- July 27th, 2015, 8:55 am
#81622
As some of you know, I also have a little travel blog/RVing site that I run for fun - Tar Heel Camper. I don't like to blatantly promote it here but I have had an increasing number of questions about it and our RV. My wife and I grew up with both of our parents having small travel trailers and we both did some local camping. We loved it and set a goal when we were married over 26 years ago to have our own some day.
For years we couldn't afford to travel have recently been able to. We found that the motel scene doesn't work well for our special needs son who needs a familiar place to retreat to, so we started working harder to save and were finally able to purchase our own travel trailer 10 years ago. Since then we found that road tripping is much easier in a motor home (which I swore I would NEVER buy) but here we are. My site, http://www.tarheelcamper.com, is a series of pages about RVing and photo trip reports of some of the places we have been to.
We currently have a 36 1/2' long Winnebago Itasca Sunstar Class A motorhome. It has 1 1/2 bathrooms, a bunkhouse, 3 slides, and sleeps 8 comfortably but sucks on gas mileage to feed the thirsty V10 gas engine (8 MPG downhill with a tail wind). We are fully self-contained and can park nearly anywhere with the included 5 Kw generator. Here are some pictures:
It is easier to drive than you may think, thanks to the rear camera, and a camera on each side to eliminate any blind spots. It handles like a truck and requires active driving with both hands (not passive driving like you do in a car with one hand). It is a big sail going down the road and cross winds can catch you off guard if you are not actively driving it. It has a governor that cuts out the engine at 75 MPH and usually adds about 30 minutes to each 4 hours of traveling compared to driving in a car.
This post isn't intended to boast, but, again, I have had numerous requests to post some information on here. How did we do it? By being frugal over the years. I'm still driving my old (paid for) car and don't get a new one every three years. We get 3+ years from our cell phones and buy our clothes on sale. After I got out of the Marine Corps, I worked full time during the day and went to school full time at night while having a family so I could try and get a better job. We cut expenses every chance we get. We prioritize our desires into needs and wants and often go without the wants in favor of having a RV.
If you are ever considering a RV, feel free to contact me as I can give you some advice from our experience. It's great for road trips but requires careful planning and budgeting. Purchasing a RV took sacrifices and because of it I will have to work 5-10 years longer. It is worth it, though, as you never know if you will live to retirement. I'd rather work 10 more years but create some lasting memories with my family.
For years we couldn't afford to travel have recently been able to. We found that the motel scene doesn't work well for our special needs son who needs a familiar place to retreat to, so we started working harder to save and were finally able to purchase our own travel trailer 10 years ago. Since then we found that road tripping is much easier in a motor home (which I swore I would NEVER buy) but here we are. My site, http://www.tarheelcamper.com, is a series of pages about RVing and photo trip reports of some of the places we have been to.
We currently have a 36 1/2' long Winnebago Itasca Sunstar Class A motorhome. It has 1 1/2 bathrooms, a bunkhouse, 3 slides, and sleeps 8 comfortably but sucks on gas mileage to feed the thirsty V10 gas engine (8 MPG downhill with a tail wind). We are fully self-contained and can park nearly anywhere with the included 5 Kw generator. Here are some pictures:
It is easier to drive than you may think, thanks to the rear camera, and a camera on each side to eliminate any blind spots. It handles like a truck and requires active driving with both hands (not passive driving like you do in a car with one hand). It is a big sail going down the road and cross winds can catch you off guard if you are not actively driving it. It has a governor that cuts out the engine at 75 MPH and usually adds about 30 minutes to each 4 hours of traveling compared to driving in a car.
This post isn't intended to boast, but, again, I have had numerous requests to post some information on here. How did we do it? By being frugal over the years. I'm still driving my old (paid for) car and don't get a new one every three years. We get 3+ years from our cell phones and buy our clothes on sale. After I got out of the Marine Corps, I worked full time during the day and went to school full time at night while having a family so I could try and get a better job. We cut expenses every chance we get. We prioritize our desires into needs and wants and often go without the wants in favor of having a RV.
If you are ever considering a RV, feel free to contact me as I can give you some advice from our experience. It's great for road trips but requires careful planning and budgeting. Purchasing a RV took sacrifices and because of it I will have to work 5-10 years longer. It is worth it, though, as you never know if you will live to retirement. I'd rather work 10 more years but create some lasting memories with my family.
370 Coasters
