With a decision completed on which diesel pusher would be our "home" for the year or more that we've planned to be on the road, our thoughts soon turned to the preparations we needed to make. From the time the order was placed until delivery was a bit more than three months. At first that sounded like an eternity. But as we began to grasp the long list of tasks we needed to accomplish before we could set sail, the time began to seem shorter.
We're aware that most RVers who make the commitment to full timing are prepared to make a complete change in lifestyle. Typically this means selling a house or condo, disposing of and/or storing a house full of personal belongings, and cutting the ties with the community of which they have just been a part. Ours would be a lesser commitment to full timing, in that we have no plans to sell our waterfront home in the San Juan Islands. But as it turns out, the burden of preparation is really no less.
We concluded that since we contemplate returning to our home after a year or so, a high priority would be providing for its care during our absence. We considered simply placing it on the rental market, but the negative experience of so many of our friends with rental arrangements made that option somewhat less than attractive. We also considered simply "locking it up", and perhaps having a neighbor or friend look in on it occasionally. Yet that too had drawbacks, not the least of which is that we'd be paying for a house we couldn't use. Good fortune smiled on us when we learned some close friends were selling their nearby home, and planning on building on an adjacent lot. They'd need a place to stay for "about a year" while all this took place. We knew them well, and they would be at the top of our wish list for persons to be staying in our home while we're on the road. So we were able to create an arrangement which was completely satisfactory to both of us. While we won't have "market value" rent, we'll have an income which will help offset the costs of maintaining the house. And they will have a home we think they'll really enjoy at a very favorable rental price.
As it turns out, that part was the beginning, not the end, of arranging for our home and possessions. While we were renting the house mostly furnished, we concluded this would be the time that we'd seriously attack the almost 40 years of collecting "stuff" and storing it. Boxes upon boxes -- most having not been opened in years -- would soon consume hours, days, and even weeks of our time. Excess furniture which had been retained "just in case" seemed to appear in each storage area of our home. And those dusty old boxes contained mostly items which were not of much value. Some of course contained memorabilia which demanded our immediate attention, diverting us from the main task at hand. I think that's why the project would extend over a couple of months.
We sorted items which had no value to anyone, and used our pickup to make innumerable "dump runs". The items which had value, but not to us, we decided to donate to the local Thrift Shop, which supports a number of deserving projects in our community. After a number of truck loads there, we even begin to feel a proprietary interest in the place! With those two rounds accomplished, and with a bit more weeding (including providing the kids with a few items they could use), we were ready to take what was left, sort it one final time, and pack it away in carefully marked boxes. An excel spreadsheet would document what was left in each box, for easy access when we returned.
Meantime, another challenging task emerged. This time it was how to deal with a seemingly endless number of persons and entities which contact us by mail -- at our present home address. As if this were not complicated enough, the Town Fathers had decided to re-assign street names and numbers at precisely the same time. Our address at 1234 Harbor Drive was suddenly to become "123 Cape Drive". Our solution has been to find the largest P.O. Box we could locate at the village post office, and begin using a post office address on all our communications. Of course our phone number would "go away" as well, leaving us only with our cell number. Happily that one is on a "One Rate" plan, but still not something we'd like published in a phone book. We first identified all the obvious persons to notify. The IRS comes to mind fairly quickly. Then too, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the bank, our securities firm, and on, and on, and on. After what must be more than 100 notifications, we still find mail coming in to our "old" address from folks who we've not yet thought to notify.
We're fortunate to have an excellent mail forwarding service in town. The prices are reasonable, we know the folks that run the shop, and they will pick up our mail from our P.O. Box weekly, shipping such of it as we would like forwarded to a destination we select. And, thank the good stars, they're avid email users -- so we don't even need to reach them by phone.
We're presently turning our attention to medical issues. Besides completing an annual physical just before we hit the road, we need to arrange to be able to refill prescriptions on the road. We note that Costco offers a nationwide system which we're investigating. And we're also exploring the new "Drugstore.com" option, which appears to hold some promise for full-time RVers (www.drugstore.com). We've checked their prices,and they're quite competitive. Moreover, you're able to either "mail in" your prescription, or have your doctor phone or fax it in. If you so request, a Drugstore.com pharmicist will call your physician to get a prescription you request, though they caution doctors are often difficult to contact!
We've determined our medical coverage will follow our travels without problem. And we're opting to back up our medical options by subscribing to "M.E.D.I.C Systems", which for an annual fee provides instant access to vital medical records should one of us have an medical emergency. The information is useful as well in the event we should need to seek routine medical attention during our travels. We will likely do a "hindsight" report on our use of this service, as we think it -- or something like it -- is a wise investment for those traveling at long distance from the repository of their medical records. One would hope never to have need for them while enjoying an RVing adventure -- but if you did want them, you'd likely want them NOW.
We're both planning on having the usual dental checkup (I call it "getting your teeth sharpened") just before we go, but we'll undoubtedly have to find a dental clinic along the way for routine preventive dentistry.
Naturally we have some changes to account for in our insurance policies. Our regular homeowners policy will need to be changed to account for our primary residence becoming a "rental" unit. And of course we'll need to maintain the normal incidents of liability coverage that we've been getting through that same homeowner's policy. Vehicles, both their identity, location, and anticipated miles driven will need to be updated. We've had preliminary conversations with our insurance carrier, USAA, and we anticipate all these matters can be handled with relative ease. But they do require our careful attention. We've been using AAA Services for many years, most recently the "RV Plus" coverage for our tow vehicle and fifth wheel. But we note that some areas seemed ill-equipped to deal with large rigs, and we'll likely be making a new evaluation when the AAA membership next comes due.
We've been using Charles Schwab & Co for all our financial matters, and we have nothing but praise for the services they offer. Because they have been so innovative with making both banking and investing easy to do online, they are an excellent option for the RV traveler. Their latest offering, the "Schwab Access" account which ties to one's securities account, provides a host of new services which I'm quite certain we'll find of value. One is the use of the "new" Schwab card for ATM machines, with a guarantee that no transaction fees will ever be charged. Another feature, "bill pay", gives us an online option for one-time or recurring bills that we can now pay via their online service -- again without cost to us. We've enjoyed having toll-free access to our Schwab account using their "StreetSmart" software for several years. As they consolidate all of their online services into their web site, I suspect the "toll free" advantage will go away. But still, it's a wonderful online "one stop solution" for all of our financial and investing needs.
As we approach the time to take delivery of the new coach, we've been impressed with the extraordinary amount of "detail" work is going into our preparation for our "Grand Tour". This is not an "ordinary" RV journey, and getting ready for it isn't an ordinary experience. Soon we'll be making a few short "shake down" trips in the new coach to create the inevitable punch list, see to their correction, and bid farewell to our home in the San Juan islands.