Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Following the Sun

A while back Sherry & I met with a couple who planned to spend their winters in Florida.

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Use it or lose it!!

It is my firm opinion, unless you are very rich; never buy a motor home unless you intend to USE it. Not necessarily in the way we do, but you must like to travel and do it at every vacation or break. Lots of folks do not understand that the motor home must be insured, tagged, inspected, and taxed. All of which amounts to a good bit for something to sit in your driveway and take up space. Maintenance of a sitting motorized vehicle can go up if not used.

tag alongpop up

inside pop up

Inside the small camper

A travel trailer, 5ht wheel, pop up or van is much more logical and serves the same purpose; a reasonable bed room while you travel. You also do not have to pack a suitcase and take it in and out of motels/hotels.

IntCamp

Here is a nice long term Tent set up.

In their case they said we do not plan to travel, they are just going to Florida for the winter and back to Belmont. We discussed what our friend Judy from Maine does. She rents a furnished double wide trailer in a senior community for the months of January –March. I think they liked that idea. I mentioned they could do that one winter then look around while they were down there and decide if they wanted to buy in Florida or not.

To be a snow bird (at reasonable costs) you have a few options:

quartzsite-arizona-desert

This shot is near Quartsite, AZ. a town of a few hundred in the summer but winter goes to nearly a million with folks living in the desert on Bureau of Land Management Land.

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Following the Sun you will meet folks like these folk who are from Tennessee at Lake Manatee, SP

1 Live in a Motor home, 5th wheel or travel trailer

and follow the sun.

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2. Find a rental in the SUN (FL, TX, NM or AZ) for the winter.

3. Take a van or tent and go to one of those states and use the state parks for the winter.

4. Buy a trailer/doublewide in a park and pay the monthly rent yearly, no taxes.

matt 8

5. Buy a trailer ‘and lot’ in a park and pay a maintenance fee and yearly taxes.

Any stationary housing you will have to be concerned about maintenance and care while it is vacant 6-8 months a year. If a person has wealth there are many condos that can be bought anywhere, the maintenance fees are built in and a call before you arrive can have the A/C on and the house cleaned and freshened up. Although there are thousands like that, we have only known one couple. Most of our traveling friends have to get by on a budget, but still like to travel.

don't park here

But DO NOT PARK HERE!

Thanks for reading this STUFF,

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Adult Truths:
You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment when
you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the
rest of the day.
*******************
I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks
me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that
I swear I did not make any changes to.

I must add this:

chev5789

This is a special made Chevy 1957,8,9 combo

10 comments:

shirl72 said...

Thanks for the information in case I decide to
move to Fl. The double wide in a park sounds
like a good idea. I need a basement to store
my stuff. After doing my yard work today I may
need it next year for a rest. HEE HEE
I know you believe that.

Shirl

Fred Alton said...

You keep enticing me to get a motor home and travel...but can't convince Frances yet. Ha. My friend at Tellico has a small one he would sell for $5,000, but I don't think I want it. I was at the cabin today and rejoicing about my blessing of it only costing me $500 lease fee. It was a beautiful day here all day with temp up to 63. Another plus for my style, I'm not in a crowed RV park! AND I can be at home in one hour. ☺

Dar said...

The neighbors across the road have bought and sold and bought and sold at least a dozen times since we have known them, in AZ and FL. Each time they would purchase in a fenced community, pay the maintenance and tax, and loose their butts when they decided to move on. Just last month they sold their double-wide in FL for $5,000, that's insane. And to think they have done that a dozen times. Mercy...
Us? We always said we would go to TX after retirement for the winters, now we aren't so sure, when we have a house and cabin, both close to each other, and paid for. What were we thinking? For a visit, yes, but it sounds more and more like, just that. Who knows, we are not there yet. Between Bills bad eyes and my dead feet, do we have a choice? Neither of us will fly until we have our wings from God.
Thanks for the food for thought. I guess we are becoming a part of ' Can't teach an old dog new tricks. '
MissYouTwoTho
BlessYourHearts

Ken Riches said...

We plan on having our house paid off, and getting a pull-trailer for the winter madness (Jan & Feb here in IN).

Paula said...

Thanks for the advice but guess we will stay planted.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Wonderful advice and I follow those suggestions in a flash if the opportunity of any of the above came about but for now I'm stuck in Ohio and don't see much of a way out of that for sure. Those of you that can do are blessed to be able to follow the sun. Hopefully it won't be long and we'll be seeing more of it here too. 40 degrees in Ohio today!

Lucy said...

I agree with Paula. Homebody always have been and always will be. It has been getting close to 70 here. HOWEVER, there is more winter to come. Neil is coming home today. More on my blog. That man is lucky to be alive. Yes, I said nice things about Joe. He is a nice guy, but he can still drive me crazy, but I will keep him, as long as I don't have to live in a camper with him.

Y said...

A dead motor turned our RV into an RG (Recreational Guesthouse)

Sheila Y said...

Very good advice! Enjoy the rest of your week, Sheila

Lindie said...

I would do what you do in a flash if I had a companion! A word of caution for anyone thinking about buying a lot and trailer in a community park. Read their bylaws first! My sister in law just hates where they are. Anyone visiting there over night has to be approved by their "committee" and they need your SS # to run a background check. the park is mostly snowbirds from Quebec. I haven't visited them on general principal. I don't think they have a right to my SS#! This is their last year there. they are selling and staying in NH with the snow next year.