Advice on full-timing, please!

[Lisajes]

This year my partner and I are seriously thinking of getting out of the ratrace & going full-timing. Our main worry is that we would still need to have some paying work to keep us ticking over. Can you give us any general advice about what to look for, etc?:thumb:

 

[bazil750]

Thank you for asking the question I cant even find out how to start a new thread, have never blogged and we are new to forums as well as Motorhoming. We are planning to do the same and have so many questions to ask about practicalities like needing repeat prescriptions, where to look for work, Insurance and registration for vehicles if you sell your home. We are still looking for our first home on wheels which has been mind blowing with all that there is to choose from. In fact till 3 days ago we did not even know there were full timers - always were a bit behind the times any advice or links would be greatly appreciated

 

[Lisajes]

Thanks for answering - it is a bit nerve-racking as you're never quite sure if anyone will!
We've been thinking of doing this for a while - both of us are not happy with our jobs at the moment, the house is a millstone round our necks & we don't have any dependants, so we thought, why not!! You only live once?

 

[dylan]

Firstly welcome to the FUN site, there are a few full timers on here who will no doubt answer your questions. I know Scotjimland is a fultimer and he worked in a pub and Artona also a fulltimer who is a photographer. Some work on campsites as wardens.
I'm sure someone will be along soon to speak :thumb:

 

[Jim]

Hello to both of you We have hundreds of members that are full timers or planning to become full timers. Some of them never want or need to work again as they are retired, others work just to fill the diesel tank and the fridge.

Plenty work at campsites as wardens, or carry out other seasonal work. Once you are a full timer you will meet plenty of others (many more than you might imagine) and I am told that the full timer grapevine is great for finding out about work and places to stay.

I am sure some of our fulltimers will be along soon, meanwhile welcome to the fun and ask away:thumb:

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[Jan Pendreigh]

Hi, we've been fulltiming now 18 months and haven't looked back! As long as you have an address (family, friend) you can register with a doctor local to it and repeat prescriptions can be obtained by post, you just have to see the doctor annually (or whatever the practice dictates), so find a local site and go back each year. Alternatively, if you are taken ill on holiday you go to a local doctor so this is what you do if you are (say) in Kent for the winter. The plastic EU medical card works here as well as abroad.

Some fulltimers do have jobs which doesn't go down too well with the Caravan Club (leisure only) but Camping and Caravanning Club don't seem so strict. We are on Canterbury site this winter and many people are off to work each morning.

PM us if you want a list of the things we've done wrong!!

Good luck and enjoy,

Jan

 

[Lisajes]

Thank you so much for replying - yes, I would be grateful for any advice you have!:thumb:

 

[scotjimland]

This year my partner and I are seriously thinking of getting out of the ratrace & going full-timing. Our main worry is that we would still need to have some paying work to keep us ticking over. Can you give us any general advice about what to look for, etc?:thumb:

Hi , and welcome to the fun site

Your main worry is money .. quite rightly so, fulltiming is cheaper than a house but it's not cheap.. we are now in our third year and still learning.. to give a rough idea of costs..

Site fees

This can be free, in summer in France there are plenty of free aires and of course you can 'wild' camp for short periods, average the year out and budget for aprox €8 to €10 per night. ~ €3,000.

Food

Very hard to put a figure on but allow €100 per week ~ €5,000

Travel, fuel etc

Down to what you can afford, for one trip to the south of Spain and back at 14 mpg costs aprox €1600

Insurance

€500 - €600

Maintenance

budget figure € 1,000

That already comes to over €10,000 and doesn't include treats, ferries, clothes, etc etc

So, unless you have a very good pension you need to earn this and if you want time to go abroad have to earn it in a shorter period ..
If you plan to work say 8 months and have 4 travelling you need to earn €1500 a month .. just to 'tick over'
Earning €1500 a month isn't doing fruit picking and many camp site jobs offer a pittance with a free pitch.. I've seen jobs offering £30 a WEEK with a pitch .. :Angry: others want 'slaves' 60 - 80 hrs cleaning vans, isn't my idea of work..

These are very broad figures and other fulltimers will spend more or less depending on their lifestyle.

Some I have met finance their lifestyle by working from the van, some have internet businesses, others sell goods at shows.. I met one guy who hired out bicycles.. he had a trailer with about 20 bikes.. but the ideas are endless.. and limited only by your imagination.

To sum up..

Fulltiming isn't a long trip, the first year feels like an endless holiday, but, without work there is no holiday, fulltiming is a lifestyle , and there are as many different types of fulltimers as there are people who live in bricks and mortar...

If you like being 'of no fixed abode' never knowing where you might be the next day, having no security .. go for it, but be pragmatic, it's not for everyone.. and it's not easy.


