New to all this any help and advice is gladly taken (1 Viewer)

brookwalker

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Hi.
My name is Roy im a "newbie" so im told and want to sell my house leave work and take my wife a cat and old english sheeodog into the sunset. ok it will probably be raining or even snowing by the time it all hapens.

Like Willy Wonka in that big old chocolate factory I know I want it but ain't gotta clue how it all gets made !

We want to buy a 32 ish ft RV with one or two slides but must be within the ordinary driving licence ( 7.5 tonnes ! )

Any one got an RV near the midlands that wold like to show how it all works.
how and where we can park how much and for how long, how do we get water hot how does the tv work, The fridge. etc etc etc

How do we make this a home we live and move in. Am just putting the house on the market so wish us luck and ps if you supply the help and info we will supply all the T/coffee and bickies and ill bring a can with me ::bigsmile:

Cheers Roy royrichardsonavalonhouse@hotmail.com
 

ourcampersbeentrashed

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hi roy and welcome to fun

Have a look through the full-timing forum on here theres loads of information available which you may find useful and ask any questions you like, someone is usually able to assist
 

American Dream

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Hi Roy and Welcome to the FUN...

Good luck in your Quest.
:thumb:

Enjoy.

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pappajohn

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hi Roy and welcome.....

sounds ideal and many people do it but it can be a bit difficult.

for starters you need to budget at least £10k upwards per year if you dont live a too extravigent lifestyle.
a lot more if you intend moving around a lot as the fuel bill will be scary.....dont expect more than 10/12 mpg from an A class RV.

site fee's and fuel will take a large chunk of this budget.

good luck with your dream lifestyle....:thumb:
 

Chani

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Welcome Roy :)

<snip> wold like to show how it all works.
how and where we can park how much and for how long, how do we get water hot how does the tv work, The fridge. etc etc etc </snip>

Can't help with your questions, but have often thought we'd find a 'guided tour' extremely useful too!

Have any of you knowledgeable Funsters ever come across that sort of thing?
 

scotjimland

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Hi.
My name is Roy im a "newbie" so im told and want to sell my house leave work and take my wife a cat and old english sheeodog into the sunset.


Cheers
Roy

Hi Roy

as already suggested, read the posts in the Full Timers forum here .http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/full-timers/

Before making yourself 'homeless' consider very carefully the following

* How will you finance your dream, year on year, £10k is an absolute minimum .. £12-£15 k is more realistic. This is the most important part, do not skip this. Winging it is a sure fire recipe for disaster.

* You will need a c/o address with someone you can trust for, * insurance, *vehicle registration, *driving license, * passport * doctor * pension etc
Full time insurance is very expensive, without an address you won't get it and will cost a minimum of £750 per year .. Comfort Insurance is the only company I know who will touch full timers

* Finally .. an exit plan, one day you will either be forced to give up through ill health, lack of finance or decide you have had enough ..

If you have all these in place then start by looking at motorhomes and ask the questions

* What size.. the bigger the RV the fewer places and sites you can visit, the more it will cost and the more planning you need to do before moving. From my experience I would keep it below 30ft .. and ideally 28ft , this is the max length on many UK sites

* Do you have the DIY skills to maintain and repair 'on the road ' ? This is very important , if you have a problem ( and you will ) a dealer or agent may be many hundreds or thousands of miles away .. RVs are not complicated but quite complex.. a basic understanding of 12v electrics , LPG and mechanics , combined with a decent tool kit and basic spares will stand you in good stead ..

* It is easier to source parts and have repairs done for a European van, you will find someone who can fix a Fiat in any town or village... not so an RV .. This is worth consideration when choosing.

* The downside to many Eurovans is the meagre payload, so important when full time.. .. some 7.5ton GVW RVs have a very small payload ! It's not unknown for them to have been downrated by the dealer for the UK license restrictions .. check this carefully

Last, but not least ...

* Where will you stay , 28days is the maximum on UK sites, some are 21 days .. there are long term pitches available , but they need booking in advance, so you will be moving on frequently .. If you go to Spain you can 'over winter' quite cheaply on the costas .. about £300 per month.


I'm sure you have tons of questions so don't be afraid to ask, this is a HUGE step, not to be taken lightly , get it right and it will be a fabulous experience. Get it wrong and may well turn into your worst nightmare..

good luck, we look forward to your questions..

