Would like all of your imput on this. Please

Still Totally ADD

Both Reopened Mind and I are now in our early 60's and it seems our conversations lately have been on putting everything up for sale and buying a RV and travel until we can't anymore. It has been a dream of ours for along time to see all the site's in the U.S. and Canada. We feel we could make money as we go by selling and teaching using herbs and gardening. We have many contacts when it comes to that. If that does not work we could do odd jobs to support us. We would only do this when we can collect S.S. I know for many this sounds crazy but as we have come to realize you only live once. Our health is good and we are both very strong for our age. Reopened Mind is a herblist and wants to see other areas of the country and study other herbs that grow in that area. For me I would love to teach others about high density gardening so everyone could have fresh food. We both love camping and the outdoors. The biggest thing that concerns us is what would happen to us when we get to old to travel? Will we have enough money for this? Would we wake up 1 year into this adventure and say "what have we done". We both have worked for ourselves for most of our life so selling ourself would not be a problem in making extra money. Also we both feel if we don't try it, it will be something we will always regret. Plus we feel we would be able to meet some of you wonderful folks out there. One big dream is to go to flippers camping get together. We are both looking at this very closely weighing the pros and the cons of this idea. This would be something that we would undertake in about 2 to 3 years. So Please we are looking for all your opinions on this matter. For we feel this would be very helpful for us. I will from this point making a update on this from time to time so all will know which direction we will be going. Thank you for all your help. Still Totally ADD

cult classic

That sounds like it would be very exciting. How would you market your business(es) as you travel? I would think the biggest issue would be keeping a steady income stream going. Once the financial plan is reasonably solid, I would say go for it.

Freedom77

Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

What does "everything" include? If you're selling a house that you've owned for a long time, you will never again be able to buy a house if you blow all the proceeds on traveling around. (I think you'd also be liable for extra income taxes if you didn't buy another house with the money in a certain amount of time, but check with your accountant on that.) So where would you live if you couldn't travel anymore?

What will "selling everything" net you? If it's only $50,000, heck no put your money in the bank and stay home, travel on weekends. If it's $5 million, well, put a fifth in savings and have fun! If it's somewhere in between, count the cost as someone once said.

If a semi smashed into you, or one of you tripped over a stump and broke a vertebra, or had a heart attack (which happens to plenty of strong, healthy people unexpectedly after 60), or came down with a bad case of tick fever or Lyme disease, or for any reason needed lots of medical/nursing care and expensive pharmaceuticals, and the other had to take care of the sick one full time -- what would you do?

Have you got close, loving, financially independent children who in the worst case scenario would look after you and either take you in or make sure you had decent accommodation, utilities, food, medical care?

I know of lots of folks over 60 who have bought a Winnebago or whatever and toured around the country - but they still kept their house and had somewhere to come home to when the road got too tiresome.

I wouldn't recommend any couple at your age hitting the road without first having two or three years' complete living expenses locked away in a savings account or very very very safe investment.

But then - as you said you only live once. You can do anything you want to do - as long as you're willing to take the consequences.

jgnat

I have a similar dream to travel my summers providing instruction in remote mountain communities. I would have to establish a schedule first. The internet makes this easier. Do you have a twitter account? That might make it easier to connect to other herbalists as you travel. I notice that RV travellers eventually settle in to an RV park when they slow down.

millie210

Maybe this will help you...

http://www.rv-dreams.com/journal.html

I actually follow their travels. On the website you can find out how they got started, their financial advice, how to make money etc...

I say you should go for it!

ABibleStudent

Hi Still Totally ADD, Have you thought about renting an RV in the next two to three years for about a month to see if you like living on the road? It is better to try it before you sell everything to do it permanently.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

nonjwspouse

Renting an RV is an excellent option in my opinion. Try it out.

