Recreational Vehicles

Lesson 2: Lesson Two: Let's Find a Dealer, Buy That RV And Get On The Road

Getting Ready For The Road

Developing a plan to get on the road for longer than a weekend will take you some time and a lot of soul searching. We had developed a three-year plan, which included getting both the RV and the truck to pull it. Here are some of the other things that need to be considered:

1. First pick the date you want to leaving. Be sure to make the date far enough in the future so you can have everything done and ready for your departure. Do not make the date so far in the future that you will put those things that you need to do off until later. Keep up - time has a way of sneaking up on you. Work toward that date. Make a "things to-do" calendar and mark it with event dates and the number of days to go. Work toward those dates. Check off the days and events.

2. You need to downsize everything. This is probably the toughest job that you will have in your things to do. You can’t take everything with you. You just don’t have the room - it's just that simple. Start taking note of those things that you use and those things that you don’t use. I’m talking here about everything from clothes and shoes to hand and power tools and kitchen utensils. Take half of your garage (you know the part you aren’t using) and divide it into sections. Label the sections with a disposition tag, i.e. "give to son", "give to daughter", "garage sale", "throw away", "give to Goodwill", etc. You get the idea. Now start placing those items that you can’t take with you in the appropriate section and let them go.

3. Make a list and a copy of all your important papers, insurance policies, stocks, bank accounts, the whereabouts of any other monies, internet passwords etc. Something else that needs to be on this list is the bills that need to be paid, how much they are and most important when they are due. Should something happen to you on the road the loved ones you left behind will need this information. Make sure that this list is treated with the security it deserves.

4. If you use the Internet to do your banking, consider E-billing. There are many companies that will send e-bills to your bank. You can then decide how you are going to pay them. I have mine set up to pay the minimum amount due. This is the way it works. Let's say I have a credit card. They e-bill me just the same as sending a monthly paper statement. On that e-bill is a minimum due just as the paper bill. I have my account set up to pay that minimum. That way if we are on the road we don’t miss a payment. I then go in and change that payment to what ever I want to pay or leave it at the minimum. Check with the companies that you deal with to see if you can stop the monthly paper bill. Turn off as much paper as you can.

5. Mail on the road is another problem that needs some thought. At first we thought our son would forward our mail for us but that didn’t work well. His priority was not our mail. We now use a mail forwarding service. They forward our mail on the schedule that I pick and they will send to my new location with a phone call, no charge no matter how many times I have changed it. It costs a little but it is well worth it. It is also a legal address for residency in the state of Florida. You need to set up your mail forwarding before you actually leave. Have it forwarded to you just as though your address was far far away. This way you can be sure all of your mail is actually being forwarded and you haven’t forgotten anything.

6. When you travel extensively there comes the residency vs. domicile question. I need to make a small disclaimer here...this information is provided for information purposes only so that you will be aware of these issues. It is not to be taken as legal or financial advice. Scared now? Don’t be, but this a crucial consideration. Residence and domicile are normally the same when you live in the same state year after year in your brick and mortar home. Let’s say you move to another state, and stay for some given time (this varies by state). You can be considered to be a resident of that state. If you live in several states per year you could be considered a resident of all of those states. This becomes a factor if you work during your stay in a state that has taxes.

Domicile on the other hand is your permanent state of residence. This doesn’t have to change when you move from state to state. As an RV-er you have mobility and you can choose your domicile or home state. There is some "intent" required here. It is partially defined as the state to which you always “intend” to return to. If you choose to change your domicile from the state you live in now to a different state make sure that you comply with the residency laws of that state. Reasons that you might want to change domicile are: Some states have or don’t have state taxes, auto registration and tags are cheaper, no state auto inspection. Florida, Texas and a few others are relatively easy and don’t cost a lot. To be safe remove as much of the old state as you can and change everything: driver's licences, voters' registration, register your car and RV in your new state and file your taxes at the service center for that new domicile state. File a will in the state of residency. You can do these things yourself or for instance my mail forwarding service, in Florida, provides help with this.

7. Establish on-line accounts with all your banks and credit cards. It will make communications so much easier on the road when you have a problem.

8. Get a list of all your friends' and family’s e-mail addresses, snail mail addresses and phone numbers.

9. Consider a cell phone: they work in most areas of the country, they can keep you in touch with those you love or call for that road service when you break down. There are at least two companies now that offer the “walkie-talkie” feature, which I think is a great way of staying in touch.

10. Consider a CB radio for your truck or motor home. They are great for keeping informed of road conditions or getting those needed directions to the nearest Wal-Mart. Then there are the new “FRS” (family radio service) radios that can keep you in touch.

11. Try to pay as many of your insurances up as far as you can.

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