Being "Seasonal"

So one of the most fascinating things to me of late has been the people who are "seasonal". We've seen a lot of it in the last couple of campgrounds, particularly Chincoteague, New Jersey, and here in Connecticut. A seasonal person is someone who buys the lot on a monthly (or longer) basis, pays a monthly (or however the campground breaks it up) fee, and then usually pays for their electrical needs on a metered basis.

They usually have very set and elaborate spreads. I've taken some pictures of what we've seen (shown) and its all just very interesting to me. These people decorate their 'space', put gravel into their campsites, even build decks and sheds - and some never, ever move their trailers. Those probably pay a yearly fee to be where they are and its clear - they don't plan on leaving. I thought - why would anyone do that? They aren't there all the time and they are paying for space that they don't use except for XYZ time... and then I got it. Its simply a second house - a vacation house. You pay taxes, nominal utilities, even a mortgage for a vacation house when you aren't there. Instead of having a million dollar vacation house, why not have a $20,000 vacation house and do with it as you please? In fact, I talked with people the other night that bought their trailer for less than $4K, and have lived in it full-time/seasonal for 10 years... The fees for the campsite have to be cheaper than taxes and homeowners fees. In fact, you could do it in a different place every year, just number the boards on your elaborate deck, take it down when you leave and put it back up at your next location. Take 2 days to construct something that will be there for four months - easy! Even better - you could have 5 places in different locations for the price of one normally priced house... starting to look pretty good, huh?

In reality, I'm thinking that when we're done - if we ever "finish" this trip - that this might be a great way to go. Find a lake, get a good spot, build a deck and a screened porch. Travel up on the weekends and have a place that is pretty much like a condo, in the woods (or wherever), with plenty of sleeping quarters and a place for any other RV friends to meet as well... Everyone wins, and for a reasonable price :)

Where do you Thrive...

Jill found a note that I wanted to publish here to show it to the world, and to give a little insight as to our trip and the many reasons behind it. I like what he has to say, and I think that's going to be a large part of what we are doing. I've seen this first hand over the last year or so, and I'm even more keen to watch for it in others now. There is something about being happy where you are bringing a sense of happiness to other aspects of your life.

So, without further ado and no more gilding of the lily...

Today, June 08, 2009 • Michael Davis

Comedian Patton Oswalt gave a commencement speech to his former High School where he told the story of man who told him about the 'Five Environments'. The story resonated with me. I grew up in San Diego, a lovely city that most people would feel lucky to live in.. I hope it makes sense to you too.

"There are Five Environments you can live in on this planet. There's The City. The Desert. The Mountains. The Plains. And The Beach. You can live in combinations of them. Maybe a city in the desert, or in the mountains by the ocean. Or you could choose just one. Out in the plains somewhere, perhaps.

"But you need to get out there and travel, and figure out where you thrive. Some places you'll go to and you'll feel yourself wither. Your brain will fog up, your body won't respond to your thoughts and desires, and you'll feel sad and angry.

"You need to find out which of the Five Environments are yours. If you belong by the ocean, then the mountains will ruin you. If you're suited for the blue solitude of the plains, then the city will be a tight, roaring prison cell that'll eat you alive.

"He was right. I've traveled and tested his theory and he was absolutely right. There are Five Environments. If you find the right combination, or the perfect singularity, your life will click... into... place. You will click into place."

Europe…Ooh la la!

Jill's Journal: When Rob shared his RVing through Europe idea as an epilogue to our US adventure, I about peed my pants!! WHAT a brilliant idea! I’m almost more fired up about that than I was about our North America plan! Unbelievable. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. It’s beyond brilliant and so very, very doable, especially after a few years of doing it here. And then there’s Australia and goodness knows where else… We could either ship our rig or sell what we have stateside and buy one there more suited to the local roads and lifestyles… Oh, the dreaming and scheming I am going to do!

I thought I was excited about our trip, but now I am ridiculously thrilled about it! What fabulous prospects are out there … the only limits on our future are our own imaginations!

Europe bound?

Last night I was watching Bourne and thought, you know - if we can do the RV in the US - we could really do that in Europe too. That movie shows an awful lot of fantastic sights and scenes and things that I would very much like to see.

I'm sure there are some logitical problems, but that's a good two years or more away, and we'll have to see how everything shakes out between now and then. I am however pretty certain that if we can do it here, we can do it there.

If we were to do it, I'd have to do a lot of research about vehicle length, width, fuel, types, etc. I know that there are differrent laws over there and I'm not entirely keen on all the hoops we'd probably have to jump through, but it'd be worth it if I can put up with it and keep the right attitude.

Personally, I'd like to see all the different things that Europe has to show me and my family, and I'd like to learn and teach the cultures and heritage that the area would have to offer. I could see a good amout of time in Western Europe, and while going into Eastern Europe would be interesting, it would all depend on how much time we wanted to spend. If I think it'll take a long time to move around over here, I can imagine how much time it'll take over there.

I suppose our primary countries would be: Italy, Spain, France, Germany (I mean - the autobahn in a 450 towing 40' of house... oh yeah!), the Netherlands, Denmark and I'm sure England/Ireland/Scotland would all be something to do. Secondary trips could include Monaco, Iceland (I've always wanted to go), Moscow (maybe a weekend trip), and Sweden/Finland/Norway just to see what that area is like. We'd need our passports in hand, that's for sure.

Worst case scenario is that the girls would all be much older, and could understand that they need to survive with less space. We could just sell the rig over here and buy something more suitable to life over there - we'll see. I'd think that over there I'd be very, very interested in a class C or A. Maybe by that point I'll have won the World Series and no longer need to work... HA!