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DESCO

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Welcome to MH Fun Roy

:welcomefunster:

Can't add anything to what Jim has said, but if it still appeals to you go for it otherwise you will always regret it, and you will at least go into it with eyes open.

Dave :thumb::thumb:
 

slobadoberbob

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Jim says it very well

Hi Roy

as already suggested, read the posts in the Full Timers forum here .http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/full-timers/

Before making yourself 'homeless' consider very carefully the following

* How will you finance your dream, year on year, £10k is an absolute minimum .. £12-£15 k is more realistic. This is the most important part, do not skip this. Winging it is a sure fire recipe for disaster.

* You will need a c/o address with someone you can trust for, * insurance, *vehicle registration, *driving license, * passport * doctor * pension etc
Full time insurance is very expensive, without an address you won't get it and will cost a minimum of £750 per year .. Comfort Insurance is the only company I know who will touch full timers

* Finally .. an exit plan, one day you will either be forced to give up through ill health, lack of finance or decide you have had enough ..

If you have all these in place then start by looking at motorhomes and ask the questions

* What size.. the bigger the RV the fewer places and sites you can visit, the more it will cost and the more planning you need to do before moving. From my experience I would keep it below 30ft .. and ideally 28ft , this is the max length on many UK sites

* Do you have the DIY skills to maintain and repair 'on the road ' ? This is very important , if you have a problem ( and you will ) a dealer or agent may be many hundreds or thousands of miles away .. RVs are not complicated but quite complex.. a basic understanding of 12v electrics , LPG and mechanics , combined with a decent tool kit and basic spares will stand you in good stead ..

* It is easier to source parts and have repairs done for a European van, you will find someone who can fix a Fiat in any town or village... not so an RV .. This is worth consideration when choosing.

* The downside to many Eurovans is the meagre payload, so important when full time.. .. some 7.5ton GVW RVs have a very small payload ! It's not unknown for them to have been downrated by the dealer for the UK license restrictions .. check this carefully

Last, but not least ...

* Where will you stay , 28days is the maximum on UK sites, some are 21 days .. there are long term pitches available , but they need booking in advance, so you will be moving on frequently .. If you go to Spain you can 'over winter' quite cheaply on the costas .. about £300 per month.


I'm sure you have tons of questions so don't be afraid to ask, this is a HUGE step, not to be taken lightly , get it right and it will be a fabulous experience. Get it wrong and may well turn into your worst nightmare..

good luck, we look forward to your questions..

Cannot add a lot to what Jim says, but I would like to underline the size issue and the keeping it on the road, it is like owning a home, there is always a job to do. A good supply of spare parts is very important to have on the RV. They are not cheap..spare hoses, belts, brake pads, mirrors, and lamp lens etc., Fuel is expensive on an American RV. I look at van's like Rick has (at Shepton Mallet) and wish, but then you need the driving licence and storage and all the other things like lots of money.

But I do wish you well with your dream...what's the point of having a dream if you do not live it?

I always invite anyone to have a look in my RV as I want people to see what you can get and how it can work.. just ask at shows, you will be suprised how many will open up there home on wheels for the newbee to get some ideas.

Bob
 

Landy lover

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A warm welcome from us to - we full time and agree with everything that has been said here. One other thing I would mention is dont think of it just as a long holiday - you will become bored silly just taking in the rays - I love a few days just chilling out but must have a purpose in life so need to know what I am doing and where I am going and why. Many people say you need a minimum of 10K to full time - from our experience that is frugal living and not leaving anything for replacements and failures - I would say you need to consider 12 to 14k minimum nowdays. go to a few shows or meets and speak to people - join as many forums / clubs as possible for ideas.

Good luck in your venture

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madbluemad

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Hi, all good info from ScotlandJim, he has been there and done it.

There is a dealership in Coventry called International Motorhomes. They sell American RV'S and it would be a good idea to have a wander around their place and have a look.

Ask lots of questions etc. http://www.midland-international.co.uk/

You may get some info and insight.

Jim
:Smile:
 

scotjimland

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One other thing I would mention is dont think of it just as a long holiday - you will become bored silly just taking in the rays - I love a few days just chilling out but must have a purpose in life so need to know what I am doing and where I am going and why.

