Right From The Horse’s Mouth
I’ve got a ton of updates for you from our latest spot including stories of big planes & big wine, but before I launch into it I thought I’d get this out to the world. Our buddies Technomadia, amongst the many (many) fabulous things they do online run a series called Rambling Tales which are collections of interviews from fulltime nomads on the road. These are mostly pre-retirement folk, couples, families and singles who’ve managed to find a way to make their life on the road. It’s humbling (and a tad cringe-worthy) to see yourself on video, but they do such a classy job of the interviews that they manage to bring out the natural and fun in just about everyone. So, if you’ve ever wondered what we look like gesturing & petting the dog, or you’ve always wanted to hear what my very weird accent sounds like, or (perhaps) you just want to listen to our story, how we ended up in the RV and how we make our living on the road then here are 11.49 minutes of exactly that. Enjoy…
http://www.technomadia.com/2014/05/ramblings-tales-from-nomads-wheeling-it/
Loved the interview!
Saw it. That was fun.
Been following you guys for about a year now. Must say the YouTube addition was well done.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for following along & glad you liked the video!
Nina
I LOVED seeing and hearing you two again. It was like we were sitting on the other couch across from you three. Sounds a little odd, but it made me sort of homesick…..
Miss Polly seemed a bit ill at ease in front of the camera, yawning and rolling her eyes slightly, she made me giggle!
Fun stuff!
Sue
Yeah, doggie was totally unimpressed with the entire scenario 🙂
Nina
It was fun to “see” you. And having camped at Cape Blanco I had to laugh at the weather outside your window. Thanks for the inspiration.
Indeed…that is classic Cape Blanco crazy weather out there! I think it might have been one of the days we hit 50 mph winds and had to shut down the lighthouse. Never a dull moment on the Cape!
Nina
Nice job on the video! I’m guessing the idea was a little intimidating at first but you did great.
A lot of your comments resonated with me. With our kids almost out of the home we’ve thought of downsizing the 5th wheel for same reasons Nina mentioned. Getting into the older campgrounds and some of the boondock locations would be easier with a smaller rig. Just not sure how much comfort we’re willing to lose.
Loved the weather outside your RV!
Comfort versus spots is definitely a tough choice. Paul loves our size, but as “chief planner” I often wish the rig was just a tad smaller. Can’t deny its comfy though!
Nina
Hi Michael, I was reading through the comments and I’m curious what size 5th wheel you have. We are planning on buying a 5th wheel and touring in the US for a year in 2015 (we are from The Netherlands). We are still debating the size and leaning toward around 34ft. Thanks, Bianca
You guys are even more adorable on video than you are in the blogosphere! Loved getting to put an actual voice with a written one. Especially considering I just left your gorgeous Cape Blanco setting yesterday, where it was blue skies and calm breezes. Looks a bit different out your window. 😉
We’ll thanks {{blush}}. Nice to hear we didn’t come across as complete dorks. Also very happy you got to experience our fav coastal park!
Nina
Spending a few hours editing your video has me missing you guys even more! Can’t wait until this fall when we’re both back at Cape Blanco.
Great interview guys, and thanks so much for adding your story to the mix. I still had about another 20 minutes of footage from you guys that I’ll need to find something fun to do with 🙂
Thanks so much for doing the interview and posting it. You guys do such a nice job. The video made me miss our time with you at Cape Blanco too. Can’t wait to go back!
Nina
Great interview, thank you for sharing. We are learning a lot from your blog, and it’s nice to see you (and Polly) on video.
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Nina
It was great to actually see and hear you both. And what is that accent?? 🙂
I had to laugh out loud a few times due to the looks that Polly gave Paul when he was directing her to lay down. Funny!
Thanks for doing the interview.
Rochelle
My accent is a wild mix of everywhere I’ve been…Danish by birth, Asia for my childhood, England for my college years and US for the rest. I seem to pick up little bits of accent from everywhere I go LOL.
Nina
I understand about you picking up bits of accent from places you’ve spent time. I worked with a guy whose wife was born and raised in England, then spent a number of years with relatives in Georgia. Have you ever heard an English accent with a HEAVY southern drawl..?? I could have listened to that woman talk all day, and she was so smart and funny too !
Too funny! I always get all kinds of questions about my accent. Few people actually guess where I’m from.
Nina
Very insightful. Thanks for sharing.
Now we feel like we’ve met Paul too. 😉 Great interview. Enjoyed it a lot.
