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In a recent post Dick Quinn asked for help about buying a car. He was in a time crunch because he and his wife were heading to Florida in a few days, I presume to get out of the cold. I live about an hour south of Dick, and I can attest that it has been cold of late in the northeast. We’ve had single digit mornings, and feels like temperatures too low to mention.
I enjoy living in a location with distinct seasons. Fall and spring are my favorites. As a kid I loved sledding, and playing hockey on a nearby frozen lake. Yesterday I took a small walk along the Navesink river in Red Bank, NJ and watched ice boats gliding over the frozen surface. Very cool.
But I’m finding my tolerance for winter is ebbing. More importantly, my wife is somewhat susceptible to seasonal affected disorder, especially in the dark cold of February. We’ve done a few winter trips to somewhere warm, and we keep talking about making it a regular event, but for some reason we haven’t made it happen.
I’m asking the HD community for their guidance. What, if anything, do you do to get out of the cold for a few weeks? Where are some of the best places? It doesn’t have to be a beach, although we like beaches. We are not really “resort” people, but a few days at one wouldn’t be bad. Where would be a good place to rent a house big enough that our children and grandchildren (4 adults, 4 kids) would like to visit for a long weekend? Thanks in advance.
Practically speaking, it is easiest to rent a house for a month at a time. Lots of communities now have restrictions on shorter term rentals. Being someplace for a month gives you enough time to really experience that location, and spread out your visitors over a longer time letting them enjoy less crowded conditions. Typically, you can expect seasonal rentals in most warm locations. Just google the location using that term and you will find listings. However, you should think about this for next year as finding something on short notice might be tough.
Thanks. I think looking to next year now makes sense.
We began travelling to the Southwest in winter to escape the Midwestern cold. We eventually decided to stay at an RV resort in Tucson. THIS IS NOT a promotion by me. I have no affiliation with the resort, beyond living here and volunteering for certain activities. I’m simply offering an idea of what may be possible. Frequented by RVers in winter, and by full-timers over 50, this resort offers a hotel, various casita rentals and some owners also rent their Park Models and homes to winter visitors.
To discover this location we purchased a small RV (Type B – campervan type) in 2013 after an experiment in a rental. We trekked to various US locations, exploring each. We decided this location worked best for us. However, in January Tucson does drop into the 30s at night (high today 70F, usually in the 60s).
What convinced us to go the “resort” route was all of the activities both in the resort and the larger Tucson community. Hobbies, wood shop, painting and writing, etc. There are weekly concerts of various types for modest cost ($10 a ticket). However, we like the Midwest in summer so we return to a campground and live in a 30 ft. travel trailer (our “cabin) on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.
We were living in a 40 Ft RV, but now own a home in the resort which is our “primary” residence.
I’ve included a couple of links 1) General info and 2) January newsletter (the Compass):
https://voyagerrv.com/recreation-lifestyle/
https://voyagerrv.com/wp-content/uploads/news-pdfs/voyager/Compass_January_2025.pdf
Norman, thanks for the tip. The amenities look amazing – the woodworking shop looks professional. We really need to experience the SW and the desert. It’s a big hole in our travel experience.