After the big moves were made (house on the market, truck purchased and travel trailer on order), it was time to start working on the next steps toward our nomad migration. Now we approached the question “Where will we call home, when we don’t have a home”? This is where Facebook groups and Google searches came in handy. We found a plethora of resources on this.
When our research started, I naturally looked into just retaining residency in Wisconsin. I soon found this is difficult if you do not have a permanent residence. Wisconsin does not really cater to Full Time RV’ers looking to pursue the nomadic life. The three states that are commonly used are Texas, South Dakota and Florida. Choosing a domicile state actually gets rather involved dealing with taxes, health insurance, jury duty and the like. For us it was simple. South Dakota was the closest and the easiest.
Setting up South Dakota as our domicile state was very straight forward. We simply needed to follow these three steps.
1. Establish A South Dakota Address
2. Stay One Night In The State
3. Obtain A Driver’s License
Establishing An Address in South Dakota:
Unlike many states, you do not need a physical address to “be legal” in South Dakota. There are different services in the state that offer a PMB (Personal Mailbox). We used America’s Mailbox in Box Elder. Utilizing their services we were able to establish a legal address and sign up for mail handling services.
Stay One Night In The State:
Once we had an address, we could prepare for our trip to the DMV. Before heading to the DMV, we had to stay in the state for one night. Staying in a hotel satisfied this retirement. We simply had to take the receipt to the DMV.
Obtain A Drivers License:
With the other requirements satisfied, our trip to the DMV to obtain my license and Colleen’s ID completed the process.
The whole process was so foreign to us and seemed just too easy. Even when it came to the stage of our appointment at the DMV, I was sitting in the waiting area with nervous anticipation. I was thinking, does the DMV know about this gig? Are we going to get to the counter and get turned away like a dog begging for table scraps? Are we going to be the ones getting caught trying to skirt the system?
As the agent at the DMV was processing the paperwork she asked “So where are you going first”? I had a sigh of relief and was put at ease. I thought “Thank God! They are in on the secret too”. We chatted about our plans as she finished things up. Then she said “We will see you in 5 years to renew your license”
Just like that, we became South Dakotans. The journey continues!
8 thoughts on “Officially South Dakotan’s”
You two are truly inspiring. I’ve learned so much about gratitude from you. Thank you.
Thank you Melissa. That means a lot to both of us.
We met Colleen at a. Downers Grove meeting and also “walked” with her at a Walking for Ataxia event. We both have ataxia. We live in Arizona. Let us know when you’re in the Phoenix area and maybe we can meet up.
Hello Al and Robin. It is good to hear from you. Our trailer is being built in Mesa. We will be picking it up in Mid-December. We will certainly connect when we get into town.
Love the blog Patrick and Colleen! Can’t wait to see you down here in Savannah. Way to go Team Lang!
Thank you Tony. We will be sure to let you know when we are headed your way.
Be Blessed. If you find your way again to Wabasha,MN and the Zumbro100, we got you covered.
Hello Brenda. We were just talking about that yesterday on our way here. I hope to be able to run Zumbro again. We certainly will look you up when we are in the area.