Damn, I knew I would forget something ... :roflmto:

Excellent advice.. if you have no purpose it will get boring.. you can only chill out for so long.

Homesickness and loss of family/friends, your own garden, neighbours etc is another thing many don't think about .. so bear that that in mind..


I also forgot to say, why not try it for a year or so... rent the house and live off the income .. keep your options open .. ?

The year may become two or three but you will always have a way back ... not so easy once you sell up and blow the money ..
 

slobadoberbob

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is he selling to finance the dream?

Damn, I knew I would forget something ... :roflmto:

Excellent advice.. if you have no purpose it will get boring.. you can only chill out for so long.

Homesickness and loss of family/friends, your own garden, neighbours etc is another thing many don't think about .. so bear that that in mind..


I also forgot to say, why not try it for a year or so... rent the house and live off the income .. keep your options open .. ?

The year may become two or three but you will always have a way back ... not so easy once you sell up and blow the money ..


The question Jim is he selling the house to finance the dream? then that idea is not an option as the house then becomes the dream if you follow me:Blush:

It is like getting the foot on the first step of the housing ladder. You have to in the end take the other foot off the floor to get on that ladder and in some ways it is the same with an investment in a larger liverable RV. It all depends if he wants an all singing and all dancing RV like Ricks, or is happier to enter with something like Dogy's 28' (which I might add is very nice) ... never got the invite into Ricks, I think he was worried Ezzie would want to follow me. But seriously it does come down to his budget.

Bob:Eeek:

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motor roamin

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OOOO that hurt Bob, sorry about no invite but you didn't need one any one is welcome at any time I don't stand on ceromony, there is always tea, coffee, beer or whatever your poison waiting.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Roy if you would like to come and see mine (so to speak) you are more than welcome I am based in Leicester, can show you how it all works and what to be aware of when purchasing as many on here will tell you there are some rogues out there and not just the sellers.


All the best and good luck Rick.
 

slobadoberbob

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only joking Rick

OOOO that hurt Bob, sorry about no invite but you didn't need one any one is welcome at any time I don't stand on ceromony, there is always tea, coffee, beer or whatever your poison waiting.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Roy if you would like to come and see mine (so to speak) you are more than welcome I am based in Leicester, can show you how it all works and what to be aware of when purchasing as many on here will tell you there are some rogues out there and not just the sellers.

All the best and good luck Rick.


Just want to see if you were awake Rick? was only joking, I know I could have asked to look around, but that would have made me want one even more (yours is bigger than mine).... still you did provide a beer in the tent.

Perhaps next time I will climb those stairs, reminds me of my house stair to get to bed... one advantage of the Winnibago B class only 3 of them.

But going back to the post, yes you need to see the real things and not what a dealer is push you to sell, those that own them have a good idea of the good and bad or owning an RV.. some good dealers out there and some very very bad ones. I hope you are lucky and get a gem, but you will have to lean to look after it as even the best can give problems.... found that main battery drain yet Rick... and no the exhaust sounded OK. I thought you were powering it up to bring the jacks up:ROFLMAO:

Bob p.s I still have the business card, may surprise you yet.
 

scotjimland

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The question Jim is he selling the house to finance the dream? then that idea is not an option as the house then becomes the dream if you follow me:Blush:


But seriously it does come down to his budget.

Bob:Eeek:

Hi Bob .. quite correct

If you sell a house to finance the dream then of course renting is not an option .. but that's all the more reason to look at the long term as the capital from the house won't last for ever .. and when , not if , it runs out what then ?

A full time lifestyle cannot be financed on a basic state pension, in addition, you must have some other means of support either from working, a private pension .. or income from a property.

The 'dream' can get in the way of reality .. you still need money to survive and in some cases that's not much different from living in a house..

Funding the'dream' from the sale of your home is a very risky strategy . I do hate being a wet blanket but there is no point in giving advice if it's through rose tinted specs. nor saying yes, do your dream and chase the rainbow.. that would be irresponsible but all too often I read this and it's from people who a) haven't done it or b) haven't done the maths.

My final advice ...

Do your dream, but work it out first .. get the practicalities sorted first , going off on a half baked idea will end in tears.

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John & Joan

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No one has mentioned the health question yet.

