We Sold Our RV and Bought a New Traveling Lifestyle

 

Last week I told you about how and why we chose to settle in Phoeni, first every winter and then three years later permanently, after eight years of RVing. The winters of the last three years were spent at Viewpoint, a large RV and golf resort in the city. In the third year, at about this time around Christmas, we decided to gift ourselves a change in traveling lifestyle. We bought a small, simple house and sold our RV.

WHAT LED TO OUR DECISION

1.    Completed Goal: North America

By that time, we had visited seven Mexican states, ten Canadian provinces, and 49 American states—had also gone to Hawaii although the RV could not take us there! We realized that we had essentially covered our North American bucket list, chronicled in my first travel book published in 2015: Carolina: Cruising to an American Dream.

2.    New Goal: The World

Meanwhile, our travels abroad have mainly been trips back to the Philippines and to my daughters’ homes—they live in three separate countries: the US, Canada, and Australia.  As we toured all the areas around where they lived, a thirst for the rest of this wonderful world set in. But going home after each trip had become increasingly difficult. Enduring jet lag, we still had to haul our RV from storage, drive it back to Viewpoint, and refit it into the hook-ups.  We couldn’t just turn a key, drop our luggage, and plop into a nice comfy bed.

3.    Lasting Friendships

In addition, even if we met interesting people in the many campgrounds where we had stayed, we often lost contact with them afterward. It’s a not-so-happy consequence of regularly changing our neighborhoods and one of the cons of the full-time RV cruising lifestyle. Meanwhile, in Viewpoint, we were adopted by kindred campers. They included us in their tennis teams, golfing groups, and social events. Four decided to buy homes in the new golf resort phase featuring great-looking, good-sized brand-new manufactured homes. We followed the lead of our new lifelong friends.

4.    Good Healthcare

It was healthcare that led us to stay put at a central location every winter for our medical needs. Fortunately, we found Dr. Rustin Crawford of Cornerstone Family Medicine who diagnosed my two nascent issues and prescribed half of the smallest dose of medications for maintenance. They were quickly arrested. He referred my husband to an excellent cardiologist who fitted him with a pacemaker and a great dermatologist who is controlling skin cancer issues. We wanted Rustin to take care of us until the end. His small clinic has grown to three branches in the East Valley Phoenix Area.  

It all made so much sense. We had to have a permanent home here.

WHAT WE ENDED UP DOING

1.    Buying a House

We chose one of the model units close to the newest clubhouse complex (photo), giving us thousands of dollars of upgrades. The 1,200-square-foot three-bedroom home was more than three times the space we had in the RV. When we moved three months later, I almost got lost! But the biggest thrill was that I had a bride’s dream of being carried over the threshold—at the young age of 70—after a never-ending honeymoon.  Imagine furnishing and decorating our little home— with tastes that are cultures apart and attitudes so stubborn!

2.    Selling Out RV

Selling our RV proved to be a cinch, too. We bought our moving home that took us all over North America for $40,000. It was an 11-year-old Newmar Mountain Aire, one of the best brands and models in the market. On the day we listed it on Craigslist, it sold before noon! With the $10,000 in hand, the math meant that our first home had cost us just $312.50 per month over the previous eight years. It was the best travel investment we could ever have made because we even found the lifestyle more economical than living in an apartment. On top of that, we had rental income from our properties, giving us hefty savings!

WHAT WE GOT WITH THE CHANGE

World Travel

We had wanted to explore more of the other continents. After the house, we invested the balance of our savings in timeshares for our new “traveling lifestyle with a base.” So far, we have made trips to 28 countries, have annual reunions with both of our families in resort destinations around the US and enjoyed an awesome all-inclusive winter vacation for three months each year in Mexico.

Resort Lifestyle

Between trips, we had a resort lifestyle community in Viewpoint. Amenities include three clubhouses, two golf courses, an onsite restaurant and pro shop, four heated swimming pools, five hot tubs, two fitness centers, ten tennis courts, nine pickle ball courts, a shuffleboard court, a ball field, multi-purpose rooms, ballrooms, craft rooms, fifty clubs, and weekly dinners, concerts, and dances. The golf courses are right after the clubhouse near our house. It was a great place to relax and be with friends.

Visits from Family and Friends

The pleasant surprise was that, with more space in our home, lots of resort amenities in Viewpoint, and Arizona endowed with great landmarks such as the Grand Canyon National Park or lovely Sedona— many of our favorite people have come to visit and stay with us for vacations. This has been the additional blessing of owning a home. Family and friends now have a place to stay to be with us. Consider yourself invited!

A Covid-19 Sanctuary

And when the pandemic upended our lives, our home became a great sanctuary for the tiny bubble I shared with my husband. We have added a 200-square-foot Arizona room for my writing area and our playroom that converts into a guest room. Yes, that’s where you’ll stay!

I must admit that I miss RVing, every time I see one going down a freeway or parked at Walmart, especially when it became the safest way to travel during COVID-19 days. But not my husband— neither the driving nor the hooking or unhooking. I guess we can’t have it all; not forever. Anyway, a change always settles on being good again. 

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How We Chose to Settle in Phoenix After RVing for 8 Years