Some of our friends couldn’t believe we were selling our beautiful house! There are many things to consider when you are planning to travel full time and those things will differ for each family. This is our story of why we decided to sell the house and live and travel full time in our RV.
My husband, Mike, had been nudging me for several years toward downsizing our 3000 sq ft dream home now that our 2 children were grown and out of the house. I eventually began to realize that the house was pretty big for just 2 people and 2 dogs……….but it was supposed to be our forever/retirement home! We had designed and picked out everything for this house together when we moved to Texas. It was a challenging process for two people who had never built a custom home, but we were so pleased with the final results. We had the expert help of our builder, David Currie of Cornerstone Homes, as well as our realtor, LaFreta White, and our decorator, Jan Wright, to name just a few. After 30 years in the Air Force, moving every year or two and usually living in rental houses at each assignment, we delighted in staying put and having all the things we had dreamed of in a home.
Fast forward 11 years and we found the travel bug of our Air Force days upon us once again. We bought a 5th wheel RV and began doing weekend camping trips with friends around our local area. The only camping I remembered was when our kids were young: we had a small tent and slept on the ground. Man, was this a different way to camp–“glamping” is what some call it. Glamour camping. Whatever you call it, the pampered way of traveling suited me to a T!
We enjoyed our camping trips so much that we bought a Class A motor home and started dreaming about traveling full time one day. So instead of downsizing to a smaller house, we REALLY downsized to a motorhome!
When we thought about traveling for an extended period of time, it didn’t make sense to continue to pay on a house that we weren’t living in. Besides the payments, we would have to worry about who was going to take care of it while we were away. Either we could rent it out or hire someone to handle things like lawn maintenance and security. Having been long-distance landlords before, neither of us was excited about doing that again. Since we didn’t know how long we would travel, we just decided to sell the house and worry about another one down the road. Once the decision was made to put the house on the market, things began happening very quickly. We hired a realtor, had an open house the very next weekend, and received an offer just 2 weeks later!
Why would anyone decide to sell their house and hit the road, you might ask? Well, some might call it crazy but we call it adventurous–a chance to do something new and exciting, to see new places, and experience new things. Not everyone who travels, even full-time RVers, sell their house. We decided that for us it would simplify things: we don’t have that extra house payment and we don’t have to worry about taking care of a house while traveling. If you are thinking of traveling in an RV, look at all of the factors involved in your situation and determine what will work best for you.
I’m so glad to hear that you are beginning your new adventure. Keep us posted.
Thanks, Toni–we will!
Truly enjoy reading your post, I sometimes too wonder why I’m living in a big home for just me and my 2 dogs, I’ve already downsized once 5 years ago and built a new home and also think about doing what your doing.
Thanks, Terry! We just decided to jump in and do it now while we can. The downsizing part is pretty freeing after you get over the idea that you “need” all of the stuff you’ve accumulated over the years:) I am a beginner blogger, but I hope I can help others who want to know how to learn about full-time RV traveling.
THAT IS FANTASTIC MIKE AND ROBIN!!! LOL ***** I LOVE it!!! **** Life is about moving and doing and experiencing….God bless you both …SUPER COOL!
Thanks, Lisa! Hopefully one of these days we will get up to your neck of the woods. We are discovering that it takes a long time to get to and see everything 🙂 Hope you all are well. Miss you!
Good for you and Mike taking the challenge and being adventurous. Sounds like something I would like to do when I retire. But I would need to find a companion, as I like to travel with someone.
I see you have made the rounds already! Great pics. Stay safe out there. I am recuperating from knee surgery (meniscus tear). Hope to be driving again by next week or soon there after.
Thanks, Claudia. Selling the house to travel full time was a little scary at first, but we are having lots of fun and seeing many new places. I hope you get to do some traveling when you retire also. Good luck with your recovery and take good care of yourself:)