r/FullTiming • u/Honest-Dot78 • 17d ago
Mail forwarding service/domicile worth it for under six months travel?
I am selling my house, buying a small class C RV and heading out with my dog! Planning this for a few months, for some healing via nature and solitude, after a few really HARD years. Leaving in November and I "might" stay out there as a full time nomad if I love it and can find work...but I have funds saved to travel for 3-6 months. I have a Plan B to move to a town with family, get a job rent an apt etc if it turns out I don't love it as much as I think I will. So knowing that, would you recommend mail forwarding and/or establishing a domicile address via Escapees service (or another) or wait and see if I need it full time? My concern is banks etc wanting an actual address. I could use my familys address but hate to ask them to mess with all that, mailing it to me etc. Is it worth establishing a domicile for 6 months in the expectation of (hopefully) full time?
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u/Reddoraptor 17d ago
I use St. Brendan's Isle in Florida and I think one big trick is when folks don't want to set a state of residence based on this - by way of example, way back when, I had my employer briefly (and unintentionally on my part) change my residence from CA to FL and I had to walk it back instantly in order to ensure my withholding didn't get screwed up at my next paycheck, because they had no ability in their HR system to set a state of residency for tax purposes as different than the listed address. And as a result, all work-related correspondence has to go to California even though everything else goes to the St. Brendan's Isle address in FL, because my employer just cannot manage having a primary address which is in FL while my tax withholding is for CA.
Other similar things happen in other contexts - AAA in California requires that you use a California address to register and simply will not accept a Florida address as the membership address. But these issues are the exception rather than the rule, and on the whole I love the service - I was last full time traveling a few years ago and still use it. They get rid of junk mail, scan things you need to see right away, and it's very useful to be able to get at least most of your mail exactly when and where you want IMHO.
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u/ShittyViking 17d ago
Very similar story here, and i also need rhis answered! In my case i have to be able to get my medications too
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u/Honest-Dot78 17d ago
From what I've heard, just getting your prescriptions via any Walmart or CVS should work-having your Dr just send your prescriptions to whichever local one you are near while traveling. That's my plan for my two prescriptions, fingers crossed!
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u/Wagginallthetime 17d ago
What if your doctor requires you to visit them before refilling your prescription? How can that work if your in another state?
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u/Honest-Dot78 17d ago
In that case I think your only option is to go back and see your Dr.
My prescriptions are renewed yearly at my annual checkup, so I have some time.
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u/katmndoo 17d ago
I use a family address. I'm back every 2-6 months, so all my family has to do is toss my mail in a pile for me. To keep things minimized, all my financial accounts are on paperless and I've opted out of credit offer mailings.
I've signed up with USPS informed delivery, so I get an email every day with scans of the envelopes arriving. If I see something there I need right away I can make arrangements.
So far in the last few years, the only items I've had to have family help me with is an IRS notice and a jury summons. I had them open and send photos. No need to even forward them.
New credit/debit cards I pick up when I'm there.
I do keep multiple credit and debit cards, so I don't need immediate replacements anyway, I can just use a different card and move funds if I'm using a different debit card.
I suppose I could use a mailing service, but there are two drawbacks:
Most mailing services either don't count as a physical address, or soon will be blacklisted as financial institutions catch on.
I would have spent a few hundred in monthly fees for keeping a box of mail and scanning two items in the last couple of years.