Community colleges have classes in such things as a specific gardening style, or for an herbalist who wants to teach something specific. Send out information to as many as you can/want to offer a course. Do you have a website? That would help a lot! In our area we have a huge interest in the type gardening you so, as well as organic. We have a huge community organic garden in a very blighted area downtown. It is a thriving garden complete with beehives, fruit trees, egg producing chickens, worm farm etc....

I do think it's a nice idea, but needs good planning. Selling the house, may or may not be. Not enough info. I feell renting a small apt or house etc, is an excellent option for older folk, especially if they eventually find an area, or residence, isn't right for them they can just move whenever they feel like it without hassles. But, that requires having the $$ for rent. Even though owning a house is also a monthly cost in reality with property taxes, insurance, and maintenance, it is still ususally cheaper. But only you can do that math.

Magnum

If you can financially handle it, then by all means go for it. To me there is nothing more stimulating, interesting, fun, etc. than traveling and seeing and experiencing things. It is the dream of me and my wife to do it. We are mid 50ish. There are many places in my own state and within a few miles of my own house that I haven't seen and would love to see and experience. I don't understand how people can retire and just sit stale in one area. I want to see it all.

If you get an RV, get a simple, well-built one. If you get too old to travel, you can find a park somewhere to put it permanently - maybe, for example, a pretty park in Florida for those 55 and above. When I get older, I don't want a lot of house and yard to have to worry about; I'm trying to ged rid of mine now.

Travel, travel, travel. There is so much to see. Forty years ago, my grandparents, my mother, my sister, and I went on a three-week road trip to the western U.S. We went to all the national parks, old silver mining towns, etc. I will never forget it; to this day it inspires me thinking about it and seeing photos. And it was not only the attractions such as those just mentioned that were memorable, but also just the scenery and experiences we had the whole time. Just riding and looking out the window was fun. I want my wife to see the west.

We both want to do a lengthy tour of Florida; we want to start at the top of one coast and travel the entire coastline - all the way down and back up the other side. Then, after that, we want to tour the interior. There is much to see and do there, too. The U.S. has a very diverse landscape and geography and much interesting history and culture. There is so much to see - New England, the Outer Banks of NC, the midwest farming region, etc. There are also many off-the-beaten-path small towns with interesting histories.

I agree with you; you only live once. Don't spend the time you have left in a stale and uninspiring environment. Get out and see everything you can. Go til you can't go anymore. Then retire in a park and spend your days reading, walking to the beach (if you can), etc.

Sometimes when I stop at travel centers off interstate highways, I watch the travelers and wish I was on the road. I especially watch the older folks with RVs and I envy them. They always seem to be happier and more into life than the older folks I know who just get up in the morn and spend their days in the same old place living out their days. My wife and I often observe with envy the RVers who park overnight in WalMart parking lots. They seem to be having so much fun; it seems they're on adventure.

So, again, if you can make it financially, go for it.

happy@last

Some good advice already, I would say go for it but don't gamble all you have on it, always have a backup plan

Still Totally ADD

I don't know where to start. You all have given us alot to think about. I will add a little more information to this subject. We live in a mortgage free log home in NW PA in a valley looking at a mountian range. It truly is a million dollar view. We live out in the country. Have a large garden and chickens. My wife and I are working on starting a herbal teaching center we already have a sign up that looks like a sun flower that says "Love Your Weeds" Herblist teaching center. I have a large workshop were I do some funriture refinishing. I find old wood and furiture and people throw and and restore it and sell it. When we found our home it was one more rain storm from being torn down. I have been in construction all my life and this was exactly what we wanted. We totally gutted it and redid the whole house. New everything. I used alot of old barn wood and wood trim from 150 year old homes from around here. It is all done now. It is a very cheap house to live in. As you can see this is a very daunting idea we are thinking about. We own a place still in FL as soon as my mother passes away we can sell it. We would also have to sell this home we live in here in PA to make this all work. So should we give up the somewhat security of our home or sell everything and go on the road? We would have to sell everything to make this work. Again thanks for all the comments we will both study what you have all said. Still Totally ADD

Would like all of your imput on this. Please

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