You Absolutely Should(n't) Live In An RV

Almost daily, someone on an RV forum or Facebook group will start a conversation with the following:

“Hey guyyyyys. So I really want to travel and live in an RV and be free but my friends and family think I’m crazy what do I do?”

And there will be an outpouring of support, encouraging the person to follow your dreams, forget the advice of people who actually know you, and listen instead to a stranger who has no vested interest in the outcome of the situation. I am here today, on my virtual soapbox, to tell you to stop making giant life choices based off of the opinions of strangers on the internet. And here is my advice, as a stranger, on the internet.

You Absolutely Should(n’t) Live In An RV

You love to travel

  • Awesome. You can absolutely do that in an RV. In fact, unless you’re living and traveling for a job, you can travel wherever and whenever you want.

  • But also, there will be times where you will get stuck. Something broke, and you’re trapped in a town until the part comes in, or suddenly the weather turns on the day you’re supposed to move, or you go somewhere to boondock only to find that every spot is full and you have to travel further, crossing your fingers the whole while that maybe some place will open up that you feel safe enough to stay.

You love meeting new people

  • When you live in an RV, pretty much every person you meet is new. And from our experience, almost everyone is friendly too! You’ll bond with people by your campsite, the checkout girl at the grocery store, or just random people on the street. The world is your oyster, and everyone is the potential to be a new friend.For someone like me, who has adult stranger danger, this is probably one of the hardest things in the lifestyle. For someone like Ron, this is one of his top things.

  • But dont expect any of those friendships to last. People tend to not take a vested interest in cultivating a friendship with someone who doesnt stick around. It’s like when you graduate high school - you say you’ll keep in touch, but really you’re just excited for whatever is in store next.

You love trying new things

  • Every town you go to, no matter how small, will have something new and unique to offer. Whether it be hiking or food, culture or tech, you’ll learn something about both where you are as well as something about yourself each time you get out of your comfort zone.

  • For those of us that thrive on routine, this can be especially hard. All of a sudden spaghetti had a spicy kick the further south we went, and there is something to be said about going to a grocery store and knowing where all the items you want are (or even if they HAVE them!).

You don’t care what others think

  • Who cares if your friends and family arent on board? It’s not their life! You’re the one that is going to have to live with whatever decisions you make, and while it would be nice to have people have your back, not everyone thought you would look good with bangs and you did it anyway and look how awesome your hair looks now!

  • Or does it? Oh god, why didn’t you listen to your best friend when they said your forehead was too short to look good with bangs? Why did you do this to yourself, Susan??

You want to save money

  • And you totally can! Your entire monthly spending is up to you. Want to save extra? Try boondocking! Have some extra cash? Go out and try that thing you always wanted to do. Unlike living in a house or having a lease, your living situation is flexible to the point where things that used to be a monthly stagnant charge can be however expensive or cheap as you want them to be.

  • But there are also a lot more enticing things for you to do with your money. There are only so many times you can go to the zoo in your hometown, but how about the awesome dining experience in San Antonio, or skiing in Colorado, or fishing in Oregon? You know what you want to spend your money on when you’re at home. It’s a lot harder to stick to a budget when everything is so new and exciting and you only have a limited amount of time to do them.

You want to live like the Instagram Folks

  • Those places you’ve seen in photos have to exist somewhere, right? And the Rockies are gorgeous no matter the filter, the Albuquerque Balloon Festival goes for a full week of awesomeness, and there isnt a single bad angle of the Grand Canyon.

  • Mind you, the drive up the Rockies could literally stop your heart with those dangerous twisty turns, you’re sandwiched in next to your neighbor so badly at the festival you need a can opener to get out your door in the morning, and the day you go to the canyon just so happens to be the day that pea soup fog sweeps the area. Just because a beautiful, filtered photo exists doesnt mean it will be like that for you.

Look, living in an RV isnt a fairy tale. At the end of the day, you’re still doing dishes, complaining about the internet, waiting in line, and wondering if you locked the door on the way out. RV Life is just that - your life. And only you can decide if it’s something that you really want to do. Just like back when we lived in an apartment, we still have good days and bad days. Who we are as people hasn’t changed. Living in an RV doesnt magically fix any problems you have. If anything, it magnifies them. But for all the difficulties we have had, this lifestyle works for us. As I sit here, writing this post on the comfort of my couch, sandwiched between my cats, I can reflect on all the amazing places we have been and seen. In no other way would we have hiked the Rockies, driven through Custer, cuddled on a sand dune, or Meow Wolf’d in one year, much less a lifetime. We feel safe, we feel loved, we feel lucky. And that’s good enough for us.