All opinions welcome and encouraged!

[vraiblonde]

So here's the situation:

The motorhome needs some work. Some of it is cosmetic - rip out the awful carpet and replace with vinyl - but much of it is structural - the frame appears to be off kilter and needs some body work, plus I'm thinking we have water damage that we can't pinpoint. Regardless, it's stuff that must be done very soon and can't wait.

In the course of discussion, I asked Monello how many more years he thinks we'll be able to keep up our travel pace. He said 2 or 3 more years. His arthritis is giving him problems and driving long distances jacks him up.

Two options are to fix up the motorhome, or get a new one.

Then another option came to mind:

We could buy a tiny house/park model in the Panama City Beach RV resort we love, and live in it full time. Then we could travel by car, staying in campground cottages or hotels when we need to go on walkabout, keeping PCB as our home base.

We could also buy two and use one as a rental to keep us in beer and boudin money.

And there are about 8,000 other variables on those three themes, but mainly it's:

Fix the motorhome and keep traveling until Monello cries uncle
Get a new motorhome and keep traveling
Land permanently in PCB and car travel from there

All have pluses and minuses. The house in PCB would be about the same money as a late model used motorhome or a 5th wheel/truck setup (isn't that crazy???). It would be cheaper to repair/fix up the motorhome we have, but that money might be better spent on something more in tune with Monello's comfort needs. We've had a dream 5 years on the road, so I won't feel like I'm missing anything if we have to call it quits. Especially since car tripping would still be on the table. I mean, I kind of would because I do love being a roaming vagabond, but it wouldn't devastate me.

Any comments or suggestions? Positive, negative, whatever - this is a big decision that will be made in the next couple of months and we want to see as big a picture as we can before we make it.

 

[SamSpade]

I've been following your adventures on the road since you began - but you don't go all over the country anymore. You've found spots mostly in the South and the Southwest you like very much. If you still want to drive around, I think I might opt for number three.

But -

Something I have always wanted to do is - cruise all year. Not on the same boat, mind you, and certainly not the same places. River cruise in Europe or in the U.S. Find a tour for the Mediterranean - Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece - my Dad always went on about the Balearic Islands. Having been on a couple cruise lines, I can say there are some that definitely cater to a more mature clientele - and some towards a younger, party all the time crowd.

Maybe find tours of my children's home lands. I could go back and visit China - maybe not Russia, just yet - maybe some parts of Africa.

And definitely not 24/7. Go away for a month or so - come home to unwind. The thing about cruises is, you don't have to drive.

 

[Lump]

I've been following your adventures on the road since you began - but you don't go all over the country anymore. You've found spots mostly in the South and the Southwest you like very much. If you still want to drive around, I think I might opt for number three.

But -

Something I have always wanted to do is - cruise all year. Not on the same boat, mind you, and certainly not the same places. River cruise in Europe or in the U.S. Find a tour for the Mediterranean - Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece - my Dad always went on about the Balearic Islands. Having been on a couple cruise lines, I can say there are some that definitely cater to a more mature clientele - and some towards a younger, party all the time crowd.

Maybe find tours of my children's home lands. I could go back and visit China - maybe not Russia, just yet - maybe some parts of Africa.

And definitely not 24/7. Go away for a month or so - come home to unwind. The thing about cruises is, you don't have to drive.

I agree 100% on option 3 and I would also love to cruise all year.

 

[Lump]

"We could also buy two and use one as a rental to keep us in beer and boudin money."

This would also be a priority!

So I guess really, Option 4

 

[vraiblonde]

The thing about cruises is, you don't have to drive.

I followed the adventures of a woman who retired to cruise ships and lived full time on them for several years. She got a great rate as a frequent cruiser, loyal to one particular line, all inclusive including medical care, and she got to visit some really cool places. If I can find her blog I'll post it.

The problem with thinking outside the box is that once you learn to do it, you ALWAYS do it. So things are no longer simple, cut and dried, EZPZ - suddenly there are a million options and decision making becomes a dilemma. It's like being at a casino buffet with amazing chefs on staff.

 

[PJay]

Easy..#4. Do not wait until the cry Uncle call. I got sick..(better now). Living in a motorhome when you are not yourself..weak etc., is no fun. Do it now. Monello's arthritis will not get better, so why continue to further anger it. I waited too late because while being sick I had to do all the moving in a home and all that requires.

 

[vraiblonde]

Easy..#4. Do not wait until the cry Uncle call. I got sick..(better now). Living in a motorhome when you are not yourself..weak etc., is no fun. Do it now. Monello's arthritis will not get better, so why continue to further anger it. I waited too late because while being sick I had to do all the moving in a home and all that requires.

The voice of reason.....

We'll be in PCB May 1 and will look at the properties available. Monello called the sales office this afternoon and got the numbers for monthly lot rent and rental split, and it's definitely doable.

And since the options are almost unlimited, we don't necessarily have to land in PCB - the same setup is available all across the US, in varying degrees of affordability. The reason we say PCB is because it's a great location, highly affordable, and the deal is sweet. If we could pick up a rental in, say, Gatlinburg that would pay for itself and then some, we could reserve it for our own use a couple times a year.

And one in Branson! And in New Braunfels! And St. Augustine! And Rapid City SD!





The idea is looking better and better, and your point about not waiting until it gets too bad is sensible.

 

[limblips]

Each option has it's merits but my $0.02 on whether to get a new to you or fix the one you have. You are probably close to the bottom of the depreciation curve on the current unit. Buying a new to you will put you higher up the curve. If 2-3 years is the goal, I believe if you put pencil to paper fixing up the current unit makes the most sense. You will have residual value with little further depreciation.

The DW and I have decided to buy our northern three season residence and keep our mid-Atlantic for the winters. Possibly do a short term rent deal for the time we won't use it. We will take the TT and use it in NY for weekend trips to the state parks but no more 1100 mile trips. Age is showing it's ugly face.

 

[vraiblonde]

Age is showing it's ugly face.

I told Monello yesterday that I'm so glad we hit the road when we did and didn't wait. We see people all the time who waited too long, and got less than a year - sometimes less than a month - under their belt before they had to call it quits. But then there's my friends Sandy and Frank who are in their 80s and still traveling and workamping all over the country. So you never know....

The bright side is that from PCB we can be at Grand Canyon in a few days - with the motorhome it would take a few weeks because marathon driving in the motorhome is a young man's game. There are people who drive 12 hours, stop somewhere, set up, sleep, next morning they break down and hit the road to drive another 12 hours - we are not those people.

 

[frequentflier]

Will you be coming to the east coast as planned?

 

[vraiblonde]

Will you be coming to the east coast as planned?

Yep! Looking at mid-June.

 

[SamSpade]

Yep! Looking at mid-June.

Kids will be out of school by then, God willing. Maybe we'll see you (as in the "royal" we).