Seasonal Camping

[Just Whipperwhirl 24]

We want to put our house on the market next May. we are thinking the best way to keep it clean and presentable with three kids would be to move out. One likely possability would be to seasonal camp somewhere or to take up space in my parents yard (not something my DH would like to do). I would love for it to be the Fort but it is a bit too far for us to travel and show the house off - nevermind I think that would cost a fortune! So we are looking for sites in Connecticut and Western MA. Has anyone ever seasonal camped before? What kind of things are wonderful about it and what kind of things should I expect to go wrong?

[bord1niowa......Curt 79]

For the past 2 summers and part of fall, we have stayed at a local campground. I like the feeling of being "on vacation" at the end of the day. It's so relaxing to have a campfire going to settle in and really relax. The kids come out to visit very regularly so no loss there. It's a slower, simpler life and you find that you may actually have time to read or something else you have been too busy to do otherwise.

For us this is a practice run for when we want to semi-retire in Florida next year.

One of the only negative things we have noticed is the weather is more of a concern in a motorhome than in a house. The wind starts whipping and you get some really good wiggling going on inside. We had that very strong storm in July, but that was unusually high. We have been through 50-60 mph winds with no sweat. 120-130 mph was a bit strong even for regular houses.

It can be interesting meeting some of the people traveling through or spending time here. Campers are an interesting bunch of people. The friendliest around.

As I have been told by many full-timers... the only thing I regret is I wish I had done it sooner.

Good luck!

[tim5055 120]

Another idea would be to "volunteer" at a national forest/state park campground as a host. Every jurisdiction is different, but generally a free site for X number of hours a week.

[BRDof3...Rob 40]

One good places to look for this type of advice is the Escapees RV Club forum. This is a club designed for full-time RV'ers, but you don't have to be an Escapees member to join the forum. You'll find a lot of people here that used seasonal camping as a means of transitioning into full-timing, like Curt is doing now, and might have some advice for you. They might even have some campground/RV park suggestions for you.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Like said before a seasonal site feels like you are always on vacation,also there are good and bad things if you do not like your neighbor it is not as easy to relocate, good thing is not setting up and down all the time, I think it is a great idea I was a seasonal for a few years and it was great, had a spot in South Jersey near the beach it was the cheapest way to stay at the beach. It was so good I even met my wife in the campground over 25 years ago and we are planning on becomeing full timers in a few years. I say go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GOBA Mom Lynn 18]

My Brother-in-law and his wife and 3 kids did a similar thing a few years ago, staying in my in-law's park model trailer while they had a house being built. I think storage and cabin fever/ being too close for too long were the major issues they had. A lot would probably depend on what kind of things the campground has to offer (as far as pool, playgrounds etc.) and how much the yearly fee would be. Otherwise I think it might be fun! Especially if your kids can get along without having a bedroom of their own.....

Good Luck!