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MOBILE: Couple love life in an RV and won't give it up
AP Photo
Mary and Curt Heldreth and their dog, Roscoe, inside their RV in Jacksonville. Curt took a job as camp host at Onslow Beach RV Campground.
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Published: November 10, 2008
JACKSONVILLE
For full-time RVers Curt and Mary Heldreth, home is as close as the nearest parking space.
The couple don't feel that they are exactly "roughing it" in their recreational vehicle, but since they packed up and moved out of their West Virginia home more than a year ago, they have discovered a different and exciting way to live.
Curt, 60, a retired teacher and Army major, decided that he wanted to spend his retirement on the go, but he wasn't quite sure how his wife, Mary, 62, would feel about spending all their time in a 35-foot home on wheels.
"We decided to just try it out for a year or two," Curt said. "There are a million people who are RVers and about half are full timers."
Full-time RVers, or people who choose to live in their RV instead of a traditional home, are hitting the highways or setting up at campgrounds to experience the great outdoors year-round. Some travel from state to state, while others find a campground or RV park and stay a few months at a time.
The Heldreths' class A Fleetwood Bounder motor home is small and efficient for life on the move.
The RV includes a queen-size bed, bathroom, a small kitchen, dining area and a couch. They also have television, satellite and Internet access and a mini washer/dryer.
"It's interesting to find what you can do with much less space," Mary said.
Curt, Mary and their dog, Roscoe, began traveling across the country to states such as Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, where they spent days at a time at their destinations.
Because they enjoyed seeing so many amazing places and people, they lost touch with time -- and their wedding anniversary.
"We spent our 11th anniversary in a McDonald's parking lot," Mary said. "We went in and had McDonald's meals and celebrated with hot fudge sundaes."
When Curt learned that the Onslow Beach RV Campground was looking for a camp host last October, he was excited to take on the position. He and Mary decided to park the RV for a while and connect with the coast and the military environment.
"It's a neat place to live. We see a lot of the same people coming back," Curt said.
Whether military or civilian, working or retired, full-time RVers enjoy living a simple and thrifty way of life.
Chris Johnston, the owner and operator of the Topsail Sound RV Park in Holly Ridge, has met quite a few visitors who have decided to sell their homes and items and become full-time RVers.
"Mainly because it's an economical way to live. I like to market it as a place to live near the beach -- kind of like a retirement community," he said. Johnston said that the most difficult adjustment for newcomers is getting used to the small space.
"It's smaller and the furniture is smaller, but they're good with cabinet space and a small bathroom," Johnston said. "You usually don't have more than two people in them, and you're probably not going to raise a family in one."
Walking along the driveway to get the morning paper or mail is not much of an option either.
The Heldreths rely on a mail forwarding service in Texas to send any important bills, letters or documents to the nearest post office.
They also deal with the occasional frustrations such as bumping their heads on the doorways and cabinets and minor run-ins with nature, like Mary experienced one day while getting a glass of water.
"As I'm drinking I looked in my cup and I thought it was a leaf, but it was a little green frog," she said.
Mary also misses hanging up photos of her family and decorating during holidays, but she and Curt are willing to deal with those moments for the great advantages. For one, they always get to choose where they live and whom they live near.
"If you don't like your neighbors, you can move," Mary said.
They are also closer to their children and grandchildren, who often come for a visit from Fayetteville.
"In the summer, our kids come and put up a tent and in the winter they sleep on the couch and an air mattress," Mary said.
After 13 years of marriage, the Heldreths feel that it doesn't matter where you live, but whom you live with.
"One thing that you have to be able to do is to get along with the person you're traveling with. That's why we don't talk, we just e-mail each other from across the room," Curt said, joking.
Curt's advice for future full-time RVers is to plan ahead by preparing a budget and trying the lifestyle before making a decision.
"For anyone thinking about it, they should try camping first," Curt said. "You have to decide if you're going to give up your house, but some people don't. For some it's rather difficult to maintain a house too."
Since last October, Curt and Mary have looked back at their great adventure, and they don't miss much about their old lifestyle. They enjoy fishing, talking with other RVers and spending time with each other.
"I thought I was going to be incredibly bored when I stopped working, but amazingly I haven't gotten bored in a year," Curt said.
The Heldreths plan to finish their journey across the country, but they are in no hurry to park the RV for good.
"Our plans are to get back on the road and travel until we no longer want to," Curt said. "We may eventually settle down, but we'll never give up our RV."
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