Travel F.Y.I.

Gail and Jim Jumpa have been traveling in their RV for over 30 years. Gail and Jim are also my wonderful in-laws (no they didnt pay me to say that!). So when I started thinking about who to talk to about travel and lessons of the road I knew exactly who to go to. Heres what Gail had to say about her travel journey.

B - So Gail, I know you currently own a beautiful 40 Monaco but tell me about your early beginnings. How did you start out?

G - We started with a tag along and quickly decided a motor home would be a better way to travel. After a variety of motor homes we decided to give 5th wheels a try. I loved the homey feel of the 5th wheel, but traveling in a motor home is really more comfortable so we recently decided to make the move back to a motor home.

B - What made you decide to sell your home and live full-time in your RV?

G - We started workamping about seven years ago. We realized we were spending less and less time at our home in Florida so last year we decided to sell the house and make the RV our permanent home.

B - So now you live full-time in your motor coach. How did you deal with all of the things that we tend to accumulate when we own a home?

G - Getting rid of our stuff has certainly been the hardest thing to do. The majority of the furniture was no problem. Christmas decorations have been my biggest challenge because they hold so many memories. Old memorabilia has been the biggest challenge for Jim. After many, many yard sales, flea markets, charities, and the trash can we have finally managed to eliminate the storage shed. However, there may be a few things at our daughters house!

B - Now that youre on the road, what have you found to be your primary means for staying in touch with friends and family?

G - We like to stay in contact with friends we meet thru e-mail, instant messaging, and cell phone. As for family, we keep in contact with them regularly by cell phone and sometimes we are (sitting) in their driveway!

B - How do you handle the normal, everyday things like mail?

G - We have a mail service out of Florida. This allows us to maintain a permanent address for all legal purposes such as voting, drivers licenses, vehicle tags, etc. We call and let them know where we are and they forward the mail to us.

B - Obviously when you move from a home to a motor coach you give up a lot of space. Because you have to be selective, what would you say is your favorite, cant live without item?

G - Besides my husband, my pressure cooker is a must have.

B - Earlier you mentioned workamping.. What is it and how did you get started?

G - Workamping is where you combine working part-time or full-time with RV camping. Usually we find jobs thru the Workamper hotline or job fairs that are held in the winter.

B- When you workamp, how do you decide where to go?

G - Until recently we have worked and traveled in the eastern part of the US, making sure we end up where its warm in the winter. This spring we are heading to the mid-west. Sometimes the workamping job dictates our location and sometimes the location determines where we will work. We usually work during the summer season and may do volunteer work for a couple of months in the fall.

B - Obviously, traveling a lot means youre reserving camping spaces on a pretty regular basis. Is there anything in particular that you ask when calling to reserve your space?

G - When we call about a camping space my first question is if they can accommodate a 40ft motor home with 4 slides. The next questions are if there are low hanging trees, 50 amp electric service and price.

B - I know that with all of your time on the road youve seen some great places. Do you have any favorites?

G - We have traveled extensively through the eastern states and some of the Midwest. I really loved Massachusetts. Visiting the places I remember from American History (class) made it all seem more real. The original Yankee Candle Factory and their great restaurant is a neat place to visit. We stayed at Peppermint Park in Plainfield, Massachusetts. Gail and Dave are the owners and are great hosts.

Washington, DC is another favorite spot. Cherry blossom time is the best time to visit. We stayed at Cherry Hill Campground in Laurel, MD. A bus comes right to the campground and takes you to the Metro system, no driving in DC. Contact you senator or congressman and they will send you all kinds of information and tickets to House and Senate sessions. Another plus is that all the museums are free.

Lancaster, PA and the Amish country in the spring and fall is another favorite spot to visit. Riding through the countryside and watching the Amish families going about their daily tasks is so interesting. The farmers market in Bird-In-Hand has lots of goodies and the hardware store and gift shop are great places to shop.

B - If you had to sum it up, what would you say you love most about living full-time in your motor coach?

G - Full-timing is very liberating. It offers great freedom of movement. We get to explore different places at our leisure, meet many nice people, and attend local functions.