If you need prescriptions on a regular basis you still need to be registered with a doctors practice. The doctors will need to see you regularly to review the prescriptions etc. In our case it is every six months. Repeat prescriptions can be sent to any nominated address if you sent in a post paid envelope with the repeat request.

Most practices are now only issuing 1 month prescriptions. We are lucky and I get 3 months but Joan at the same practice only gets 2 months at a time. We did manage last year to get a 6 month when we told the practice we were going to be away for that period.

You need an address in that practice area to be registered at present. There was talk of that changing but I have not heard of any changes yet.

We use one address for our legal side (Licences Vehicles, Insurance) and another for the doctors as the first one is outside of the practice boundary. We are not pretending that we live at that address we have informed the practice of what we are doing.

Without a practice registration you can make an appointment at any surgery for an emergency consultation. Your health records are returned to the Health Authority and when you see another practice they are requested by that practice and then returned to the health authority in that practices area. This could lead to your records becoming lost.

Technically if you leave the UK for longer than 6 months, I believe, you have to send in your NHS card and apply for a new one on your return.
This seems totally mad when someone from outside the UK who has never contributed can come in and get immediate treatment yet those of us that have contributed all of our working lives are told because we are not in the UK for 6 months we have to give up our rights to treatment under the NHS.

John
 

scotjimland

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No one has mentioned the health question yet.

If you need prescriptions on a regular basis you still need to be registered with a doctors practice. The doctors will need to see you regularly to review the prescriptions etc. In our case it is every six months. Repeat prescriptions can be sent to any nominated address if you sent in a post paid envelope with the repeat request.

Most practices are now only issuing 1 month prescriptions. We are lucky and I get 3 months but Joan at the same practice only gets 2 months at a time. We did manage last year to get a 6 month when we told the practice we were going to be away for that period.

You need an address in that practice area to be registered at present. There was talk of that changing but I have not heard of any changes yet.

We use one address for our legal side (Licences Vehicles, Insurance) and another for the doctors as the first one is outside of the practice boundary. We are not pretending that we live at that address we have informed the practice of what we are doing.

Without a practice registration you can make an appointment at any surgery for an emergency consultation. Your health records are returned to the Health Authority and when you see another practice they are requested by that practice and then returned to the health authority in that practices area. This could lead to your records becoming lost.

Technically if you leave the UK for longer than 6 months, I believe, you have to send in your NHS card and apply for a new one on your return.
This seems totally mad when someone from outside the UK who has never contributed can come in and get immediate treatment yet those of us that have contributed all of our working lives are told because we are not in the UK for 6 months we have to give up our rights to treatment under the NHS.

John

Good post John and sound advice.. :thumb:
 

motor roamin

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Whilst all the above points are very valid, how typicly english, tell every one the down side, I am almost ready to slit my wrists and sell my motor home, I have never full timed unless living in a caravan in a field (my first home) counts, but surley we should also be telling these good folks the upside.

Just a thought.

Rick

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scotjimland

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Whilst all the above points are very valid, how typicly english, tell every one the down side,

Just a thought.

Rick

Fair comment ..

Up side..

you will see places you have only ever dreamed of, we have toured France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Morocco where we crossed the High Atlas Mountains , pitched a tent in the Sahara Desert, swam in an oasis. Played guitar and sang with the natives , learned how to play the bongo drums.. not very well I might add ..

We have skied, surfed, cycled went naked, made new friends, met many many interesting and often strange people.. we gave our daughter the trip of a lifetime .. three years touring and seeing things many kids only read about .

but ..

You can do all that without being homeless, without selling your home .. maybe not all at once but it can be done .. full-time and travelling are not inseparable..in fact I'd go as far as saying ... they are different ...

ps.. I am not English :winky:
 

scotjimland

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Apologies.........but I hate being called British can we settle on being UKiuns:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Now I am jelous and want to pack up work an B...... off.

Yip .. and I hate being called English.... or even a Brit .. or worse a limey .. that is the pits ..

you can do all you want without packing up work.. take a gap year :thumb:

after you win the lottery .....

:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

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motor roamin

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Yip .. and I hate being called English.... or even a Brit .. or worse a limey .. that is the pits ..

you can do all you want without packing up work.. take a gap year :thumb:

after you win the lottery .....

:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Not quite so easy I own the place and have about a 350k investment at stake but one day I will win the lottery or a lunatic will buy it:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

All the best Rick a felow ukiun:roflmto::roflmto:
 
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brookwalker

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Rick We would love to come see yours lots of very usefull advice from many

Rick your invite is very well recieved we would love to see yours and devour all your advice.

We Really want to do this but still at the stage that we will listern to what sounds like a lot of people who know what their talking about.

If you let me know how to contact you that would be fantastic. Do you need my email address or let me know on here ?

Cheers Roy , Sue and Izzy dog



OOOO that hurt Bob, sorry about no invite but you didn't need one any one is welcome at any time I don't stand on ceromony, there is always tea, coffee, beer or whatever your poison waiting.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Roy if you would like to come and see mine (so to speak) you are more than welcome I am based in Leicester, can show you how it all works and what to be aware of when purchasing as many on here will tell you there are some rogues out there and not just the sellers.

All the best and good luck Rick.
 
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brookwalker

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New to all this AND now my attempt at a small novel of feeling

A "shortish" explanation from the heart of a man, his wife and their as yet unexpecting Old English Sheepdog Izzy to enter the dream or maybe nightmare of full time RVing.

Im gobsmacked by your many unexpected replies. Thank you all and that was my first attempt at using this site and "Wow it is by far the best site I have been on to date in my quest to check out my dream.

As you could tell from my first cry for help and advice regarding my escape from the "norm of life" I will now let you know what is at the heart of our desire to RV full time.

Now 47 we both started working at 17 got jobs moved jobs found new jobs and fell in love got married and moved jobs and bought a house and got a better job and fell out of love with both our jobs and now hate both our jobs. ( I hope im making a good job of explaning how we feel ).

And yes i think we are mad at even the thought of leaving our jobs and selling our house and lovely little garden and company car to live in an RV what the hell are we thinking of and the dog a large old english sheepdog how the hell is he going to feel when he knows he cant run outside and drink from the fishpond.

But the conundrum here is not can we do it or afford it but how long can you count the 2,387 bricks and 6 windows that make up this prison we work god knows how many hours to keep. how oftern do I look out the windows of my company car and wonder what the hell im doing here and will i make it to the end of the day without wanting to heave up and throw out a string of abuse and moans and groans and winge at life cos im borred with not being me and simply being a part of the rat race tribe.

Thowing away all we have worked nearly 30 years for. for what may only last a few years ! are we stark raving mad. Are we ? let me know your thoughts

One final thought for you to ponder on. My TV hero and funniest man on television has always been Richard Wilson as Rictor Meldrew - One Foot In The Grave. If you understand the part he is playing ( my opinion ). is a man who has worked all his life and now has little left to enjoy other than the sound of his own voice. he makes it seem funny and we all love him for it ( I think ! ) but dont forget we are on the outside looking in. Well I dont mind being on the inside as long as I can now looking outside.

Well in some ways I want to be victor and in other ways I dont I have a good outlook on life but now need something new exciting and yes risky its that or in 20 years time wondering how many more times can I count those 2,387 bricks ?

Talk to me we wana do this but dont have to ! and seem to have found a new lease of life before we have even done it

Ps I remember about 12 years ago I was in a works canteen and one of the cleeners Tony was his name. Was so excited about retiring NEXT WEEK. Two days later he died of a heart attack.

To be continued..... iIf any one wants me to. :Eeek:

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Chani

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Hi Roy,

You seem to have done pretty much what we've done: taken a good look at your life and said something along the lines of, "I can't stand this any more, and I'm not getting any younger. GET ME OUT OF HERE!" And I know exactly what you mean about finding a new lease of life even before you've done it. ::bigsmile: We're also considering full-timing, although we have a lot of re-hashing of our business to do first, which is going to take a while.

There are quite a few people on here who either have full-timed in the past or are full-timing now, and their advice is invaluable. Of everything they've said, just a few things stick with me: you need a bricks and mortar address, you need a sensible income, you need a plan (because wandering aimlessly doesn't work), and you need a fall-back plan in case one of you is ill or you want to stop travelling.

So ask yourself two things: a) Can you afford to buy your motorhome without selling your house (because if you can it's probably worth it. You could rent it out via an agency or to relatives)?, and b) what are you going to do for money? Could your job/knowledge (or another job you'd enjoy) be adapted for life on the road?

Hope this helps :)

Chani
 

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