Life On the Road

Selling your house, buying an RV and traveling year-round is an idea that appeals to a lot of couples as they enter retirement, but it’s a big step to take. Many people think about becoming full-time RVers, but who actually does it?

You can find out in a new series by columnist Sharlene Minshall. Sharlene, or Charlie as she is known, has been a full-time RVer herself and has written books on the subject, but for this series, she is interviewing other full-timers to find out their stories.

In this month’s episode of what she calls “The Meanderthal Generation,” Charlie introduces you to Jack and Danielle Mayer, who retired in their late 40s and have been RVing full time for six years, pulling a 38-foot fifth wheel and a Jeep with their Volvo tractor. They love their lifestyle so much that they plan to continue with it indefinitely. In the next installment in this occasional series, Charlie will write about a former Olympic ski competitor and his wife who bought a Country Coach in 1997, moved into it full time in 1999, and have traveled to all 50 states, pursuing an energetic and adventurous lifestyle.

While full-time RVing clearly has many advantages, it is not without obstacles.

In the April issue, we told you about Bob and Penny Murphy, who had difficulty getting driver’s licenses in the state of Washington because they travel full time and don’t have a permanent residential address.

Each state has its own rules for vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses. As we recounted earlier, the state of Washington requires a fixed residential address and won’t accept a private mailbox number, which is the only permanent address for most full-time RVers. So in Washington, full-timers like Murphy have to use a relative’s address and pretend it is their own or find some other subterfuge to get a driver’s license.

We heard from several readers who are full-time RVers and told us how they deal with the licensing problem. One who is currently living near Tumwater, Washington, said he got a Washington driver’s license by using the address of the park where he is encamped, while also giving authorities his post office box number as a permanent mailing address. He said this works, but he will have to notify authorities each time he moves his RV to a new place.

In Oregon, the state recognizes that full-time RVers exist and has made special provisions for them. Anyone who lives in the state six months or more each year or pays state income taxes may qualify for a driver’s license without having a home in Oregon beyond the one on wheels. Oregon classifies these people as “continuous travelers.” One Oregon reader said that when she and her husband sold their home to become full-time RVers they explained their situation to the Department of Motor Vehicles and were each issued a driver’s license with their mailing address and a “continuous traveler” notation.

As we noted, each state handles this problem differently. One solution for many people is to join the Escapees RV Club, and use the club’s Texas address. Club members can use the Escapees address to register vehicles, obtain driver’s licenses and register to vote in Texas.

But for Bob Murphy, who likes living in Washington and doesn’t want to become a Texan, there are fewer options. So, he uses his daughter’s address in Washington as his own, and when she moved recently, he said, he had to go to the Department of Licensing and report a change in his “make-believe address.”

Murphy said he doesn’t understand why the Washington bureaucracy can’t simply recognize that some people are full-time RVers and make the appropriate provisions for them.

“Do we really need to become members of SKP (Escapees) and residents of Texas?” he wrote us. “I want to live, pay taxes and vote in MY state of choice—Washington. I certainly won’t vote for any Texan.”

Politics aside, it is clear that Murphy has raised an issue that deserves attention, and the problem extends beyond the state of Washington and its rules on driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations. A representative of a major trailer manufacturer told us that full-timers also may face discrimination when they seek a loan to buy an RV.

The representative said she warns buyers that if they tell their lender that they intend to travel full time, the loan may not go through. She said, “This has happened several times in deals we have been trying to put together and the customer mentioned (to a lender) that they would be selling their home and full-timing. The deal had been approved and then all of a sudden it fell through. This is happening more and more.”

Obviously, lenders and government agencies need to realize that there is a whole new lifestyle being followed by people who are honest citizens, pay their bills, and obey the law, even if they don’t have a permanent address. And rules need to be written to take account of these full-time RVers.

Write to Mike Ward, editor at RV Life Magazine, 18717 76th Avenue West, Suite B, Lynnwood, WA 98037 or e-mail editor@rvlife.com. Find First Glance on-line at rvlife.com