How fun to “see” you finally, instead of just photos. A very nice and insightful interview with plenty of ideas and tips. Thanks for sharing.
I admit we weren’t too sure about doing the interview at first. You get really self-conscious behind a camera. What if I look like a dork? Or say stupid things? But, thankfully Cherie & Chris guided us through it. They were great.
Nina
Very enjoyable and interesting! So 40 foot is too big? limitations on places to stay?
Depends how you camp. For us, we enjoy public land, boondocking, state parks, national forest…and many of those spots have length restrictions esp. In the mountains and along the coast. As an example, we’re going to drive the WA Olympic Peninsula this summer and only one of the 20 or so National Forest campgrounds along the coast can fit us. This means we have to stay in private parks instead, someone we’re not too keen on.
If you’re fine with private parks, 40 foot is no problem at all. However if you like to get off the beaten track, as we do, you’ll start to find limitations on where you can go. We make do, but it takes a lot of planning 🙂
Nina
Since the kind of camping you like to do corresponds with the kind we hope to do if and when we can get on the road, what is the largest sized rig would you would be more comfortable with? I would like to stay away from private parks completely if possible. We have a 34-foot fifth-wheel now but are looking at moving to a Class A in a couple of years. We’ve been thinking of something around 35 or 36 feet plus a Jeep in tow for getting even further off the beaten track.
I would agree with 35 feet or so. I know that doesn’t sound much different from 40, but those 5 feet can make alot of difference in smaller campgrounds. Also our 40-foot rig is actually 41.6 end-to-end which means we’re talking almost 7 feet of difference. I think 35 would be the perfect mix of comfort and size.
Nina
Thanks! Appreciate the advice and the continual tips and suggestions on places to see and things to do.
Great discussion. I am SO looking forward to joining the full-timer community!
Hope you get to live your dreams soon!!
Nina
GreT interview! Wish we’d have met you on the Oregon coast last summer. Maybe one day our paths will cross again.
Well we’ll be back all summer on the coast so if you happen by come over and see us at the lighthouse.
Nina
This was wonderful to watch. I so enjoyed seeing you two live and on my laptop screen. I don’t think your accent is odd at all Nina. I hardly noticed it. But I did notice that your story is nearly identical to ours except that we did not have the savings and don’t have the savvy to invest on the road. Guess we’d better spend more time reading Paul’s blog. Hope to meet up with you on the road if we ever get out west. We’re in day 11 of a solar install gone wrong but “may” have figured it out. I want to try out all the wonderful places in the middle of no where that I’ve written on my list from your blog. Thanks so much!
I cannot believe your solar install has taken 11 days…that’s just awful! Marvin got ours working in only 2 days. Hope you get it fixed soon!
Nina
Thanks for the great video and info. BTW, that dog is spoiled rotten !!!
Oh she DEFINITELY is spoiled. That doggie is our girl 🙂
Nina
Loved the interview! Fun and inviting and loved Polly! Adorable…you too Paul…and you too Nina. Technomadia did a terrific job! AND Cape Blanco is one of our favorites places and we could FEEL that weather! Love it!
The whole of Cape Blanco is just one big FEELing, I totally agree. I get all gushy and poetic there and love the crazy weather.
Nina
Loved the interview !!! Thanks for sharing …. It is a joy to hear about how much you enjoy yourselves and as you both mentioned the social aspects of full timing …. It is true that fulltimers seem to be such a multifaceted group of people…. The planning, the fun and the beauty of the country seem to agree with the day to day …. For sure not everybody has that …. Keep having fun !!! I thought Polly was right in there on the interview, she wasn’t about to jump ship !!! Good girl !!! All the best…. Love your blog !!!
Polly was VERY patient through the interview, although she wasn’t too impressed with that camera pointing in her face (thus the yawning). And yes, the social aspect of fulltiming is amazing. Never expected it at all.
Nina
So many good points in this presentation. It is ironic how people go go go when they first begin travelling only to figure out that moving slowly and deliberately is the most relaxing and economical. I am probably going to do just that… And I am going to visit the John Day Fossil Beds!
The whole moving slow thing is so key to enjoyment of fulltime RVing in my mind. We almost killed our joy of RVing that first year moving around every 2-3 days. It’s become sooooo much more enjoyable since we slowed down. This is a lifestyle, not a vacation. Lesson learned!
Enjoy the Fossil Beds…you know what I think of them 🙂
Nina
You are ahead of the time, globalization: Danish, Asian, and American….
