The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Our RV'ing story

We have a lot of new readers, and not all of you know how we got into this Rv'ing thing. So for a change of pace we thought we'd tell you all the story.

It was July of 2007. We were living in a four bedroom house in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario, where we had brought up our children for the last 12 years or so.

But three of the bedrooms were empty. Our daughter was living with her boyfriend in Nova Scotia, and our son was going to college in the States. I was feeling like I needed a change...maybe sell the house and move into a condo downtown or something. Ruth wasn't working at the time, but I had a job that I loved...doing contract lease return inspections for GMAC.

A few years before, we had signed up to a website called http://www.globalfreeloaders.com/ where travelers stay in other peoples houses for free. Since then, a similar but better website has come along http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Anyhow, we received an email requesting accomodation. It was from a British couple who said that they were traveling North America in their small motorhome and they were looking to park in our driveway while they took the local bus to explore Ottawa. Glen and Steve stayed with us for four days, and by the end of their stay I was ready to sell the house and buy a motorhome.

It took a little while to talk Ruth into the idea because she was pretty happy with the house and had spent a lot of time on her garden. Also, her mother was entering the later stages of Alzheimers disease and she was hesitant about taking off during that period. But by the beginning of August 2007, we made the decision. Sell the house, and buy a motorhome!

So that's what we did. We spent the month of August 2007 getting the house ready for sale and started to sell most of our belongings. The day after labour day weekend in early September, we listed the house. We listed it privately because I don't like using real estate agents. Two weeks later, we had a firm offer, with a closing date of October 5, 2007.

Towards the end of September we had a big ass garage sale, and sold just about everything we owned. Of course in the meantime, we shopped for and purchased Sherman. Bought him in New York State and did all the importation paperwork with the government. What a busy two months we had! From the time we made the commitment until the time we took off in the motorhome was almost exactly two months!

Three years and three months later, sitting in Huatulco, Mexico, we have absolutely no regrets. It's funny to think that prior to October 2007, I had never been in a motorhome in my life. Now I live in one, and have driven it all over Mexico. I've also worked two summers at an RV dealership. Had you told me four years ago that I would be doing this I would have said you were crazy. But here we are!

You never know what the future holds, and we are proof of that. Take hold of your life and do the things that you want to do!

15 comments:

  1. We have been living in our motor home for over 4 years. The hardest thing I ever did was to sell everything I collected or saved over the years. After unloading everything, it felt great!

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  2. well done and we hope to follow your footsteps soon...

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  3. Easy for me, I can live out of a suitcase. Hopefully we will at least be on the road six months a year. Right now it's 3C and I would rather be in Huatulco. Congratulations!

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  4. Were just biding time until Donna can retire and we will be out of here and on the road, Right now we try to get a few trips in a year just to keep the dream alive. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna...

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  5. Kevin and Ruth, your post was both excellent and very inspiring. I know many people who would love to do what you two did or are already working toward that goal.

    John
    relaxedrush.blogspot.com

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  6. It's nice to hear the history behind your RVing. I've heard a number of stories from fulltimers who saw someone else doing it, thought "AWESOME!" and then ended up in their own home on wheels. (Us too, I guess...)

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  7. Nice story. We have been full timing for four years and set our stuff adrift without ever looking back.

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  8. Gail...I found that as well. Once I made the decision and started going through everything and then selling it all, I felt liberated. What a great feeling.

    heyduke50...Thanks, good luck with your house. Your day is coming real soon!

    Chris...I know you can. Your day will come soon. We wish you were here too. 3C in Mexico, that is crazy! Hope things warm up soon.

    Sam and Donna...I think she should pack it in now. She works way too hard. Have you made plans for a late winter getaway yet?

    John and Ellen...Thanks! We know its not for everyone, but we are certainly enjoying life, just as you are even though you still have a home to go back too.

    ourtakeonfreedom...Never knew this life existed until we met our friends Glen and Steve. Always thought RV's were for vacations. Glad you are enjoying the life too!

    Chuck and Anneke...I don't think we will either. Keep on enjoying it!

    Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey

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  9. Pretty sure I could live out of a motorhome, don't see it as any different than a small apartment on wheels!

    Good story, great to hear you are living your dream.

    Cheers!

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  10. Wow, things really happened fast for you. Interesting story.

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  11. WBY...I guess it depends on the size of the motorhome. I've seen some that were nicer than any apartment I ever lived in. Our is fairly small in comparison to many, but it suits us fine.

    You will be living your dream one day soon too!

    Karen and Al...Yep, things went real fast. We were lucky that we had a good housing market at the time. Good luck with your place, maybe it won't be too much longer for you.

    Kevin and Ruth

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  12. How neat that you guys evolved from couch surfing hosting to full time RVing!

    We were both campers as kids, and when we met, Steveio was pleased that I too was a Happy Camper. Going full-time has been our dream once he can retire, and the dream only gets stronger and stronger with each passing year. We have the rig, just have to wail till April 22, 2013 to be set free!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  13. Karen and Steve...We still do the couchsurfing, but now we are on the other end.

    Kevin and I have always loved camping. I did a lot when I was young with my family, but we always pictured ourselves tenting. We weren't much for all the conveniences that come with an RV until Glen and Steve told us about dry camping and boondocking, we were sold then.

    Two years is such a long time to wait. Great that you go out a lot over the summer months.

    Kevin and Ruth

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  14. Fun to read your story. Like you we had not RVed before we decided to full time. We are almost a year in the RV and wouldn't go back.

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  15. Janie and John...I somehow think that is the way it is with a lot of RV's when they start to fulltime. Afterward you look back and think why didn't we do this sooner. Happy that you enjoyed our story.

    Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey

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