Gearing up for these long-haul lifestyles, however, involves good planning and preparation.
Full-time RVers shed themselves of their conventional dwellings and become year-round residents in their rolling homes. Extended RV travelers keep their homes but spend weeks—and sometimes months—exploring America in their RVs. Snowbirds leave their nests during the winter months and take flight in their RVs to the warmer climes down south. Three different lifestyles but all with similar day-to-day concerns.
Long-Term Planning
Unlike the vacationer who goes on a two-week trip, fulltimers, extended travelers and snowbirds can’t just put their everyday lives on hold while they are gone and then expect to play catch-up when they return.
Fulltimers have to select and “move into” a home base. Our document-oriented society requires that everyone have a “home” address where they register their vehicles, obtain their drivers licenses, vote, pay taxes and—to all intents and purposes—appear to be living the conventional lifestyle of fixed-dwelling citizens.
Extended travelers and snowbirds—because they retain their traditional residences—have to take measures for the security and maintenance of their homes while they are gone.
And all of these nomads need to develop systems to receive their mail, do their banking and pay their bills. Provisions also have to be made to receive medical attention, fill prescriptions and communicate with loved ones while they are on the road. None of this is difficult, but it does take a little planning and preparation.
Securing the Home
If you intend to be an extended traveler or a snowbird, begin by arranging for a friend or relative to look after your home while you are gone. This should be someone you trust, someone who will act as a contact person for the neighbors, someone who will check your house periodically and who is able to arrange for any repairs that might become necessary while you are gone. Perhaps this same person will also be willing to forward your mail.
You’ll want to secure your home. Check the locks on your gates, doors and windows. Consider installing an alarm system. It’s a good idea to discuss this with your local police department first. Ask them what type of system would work best for your circumstances and in conjunction with their response policies.
Make your house appear occupied. Install timers on selected interior and exterior lights. Set the timers to turn the lights on and off as though you were there. Cancel your newspaper and ask someone (perhaps the person retrieving your mail) to pick up any ads, door hangers and wind-blown trash that might advertise your absence.
Hire a reliable gardening or mowing service to keep your yard looking neat and lived in.
Postal Prep
Make arrangements for receiving mail on the road. A variety of methods are available. Full-time RVers typically contract with a professional mail forwarding service. All their mail is delivered to the mail-forwarding service where it is held until the fulltimer gives them a new forwarding address.
Snowbirds who take up winter residence in an RV park frequently arrange for the post office to forward their mail to that campground until they return home.
Extended travelers usually identify someone who is willing to retrieve their mail from their home and forward it to them.
You can receive your mail at post offices along your travel route by having it sent to you in care of General Delivery. The mail should be put into a single envelope and addressed to you as follows:
John and Mary Traveler
c/o General Delivery
City, State, Zip Code
You might be able to have your mail forwarded to you in care of an RV park. Before you do, though, be sure to obtain the approval of the campground management.
Cards and Cell Phones
A telephone calling card issued by a telephone company is the most convenient way to place a call on a pay phone. Look into pre-paid phone cards as well. They are available at most retail outlets and can save money on long-distance calls.
Check out the various cellular telephone companies and their rate structures. Some cellular phone companies offer nationwide coverage at reasonable rates. Your objective should be to minimize “roaming” and long-distance charges.
Snowbirds staying in one park for the season may be able to have a telephone hookup at their campsite. Arrange to have calls to your home telephone forwarded to your winter phone. It might be less expensive, though, to simply check your home answering machine for messages.
Electronic Mail
Arrange for e-mail service. Many campgrounds have installed telephone jacks (data ports) in their office area so customers can connect their computers and access their e-mail. You need to have a laptop computer so you can carry it to the jack. The telephone jack is usually programmed to permit only local or toll-free calls so look for an Internet service provider that offers local-access phone numbers across the country and a toll-free number for those occasions when a local access number is not available.
If you don’t have a laptop computer, look into a hand-held device called PocketMail Composer. You type your e-mail message on its keyboard, dial a toll-free number on any telephone, hold the PocketMail device next to the phone and push a button. Your e-mail is sent and received in a few seconds. You read your incoming e-mail on the pocket-size device’s computer-like screen.
Medical Management
Good medical care is available just about everywhere you go. Check with your medical insurer to see what procedures you should follow to get medical care on the road.
If you are under the regular care of a physician, ask your doctor to write a letter summarizing your medical condition. This could save time if you have to visit a health care provider while you are on the road.
Go to a hospital emergency room only if you have a medical emergency. For non-emergencies, ask the campground operator for the name of a nearby medical clinic/urgent-care center or physician.
Pills and Prescriptions
Make arrangements to obtain your prescription medicine. One method is to fill your initial prescription at a pharmacy located near the person who will be forwarding your mail. Then ask your mail forwarder to pick up your refills and send them to you with your mail.
Some travelers get their initial prescription filled at a nationwide chain like Kmart, Wal-Mart or Walgreens. They are usually able to get refills at another chain pharmacy even if it’s in a different state.
There are also mail-order pharmacies (AARP Pharmacy Service at 800-456-4636 or Costco Prescriptions by Mail at (800) 607-6861) or Web-based providers that will fill your prescriptions and send them to you by mail. And there are online pharmacies (drugstore.com, canadamedicinemart.com or CVS.com) that will do the same. Don’t make any assumptions, though. Check with the pharmacist first. Will your friend be permitted to obtain your refills? Will you be able to get your prescription refilled in the states you travel through? You can also sign up for Camping World’s RoadCare coverage. RoadCare’s Emergency Medical Referral Services (EMS) will assist you if you need help due to sudden illness or accident. EMS finds local medical, dental or legal help and arranges emergency travel plans. EMS also provides help with prescription replacement, emergency cash or message relay.
Money Matters
Arrange for easy banking and bill paying. Have your regular sources of income automatically deposited into your bank account, and regular monthly bills automatically paid from your account. Be sure to include online banking, debit, credit and ATM cards.
Pre-Trip Prep
Prepare your RV as you would for any long trip. Check and service the engine, transmission, cooling system, suspension, brakes, belts and hoses. You’ll want good tires, too, with ample tread depth.
Roadside Insurance
Subscribe to one of the emergency roadside assistance programs offered RVers, such as Camping World RoadCare. It will only be a matter of time until you need their services. For more information, visit campingworld.com/roadcare.
Laundry List
There is no absolute list of what RV travelers should pack into their rigs. There are just too many variables—size of the RV, individual preferences and personal needs.
Pack clothing for all kinds of weather—hot, cold, wet and dry. Eventually you’ll run into all of them. RVers spend most of their time in casual clothes—jeans, sweatshirts, tennis shoes and the like—but do pack some sportswear apparel and one complete dressy outfit. And don’t forget a pair of rubber shoes or boots—it will rain.
Legal Papers
Fulltimers, extended travelers and snowbirds should remember to pack important papers in a fire-resistant container. Important papers include: birth certificates, passports, vehicle titles, copies of wills, health care directives (living wills), power of attorneys and other documents that would not otherwise be quickly obtainable.
It doesn’t matter whether you intend to be a full-time RVer, an extended traveler or a snowbird. They all involve planning and preparation. But then, that’s half the fun of a successful RV journey.
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