Making the switch…

          Four months ago, I mentioned having been bitten by the travel bug. I had mentioned that myself and my boyfriend, Paul, would be planning a cross country road trip for 2017. While that wasn’t too long ago, it was just a pipe dream at that stage. A definite desire, but nowhere near having any concrete anything to back it up. I did some legwork and borrowed books from the library to “plan our trip.” I got halfway through a USA Road Trip book and then it was time to return it. I haven’t planned since. Don’t get me wrong, the desire was still there, but the planning part seemed too big of an obstacle to really undertake. I wasn’t prepared. Planning a 4-6 month vacation across 48 states? Tell me that’s not intimidating!

          Well, now it is July and we are starting to look for a used RV to purchase. Yes, it just got real. And it’s more involved than I previously had thought. Class A, Class C. Composting toilet. White tank, gray tank, black tank. Boondocking, dry camping. Terms I didn’t know before. It turns out there is a LOT we need to learn about RVs! We are (unintentionally and luckily) researching separate topics, which – in the end – will result in a plethora of knowledge. While we are in this research stage though, we are actively looking for an RV to call our own.

          In our search, we’ve encountered scams and found some really cool (and expensive) used RVs. The more recent models are obviously the most expensive. Most older models we have come across are still in good condition, and some have had serious renovations done to keep them up to date and looking pretty. We’re looking for something somewhere in between. Not too old, not too expensive. And also, not too far from us – although I’m sure if we stumbled upon a good find, we’d make it happen.

          We haven’t yet seen any RVs in person, which is a big and necessary step, but we are getting there. As with any important purchase, we have a budget in mind, with some flexibility. We know we don’t want to spend more than $7,000. But we’re looking more in the $5K range. Also keeping in mind that a $5K may need more updating than a $7K. Definitely looking for the most bang for our buck. Now knowing how involved just purchasing the vehicle will be, I’m glad we’ve started the process now. Both of us are burying ourselves in research – not just for buying an RV, but also how to live in an RV (even if it’s just temporary), planning the trip, packing for the trip, bringing our little dog along, and my most recent interest: making money while we travel.

          There are already so many travel bloggers, photographers, vloggers, etc. I can’t count myself in on that yet, but it seems that is where I’m headed. It’s funny how life changes isn’t it? Never in a million years would I have thought, “Yes, travel blogging is a definite career/life goal for me.” But here we are! I’m not exactly sure what blogging about my travels will entail just yet. I’m imagining posts about planning, packing, our journey for buying a used RV, and then eventually our actual trip! And, of course, the added element of bringing our Beagle, Pookie, along. I feel photography, and maybe eventually vlogging, will come along with this once we are out on the road.

          There is so much information already about RV-ing and prepping for it, but I haven’t yet found one solid spot that maps out the process from deciding to get out on the road to actually getting there. (And to be fair, maybe I haven’t looked hard enough!) Therefore, I am aspiring to be that spot. An added bonus would be to generate an income from this, but that’s not my sole focus right now. And we are only planning to go for about a six-month stint. If we were moving into an RV and using it as a permanent home, I would definitely be more aggressive in making this a lucrative hobby. For now, though (since we don’t know what the future may hold), this will be a nice little side writing project. Anything more than that is just gravy.

          So, friends, if you have any tips or suggestions, lay ’em on me! Asking for direction will soon become a regular thing for us.