There is a another thread on here about the downside.. it's worth reading , another good site specifically for Link Removed

 

[moandick]

We have been full-timing for about 5 years now and have published our story on our web site <here>

If you are ever down in Cornwall come on into the Itchyfeet Site at Carvynick and we'll talk your hind legs off!

 

[simong]

how does bank accounting work, do banks allow a "care of" address to be used?

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[Lisajes]

I'm not sure how it works - I thought we would use a relatives' address as our base as I do all my banking on-line anyway? Can anyone tell me differently if this wouldn't work??:Confused:

 

[scotjimland]

I'm not sure how it works - I thought we would use a relatives' address as our base as I do all my banking on-line anyway? Can anyone tell me differently if this wouldn't work??:Confused:

Once an account is set up the Bank aren't interested where you live.. inform them not to send any statements, it's not a problem.

A far more difficult one is vehicle and contents insurance .. mention 'full time' and they may just say no, even using a relatives address you still need to tell porkies .. :Blush:

If anyone knows of an insurer who will insure a full timer with no fixed abode I'd like to hear about them ..

 

[Pikey Pete]

Once an account is set up the Bank aren't interested where you live.. inform them not to send any statements, it's not a problem.

A far more difficult one is vehicle and contents insurance .. mention 'full time' and they may just say no, even using a relatives address you still need to tell porkies .. :Blush:

If anyone knows of an insurer who will insure a full timer with no fixed abode I'd like to hear about them ..

I am insured via Comfort and it was they who advised me that if fulltiming I would need a c/o address.
My premium almost doubled from £350 to £680 though. I do have 365 days cover including European break down so it's not all bad.

An odd quirk of using a relatives address if you are both entitled to heating allowance, then they will split this between you both.

Just make sure that everyone who needs to know your c/o address knows it. NHS, DSS, DVLA, Banks, in fact treat it as though you were actually moving house.
I forgot one or two and when on the road over here it can be a pain to sort out.

Pete:Cool:

 

[scotjimland]

Hi Pete

Not always easy to get a relative to agree to this, my Dad actually refused .. don't ask me why, still baffles me.. the point is, if you are truly of 'no fixed abode' it's really difficult.. we have no other relatives who we could trust, both Jan's parents are dead.

These all require an official residential address, without one you are a non person in the eyes of the state, and if they bring in ID cards.. what then .. an illegal resident.. ? ..

Vehicle registration

Passport

Insurance

Driving license

 

[Terry]

Hi Pete

Not always easy to get a relative to agree to this, my Dad actually refused .. don't ask me why, still baffles me.. the point is, if you are truly of 'no fixed abode' it's really difficult.. we have no other relatives who we could trust, both Jan's parents are dead.

These all require an official residential address, without one you are a non person in the eyes of the state, and if they bring in ID cards.. what then .. an illegal resident.. ? ..

Vehicle registration

Passport

Insurance

Driving license

How do gyipos do it ?they have to get there giro's sent somewhere / recognised
terry

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[MicknPat]

I am insured via Comfort and it was they who advised me that if fulltiming I would need a c/o address.
My premium almost doubled from £350 to £680 though. Pete:Cool:

Pete, Will Comfort explain why your premium was doubled?

mick:Confused:

 

[vindiboy]

Banks allow c/o addresses at least Lloyds did when I was in between addresses , Safeguard do full timing Insurance but at a premium, they also allow a higher contents value figure as you will have more value in your van than if you were just on holiday. Winter in England will be a pain when full timing I suspect as the major clubs will allow only a 28 night stay in a run, you will need to be on a pitch with hard standing as with all the rain we get you can get stuck in easily, also I would say an electric hook up is a must.as for work there is plenty of short term employment to be found and there is even a publication available telling of work available all over if you want it. be prepared for the time your vehicle is in a garage for repairs etc, will you have funds available to get a B&B if needed? other Motorhomers may let you stay on their drives for a period if they go off to Spain or somewhere for extended periods and want a security presence whilst away .Make sure your van is suitable for full timing ie big enough for your needs and it must be winterised to prevent freezing.Good luck and enjoy.:thumb::thumb:

 

[Tony Lee]

Before you sell the house, chuck a matress and a few clothes into the kitchen. Buy a porta-pottie and a few large bottles of water. Nail the doors to the rest of the house shut and make sure you can both survive living in a small space for a few months. Then sit down and honestly list the reasons for going full-time and the reasons for not doing it - with special attention by the wife regarding washing and cooking and sanitary facilities.

Then work out how long you think you might like to do it and get some good advice as to what sort of house you will be able to afford after that time.

Then disregard all of the advice you get on this or any other thread because none of it is likely to fit your particular situation.

