Connie Gleason - Living Your Dream: A How-To Manual for Full Time RVing

Copyright 2011

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN #978-0-9837594-1-6

Front Cover Created by Janet Sieff

Centering Corporation in Omaha, NE

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012934291

LifeStory Publishing

P. O. Box 541527

Orlando, FL 32854

Printed in the United States of America

All grammatical and typographical errors have been put in this book for your enjoyment in finding them.

Other publications by author:

My Quilt Journal 2008

Have you ever said, when I retire, I am going to sell the house, buy an RV and travel? Well, we did just that. This book will give you some insight on how to start your own trek to begin your own travels on the road. What do you keep? What do you get rid of? And what do you do with it? All these questions and more will be addressed in this little book.

Making the change from homeowner to being on the road takes planning. Keep in mind we did all of this before eBay or Craigs List. We were making our plans in the mid 90s. It is actually a lot easier now with the computer and smart phones.

What fun you have in store for you as you begin to prepare for your new life on the road.

Table of Contents

Backing into an RV Lifestyle

We have been RVing for over 12 years now, almost half of that time, full time. So, how and why did we decide to do this lifestyle? We backed into it!

I worked for the airlines and we had wonderful travel benefits. We were either in the Orient or Europe every year. Times Square for New Years Eve, a Las Vegas week-end for our 30th birthdays, a Ft. Lauderdale week-end in the middle of a snowy winter. And there was Bermuda. It was truly a wonderful life!

Then in the late 80s, I was transferred to a different reservation office. Little did I know that it was an allegedly sick building. By the mid 90s, I had permanent damage to my lungs (Restrictive Airways Disease or RAD) and was highly sensitive to colognes, perfumes, and other scents. (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS).

Grounded! I couldnt fly on a plane with scented people in an enclosed environment. I couldnt even breathe well enough to walk through the airport.

We tried Bed & Breakfasts on the beach. At the hotels and inns, We would ask if they had a green room, Plus, we also got tired of requesting to smell their rooms to see if I could breathe in them. It was just too difficult to travel, I was miserable.

That is when my husband, Ken, suggested a Recreational Vehicle. Whoa, I was not a camper. I was used to staying in resorts. Why would I want to camp?

With an RV I could control my environment, sleep on my own sheets without bleach and carry healthy food. It would work!

We started out by renting an RV for 3 days with the option of a month if I could breathe OK in it. Cruise America in Orlando was wonderful. They let me smell the RVs until I found one in which I could comfortably breathe.

We packed for the trip not knowing what we were doing, but having fun doing it. However, as we pulled out of our housing development, I was in tears. The sleek airliner had been replaced by a 23 lumbering camper. The road noises reminded me of the pots and pans flopping around on a Conestoga wagon like the ones I had seen in old western movies.

The first night I was so upset that I went to bed without dinner. This was a biggie for me as I am a foodie and never miss a meal. I was miserable as we drove past the Disney resort at Hilton Head where we normally stayed. Tears rose in my eyes as I realized that part of my life was over. Now, I was literally on a new road. I was beginning a journey of freedom and exploration in an RV.

Connies Dedication

In 1995, Susie Pecuch was the first person to tell me that I was going to write a book. I poo pooed the idea. Yet, here I am with my first book.

Judy Rowley, my high school friend, asked me every time she saw me, Is your book finished yet? I thank them both for their faith in me.

It takes a village is definitely true about getting a book published. I have been to many writing classes and retreats, learning something new with each one. My writing home is Pat Charpentiers classes in Orlando.

Joy Johnson, my editor, who is my RV neighbor during the winter came into my life exactly as I was putting this book together. She gave me the inspiration that I needed to make this book actually happen.

Most of all to my husband Ken, my lover, and partner in life on this journey. He has been there every step of the way and was my technical adviser for this book as he formatted it for me.

What to look for in a Recreational Vehicle

Buying an RV

What kind of RV do you want? Do you want a motorcoach or do you want to pull a unit? The decision was made for us as I needed to be able to lay down to rest while Ken drove, so we needed a motor coach. This eliminated the fifth wheel and trailers for us.

That just left us with what type coach did we want - Class A, B, or C? Since we were going to live in it, we had to have a larger unit, that eliminated the Class B or Road Trek/enlarged mini van or a unit that fit in the back of a pick up truck.

First we rented a motorcoach. It worked well. We came home and bought one just like it. We bought a 23 class C. The distinguishing factor here is the overhang (usually a bed) over the front windshield.

Next we upgraded to a 32 class A motor home. Big difference in the amount of space and driving the unit. We used this RV for summer travel until we decided to become full timers. Ken thought we should have a diesel motor to help in the mountains and we wanted a larger unit to live in.

Now, what kind of RV do you want - Fleetwood and all their models, Winnebago, Tiffin, Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Newmar, etc. It is like buying a car, there are Smart Cars and then there are Cadillacs. Top of the line is probably Prevost, but that was way over our budget.

Near us in Orlando is Lazydays RV Center. We stopped and looked and that is all it took as they have a well-oiled selling machine. They have a complementary dining area for their customers and potential buyers. Also a huge area for you to wait while you have your service work done. A Camping World is on property and they have their own campground. They have it all.

You start looking at floor plans. Do you want the living area in the front, what type layout do you want for the kitchen, where do you want the bathroom and how much closet space do you need? Do you want a washer/dryer, which way do you want the bed to face, what colors do you want? This is just the beginning of choices you will have on the inside.

Ken had definite ideas of what he wanted outside. The basement or storage space underneath comes with different type doors. Do you want them to open up or sideways? In some units the storage goes all the way through the coach in others it does not. Do you want the storage units to come out with your sliders? Ken did so he wouldnt have to crawl under the slider to get to the storage. Oh yeah, how many sliders or slide outs do you want? Do you want an outside TV, shower, and/or freezer? Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Even, after you have FINALLY selected an RV, when you get home you are asking each other, now, did it have that feature or not? You have seen so many floor plans that you cant remember. Once you get your unit, you will have fun exploring all the nooks and crannies, plus planning your future trips.