable the service will be. I have yet to do this, but I hope to be an expert on answering this question over the next few weeks.
Pro tip: If you are worried about the campsites filling up, try visiting the places you want in the off-season. Although friends have warned us about fully booked campsites, I have planned 2 full months of travel so far and have never had this problem.
source https://seapointrealtors.com/2021/08/01/8-signs-that-rv-life-is-right-for-you/
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