RVing For the Full Timer

Are you sure this is the lifestyle you really want?

This is a 40 ft. Travel Supreme with two slide-outs

Read this before you buy!

We chose the Travel Supreme after attending a factory tour and after looking at many styles and brands. We feel it is the best brand on the market. However, we had no idea what our life would be like or the adventure we were about to experience because of this decision. We are still convinced That the Travel Supreme is the best, but our ideas about Full timing has changed drastically.

You see in this photo the dining room, wine cabinet and pantry. The dining room is on the 17 ft. slide-out that includes the couch in the living room. The wine cabinet divides the dining room from the living room. Pull down fabric shades are wonderful. There is a daylight section which allow light in and is shear, and a night time section that provides privacy. Some of the light fixtures are AC and some DC, so if you lose power you can still have some light off the battery. The table and dining area is not big enough for four people to dine comfortably regardless of what size you are. It is a very small area. The wine cabinet can be ordered as a computer desk for those who need it.

Did you know that if you put nothing down when you purchase a5th wheel that it takes nine years of payments before you owe what the trailer is worth? This is a very important fact if you are thinking of full timing it.

You are now looking at the other half of the slide-out. The couch is a hide-a-bed couch for guests. It is queen size. Behind the couch is a storage area that fits a folding card table. It isn't much good for anything else since it is narrow but tall and wide. The color scheme is peach. It was beautiful but the carpet was a real bitch to keep clean because it was so light. The wood is oak.

It is mostly men who have the wander lust. It's like amid-life crisis. They see their almost paid for homes as stones around their necks and see their life drifting away and suddenly they want to sell everything, wave good bye to family and friends and go off traveling the country. Did you know that most women really never wanted to do this but gave in for the sake of peace in the family? And did you know that most people try it for a couple of years and then, for one reason or another give it up for a stable lifestyle, usually near the children and grandchildren?

You are looking at a view from the bathroom looking towards the living room. We chose a middle kitchen rather than an end kitchen. I felt like I was in a dark hole in the rear kitchens, probably because my back to everything that was going on when I was working in it. I like to be able to talk and see everything when I am in the kitchen. We had to give up the dishwasher because of this choice or give up cupboard space to put a dishwasher in. We chose to keep the space and not have a dishwasher. That was my only objection to a middle kitchen. We had a beautiful entertainment center and china closet in the living room. The washer and dryer are on the right of the picture in the bathroom. They were apartment size and stacked, with a shelf holding the dryer unit. We learned to juggle our usage when we had only 30 amp service by never washing and drying at the same time with we were running the air conditioner. It didn't take long to learn what we were able to operate together.

And just what do you do with it when you want to sell it and get out of it? You put it on a used trailer lot and wait, and wait, and wait, hoping you'll sell it, (and making the payments while you wait), sometimes years.

So before you sell all your furniture that you have accumulated over the years, or sell your house, think very hard and long about buying an RV.

You are looking at the kitchen. There was a wonderful cover over the sinks. We had double sinks. We had a microwave, a gas stove, no oven. We used an under the cupboard coffee maker to save space. We also added a back railing on the counter so we could sit canisters and decorations without them falling off. We painted them Dk. Green to accent the peach color scheme. We had a ceiling fan overhead in the dining room and a small fridge that ran on both electric and propane. That way when we were traveling it stayed cold.

What about health matters? Who is going to drive it? Did you know that in some states a commercial driver's license is required if the vehicle and trailer are over a certain length? And what if one of you, (say the driver/ husband ), becomes ill and the wife doesn't know how to drive the thing? What do you do then? How will you get back home to the children and grandchildren if one of you is sick?

This is one view of the bedroom from the bathroom. It is a step up and also slides out for more room. This is a vanity table and closets. The bed slides in tight up to the vanity table for travel. The glass mirrors run the entire width of the bedroom and house a decent size closet area. Note the oak cabinetry and there is a cupboard over the vanity where you can place your t.v.. It even has hookups already wired in. We purchased a small model that can operate on DC as well as AC. There is also a stereo system built in to the entertainment center in the living room  with speakers that are also wired into the bedroom so you can enjoy music while you read or relax.

Also, not every RV park is set up with 50 amp service or telephones. How do you plan to run your washer and dryer, air conditioner, your t.v., your microwave? And how will people getin touch with you in an emergency?

This is the bedroom slide-out. The bed is queen size. It has small nightstands on either side that are also part of the slide-out. There is a pocket door to divide the bath from the bedroom. Also a pocket door to divide the bath from the kitchen area. The bedspread, pillow shams and curtains all match each other. There are small lights on either side of the window.

Not every RV park is set up to take 40ft fifth wheels with slide outs. Before you buy the big rigs you had better check into availability. It is as long as tractor trailer. You can't take it anywhere that the signs say, "no trucks", because you are a big rig if you are towing a 40 ft. fifth wheel. Are you  able to physically and mentally haul one of these big rigs? You can't just pull into any gas station. The awnings over the pumps are sometimes too low and the access is just not possible. It turns just like a diesel truck--Wide turns and all.

More to come later! Check back with us.