Backstories? How do you do it?

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Permalink Reply by Kari Quaas on August 20, 2008 at 11:11am

Great questions, CK. Not being older/bolder or working a seasonal job right now, I can't speak from experience but I would love to hear people's thoughts on this. I know that someday I could see my husband and I doing these gigs so we're doing our saving now to be prepared for whatever, someday. We play now too, as often as we can. : )

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Permalink Reply by Ben & Karen Anderson on August 22, 2008 at 1:45am

We have what they call a "mail drop". It is at the eldest son's address and he forwards our mail once a month. It also provides a "permanent address" for those little details like insurance and veicle registration. As for the possessions, we had a big auction. If it didn't fit in the RV, we didn't keep it. It was actually kind of liberating to be rid of all that extra stuff that we didn't really need. Of course we realize that others may feel differently about their "stuff".

If you can't part with your items there is always those storage rental places, but be careful, we have heard horror stories of things being ruined by moisture in them.

Hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by CJ on August 22, 2008 at 2:50pm

Hi CK,

I am right now in the process of getting my house ready to put on the market to sell and have been doing major sorting and pitching. i too have had to look at the issues that you are tossing around.

i plan to keep some belongings...maybe enough to set up the bare bones of a "home" later on. A couple ideas I have had are 1) paying for storage 2) paying a friend a monthly rental amount to store my items in their home or 3) bartering with a family member such as "if i clean out your old south building on the farm, can I store my stuff in it for a couple years?" Right now I am leaning toward #2 or #3.

I am taking early retirement from my current employer, so will have the same health insurance I have now, but will have to pay the total premium. I know there is information out there on health insurance for early retirees...you might want to check out AARP's insurance section of info.

I plan to have enough saved that combined with the "national park" earnings, I will be ok until 62...then i will use social security as the back fill and not take my retirement annuity until 67, 68 or so. At least that's the plan now!

i will probably use family as a "home" address for some things and also want to see how much I can do over the internet..such as banking, paying bills like car insurance etc.

i am also finding out how to find good doctors while being on the road as well as other info that can be found on the internet. I love to do research on things...so it is a natural for me.

I am looking forward to the adventure of just heading out there and seeing if I like it and if it works for me (such as the physical demands at this older and bolder stage of life!). But, i have fall back plans if it doesn't fit, such as settling back into a job at a university out west.

I hope some of this helps. Don't hesitate to ask more. I sure would like to hear how someone else who is older and bolder plans to make the transition.

Let the excitement carry you through!

CJ

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Permalink Reply by akscootr on November 18, 2008 at 8:22pm

I feel that it is very important to use the KISS principle; "Keep it simple". With a laptop I can take care of almost all financial business online, including credit, banking, and even health insurance. W-2's are taken care of by calling the prior employer with my new address at the end of the year. I gave away or sold almost all of my possessions and found it helped "free" me because there is little to maintain, which also has the effect of saving me a lot of $$$.
Working in tipped positions can actually increase a person's income vs. decrease it, but an older person will generally have to adjust to the younger crowd and a very busy job. In 1999 I sold my catering company to work in Yellowstone through Coolworks.com and it is hard to give up this lifestyle. Although I get the urge to settle down on occasion, I quickly grow bored. There are so many beautiful and exciting places to see and people to meet that it is worth it to simplify and travel.
CJ mentions a fall back plan and that is crucial... I have had to "fall back" several times. When starting the season, bank your $$$ instead of spending it. Many of my friends simply use their connections made from the first couple of seasons; It is a very effective way to get immediate employment. Stay in touch with your new friends...
I hope this helps; Email me if you have any other questions.

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Permalink Reply by Karen on April 19, 2009 at 11:58pm

We sold our house and all our stuff 8 years ago. We bought a travel trailer and hit the road. We have worked in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. We are loving our life. Our daughter handled our mail until recently. We decided to spend the winters in southwestern Arizona, so we got a post office box in the town. They told us we can temporarily forward the mail to our summer job for no charge.

We do all our banking and bill payment online. Our paychecks are direct deposit. We have a Verizon wireless aircard and cellphone, and we have a Dishnetwork dish that we set up ourselves. We have no health insurance, but my husband is a veteran so he can get medical care at the VA. I just pay as I go. We are 57 and 60 now, we were 49 and 51 when we started out. You can accomplish whatever you want to.

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Permalink Reply by Denise Marie Flores on August 17, 2009 at 9:11am

My question to you:
Can you live in your RV while working at one of these places? I have dogs and would like to keep them with me while traveling and working.

Denise

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Permalink Reply by Karen on August 17, 2009 at 9:26am

Denise, not only CAN you but lots of people do. There is an employee campground at the North Rim where people who work for the park service and who work for Forever Resorts live.

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Permalink Reply by aggie71 on April 20, 2009 at 2:55am

Hi CK ... here's my story and ideas. I was early retired in February 2009 which was probably two years too soon in my grand plans for retirement. I had a choice at the time ... either go find a job very similar to the one I just left, or do something completely different (i.e. go find a "cool" job). I looked at my financial situation and decided that I had enough socked away in investments and cash to allow for some time to play around for the next couple of years...and then I could re-assess things. Since I turn 60 this year social security is not in the picture yet ... I intend to live off a combination of savings and income from part-time and seasonal employment. My wife works and makes a small income. I own my home, have a permanent address, and have no long term debt. I have Cobra medical until August 2010, and, thanks to Obama, the cost has been drastically reduced for the first 12 months. After that I will just have to pay lots of money for a bridge policy until I qualify for Medicare. I have already arranged a private policy for my wife since she is in good health at present. All my kids are grown and on their own. I intend to keep most of my "stuff" and have actually acquired a bunch more "gear" for my seasonal adventure in Yellowstone this summer. I have a spouse who is willing to allow me to go work in the woods for 3 months without getting upset or resentful about it. I am playing most of this by ear, and will adjust things in the future as needed. Working just 3 months at a time allows for mid-course corrections.

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Permalink Reply by jon youngblood on April 26, 2009 at 8:37pm

hello. i just turned 40 a week ago and decided to do a semi retirement. i will be working in seasonal postitions in areas i want. some kind of work on the water in summer and ski resorts in the winter. my past job i worked as a foreman for a very large national sub-contractor. we were union so the plan there is to keep paying my union dues ($26 a month) and take temp employment at home in seattle or portland to kick my health insurance back in, then get all med and dental check-ups done during that time. i sold one of my homes in pdx a couple of years ago and paid off all my bills and bought a small manufactured home in the country. i am getting ready to sell it to my cousin at a discounted price with the deal that i get to use the extra bedroom temp. and the address for residentry reason. i have allready gone through evrything and got rid of everything that is not essentail to my survival (ie funishings). i know only need the $50 a month for my cell phone, and $30 a month for auto insurance. i have a lot of other property, but i am putting all of it in a trust to share with my brother and sister (my hiers) and will have leasees making my tax payments.

i fugured that it was time to do it now. the way i was working before i would have ended up in a early grave. i have no wife or children, so that is not an issue. i also thought that i was working so hard i would take maybe 2 weeks off a year and do the things i like to do, but this way works out way better as i will have actually more time to do the things i want and not kill myself to do them. by going this route, i will work in the places i would have gone on vacation anyway, and then when the season is over, go to the next vacation spot for the next season.

i watch my father who is retired, he spends his time in mi in the summer and fla in the winter. he bought homes in both places and now the real estate markets in both places suck and he is stuck. i told him about what i am doing am i suspect he is kinda jealous he didn't think of it when he was my age. anyway i hope this answered some things for you.

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