Month: August 2009

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Why Did I Become a Full-Timer

The question came up on an RVing forum I belong to as to why members of the group became full-timers and how our expectations have changed. Here is an expanded version of my reply:

I decided to become a full-timer because life as I was expected to live it did not work for me. I had tried to have a house and a career and a family and none of that fulfilled me completely. The richer I became materially, the more I felt convinced that something was seriously missing in my life and I finally accepted that the absolute only time that I’m happy is when I’m traveling.

However, I do like to have a ‘home’, so RVing seemed like the natural choice for combining both needs and also allowed me to have my cats with me. Moreover, I wanted to see my country, and eventually more of the US, at my own pace, as a local rather than a tourist.

A year into full-timing, I’ve discovered that I don’t like being on the go every day. I’m very happy to spend three or four months in one location, then spend two to four weeks traveling to another location. I figured this out very early on, actually, so I haven’t done nearly as much exploring in the past year as I would have expected. That said, I know some towns better than I ever expected I would and I would never in a million years have fallen in love with Vancouver had I not spent four months there.

Also, working on the road isn’t easy. Oh, work can be found for the willing just about anywhere, but it’s very hard to generate a stable source of income. Until I do, I will have to spend long periods of time in one place before I can move on to another. For a few months in late 2008 and early 2009 I thought that the blog was going to become a steady source of income, enough to make a dent in my budget, but that well has dried up completely. I’ve made the decision that I can no longer afford to treat the blog as a business and that I need to put my energy elsewhere for the time being. This won’t affect readers as I will continue to post as I always have, but there will be a lot less going on behind the scenes. (update on July 22, 2010: it’s amazing how quickly things can change if you’re persistent!)

Besides that, I think that the biggest expectation I’ve had to let go of is that I will roam freely. This won’t happen for several years. Right now, I need the security of a ‘homebase’ with a good job to return to for a good chunk of the year and to winter some place warmer where I can work. So, that means that I will spend the next few years learning every route between Dawson City and southern BC. But I’m okay with that, at least my home has wheels and I decide when I pull up the stakes.

Becoming a full-timer was without a doubt the only good decision I ever made in my life even if it was planned poorly and it has enabled me to fulfill many other dreams. It is the life I’m meant to lead.

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Another Cross-Canada Difference

I’ve encountered yet another difference in how things are done in this part of the country vs. in Quebec or Ontario.

In Quebec, if there is a chip in your windshield, the repair is free with comprehensive insurance. If your windshield needs to be replaced, the insurance will cover the work, less your deductible. Glass claims are pretty much routine and rarely affect your premium.

In Yukon, there is no such thing as a glass claim. Insurance doesn’t exist for it and a lot of people drive around with cracks in their windshield. Chips are generally repaired to prevent worse damage, but that’s it.

I learned this when I went to have a windshield chip repaired in Whitehorse. I decided to pay out of pocket rather than make a claim in Quebec and was surprised by how cheap the work was (40$) when I know that in Quebec it’s closer to 100$. I was told that this is because here people pay for chip repairs themselves while insurance companies out east generally pay so the market can support the higher cost.

At any rate, this issue came back today when the Yukon insurance people questioned the two claims on my insurance record, both for glass. The second claim doesn’t seem to be an issue as it was pure vandalism (someone threw a rock onto my car from an overpass), but the insurance agent seemed to find my first claim frivolous. I explained what I stated above, that such claims are routine in Quebec, and added that I would not make such a claim in Yukon. I sent this to her by email, so I don’t know what she thinks. Hopefully, that will mollify her and I will be able to get my Yukon insurance tomorrow!

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A Change of Attitude

I made a call this morning to complete some finance-related transactions and it was like pulling teeth. It had been a while since I dealt with this company, so I didn’t have all the information they wanted on hand, like the amount of the last transaction or even the home phone number they would have on file.

Both myself and the agent’s tone was growing gradually more frustrated and I made a conscious decision to dial it down a bit because I needed to save my energy for the insurance company! 🙂 Finally, the agent and I made a breakthrough and we got on to the first part of what I wanted to do, change my address. Soon as I gave it, the lady’s demeanour changed completely.

“Wow. That’s a big change!” she exclaimed. “How do you like it?” I replied that I’d wanted to come to the Klondike my whole life, so this was a dream come true. We continued to talk business for a bit and when it was concluded she said “Thank you for your patience and live your dream, young lady!”

I love people like that who show admiration for someone else’s dream instead of putting it down or joking that the person is crazy!

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A Useful Item to Pack for a Summer North of ’60

Coming north for a summer? Buy a sleep mask!

Night is slowly returning to the north, sneaking in through smoke and adding just a drop of darkness at a time to the day. I’ve needed to turn on a light to read in bed for about a week now and I’ve finally been able to put away the sleep mask I bought in Whitehorse.

I think that a sleep mask is a must-have item for anyone visiting the north who cannot sleep when there is light out. I bought mine at Walmart, figuring that it would be easier to get used to wearing the mask than to try to jury-rig curtains at my cousin’s. The mask was also useful on the Chilkoot seeing as it never really gets dark in a tent.

Unlike some people, I didn’t go crazy trying to darken my home this summer, just blocking off the overcab area, but leaving the rest of the rig as is. The mask was more than sufficient to block out light and I noticed that my sleep improved considerably. It didn’t take long for me to get used to wearing it.

Now that I know I like using a sleep mask, I’m going to look for a better model made of a breathable fabric. A nylon mask on a hot night did not stay on long. 🙂

I’m going to miss the sun, but it’s good to see the moon and stars again.