2021, what a fantastic year. So much so, I decided to take a small break from the blog. I know what you’re thinking, I just started this blog, how am I already taking a break from it? Honestly, it’s because I have to remember this is for fun, and sometimes life is more important than a computer screen.
And because we were recently able to travel for fun.
When I think back to when I was working full time at my staff job, I had to ask for pre-approval for taking time off. And only being allowed so many days, I ask myself how I was so ‘okay’ with letting a job control vacations, days off, and mostly my happiness.
Traveling nursing/healthcare has opened so many opportunities. And we are so thankful for that.
So with our newfound freedom, we took two months of vacation. We crossed things off of our bucket list sooner than we expected. And mostly we spent that time together.
But with all those high points of travel nursing/healthcare in a camper, I would be lying if I said we didn’t have some hard days in 2021 too. Our trailer decided it didn’t always want to work perfectly; from small leaks, bad wiring, auto-level having a mind of its own, broken fuzes, and the big oneā¦ our slide motor stopped working. Which landed us in the hotel for a week, but even after a week, our problem wasn’t 100% fixed.
When we dropped our trailer off to get fixed in October, we contacted the manufacturer and the local dealer beforehand about what part we thought we might need.
We thought we would order the motor ahead of time; so the part would be in hand when the camper finally went into the shop. Unfortunately, since the dealer had not seen our camper or the problem they didn’t want to order it ahead of time. They were afraid if we had ordered the wrong part, we could be looking at a $1000 bill and be stuck with a part that didn’t work.
So we waited, finally took our home on wheels, and left it to be fixed. And a week later, they were putting our camper back together. Sending us on our way with the same problem we brought it in with. To no fault of the dealer, we did need a new slide motor.
Unfortunately, as expected with covid, parts for campers are on backorder.. for what seems to be an eternity. And that fancy slide motor we needed… there were none in the US and no projected date on when one would be available. And to top it off we were expected to leave the area in the next 2.5 weeks.
The dealer did say as loud as our slide was, it was still working. And they felt it would continue to work until it didn’t. Funny, I know, they tell us it will work. But they were unsure how long, and with us not in the area forever, the dealer didn’t feel comfortable placing an order on a part that was nowhere to be found. They also were so nice as to cut us a break in the cost of labor. Since they felt bad they were unable to help.
And then came the added stress. As I mentioned before after we finished our contracts in the DC area. We planned a vacation, but not just any vacation. A 2 month, 6 states, 10 stops, 2200 mile vacation. This means 22 times we had to move our “loud,” “working for now” slide. 22 times we prayed it would continue to go in and out. And thanks to those answered prayers the motor hung on for that long!
We managed to get through our vacation to our next assignment location, without being stranded. And once we arrived at our new campground our prayers were continued to be answered. Turns out right next to our new campground is a large camper dealership. I went there hoping to at least find a projected date for the part. Turns out they were able to order the motor with an 8 to 10 week projected timeframe. 8-10 weeks sounds like forever, but we were so happy to hear the news.
A week later, the service department from the dealership called and said they were able to have Forest River send them the part in 4 days and they were able to have it approved to be covered by our warranty. Again let us talk about answered prayers!
As of now, our camper is fixed, and in complete working order once more. Knock on wood!
One thing to remember if you’re thinking about starting your traveling career in a camper is that they’re not built as tough as a house. There is actually a joke in the camper world that goes: My trailer was built on a Friday, 25 minutes after quitting time while everyone is enjoying happy hour. And what’s even crazier than they are not built as well, is the fact that we still put them in tow and drag them from destination to destination.
A guaranteed earthquake for your home on wheels.
So just be prepared for the things that will go wrong. Stuff will break and some may set you back more than you expect. Know that social media is a highlight reel, and do not judge yourself based on others’ Instagram posts. But most importantly, don’t let those setbacks keep you from enjoying life.
Thank you 2021, for such an amazing year filled with crazy stories and adventures.. and cheers to you 2022. We are so glad you’re here!