permanent caravanning

[Steve L]

We are quite seriously contemplating getting out of the rat race of normal life and buying a nice fixed bed caravan to live in 365 days a year.

We can both adapt and work as wardens so 9 months of free pitches are there as a given.

Joining the two big clubs would give us a range of sites to visit throughout the rest of the year.

We already use internet banking but how on earth do you sort things like post and items that require you to have a residential address.

Sure as hell our "A" list celebs don't say give out their addresses freely.

Would love to hear from folks already there about their life experiences.

Steve.

 

[Viking1]

Steve In Leo

That sounds a good thing to do. Has you get to see a round the UK at the same time you are work and if your lock as well you cud get to work for 12 moths.

Your best idler would to go to the nearest C,C sit or C,C,C, sit and talk to them as they are all ready do it and they shod better to tell lot better.

Good luck

Mark

 

[GillW]

Steve

Haven't you got a relative or trusted friend who would let you use their address as a base camp

So many things these days can be internet based that post may well be minimal

The main concern I would have other this would be a health issue

Normal illnesses requiring a GP would be no problem you can register as a temporary resident wherever you happen to be but if you required more serious hospital treatment not emergency care then they would need an address to send an appointment to

Good luck with your escape

Gill

 

[Lucylou]

CAN I COME!

 

[Marcus_5113048]

Steve.

You can get a PO Box number from the Post Office. All your mail would need to be collected from a nominated Post Office, but if you're going to be staying for long periods at one location this can be changed. Your biggest problem if constantly moving around the country will be doctors, dentists etc. However most major hospitals have GP cover to cater for people who need care away from home.

Good luck

Marcus

 

[Steve L]

I thought the biggest one is realy a dentist. They are a right pain at the best of times, threatening to ditch you if you miss an appointment.

We both need regular medication so that is a bit tricky to overcome. My GP would provide a letter so that I could get prescriptions from a hospital which does help. However in the middle of the scottish highlands you could be 100 miles from a community hospital even.

Also I don't know if the Scotts would recognise an english GP request letter as being good enough for their system.

Any advice on that would be helpfull.

I'm currently sorting out a couple of operations on my elbow and shoulder for Arthritis so after that I should be ok until retirement age. 18 years to go to that though.

Steve.

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi Steve

We have a dental insurance plan that covers any emergency treatment even if you are away from home. It's relatively pricey though at

 

[Surfer]

We have been living in our caravan since early January this year with no problems and we are nor wardens We use my Dad's address for mail etc.

 

[Rioja]

Hi Steve

We have a dental insurance plan that covers any emergency treatment even if you are away from home. It's relatively pricey though at

 

[Simon Burton]

I was speaking to a full timer once who said that their biggest problem was getting insurance. Apparently it is either difficult or very expensive to get insurance without a permanant address.

 

[Val & Frank]

Frank, it sounds better than the

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi Steve,

Something I was made aware of today, without a full time address it is difficult to obtain A Disclosure Document. I think you may need one of these to work on a site with children present. Maybe Liz can give more info on this. I hasten to add I only needed one because I have worked abroad for many years hence an untrackable history. I even had a set of fingeprints cleared by the FBI because I worked for 3 years in the USA.

Frank

 

[Steve L]

What we are thinking of doing is to sell up completely as we are fed up of doing houses up while working, getting finished and then moving onto the next project.

Ok so we stand to be about 100k in hand this time if all goes to plan which would make a tidy investment fund just incase things went pear shaped. But we are also totally p'd off with rip off britain.

You pay extortionate council tax, electricity, gas and water bills and for what? The same facilities for

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi Steve,

Is renting your property for 12 months not an option ???. It saves burning bridges, and after all 12 months is not a lifetime.

Frank

 

[Surfer]

What we are thinking of doing is to sell up completely as we are fed up of doing houses up while working, getting finished and then moving onto the next project.

Ok so we stand to be about 100k in hand this time if all goes to plan which would make a tidy investment fund just incase things went pear shaped. But we are also totally p'd off with rip off britain.

You pay extortionate council tax, electricity, gas and water bills and for what? The same facilities for

 

[Steve L]

Well Frank, we've got the usual problem of having to change the mortgage over to a "buy to let" one and then having to pay an agent to manage the let.

Also with new regulations I think we'd need to do remedial work to put the place into letable condition if we would cover the mortgage and associated costs.

Then of coarse you've got the problem of getting the bleeders out if they don't vacate at the end of notice to quit.

A friend of our in the property game had a 3 month wait to evict one lot and when they did eventually go the place was a tip and had to be totally gutted and refurb'd.

I think all in all, putting the lump sum in a high interest accout would give a safer return. I don't think it'll be long before the property bubble burst's as youngsters these days haven't got a chance to even start on the ladder.

Steve.

 

[Rioja]

Hi Steve, sounds like you are like so many people in their "mid life crisis" years.The big problem is that you have probably reached an age were you have achieved so much, reached a comfortable level of living but can't see it going much further. You have been living the life for long enough to want a serious change and you're going through the fantasist stage. Nothing wrong with that. Dreams and aspirations are what it's all about.Most of us don't get beyond that point.

I guess the ones we really admire are the ones that take the plunge, we advise against it because we didn't have the bottle to do it ourselves, or, and it's a big or, we really thought it through and realise that the life we have is OK compared to so many and we should feel lucky to have that.

The forum is "fantasy land".You can dream and aspire and ask others questions without risk.