I must admit I consider myself lucky to have had such an international upbringing. It’s opened the world for me.
Nina
Great interview! While it is fun to follow you two in print, it is even better to “see and hear” about your travels via a video. We are hitting the road full-time in July and hoping our 43′ motorhome will not keep us from visiting some of the neat places you two have been to.
Great to see Paul updating his website again. I need to be focusing more on making the best choices possible with my investments and Paul’s extensive financial analysis that will help in that endeavor.
Mark
You’ll be able to visit all of the great spots with your new rig…you may just need to plan a little more carefully for where you stay, esp. if you like public parks. It can be done 🙂 ENJOY your new lifestyle!!
Nina
Great interview. I’ve often wondered how the two of you got started RVing, being so young. And Nina, I love your accent. Safe travels to you & your fur crew.
Glad you enjoyed the interview…and the accent 🙂
Nina
Been following your blog for awhile now and love it. Just wanted to say I enjoyed this video a lot, especially the dog. He acted like he understood every word you were saying..so cool.
Polly wants to be involved in everything we do. She’s a great doggie.
Nina
Very informative. It’s nice that you are so laid back and down to earth. I loved the part where Polly yawned, then smiled at Paul, then he smiled back! Free camping on the public lands is truly the best of both worlds—really stretches the pocketbook, and the solitude is incomparable.
Boondocking is GREAT for the pocketbook. Plus we love the wide, open spaces too. We don’t do much of it in summer simply because there tends to be less of it where we like to go (e.g. coast), but we LOVE boondocking in winter.
Nina
Very nice interview!
We were lucky that the weather was quite good during our 5 days at Cape Blanco. Not sure we could tolerate an entire month there. We need sun!!
The weather is wild, but it rarely lasts. The storm you saw raging in the background window probably only lasted a few days. It’s the craziness of the Cape! Glad you enjoyed your time there.
Nina
Thx for continuing to inspire me! We are currently where you were several years ago. We full-timed for about a year but my husband got scared back into the job market. He just felt we were too young to retire and he had difficulties transitioning fully to our new life on the road. Now that he is back in the job market, he wishes he was back on the road. 🙂 We’re currently planning to set back out of the road again full-time in the not too distant future, hopefully permanently this time. 🙂 I hope our paths will cross on the road sometime. Thanks for your great blog!
Your hubby definitely sounds like he’s going through exactly what Paul went through. It took a few “scares” before Paul completely gave in and decided to quit a regular job. Good luck with all your plans! It’s scary, but it’s worth it.
Nina
Absolutely loved seeing you guys on the Technomads feature video! After reading about your trips back home to Europe I was wondering if you’d have a heavy British accent. Yes, I’m strange like that. I was happy to hear touches of it here and there. Anyhoooo …I loved the interview and your story. Thanks for all the continued inspiration! 🙂
You know I USED to have a really strong British accent…completely Queen’s English and all that. The accent changed when I moved to the US, but I still have little bits of it here and there and have retained some of the classic Englishisms. I still say “loo” for example, and “hoover”. Some things you just can’t change….
Nina
Enjoyed the video. Next best thing to meeting you ” in the flesh”. Great info too.
Nina,
We just sat down to watch your video and of course loved it. It was so good to hear your voices again. We would love to reconnect with the two of you when we head back out west. Any thoughts of the two of you going to the Q this winter?
Don’t know about Q yet. We may well, it just depends how our winter pans out. If we both end up there we should definitely connect!
Nina
Well now, that was fun to hear, and yes – informative. A couple of Smitty Comments, all good natured:
1) Your blog is so full of useful info, good research, and great detail. I did ‘catch’ that you walked in and bought ‘The Beast’ on the same day. For others considering this transition, perhaps add a new blog section about ‘How to choose an RV/Trailer/5th.’. Some considerations to factor. (The HR you both ended up in, is not a problem and is equipped pretty good at the entry point of the Monaco Model Food Chain of the era. If I remember, pretty much the same as the Diplomat. You know, Chevy vs Buick or Pontiacs – all about the same, with just minor cosmetic or trim level differences.) Maybe go into items like Mechanical (engine Power to Weight Ratios, rear vs side radiator, tag vs non tag, comfort drive (Newmar), air vs steel foot leveling, etc.). Or Livability (slides, access to bays, storage, CCC (good go in Mechanical – but how much weight can you carry), holding tanks, battery bank size (both of those could go in Mechanical too perhaps).
