When we launched to live in ourRV full time back in 2019, I had no idea what to expect. First, we had never stayed in an RV before so the whole thought of living simple and minimalistic was exciting! I wanted so badly to love our new lifestyle. Afterall, we did just sell everything and moved into a 40 foot house on wheels with 3 kids and a german shepherd.
Along the way, we meet some people who love this lifestyle and others who cannot wait to get into a house again. I have found a few common denominators that I believe show why people just can’t stand the traveling rv lifestyle that we’ve grown accustomed to today
First, let’s dive into the root of why it doesn’t work out the way people think it will. I believe that the expectations were different. If you come into this traveling lifestyle thinking that it’s going to be a vacation everyday, or even more days than not, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. You’ll never be happy. The truth is that travel days are daunting and long. They’re not fun, they’re stressful and your entire day is a hot mess express.
Other expectations are that you will plan ahead and everything will be at the perfect campgrounds that you’ve researched and you’ll open your door to a beautiful ocean view and breeze. Scratch that idea! Yes, this can happen but the majority of the time is spent squished in between other campers. Set your expectations to walking to that beautiful sunrise in the morning and that’s okay.
Speaking of campgrounds, not every campground is going to look like it’s photos. Remember to be flexible and set your expectations low. Always go into your next adventure with an open mind. When you set your expectations high and have this picture in your head of what you think you’re getting but come to find out that you’re wrong then you’re going to be disappointed no matter how great it may be to others.
The stress of finding a campground at the last minute in a busy spot is hard! Florida RV parks are packed during winter because it’s one of the few places to go to escape the cold winters throughout the rest of the United States. Plan ahead and be okay when those plans need to change. You will, without a doubt, spend hours on finding campgrounds close to where you’d prefer to be located. This can be super stressful but know that it’s all a part of the process of being nomadic.
Let’s talk about organization. You’re living small so you can’t go to the stores to just pick up a few things and then grab something because it’s cute or on sale. Know that your old days of shopping are long gone and don’t buy anything unless you plan to get rid of something! Your RV is too small to store things because it was marked 80% off and you got a good deal.
RV’s are like tornados when moved so you don’t want a ton of stuff to fall out of your bins, bang around in the closet or get tossed around on the floor. Everything needs a dedicated space so you can keep your sanity.
When you first move into the RV, don’t plan to organize later because you will hate life while you’re trying to move, set up, meet people, enjoy your destinations and try to organize. Organize before going fulltime and if you’re feeling overwhelmed then go through your house and fill up a trash bag of stuff you don’t love to get rid of at your local homeless shelter or salvation army.
I cannot tell you how many times I feel overwhelmed with life but it turns out that my house was just filled with too much stuff that I couldn’t think straight!
Let’s go back to that expectation thing I was talking about earlier. We knew that our rig was going to shake when people walked around, we knew that we’d need to flush tanks regularly with a family of 5, we knew that taking the trash out meant walking up to the dump, we knew that rv’s aren’t insulated like houses are and that they get hot and cold easily.
You cannot, for any reason, compare your RV to a house. They are not the same and you will set yourself up for failure. There’s a lot of work that needs done to both but they are not the same.
The people we meet on the road who love this lifestyle understand that it’s a lifestyle and they love it. The people who tend to want to go back to a house compare their rv to a house and it’s just not your typical sticks and bricks.
You have to find your community and know that you signed up for the adventure, the new backyards, meeting people from different places and cultures and you crave the challenge of trying new things. If you want comfort then stay in your house filled with things that you know and love, the community that you know is already there.
It’s okay to want different things in life but have your expectations set where they’re realistic.
Thanks so much for joining me, be sure to sign up for our newsletter below and I’ll see ya on the road,
Amanda