Enjoy !

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi Rioja.

I agree with a lot of what you said in your post, but I don't think the forum is fantasy land, more a sounding board to test your ideas, and to seek information from others. Who may have good or bad experiences of what you would like to attempt.

Val & Frank

 

[Rioja]

You are right Frank, not all the Forum is fantasy land. There are obviously a lot of genuine help seekers out there.

However, for lots of us it's also a means of communication, a diversion, an opportunity to sound off. Where else can you pose as the landed gentry and have people respond to you as such. Incidentally what happened to him, was he thrown into a dungeon come the revolution ? I think, like our bouncy friend before, eventually you tire of the game and start pushing beyond the limits to see how far you can go.I missed the period His Lordship went over the edge, I was on an extended tour !

Now let's think of the daftest question we can pose and see what answers come up.

 

[Val & Frank]

I think his Lordship may have been elevated to the House of Commons. That's the place full of lunatics or is it ??? My wife passed a comment the other day about Millionaires,i.e. how to become one. Get elected as an MP is the answer.

Now as for the Daft Question will the Democrats be able to resolve the Iraq issue for the American people ??

 

[Val & Frank]

Sorry Steve,

I should have posted this under General, didn't mean to hi-jack your thread. Apologies

Val & Frank

 

[VIP2006]

Permanent caravanning is a very good idea (at least in theory) and many have had the courage to change to this way of life, with varying degrees of success/failure.

I often ponder on doing this but only hear to good things of this style of life and never the negative things which this style of life must have.

In my youth I used to dream of being a man of substance and here I am at the age of 71 still dreaming.

What is the difference between then and now? only time and during that time I have considered giving up this type of existance and becoming a travellar having no fixed abode, no responsibilities and no commitment to the country I have supported since being able to vote and pay my dues as a responsible citizen.

I always say to young persons that if you want to something, do it while you are young and do not wait till you are retired as then, your back pocket may let you afford your dream but your body and health may not.

I beleive that selling up, is for people of my age a rather foolish strategy to take, for I cannot see what gains you can make by doing this kind of thing, by all means have gap years away but do not sell up your main asset to do this. IMHO

 

[Steve L]

Well I might be a sceptical old sod in his late 40's, but after paying 6k per annum to the tax man plus my NI contributions for over 30 years I have to say the average working man get's a rum deal. Especially when you see both uk and european folk milking the system for all it's worth.

My next gripe is attitude!

These days your best mate would dob you in if he though it would secure his next promotion chances. You know the type.

We have one at our works. In his last job the gaffer was a rugby nut, so guess what the budding supervisor became quite authoritarian on who's who in rugby. Now his new boss is a Birmingham city fan, you guessed it. He now goes to all the blues games.

Of coarse with all this extra caricular work he has a good set of knee pads and has put the boss in a tight spot to dish out the reamings.

What I find so attractive about caravanning is all this crap is outside the ring fence of the site. People put their ambitions in their pocket and their aristocratical classes in the cupboard. We are all one type and politely friendly with each other, most of the time.

Sure it's a big jump to change your life for good but what quality of life do you get stuck in the work-sleep-work rut five days a week.

It's so easy to see caravan life through the rose bowl of a nicely preened pitch, but what never gets air'd is the graft behind the sceens.

So keep the post fllowing and lets hear of the life experiences of those who work so hard to enable us tourists to have a rest.

Steve.

 

[Rioja]

I am with you all the way Steve !

The way I coped was to concentrate on getting out as soon as possible. I was lucky that a good pension scheme and some very hard long term overtime working enabled me to reap the benefits and I got out at 54. The strange thing is that when you get to the stage where you can do the things you dreamt of, you don't need to do them as much.

About 7 years ago I was chatting to a man whilst doing the washing up ( as you do)at a club site, he asked the usual where are off to, to which I replied "just 3 days here then back to work". In reply to the same question, he said he was off to Scotland, he had an old school friend he hadn't seen for over 20 years who lived up there and he intended looking him up sometime during the next 6 MONTHS. I thought that's the life for me, beam me up.

Well it motivated me to save harder and stick to my long term objective of early retirement... a date set in my mid twenties.

Well I made it, took the plunge but I had waited to try to maximise my pension. In my first year as a pensioner, although I guess a better term is as a freeman, the most refreshing feature is not having to compete or comply ( except with the law)

We eventually did set off to Scotland, delayed by 12 months, and had a great time. However, I was just as happy to come home.I have enjoyed 12 weeks holidays in the first 12 months, only half in the van.

I think the most important decision is where you put down you roots and decided to settle. Not the ability to escape from reality.I am lucky to live in a very beautiful part of the country where I have everything on my doorstep, mountains, sea, shops, you name it.Finding that is the key to happiness.

My advice to you is get your head down, don't let the b******s grind you down. Make realistic plans based on sound financial decisions, get past the life raft stage of 50 when you can draw a pension and then plan year on year of how much more you can

take.

Good luck and dream on. It helps !

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi Steve,

Lets just take a little look at the cost of this !!!

Current anticipated income

Curent expenditure

Future expenditure

Health Issues

Unexpected ( I know you can't forecast this but anticipate something happening.

If you can make it add up without a begging bowl then go for it,but only if that's what you really want !!!. As I Have said before this is not a dress rehersal for next time this is it.

One more thing make sure Mrs Steve has really bought into this !!!

regards

Val & Frank