The leaves are turning here in the Colorado Rockies and soon it will be time to close up our cabin and hit the road. Being the cold weather wimp that I am (hey, I was raised in Los Angeles, what can I say?), we’ll leave after the first big snow dump, which can be just a foot or sometimes three, usually the week before Halloween. We’ll point our rig south on Interstate 25 and get in a rolling conga line with all of thousands of other snowbird RVers from northern climates who fly south for winter. Where our route takes us is anyone’s guess but you can bet one thing: we’ll be chasing the sun and looking for the warmest weather we can find.
This is the time of year when RVers of all types and experience levels get crammed into the sunbelt states and it’s a great opportunity to see that RVers comprise a huge cross-section of North American citizens. When sitting around the campfire at happy hour, a common topic of discussion is, what exactly is a full-time RVer?
? Is a full-timer someone who doesn’t have any ties to property or a traditional home?
? Can RVers who own homes in northern states but move south for winter be considered full-timers? Or are they “just” Snowbirds?
? What about travelers like me; a property owner who enjoys meandering around by RV, occasionally coming back to roost on their land whenever the urge strikes? What category do we fit into? “Shiftless drifter” perhaps? (We’ve actually been called that by someone!).
In the full-time RVing world, completely severing ties to a piece of property seems to carry a higher level of clout in some circles. Those like me, who have somewhere they know they can always return to, just don’t get the same props and some might not even consider us full-timers. I think this attitude is silly, but I totally understand it. After all, living without anything but a rolling house and escaping the burden of property taxes, homeowners insurance and association dues is a freedom that few people ever enjoy. Avoiding the Man and doing with so little leaves us awestruck, and envious too!
My husband and I lived off-the-radar from related property expenses for two years and loved it. But we also had a lifelong dream to own land and finding it was one of our goals when we hit the road. We found that magical place in Northern Colorado in 2009, invested in five acres with a little modular house and achieved the greatest satisfaction of knowing that we could check that accomplishment off our list. After a few weeks of being stationary, it doesn’t take long for us to get antsy, move back into the RV and start traveling once again. We’ve realized; if we have the ability to work and live from wherever (including our dream property!), to follow the seasons, to seek fun people and good times whenever the mood strikes, then why not do it?
RVing is such an enjoyable way of life. Instead of trying to put some RVers into a strict “full-timer” category, then why not just call all of us exactly what we really are:
Full-time Fun Seekers!
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