I didn't mis-understand your 1st post, but I do this one. In the
original post you said you were "done raising all 6 of my children",
and I assumed that was in addition to the 13 year old that is still in
school. Now you are saying "my girls will be out on adventures". So
which is it, 1 13 year old and you visiting the rest as you 1st
stated, or a motorhome full taking off together? You aren't just
stringing us a line are you?

Tom J

I see where "bashfulnv1" <initforlove1@aol.com> contributed:

You "need help" for sure.  If you're easily offended, deete this reply
NOW.   Because I do not sugar coat my advice.

Before buying ANYTHING spend the few bucks needed to buy into the RV
Consumers Group - (www.rv.org) ratings, buying advice, etc.  It will
cost less than a tank of fuel and save you lots of trouble.  IF you
take trhe trouble to read the stuff and get educated.

FORGET allowing a 13-yr-old pick a floor plan, or allowing an rv
salesman tell you what to buy!  The former knows NOTHING yet about
what's OK, and the latter specializes in the Four F's: Fabrics, Floor
Plan, Features and Financing.  Normally, he/she knows diddly squat
about safety, load capacity, and handling issues.

Have an attack of common sense and wangle a short trip WITH someone
else - you may find you don't like it, or the kid (how many you
_really_ plan on is pretty vague!) will have an epiphany and discover
she is far too sophisticated to be a gypsy.  

Unless you have $$$$$$ to burn, buy used.  There is no way you will
know what you like until you're tried one for a while, and the best
way to lose your nest egg is buying a new RV that you hate.

[As a matter of curiosity, do you have any concept of what it costs to
buy, license, insure, supply and maintain a motorhome?  Or to fix it
when (not if) something breaks?   Do you know about machinery, or is
that beneath your dignity?]

Here is some more stuff to read, from my old boilerplate file:
======================
Yrs trly is quoted widely on the web as the author of a very pro-RV
essay _WHY RV?_ which spelled out many of the reasons we and others
strongly prefer rv travel.  We like it so much we've done it for 45+
years, and still like it even though we no longer travel as much as we
once did.

BUT we see a lot of messages here from starry-eyed dreamers who seem
oblivious to the many potential barriers to enjoying the rv travel
life. So in the interest of far and balanced commentary and at the
known risk of once again attracting flames from the usual morons,
idjits, fools and bozos, I offer some free thoughts to cause you to DO
YOUR HOMEWORK before buying an rv.  In no particular order:

STORAGE?  Where in Hell (Michigan or elsewhere) are you going to store
the dang thing when not in use?   We personally have a fine storage
shed on our remote country property. Do you? Does your Zoning Czar
approve?  Storing out in the weather is Not Good, though many do it
anyway and suffer from sun fade, humidity, s**w, tree sap, and of
course vandalism.  Storage lots involve $$$, time, and serious
inconvenience - not to mention security questions.

COSTS? You must think you can afford to _buy_ an RV or you wouldn't be
reading this.  You've probably already priced them.  But can you
afford the insurance, licenses, fuel (!), taxes, maintenance & repair?
Have you priced the tires?  Do you realize how few places do RV
service - and how long it takes to get an appointment and how much
THEY charge? And about those CG fees.  Your grand daddy might have
paid $1-$5 for a site, but times have changed. Even if you buy (for
more $$$) a membership deal, typical CG fees today rival (and
occasionally exceed) the cost of motel rooms. And the freebee
overnights?  Well, see below.

TALENT?  Do you have the driving skills?  Most do, some don't and may
live to be 80 without learning.  More important, if you know nearly
nothing about plumbing, wiring, and mechanic stuff, you may find
yourself not only perpetually bewildered and inconvenienced, but at
the mercy of tow trucks, "rv technicians" and their cash registers.

TIME?  How much time does it take to maintain a house? It takes nearly
that much to maintain an RV.  You can always throw money at it, but
_somebody_ is going to clean, shine, repair, fix, clean, adjust,
winterize, check, repair, clean, change the oil, unwinterize, inspect
and otherwise keep the ship afloat.  And speaking of time - how much
of the time will you use it? If it is 2 weeks a year, maybe you should
consider seeing a shrink.

WHERE TO STAY?  First, you can FORGET the idyllic scenes from the rv
ads showing you camped in luxury on a manicured beach-front paradise
sucking on a cold brew. Those places exist, of course, but so do
lottery winners.  In the Real World, the vast majority of the really
nice spots are expensive/exclusive "resort" facilities for which you
and your $$$ must qualify, or else are simply off limits to you and
your rv.  Many more sites are small, close together, distant from the
water, and may or may not have the facilities you & yours wish to
enjoy.  Freebees (or nearly so) exist in some areas, and a few are
nice indeed but typically have NO services or hookups.  The Wal*Mart
parking lot is popular as an overnight but is increasingly verboten
because of abuse by the greedy and/or nitwit local regulations. Truck
stops & rest areas can be used on a spotty basis if that is your idea
of traveling enjoyment, but are increasingly unsatisfactory with most
of us.

WHAT TO VISIT?  As the nation's bureaucrats try to show evidence of
their intense interest in "security" and "preservation of wilderness
areas", your ability to drive to and around major attractions is being
increasingly restricted.  Don't ask me to explain why an rv fits the
profile of a terrorist threat and a sedan doesn't, so you'll have to
figure that for yourself.  But that issue aside, there are plenty of
nice places to visit that don't allow big rigs.  And though
enforcement is so far virtually non-existent, there are plenty of
roads that are legally off limits to anything over 96" wide.  (Tried
to buy a MH under 102" lately?)

MAYBE SHE (OR HE) WON'T LIKE IT!  Really.  There are folks who Just
Don't Get It.  If you are married (legally or otherwise) to one of
those people - and value the relationship - you do NOT belong in an
rv.  Maybe YOU think the objections are absurd, but if momma ain't
happy, ain't nobody happy. What are the objections?  Well, they range
from "I yam _not_ cooking, making beds, and doing laundry on vacation"
to "Oh dear wot if we break down?" and "Don't they have snakes and
spiders Out There?".  

============

If all this sounds terribly negative and discouraging, sorry.  For
many of us, the huge benefits (and our circumstances) more than
outweigh the negatives.  But if you expect to enjoy rv travel, you
need to think about these issues and how they might get in the way of
your enjoyment.

Will ---- the Curmudgeon of Sill Hill
Before flaming, pause.  I post to help rv'ers and annoy the snot
out of morons, idjits, fools and bozos - - and to irk their ilk.
Often, I do both at once.

 

Will Sill
The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 00:22:06 GMT, "JerryD\(upstateNY\)"
<jerry@righthere.com> wrote:

I think being in close quarters with a teenage girl is my idea of
hell.

Also, from a girl's view... girls like their privacy at that age, and
I don't see how she could get any privacy living with an adult male.

Hunter
--

http://members.aol.com/hhamp5246/roadtrip2005.htm

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "...holy sh.t...what a ride!"