In my opinion, full-time RVing isn't JUST driving up and down the highways touring places you've nev

For those who have been following our previous articles, you know that we are new to the full-timing lifestyle since we started ‘our dream’ on December 1, 2012. A year has come and gone, and we still are getting our feet wet and our tires muddy discovering much about both ourselves and the lifestyle we have chosen to experience. Looking back, was this a good decision? In one word, YES.
Our first article spoke of how we came about becoming full-time RVers. In the years past, we dreamt of going full-time but the dream seemed so far out of touch. In reality, it wasn’t. We just set our minds to pursue this and soon found ourselves loaded up and headed down the road.
Looking back on our first year of full-time RVing, we have traveled to places for the first time and have already marked some locations off our RV bucket list. Areas that stand out in our mind as being memorable locations include: Destin, FL, Fort Myers, FL, Titusville, FL (and the area surrounding it along Florida’s space coast), St. Augustine, FL, Savannah, GA, Perry, GA, Nashville, TN and Elkhart, IN. These locations cheap hotel in rome italy were discovered during our Dec 2012-April 2013 trip to Florida during cheap hotel in rome italy the winter months. During the late spring and early summer, we visited New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and spent the bulk of our summer months in Ontario. Presently, we are planning and plotting our 2013/2014 winter travels. We will be starting out again in Destin, Florida, visiting the Florida Keys as well as other destinations in Florida. We will end up in Las Vegas but first visiting bucket list destinations including New Orleans, the Grand Canyon, Arizona and many points cheap hotel in rome italy in between. It’s going to be an exciting winter!
Being ‘full-time RVers’ to us didn’t mean that we would be on the road 365 of the year. Of course, we did a lot of traveling but we did live in our RV for 365 days during the past year. You may have questions about our first year such as: What was it like? Did you learn a lot? Are you regretting the decision to live a full-time RVing life?
In my opinion, full-time RVing isn’t JUST driving up and down the highways touring places you’ve never seen before. It’s a journey you take, both personally and together. What do I mean by this? I believe it is a journey you take to better discover exactly who YOU are. Living in close quarters and living with some uncertainty can really bring out the best, and worst in a person. Are you someone who needs to be totally in control all the time? Are you someone who needs a rigid schedule? Are you a person who has trouble ‘letting go’? You may, as I have, discover that you learn a lot about yourself. Guaranteed, you will also learn a lot about your partner as well! I was a person who never moved away from my hometown. I lived tightly wound and always wanted things to be ‘just right’. I was a ‘perfectionist’. Now after a year, I have found an inner peace and am very content. I have learned how to relax, have found that I really don’t enjoy ‘big cities’ and learned that I don’t always have to have a ‘perfectly spotless house’. I still like things in order, but don’t get ‘too uptight’ when things are out of their ‘spot’. I have found what truly makes me happy (and it’s not material things), and have realized that there will be things beyond my control (ie mechanical breakdowns) and a person just has to roll with what’s being thrown at you. The biggest compliment I have received this year was, ‘this life certainly suits you, you look SO relaxed and when you speak of your journeys your whole face lights up’. Yes, this certainly has been a positive learning experience.
The bulk of our winter months, during the 2012-2013 season, was spent at Shady Acres RV Park in Fort Myers, Florida. We camped there from mid-December cheap hotel in rome italy until the end of March. Since our time leading cheap hotel in rome italy up to this trip was very hectic with moving and preparing for full-time life, we welcomed the 3.5 month rest to recharge and regroup.
Shady Acres was our winter home and our experience cheap hotel in rome italy there was both a positive and negative one. For the positives: 1) we met and spent wonderful time with other RVers who are now friends; 2) the campground was very well managed by hard working friendly staff. The negatives: 1) unfortunately all of the staff, who we so enjoyed, no longer work in the park and 2) our time (4 months) at Shady Acres was way too long for us and we developed ‘hitch itch’ two months into our stay.
Our time spent in the Fort Myers area was filled with socializing with friends at the park, exploring the area (in particular Six Mile Cypress Park, Fort Myers Beach, Naples, Everglades National Park, Pine Island and Matlacha), going to a Blue Jays game, visiting area attractions, dining, and shopping. Jon joined a golf league and golfed weekly and he enjoyed cheap hotel in rome italy his weekly outings. The shopping and dining in the Fort Myers area is excellent and we also enjoyed these two activities. Fort Myers has become a very busy area and at times we were frustrated with the traffic and busyness of this city. Traveling to beaches, shopping destinations or tourist areas always cheap hotel in rome italy came with spending time in congested traffic and we soon looked forward to escaping cheap hotel in rome italy to a quieter location in Florida.