I'm not saying don't do it - because we are still doing OK after three years - but do think long and hard about selling the house, because it will likely be all down hill from that point on.

 

[Pikey Pete]

Pete, Will Comfort explain why your premium was doubled?

mick:Confused:

The reason they gave was that normally your insurance covers you for trips abroad of 90 days or less and if you wish to stay longer you must tell them each time so they can adjust their risk.
As I spend around 300 days a year outside the UK they assesss this as a higher risk and charge accordingly.
The policy is with Norwich Union.

Pete

 

[Pikey Pete]

Before you sell the house, chuck a matress and a few clothes into the kitchen. Buy a porta-pottie and a few large bottles of water. Nail the doors to the rest of the house shut and make sure you can both survive living in a small space for a few months. Then sit down and honestly list the reasons for going full-time and the reasons for not doing it - with special attention by the wife regarding washing and cooking and sanitary facilities.

Then work out how long you think you might like to do it and get some good advice as to what sort of house you will be able to afford after that time.

Then disregard all of the advice you get on this or any other thread because none of it is likely to fit your particular situation.

I'm not saying don't do it - because we are still doing OK after three years - but do think long and hard about selling the house, because it will likely be all down hill from that point on.

Nope, don't agree with any of that. If you have such a negative attitude to fulltiming why are you still doing it ?

Pete:Cool:

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[geoff1947]

full timing

If staying abroad just remember to Tax (and if necessary MOT) the vehicle as you may have problem if involved in an accident or re-entering the UK .I met a couple in Spain a few years ago who said they didn't bother but with Big Brother watching at UK ports I wondered if they were caught!! Go for it and good luck

 

[Bulletguy]

If staying abroad just remember to Tax (and if necessary MOT) the vehicle as you may have problem if involved in an accident or re-entering the UK .I met a couple in Spain a few years ago who said they didn't bother but with Big Brother watching at UK ports I wondered if they were caught!!

Guaranteed 100%.....they will have been 'done' by now. No sympathy though.

Ferry Ports use ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) which electronically logs every single number plate entering and exiting the ports.

 

[Bulletguy]

I'm not saying don't do it - because we are still doing OK after three years - but do think long and hard about selling the house, because it will likely be all down hill from that point on.

I won't be thinking 'long and hard' about selling my house, and i would never buy private property again....ever.

My property value has recently depreciated by almost £50 grand over the past few months so i can identify with everything going 'all downhill'!!

 

[billym]

What work you get depends on what you want to do. We have survived very nicely using

Seasonal Jobs and courses - Summer, Ski, TEFL and Gap year
Caravan Jobfinder UK ... caravan park jobs for the boys - and the girls
Caravan Club magazine adverts

but of course I guess jobs will be harder to get now due to the economy.

Otherwise, as Scotjimland said, as long as you have an address to use you will
have no problem. Stuff Convention......................

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[Tony Lee]

Nope, don't agree with any of that. If you have such a negative attitude to fulltiming why are you still doing it ?

Not sure how you come to conclude that I have a negative attitude to full-timing when all logic would point to the opposite. What I do have a negative attitude to is the clowns who blithely encourage someone to go that way without the faintest idea of their actual situation or previous experience in even part-time motorhoming. Selling the house and swapping a stable lifestyle for the uncertainties of FT MHing is a major decision that needs to be made with a cool head and lots of devil's advocate sort of advice and the usual "you'll love it. Go for it" advice is just not very helpful. I also feel for the wives who get dragged along in their husband's enthusiasm and yet must bear the brunt of what for many women, are very substandard living conditions. Add to that, enforced separation or reduced access to children and grandchildren and things can get pretty bleak.

But as I said - clearly - ignore ALL advice given on this thread because it is very likely to be at best quite useless.

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[zaskar]

Safeguard do full timing Insurance but at a premium, they also allow a higher contents value figure as you will have more value in your van than if you were just on holiday.

Not entirely accurate at best I'm afraid.
If you are fulltiming in an American RV, Safeguard will ABSOLUTLEY NOT insure you for fulltime use.
I KNOW this for a FACT after talking on the telephone to thier MD after a certain RV dealership claimed to offer a fulltimers package via Safeguard.
I STRONGLY suspect that the same will apply to "Eurobus" fulltimers but will happily be corrected if you have the EVIDENCE otherwise.
Safeguard, and other insurers, are VERY well aware that Fulltimers exist and I got the impression on the phone that they would happily offer a fulltimers package IF they could get an underwriter to agree to one.
They have tried (or so they told me) but so far, will no sucess.

