The term ‘snowbirds’ often refers to retired people who split their time into two locations – they live farther north in the warm summer months and head south for a warmer climate during the winter. This is a popular plan for countless people later in life, as they aren’t tied to a specific geographic location by work or kids. Many people own a home in both locations so they can move easily back and forth from one to the other each year. Owning two homes is a great way to go, but there is another option that might be even more effective for some people.
Instead of having a house in the north and a house in the south, snowbirds can consider owning one house and an RV, with the RV serving as their winter ‘home’. With the high quality of many RV models on the market today, they are more than capable of serving as a home for a few months and provide a number of advantages over owning a second house.
Far More Affordable
A challenge that stops many people from living the snowbird lifestyle is simply not being able to afford to own two houses. Owning two homes is a costly proposition, especially when you consider that people of this age are typically on a fixed income. This is where an RV starts to make so much sense. The cost of an RV pales in comparison to buying a whole extra house, even when you factor in paying for the fees to stay at a campground. During the summer at home somewhere in the north, the RV can simply be parked and stored until the winter when it is put back in use. Maintenance costs will generally be less on an RV than a house as well.
Flexible Location
Imagine that you are planning to live the snowbird lifestyle, so you purchase a second home in Palm Springs, California – a popular winter destination for snowbirds thanks to warm weather, golf courses, shopping, and more. There is nothing wrong with this plan, however, you will be headed to Palm Springs each winter because that is where the house is located. You are locked in to that one specific location even if you decide that you would like to mix it up.
With an RV, that is not a problem at all. If you decide that Palm Springs sounds good one year, you can easily head in that direction. Maybe the next year, you choose Arizona – or even Florida. With an RV as your second home, you can pick the destination that you want to visit each year without feeling committed to any one place. Also, you could break up the winter in a variety of places to see different things and meet new people. The choice is yours.
Making Friends
One of the challenges when living part-time in two different locations is making friends in both places. While you probably already have a network of friends in the place where you spent most of your adult life, you might not know very many people (or anyone) at your second home in the south. This is another advantage to choosing the RV plan. Campgrounds and RV parks tend to be social places where people with a similar lifestyle are happy to meet each other, share stories, and make new friends. Spending just one winter at an RV facility in a warm location will likely leave you with more than enough friends to stay busy all throughout your winter stay. In fact, you might be surprised to find how many people you meet actually are doing the same thing as you – and might live pretty close to you back at your house in the north, as well.
Working your whole adult life toward retirement means that you should be able to enjoy yourself and live the lifestyle that you have been dreaming about for years. Taking the snowbird approach and living in two locations is a great option, and doing so with an RV provides you with even more flexibility and options. All you need to do is find an RV that you will be comfortable living in for months at a time, and pick out a destination for your first winter. With those preparations made, look forward to a new experience and the opportunity to meet new people living the same lifestyle as you.