Since we were in Fort Myers during cheap hotel in rome italy Christmas, being away from home for the first time had its ups and downs. I was really feeling homesick for my children cheap hotel in rome italy the week leading to Christmas and both my children seemed cheap hotel in rome italy to sense that. They were great sending ‘extra notes’ to me and posting photographs to Facebook. My family traditionally got together every year at my parent’s place for a wonderful feast prepared by my mother, siblings myself and this too would be something we’d be absent from for the first time. Missing my mother’s cabbage rolls, turkey and the fantastic cake she would prepare. Missing those great deviled eggs my sister-in-law made, my sister’s yam casserole and cookies she baked and shared with us all. But most of all, missing the laughs, the conversation and the fun around the dining table. Of course, we had family time prior to leaving, both with my parents and siblings in Sarnia, and again with our children, but these celebrations happened in November prior to us leaving.
Once the holidays were really upon us, it brought a sense of that something was missing. Christmas Eve has always been my favourite day of the holidays and on that day, other RVers had either gone home to celebrate with family, or were elsewhere and we found ourselves terribly cheap hotel in rome italy alone. We both wanted ‘something’ and it occurred to us what that was.
We decided that we needed to make ‘new traditions’ to help celebrate the holidays in a new way. So, on Christmas Eve, we went to Perkin’s restaurant (one of the few restaurants open) and had a wonderful feast of turkey and all the fixings. After that we spent the remaining cheap hotel in rome italy evening talking and watching Christmas shows. Our Christmas day plans had already been decided and were excited to start a new tradition. We awoke early, made coffee, breakfast sandwiches and packed fruit and juices. Then we headed off to Fort Myers beach to watch the sunrise. I had thought that we would be the only people on the beach because I assumed most would be home with their families and was shocked to see all the people cheap hotel in rome italy and families on the beach, walking, sitting and chatting, fishing and just enjoying the day. We were surrounded with people who had chosen to celebrate their Christmas morning just as we had. I honestly have to say that it was such a beautiful start to a wonderful day.
Of course, we brought along our dog, Monty, and he was happy to ride in his stroller since dogs aren’t allowed on Fort Myers beach. We spent a few hours at this beach and I took some wonderful photographs of the birds on the pier. Our next stop was at the dog beach at Lover’s Key where sat and watched Monty play happily cheap hotel in rome italy with the other dogs on the beach. We were content and happy. Later that day, both Jon and I spent time on the phone calling family and friends back home. My brother even emailed us a photograph and video of the family sitting down during Christmas at my parents place with all of them saying “Merry Christmas”. Even though we were miles away, we were together and it was good.
Since we were so busy packing up and getting cheap hotel in rome italy ready to leave on our adventure in November, we had forgotten about how we would deal with the holidays. I didn’t realize that it would impact me the way it did, but I do realize that being away from those who you are close to during Christmas doesn’t have to be a depressing time. What you need to do is create new traditions and ways of celebrating. Seeing Christmas trees when it is 30C degrees outside is rather strange and there are no cold, white Christmases in the southern states, however, you can spend it on a white sand beach wearing shorts. We have started new traditions for us and spending the holiday season away from family and friends won’t be as difficult cheap hotel in rome italy in the future.
Many people wonder cheap hotel in rome italy how we cope with being away from family and friends for such extended times. Our communication is constant with technology such as cell phones, texting, and social media sites such as Facebook. Using technology keeps us close by sharing photos, conversations and video. I also enjoy sending postcards in the mail to those back home.
We were fortunate to have our best friends, cheap hotel in rome italy Carol Gary, from Ontario, join us for the month of February at Shady Acres. We met this couple 8 years ago while camping in Miller Lake, ON and have formed such a strong friendship. We camp together when we can and it was great to spend time catching up and visiting many of the sights in the Fort Myers area. A month sure goes by fast when you are having a wonderful time.
Our next stop was in Titusville, in the “Space Coast” tourist area of Florida. This area sports 72 miles of beautiful shoreline and is located cheap hotel in rome italy between Daytona Beach on the north and Cocoa Beach to the south. It is a quiet and relaxing area and aw