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We've been RVers since 1995, and own a membership in a member owned campground about 90 minutes north of Atlanta. We pay $450 per year and can stay 14 days a month for $1 a day. Facilities are beyond great and we have cable tv and WIFI. Many of our members have two memberships, and stay there all the time.
If you have health issues and are retired, staying in a van long term may not be advantageous for your health. It's important to be physically comfortable, your mind kept sharp and having quality healthcare. Going from place to place in a Class B may not be the best.
An alternative would be to buy a decent travel trailer and put it in a RV park. Our local RV parks are most often lived in by construction workers and transients that go home on weekends to their families. Our fifth wheel trailer has two bedrooms and 3 big screen televisions. We'd be just happy as punch to live in one for the long term--and healthy living too.
Meo, there are some great spots to camp along the Mississippi River and many are free. Some are pretty rough too, so be careful.
I'm not understanding why you mentioned this, stepka. I'm not going to be camping on the Mississippi. The farm, where I will be for the summer/fall is on a lake and I'll be at my brothers house.
I'll probably spend late fall to early spring in or around Quartzsite or join a caravan. This is all dependent on what happens with our country.
Or I may follow the route Serene and Simple took when she first started out. Or, who knows? Life is up in the air for all of us right now.
I'm not understanding why you mentioned this, stepka. I'm not going to be camping on the Mississippi. The farm, where I will be for the summer/fall is on a lake and I'll be at my brothers house.
I'll probably spend late fall to early spring in or around Quartzsite or join a caravan. This is all dependent on what happens with our country.
Or I may follow the route Serene and Simple took when she first started out. Or, who knows? Life is up in the air for all of us right now.
I figured you might be camping on the way and you could do worse than to drive over to the river and north along it, which makes for great scenery and historical river towns. And isn’t the source of it in MN?
You brought up a really good point about donating used things meo. I’m guessing that even after all this is behind us, people will feel funny about buying used things and thrift shops may go by the wayside. That’s my prediction on that.
And don’t worry about giving me a place to stay...I’m camped out on someone’s land and doing garden work in exchange for that spot. They’ve been sheltering in place and I’m in Q for 14 days but that doesn’t keep me out of the garden so life is good, if a bit dull sometimes but I just remind myself that we’re all alone together and TG for the internet. And speaking of that, I have Verizon so I get my internet from that. From the air lol.
For some reason I’m feeling a deep need to stay in Missouri for now and I find that I love my home state better than any other, warts and all. I guess I want to stay close to my daughter.
I'm glad you're safe and happy where you are. Sounds almost perfect.
I figured you might be camping on the way and you could do worse than to drive over to the river and north along it, which makes for great scenery and historical river towns. And isn’t the source of it in MN?
Oh, yes-it begins in Minnesota I believe but, the two times I've driven from Minnesota to Arizona, I didn't go anywhere near the Mississippi river. My start point, and where I'll be going back to, is Fergus Falls, MN.
I went through North Dakota, then South Dakota and on down. I think this time I will go through Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and then up. To be on the safe side I will probably overnight in Walmart parking lots or truck stops. It'll only be two nights.
We've been RVers since 1995, and own a membership in a member owned campground about 90 minutes north of Atlanta. We pay $450 per year and can stay 14 days a month for $1 a day. Facilities are beyond great and we have cable tv and WIFI. Many of our members have two memberships, and stay there all the time.
If you have health issues and are retired, staying in a van long term may not be advantageous for your health. It's important to be physically comfortable, your mind kept sharp and having quality healthcare. Going from place to place in a Class B may not be the best.
An alternative would be to buy a decent travel trailer and put it in a RV park. Our local RV parks are most often lived in by construction workers and transients that go home on weekends to their families. Our fifth wheel trailer has two bedrooms and 3 big screen televisions. We'd be just happy as punch to live in one for the long term--and healthy living too.
Later on down the road I will think of getting a bigger rig, but for now the object is traveling. I've heard of some great locations that are long term and I do want to check on them later. I've thought of a fifth wheel also, just not yet.
The videos I've seen of women who have disabilities, the women say they are better for living in a vehicle. They tended to spend more time outside and walked more. There's also the vitamin d benefit from being outside more.
My visitors, all family, have used my cot with a sleeping bag and yoga mat. All have slept comfortably. That is one thing I made sure of, was to buy a nice cot for company. It was a bit pricier than a lot of them but was well worth it.
If this is successful, my expenses will be cut about $600 month. Outside of gas, (buying food is a given) I won't have many expenses. Saving about $800 month, as I already am saving $200 since I got serious, I should be able to afford a decent larger vehicle in a year.
Later on down the road I will think of getting a bigger rig, but for now the object is traveling. I've heard of some great locations that are long term and I do want to check on them later. I've thought of a fifth wheel also, just not yet.
The videos I've seen of women who have disabilities, the women say they are better for living in a vehicle. They tended to spend more time outside and walked more. There's also the vitamin d benefit from being outside more.
My visitors, all family, have used my cot with a sleeping bag and yoga mat. All have slept comfortably. That is one thing I made sure of, was to buy a nice cot for company. It was a bit pricier than a lot of them but was well worth it.
If this is successful, my expenses will be cut about $600 month. Outside of gas, (buying food is a given) I won't have many expenses. Saving about $800 month, as I already am saving $200 since I got serious, I should be able to afford a decent larger vehicle in a year.
Are you planning on boondocking? if not you will have campground fees. Cheapest sites and fairly clean are army corps of engineers sites. 1/2 price for senior citizens.
Jasper, you always ask me the hard, obvious questions, lol.
I will use freecampsites.net mainly I think. Also America the Beautiful senior pass. And, as you mentioned, Army Corp of Engineers. There's a couple more that I can't remember off the top of my head. If I have to I will pay for a night or so at a campsite but, another reason for using my car, the Cube is not a car you would think someone was sleeping in so I will probably do some stealth parking also.
I haven't been formulating my plans right now as I'm concentrating on moving out of my apartment and how I'm going to do that. Actually, when I'm going to do that. I'm stuck in the same situation all of us are at the moment.
Once I get back to Minnesota I will be able to plan more.
Actually, Jasper, my $800 savings is probably conservative. There are a few things I need, a portable power station, like a Jackary but each month I buy something for traveling. That will definitely slow down.
And I'll probably do as Stealthrabbit suggests and get a minivan or suv. I'm thinking if I get a cabana type item, like the Clam, that would be sufficient for outdoor living space. The Dodge Caravan has had some good reviews and I will have the Cube as a trade-in also.
Meo, there are some great spots to camp along the Mississippi River and many are free. Some are pretty rough too, so be careful.
Stepka, I have to apologize as your response took me by surprise.
I actually had to look up the Mississippi river map to see where it started and ended. Kinda funny since I worked most of my work years in Minneapolis and St Paul and for quite awhile lived within walking distance of the river.
The route I took to get to Arizona began on the opposite side of the river, the farm being close to the North Dakota border. Going to southern states, a person would travel closer to the river.
It intrigues me to think of MAYBE following it someday. I'm probably too chicken though.
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