You get the idea. Your blog has a good following, and you are responsible for many people also thinking ‘We could do this!’. And yes, many sources for How To Buy an RV are available. But, be sure to get the message across that due diligence is important. Heck, new vs used is always a conversation point.
(Sure not a ding, and perhaps you and Paul made it sound more ‘casual’ then it really was:)!)
2) You know how important weight and space is when living FT in a rig. For this week only, I’ll help you scale back some on your existing weight loads. Now, that box of wine on the counter during the interview – ship it: Attention Smitty, Somewhere in Alaska, General Delivery at Grizzly Post Office:)!
Yes, I care about my fellow RV’ing community – and I have the CCC capacity to handle that weight, well – for as long as it would last in our coach, RooII.
Nina/Paul – I enjoyed the interview, and sure seems like you guys had a fun time doing it. And I’d be happy to help on any foot work regarding the suggestion of adding as section to your blog about Full Timers Rig Considerations…
We are dodging the fire in Alaska by altering our scheduled travels for the next two months, but will be heading down the Oregon Coach in early August. If you guys are still hanging next to the water then – it would be great to meet you. Missed you when you were doing your blinds down the hill from us in Campland by the Bay in San Diego…
Be good, keep the great blog rolling,
Smitty
(Semi online, in Tok Alaska…)
Maybe one day I’ll get around to a “how to buy an RV” blog post (or series). All the considerations you mention are good ones and we’ve certainly learned a few more from being on the road.
Thankfully one of the things we did get with “the beast” was very good CCC. So even with several extra cases of wine, some of which we now have to step over to cross the RV (a small sacrifice) we’re still well within weight limits 🙂 I appreciate the most generous offer, however.
In Aug we’ll be up north hosting on the Orcas Islands in WA so just depends which route you’ll be taking down from Alaska. We’ll be back in Cape Blanco at the lighthouse all Sept/Oct.
Nina
I have been following your blog for several months now. I found it while I was researching the RV lifestyle while looking at many other RV blogs and RV youtubers. I was very intrigued with yours and began to follow it religiously. You seem to have a way of painting a realistic picture of what it is like through your story telling blog reports and I really connected with your stories. I suppose it was the fact that your stories and encounters, and experiences resembled what I would imagine it would be like living in an RV, especially dry camping. Dry Camping is how I would like to approach an RV lifestyle. Although I have had a great interest in living the RV lifestyle, You both have given me an even greater passion for seeking a way to do this myself. I hope one day I can overcome the tremendous fear of leaving the “normal” lifestyle and raise enough funds to get it done and have an adventure of a lifetime……….meet you both on the road unexpectantly, out there somewhere, and to thank you for your inspiration. Thank you………..
I corrected the little errors…given I have a habit of doing the same thing I totally get it. I’m always joking I need a volunteer editor for the blog.
Thanks so much for the lovely comments. It’s nice to hear our message getting out there. And yes, leaving the normal life is tough. We still get very mixed reactions to what we do. Some people think we’re wasting our lives (our education, our careers what have you). Others love it and wish they could do the same. In the end there is really only one right answer and that’s what makes sense for YOU. If this lifestyle is your dream, then I wish you the best in making it come true one day. Even if you never make it fulltime, just getting out in nature and on the road part of the time will enrich your life no end…and seems you’re already thinking about that, so good on you! Hope to see ya down the road.
Nina
cheers!
I think I’ve been ready to full-time since I first heard about the concept five years ago. It took a few years, but my wife is now also on board with the idea. Now I just need to get her to agree to a timetable. I don’t want to wait much longer (I’m 57 now and anxious 🙂 ), but we have an autistic 18-year old to plan for, so that means we probably have another five years or so before we can make the leap unless we win the lottery or somehow I figure out a way to convince her to go sooner.
I’ve experienced some of what you talk about with regard to the RV community (and I’m not talking about those who only go out a few times a year on holiday weekends), and I can’t wait to experience more of it. I also can’t wait to discover some of those wide-open spaces and special locations you’ve blogged about.
You guys are so natural. It’s nice to see both of you, Nina and Paul and hear your voices again. Polly is so cute and behaved. I think she also enjoyed being in front of the camera:)
Polly was hilarious throughout 🙂 And I loved that last photo!
Loved the interview and getting to see the three of you again… but I think I got the biggest kick out of watching the storm outside your window while you talked. Looking forward to seeing you again come Sept. Perhaps even have some fennel to drop off? 😀
Yeah, that storm is just classic stuff. And yes please on the fennel 🙂
Nina