Preparing to become Snowbirds

 I like to be prepared, and this new adventure is testing all my research skills I have learned throughout the years as an educator. Arranging everything from the home to planning the trips all have a part in this journey. 

Here are some of the things, I had not thought about a whole lot previously. I have definitely put in time to prepare for this next chapter of our lives. 

* Getting a security system installed in the house.

This took multiple calls to just get quotes. Just a note if you live in a rural state, some of the Nationwide security companies will not even have representatives in your area. We looked at: ADT, VIVANT and a local company SRT. Once this was installed, I had to learn how to use the features on the system. 

* Finding Snow Removal options, after all we live in North Dakota.

This was one of the easier items to fulfill. We asked friends who they recommended and called two companies. We have a quote from one and are waiting for the second quote. After the first quote, a friend offered to do it for us at a much reduced price. We have yet to make a decision. 

*Calling about our utilities.

Did you know you can have your water shut off for the time you are traveling? Our water bill is paired with our sewer, trash and recycling. If you turn off one, they all are turned off. 

*Making sure all passwords work. 

This was time consuming, but not a difficult task. I also added all the accounts onto my new laptop on my favorites bar.

* Setting up all the bills online- most are online currently, but some needed some tweeking.

* Setting up a new retirement budget.

We are trying to figure out Mark's civilian retirement pay. We won't know the exact amount that is taxed and deposited until he retires. We already know his military retirement amount and our social security payments. 

* Figuring out what to do with your mail.

I literally reviewed 11 mail forwarding services to see how it works and the reviews for each service. This is definitely not cheap service depending on what you choose. We still are not sure what we will do for mail. 

* Learning new software to plan the routes and stops. RVTrip Wizard was a whole new learning curb. We reviewed several planning apps and watched many YouTube videos before deciding on the above system. Once we got that, we spent many more hours playing with all the features. Both of us have the basic knowledge on using this program. I am sure once we use it more, we will become pros at it. 

* Checking out campground reviews, making reservations.

This sounds like a simple job, but we have to be sure it can accommodate our Class A RV Beauregard. We have to check to see if it is accessible given the height, weight, length and year of the camper. Some places do not accept reservations if your rig is older than 10 years. 

* Planning stops to stretch legs and get fueled up.

Again, this should be easy, but we have to find diesel fuel and need to be able to maneuver in and around the pumps.

* Exporting the trip planner to the RV GPS has not gone smoothly.

We have an RV specific GPS system and when exporting from Trip Wizard to GPS, the trip comes up all jumbled. Mark has watched lots of tutorials and has yet to completely figure out his process. 

* Prepping a list of the 50 states and who or what we will visit while on the road. 

Listing the folks we want to see was easy. We still have a lot of contacts from the military moves that we would love to see depending on where we are at any given time.  Setting priorities of what we want to see and do as well as deciding how long to stay in an area.

* Adding to our wish list of things for the RV that may be helpful or recommended. 

We have had a running list and try to add some of these features a bit at a time. We have to be careful since there is limited space to store items, so we are pretty selective. 

* Trying new things such as this blog. I am always willing to learn new skills. 

I am trying to figure out the ins and outs of blog spaces. The writing part is fairly easy for me as you can see from the above information. I am still trying to work out the kinks and am still looking forward to traveling despite all the work it has taken so far! Right now, I will be sharing it on Facebook and as I get more skilled, I will expand. BeauregardtakesonUSA.blogspot.com