So it is official – we are Texans! When we chose to live in an RV and travel the country, we had to figure out:
- State of domicile?
- How do we get mail?
- License Plates?
- Drivers License?
As you can see, it can get complicated. Fortunately there is an organization called RV Escapees. They have been in business for over 30 years and know there stuff. The first thing we had to decide was State of Domicile.
State of Domicile – Texas
We could have kept Illinois as our domicile state but we would have needed to have a physical address. With all of the problems the state is having with their financial woes, we didn’t want to have anything to do with Illinois. RV Escapees have offices in the most popular states for this lifestyle. Three states stood out because they didn’t have state payroll tax:
- Texas
- Florida
- North Dakota
We chose Texas only because it was the most popular.
Drivers License and Plates
Since RV Escapees is headquartered in Texas – that is the state we chose. We were able to secure a true mailing address with them before we headed out on our journey. We arrived in Livingston TX to start the process of getting our drivers license and vehicle registration. Since our address was in Livingston, we had to work with the Polk County assessors office.
The day we got in we went to a mechanic to get the vehicles inspected. We did this before we got to the RV park so we could be done with the coach. Once the inspection was complete on the coach and car, we went to the RV park that is run by RV Escapees and set up camp!
The next day we got our new plates and drivers license all before noon! One minor glitch – the motorcycle needed inspection. Who knew! Why the mechanic didn’t tell us that, I don’t know! The bike was on the lift in the back of the coach which he had to see when he checked the brake and turn signal lights. No worries – we got the paper work for the motorcycle and at our next stop in Austin – we will get the bike inspected and send everything to Polk county. Update – that actually worked out so we are good!
How do we get mail?
Since we have a true mailing address with RV Escapees, they provide a mail service as well. They keep your mail for you until you tell them to forward it on. So once a month I send an email to them with the address of the RV park we are located and in 2 days – we have mail!
Also the address is recognized by banks and credit card companies as a true address! They don’t recognize a PO Box as a true mailing address which is why we went with RV Escapees!
So what could have been complicated was pretty easy thanks to RV Escapees!