Or should I say fortunate and grateful! As we end year seven as “Full-Time RVers” and begin our eighth year we can’t help but say the old cliche of time passing so quickly! Still going strong as we have settled into a nice combination of staying in Florida during the winter, traveling to see family, checking new destinations off our list, and returning to favorite locations the rest of the year.

We are starting year eight with a significant change. We have converted from dolly towing our vehicle to flat towing (all four wheels down). We purchased a 2024 Chevy Equinox in March and learned the newer models are equipped with an electronic braking system that effects towing. After getting some conflicting information from the Chevy dealer and receiving an updated towing procedure, we decided to change to flat towing. It would have still been possible to dolly tow the vehicle, but considering all the factors, we made the change.

Instahitch in Brighton, MI installed the towing system, included a base plate, braking system from Blue Ox and a Roadmaster tow bar. Instahitch did a great job and we can highly recommend them.

Year Seven Summary: We left Michigan in late August-2023 and traveled to Maryland and North Carolina for time with family. We arrived at our Florida property in late September and got busy installing lighting, a shed, and a little landscaping. The RV port works great and offers protection from the elements.

A trip to Navarre in November, a stay at Fort Wilderness at Disney in December and flying to Michigan for Christmas with the whole family ended 2023. In February friends Steve and Marie visited, and we traveled to Maryland for granddaughter Gemma’s 5th birthday.

We enjoyed a couple of local camping trips to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park with friends Darrell and Susan in January and April, and visited other area parks and local festivals. St. George Island and Apalachicola are favorite destinations, as well as our part-time home town of Port St. Joe.

In June we traveled to North Carolina for Cheryl’s birthday celebration, a stay at Jordan Lake State Park, and granddaughters’ dance recital. On the way back to Florida we stopped to see friends Melissa and Randy in North Carolina and my sister Sylvia in South Carolina.

In late June we left the RV at our lot, and traveled to Orlando for the “2024 Johnston Family Disney Vacation”. After a few days back at our lot we headed to Michigan for the rest of July and most of August.

We left Michigan in late August-2024 (after a short delay for installation of the towing system) for a late summer/fall trip taking us west to Wyoming, eastern Utah, western Colorado and Texas, with a return to Florida mid October.

Camping Fees/Diesel Fuel: A little harder to compare this year since purchasing our Florida lot. With the lot purchase it achieved several goals; having a home base, reducing park and resort fees, and owning property that will hopefully increase in value. When we are not staying at our Florida property, we are still seeing an average per night of around $50/night which includes our six week stay in Michigan (Indian Creek).

Diesel prices were lower this year; however with no long trips we only traveled a little over 5,000 miles. This next year should be different since are upcoming trip alone is over 5,000 miles.

New parks we enjoyed this year include: Washington DC/Capital KOA in Millersville, MD, Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC, Clemson RV Park in Pendleton, SC and Emerald Beach RV Resort in Navarre, FL.

Cell Phone, Internet, TV & Mail Service: Several changes here. We switched from Verizon to T-Mobile for both our cell phones and internet. Seems like the technology and options keep changing.

With T-Mobile unlimited home internet (easy to travel with ), the speed and quality has allowed us to stream using YouTube TV; we are no longer using Dish. This has been a big improvement and lowered our cell phone/internet/TV monthly expense significantly. So far, T-Mobile internet has worked in all the locations we have been, including FL, NC, MI, and stops along the way.

We were able to set up regular mail delivery at our Florida address, but still use the mail service (St. Brendan’s Isle) to have mail forwarded when we are not in Florida. This seems to be working good.

Health Care: Another change here: Lasso Healthcare left the Medicare market at the end of 2023, so we are now with a United Healthcare Plan, making sure we have nationwide coverage. We consult with a broker who specializes in plans for frequent travelers: https://nomadinsurancegroup.com/. Very happy with the plan so far, and we continue to incorporated using Good RX if it offers a lower cost on a prescription.

Repair & Maintenance: Jim continues to provide most of the routine maintenance. We replaced one of the rear RV tires in June – very fortunate we did not have a blow out. Jim noticed a bulge in a back tire sidewall after we stopped for the night in GA. Lucky for us we were next to a Love’s Travel Stop and they had the tire in stock and changed it for us the same night.

Small Business: I have continued my tax and accounting business, adding some work from a local Port St. Joe CPA firm to the mix. Very happy with the challenge and benefits this provides.

Other Notes: Again this year no changes in our RV and car insurance, staying with Progressive Insurance through Overland Insurance Services in Arizona. We continue to use RV Trip Wizard for planning and the Open Roads diesel fuel discount program https://myopenroads.com/ (great savings).

Year Eight: We are excited about our upcoming trip; next blog will be more travel – Devils Tower, Big Horn Recreation Area, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to start. When we return to Florida in mid October, we will enjoy a couple of short stays at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park and finalize our holiday plans. We have planned a trip with friends Susan and Darrell to Hawaii (a first for us) in February. We will likely spend more time in Michigan next summer as well as stops in North Carolina and Maryland.