 

[Pikey Pete]

Not sure how you come to conclude that I have a negative attitude to full-timing when all logic would point to the opposite. What I do have a negative attitude to is the clowns who blithely encourage someone to go that way without the faintest idea of their actual situation or previous experience in even part-time motorhoming. Selling the house and swapping a stable lifestyle for the uncertainties of FT MHing is a major decision that needs to be made with a cool head and lots of devil's advocate sort of advice and the usual "you'll love it. Go for it" advice is just not very helpful. I also feel for the wives who get dragged along in their husband's enthusiasm and yet must bear the brunt of what for many women, are very substandard living conditions. Add to that, enforced separation or reduced access to children and grandchildren and things can get pretty bleak.

But as I said - clearly - ignore ALL advice given on this thread because it is very likely to be at best quite useless.

I apologise if I have wrongly interpreted your message but even after reading it again and your additional post, it still comes across to me as negative in it's content.
Am I to assume that you feel you are the only one posting on this thread that knows about full timing and therefore all the the other posters who are also fulltimers should have their advice ignored, because according to you they don't know what they are talking about ? Or have I read that wrong as well.

Pete

 

[scotjimland]

I have to agree with Pete, I've read and re read this thread and see no one who said

"you'll love it. Go for it" advice is just not very helpful.

My post was frank and warned of not being complacent about the costs.. I summed up with a warning

Fulltiming isn't a long trip, the first year feels like an endless holiday, but, without work there is no holiday, fulltiming is a lifestyle , and there are as many different types of fulltimers as there are people who live in bricks and mortar...

If you like being 'of no fixed abode' never knowing where you might be the next day, having no security .. go for it, but be pragmatic, it's not for everyone.. and it's not easy.


There is a another thread on here about the downside.. it's worth reading

and it's not like being in a room with the doors nailed up and living on a mattress..

chuck a matress and a few clothes into the kitchen. Buy a porta-pottie and a few large bottles of water. Nail the doors to the rest of the house shut and make sure you can both survive living in a small space for a few months. Then sit down and honestly list the reasons for going full-time and the reasons for not doing it - with special attention by the wife regarding washing and cooking and sanitary facilities.

That is a very negative view, our RV is as comfortable as any house, in fact, better than many, if you were to ask my wife which she prefers she wouldn't hesitate in answering .. the RV .. she has less housework and lacks for none of the facilities we had in our house,.. including an automatic washing machine..


I do understand the 'devils advocate' stance, no point in saying everything is easy but it's not as dire as you paint..

 

[Bulletguy]

Not sure how you come to conclude that I have a negative attitude to full-timing when all logic would point to the opposite. What I do have a negative attitude to is the clowns who blithely encourage someone to go that way without the faintest idea of their actual situation or previous experience in even part-time motorhoming. Selling the house and swapping a stable lifestyle for the uncertainties of FT MHing is a major decision that needs to be made with a cool head and lots of devil's advocate sort of advice and the usual "you'll love it. Go for it" advice is just not very helpful. I also feel for the wives who get dragged along in their husband's enthusiasm and yet must bear the brunt of what for many women, are very substandard living conditions. Add to that, enforced separation or reduced access to children and grandchildren and things can get pretty bleak.
But as I said - clearly - ignore ALL advice given on this thread because it is very likely to be at best quite useless.

Tony

Everyones situation is different though.

In my case i'm in my (very!) late fifties and hoping to eventually take early retirement. I'm divorced so don't have the 'wife problem' you mentioned, though i dread to think what the wives of fulltimers on here make of that view! As for 'reduced access to children' etc, are not most divorced fathers with young children well used to that by now?

My son is now a grown man with his own life to lead and get on with. Financially secure with a well paid job, no mortgage, no debt, and living his life to the full. I have a small amount left to pay off my mortgage and then thats it. At my time of life it makes no sense at all to either buy another property, or carry on paying out wads of cash to maintain a house which has already depreciated in value by £50k over the past year. I'm also now getting tired of the daily drudge to and from work, often in horrendous weather conditions, not to mention the daft times i have to be out driving when it would make more sense keeping off the roads and staying indoors keeping warm.

There are people living what once may have been considered a 'stable lifestyle' in their bricks 'n mortar, shiny new car in the driveway, plus dutiful wife and 2.5 kids or whatever the potty equation is. But for many this idealistic lifestyle has recently imploded.....big time. The 'dream' is over. These folk have been living out their dream on credit. Far from being 'stable', they are now totally off the rails with debts strangling their last living breath as creditors call in their debts.

What people express on here is not necessarily 'advice'......but an opinion. When that opinion differs from your own it doesn't make it 'useless'.....just different.
Pretty much the same as everyones situation is.

 

[bazil750]

Thanks for all your information, we are off on your various links to see what else we can learn. We will look at the down sides to see if it can put us off!!!!

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