This is the first article in a three-part series about planning for life on the road in an RV:
Are you a full-timer wannabe? | Frequently asked questions | The chorus of regrets

Back in June 2003 — seven months after our wedding and recently retired — Rob and I flew out to Oregon to help my pregnant daughter, Lisa. When Rob noticed an RV show in Portland, I agreed to go, envisioning a torturous afternoon of traipsing in and out of RVs.

Suddenly, while ambling through a 36-foot, gasoline-powered Monaco La Palma with front and bedroom slides, I exclaimed: "Rob, I could live in this! Let's buy it and drive back to Maryland. We'll turn in our plane tickets, and borrow sheets and dishes from Lisa!" It was love at first sight.

Raising his eyebrows, Rob replied: "Did you forget I have a motorhome parked in Hyattsville? Should we have two RVs?"

The salesman solemnly shook our hands, wished us luck and trudged back to his office.

Undaunted, Rob was determined to find our La Palma. He queried the largest RV dealer in Florida. "No," the salesman sighed. "That's the last gas model Monaco made — they're impossible to find! Give me your phone number in case we ever get one."

We heard the anticipation in his voice when he called back Monday morning: "A 2001 La Palma's coming in tomorrow. It's a 36-footer with two slides, low mileage and only one owner. You mentioned your '85 Southwind — we'll take it as a trade-in. A fully refundable $500 credit card deposit puts your name first on the buyer list. You have to be here Sunday morning."

Eager and impulsive, we agreed.

We sold our 1985 Southwind (above) and replaced it with a 2001 Monaco La Palma.

Family reactions? My daughter said, "I hope you know what you're doing!" With a huge grin, my son, Josh, shouted: "You're living the dream!" — "LTD" became our buzzword.

We finalized our deal, and gleefully transferred everything over to our La Palma.

Little did we know we were about to set off on a grand adventure that would change our lives forever. We learned quite a few lessons in our time on the road — many the hard way — and hopefully I can pass on some of them to help those thinking about planning for full-time RV living.

Like many motorhomes, we averaged eight miles per gallon. We saved camping fees by staying exclusively at the free East Coast RV membership resorts included in our dealer benefits package. Over the next 10 months, we sampled their Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida Preserves, plus a few Walmart parking lots.

We loved being snowbirds in the winter, and we planned to surprise my family by driving to Oregon after we finished our annual physicals in the spring of 2004.

Everything came to a screeching halt in late April when my gynecologist said "mass at seven o'clock" — and she's not Catholic! I was diagnosed with Stage IIIA breast cancer. What a bummer! I whined as much about canceling our trip as I did about the multiple surgeries, chemo and radiation.

Rob told me repeatedly: "Don't worry. We'll go later and stay longer."

I had my 33rd radiation treatment on Dec. 23, 2004. A few weeks later, we returned to Florida for the winter. After talking to other campers, we upgraded our membership to their West Coast Preserves before returning home for more surgeries.

Rob's hot pink Geo Tracker was cute, but not comfortable. He sold it and encouraged me to go for my lifelong dream of owning a convertible. We bought a 2002 Sebring convertible — a perfect tow car. We rented our home to a young military family and traded house keys for freedom on June 24, 2005.

In 2008, while volunteering in Palacios, Rob had an ophthalmology appointment in Katy, Texas. We stopped at a few RV dealers, to check out their inventory. It happened again — I fell in love with a 40-foot diesel pusher, a 2006 Tuscany by Damon. It still meets our needs, eight years later.

What sold us on this bright, sunny, efficiency apartment on wheels? It had two slides in the front, which doubled the size of the living room; white leather upholstery; light gray Corian countertops; a convection/microwave combo (eliminated the oven); a 32-inch flat-screen TV and four long, narrow windows in the living room. The hallway was flanked by two more long windows.

In the bathroom, a wooden cabinet concealed a linen closet with a washer/dryer combo, plus a skylight in the shower made the room brighter. The bedroom slide had a queen-size bed, Corian dresser top, ample closet and cabinets, plus a 20-inch TV mounted on the wall.

In 2008, we purchased a 2006 Tuscany by Damon to replace our 2001 Monaco La Palma.

Five years later while volunteering in Oregon in August of 2013, we decided to head back home. We gave our tenants the obligatory three-month notice, and they planned to relocate three weeks later. We drove more than 3,000 miles in just a few weeks.

Rob signed up for a September volunteer assignment in nearby Falling Waters, West Virginia, which gave us a place to park our motorhome. We arrived at the project late Friday afternoon, met our tenants at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and slept in our own bed that night!

Our initial trip out West stretched into 2,926 days! Rob's mantra — "We’ll go later and stay longer" — was no joke.

What did we learn in our eight-plus years on the road? Here are seven "seat of our pants" guidelines to get you started.

1. Educate yourself: visit RV shows, dealerships and websites.

2. Know the two types of RVs.

• Drive it yourself/motorized = Class A, B or C
• Pull it/towable = pop-up, travel trailer, fifth wheel, toy hauler; and park/destination trailer. Requires a truck.

Also, research the value of new vs. used. Depreciation begins when you leave the dealership — check out internet sites to get the really skinny on this subject.

3. Talk about your future RV lifestyle.

• Is it just for short weekend trips?
• Annual vacations?
• Is it your retirement dream? Do you plan to sell everything and start driving into the sunset?

Practical considerations to discuss:

• If you're still working (or want to earn money), check out short-term job contracts. We've met nurses, pipeline workers and campground hosts — there's no limit to the vocational choices you'll discover.
• Entrepreneurs thrive in the RV lifestyle.
• Have a young family? Check out home schooling.
• Do you have space to park an RV at your home? Check out pricing for monthly storage charges. Unless you have an electrical hookup, there's the nuisance factor of hauling food supplies back and forth for each trip.
• Do you want to winterize your RV or escape to a warmer climate in the winter?
• Insurance coverage for your RV and tow car or truck.
• Length of dealer warranties and costs for extended warranties. RVs are like houses: things break and/or need repairs.

4. What type of comfort do you require?

Talk to RV owners — easily found in local campgrounds — read RV forums and RV blogs online. Also, test-drive your favorite types of RVs for comparison.

RV club memberships offer rallies, chapter meetings, caravan trips, seminars, advice, friendship and motivation to utilize your purchase. We've enjoyed Monaco and Thor Diesel Club rallies.

5. Weigh these words to make a smarter initial purchase: used vs. new, and depreciation costs vs. upgrade expense.

• After you've discussed Nos. 1 through 4, estimate your current RV budget. Will there be money for future expenditures?
• List the pros and cons of new vs. used.
• Create a timeline to compare depreciation costs for when you want to upgrade to a newer RV.

6. Get your financing options together before you go RV shopping.

It's critical to show proof of income. If possible, make your RV purchase while you're still working, with verifiable paychecks. Banks aren't interested in loaning money to the retired — or they might charge higher rates.

When we discovered we'd signed an interest-only line of credit, we switched our loan to a national bank, with ATMs and check-cashing in major cities. This was prior to smartphone technology of photographing and depositing your check wirelessly.

7. Rent an RV for a weekend or more.

Does it match your expectations?

Don't be as impulsive as we were! Use a notebook or binder to create an RV research journal. It's hard work now, but the payoff is to match the type of rig with your lifestyle, to calculate how many years you'll stay on the road. Can you hear the late Donna Summers singing, "She works hard for her money"? So did you.

Stay tuned for my next articles on "Frequently asked questions" and "The chorus of regrets."