So often we get asked by people we meet, why we chose full-time RV living over our old traditional life. Every time our answer is different because there are SO MANY great reasons for traveling the country in an RV, finding new roads to new adventures. The Washington Post states that over 1 million Americans now live in their RV’s.(1) A million people can’t be wrong, so we sat down and started to enumerate them.
Then we asked a few friends who RV travel to share their thoughts as well. I am sure if we waited long enough and asked more people, we could continue to build this list into infinity. The truth is there are many reasons and they are different for everyone. But 31 seemed like a good place to stop!
31 Reasons Why RVers Love Full-Time RV Living
1) “Dump The Tanks” and Other Cool Lingo
RV living is the only lifestyle I know of in which it is completely legit to end a conversation by saying “I’ve gotta go dump the tanks.” It is also quite acceptable to say “It felt like my dinghy was dragging a bit.” Other acceptable phrases are “Is she a pusher or a puller?” “I blew my reefer” or “Keep an eye on my tail swing.” RV lingo is FUN!
2) Oh The Places You Visit
Without a doubt, our favorite part of full-time RV living is the places we visit. Our country is filled with some pretty astounding places. The National Parks system is packed with wonders beyond imagination. When we decided to hit the road in 2015, we never imagined the spectacular sights we would see or the adventures that we would have.
Three years later, we cannot believe the stack of awesome experiences we have accumulated over these years. We’ve visited Yellowstone twice for a total of 3 months! We spent 4 amazing months in Utah, and explored the wonderful Grand Canyon.
3) Slowing Down
With all of the adventure and excitement I have described above, the best part of being a full-timer is… there is no rush. When we are asked what our best piece of advice is for new travelers, we usually say “Spend more time in fewer places.” Instead of rushing around and trying to see everything as quickly as possible, we can relax and take it all in.
If we really like a place, there is no rush to move on, and conversely, if we do not enjoy a place, there is no need to stay. We usually average about a month in a given location. It is usually enough time to get to know a place and see pretty much everything there is to see.
Paying monthly rates at RV parks saves money BIG TIME! We are constantly meeting people who only have a week or a few days and are stressed out about what to see and do. They end up running from place to place trying to do it all.
We often joke that we feel as if we are in slow motion compared to others in the places we visit. Full-time RVing allows you to slow things down and take the time to truly enjoy the magnificence of our world.
Sean and Julie Chickery of Chickerys Travels are kindred spirits in this philosophy: "In 2014, we found ourselves at a crossroads. We were preparing to transition from the US Air Force after 20 years of service each. Our 3 sons lived in different states, and we weren’t sure where we wanted to settle down. Since we also moved quite a bit as children, there was no specific location either one of us considered 'home.' Although we had never owned an RV before, we had been eyeing them with envy for years and thought it would be a great way to travel around the country and enjoy all it had to offer as we looked for a place to settle down. One of the things we love most about RV living is the ability to travel slowly. We typically stay 4 – 8 weeks per location. This gives us a chance to explore an area and visit our favorite sites and restaurants more than once before moving on to the next destination."
4) Million Dollar Views- For FREE
Some people we talk to about our life on the road, say that they just wouldn’t like so much “travel.” This thought is always a little funny to me, because what we do, while it IS full-time travel, doesn’t feel like that at all. We stay at least a month at a time, so there really isn’t that much “travel” in it for us.
In fact, we average only about 20,000 miles a year on our truck. I always explain it to them like this: Imagine living in your own house, only the view outside changes. That seems truer to me. Our home is always there. We just move it from one awesome location to another. We sleep in our own beds, cook in our own kitchen, etc. It doesn’t feel like travel at all in the traditional sense.
5) The Freedom To Go Where You Want
Living in a camper allows you the freedom to be where you want to be – to put yourself wherever your heart desires. If you feel like fishing for crab, just head to a coast. If you want to go mountain hiking, there are great campgrounds in Colorado.
Many full-time RVers follow the seasons, or trade shows, or work. A home on wheels allow you to choose your destination, and not just wait until vacation time.
6) The Costs Can Be Kept So Low
Living in an RV full time can be really economical if you want it to be. Over our time on the road we have kept our monthly costs to between $2000 and $3000 per month pretty regularly. By choosing parks that are just a bit farther from our destinations, staying a month at a time, and utilizing all of the free recreation that surrounds us, we really just have our normal payments- truck, fuel, camping fees, and food to round us out.
We save a lot of our food budget by making monthly runs to Sams and Walmart.
The state in which you live can also have a big impact. CampingWorld states that the three of the most popular domicile states for full-time RVers are South Dakota, Texas and Florida.(2) This is mainly because of favorable tax laws that allow you to keep much more of what you earn.
7) Traveling With Kiddos is Fantastic
When you have kids and you decide to live full time in an RV the first thing you think about is homeschooling. It’s a scary thing to consider for most people. Our advice to you is don’t let your fear stop you. The resources are out there for you and the educational “perks” are absolutely astounding.
We love to tell a true story about when we visited the Colonial Williamsburg/ Yorktown/ Jamestown area last year. We were quite taken by the battlefield at Yorktown and our children got their lessons about that most important battle from actual Park Rangers who took us around parts of the field and explained how Washington cleverly outfoxed Cornwallis to end the Revolution. For our family, it was a Revolution revelation! (sorry I couldn’t resist).
"For most people, RV living requires an advanced education in staying online. You will soon learn all about Hot Spots, streaming, and gigabyte usage more than you ever wanted to. Finding a data plan that fits your needs is important to manage costs and stay connected."
A month or so later we were hiking in VA and hooked up with a foursome of other hikers who were very interested in RV living. As we walked along we suddenly realized that our son- all of 8 years old at the time – was giving these folks a blow by blow accounting of the Battle of Yorktown.
He remembered it all – Washington’s moves, the French fleet coming in just in time, the cannonball marks that still exist in some of the town’s buildings. As if that wasn’t enough, his 7 year old sister joined in. Needless to say it was a very proud parenting moment.
The point is, there are TONS of opportunities living on the road to give your kids a very rich education. The 3 “R’s” are there as well, but there is SO MUCH MORE!
8) Location Independence- Even If You Don’t Move
When most people hear about or consider living in an RV, they think of travel. We love living in such a way that we can pick up and go whenever or where ever we want. It is really cool to be able to change locations on a whim.
All of that being said, not all who live in an RV – travel!. We are meeting more and more people who live in their RV but are more stationary. Often these folks move with their work and stay in one place while they are working on a given project.
Ashley & Josiah Mann are one such couple. Ashley’s blog RV Inspiration is all about making your house on wheels more homey. It is PACKED with awesome ideas and examples of ways to renovate/ decorate/ rejuvenate your RV living space:
"My husband Josiah and I like RV living because of how easy it is for us to live wherever we want and relocate as needed, and because of the new opportunities doing so has opened up for us. We actually don’t travel full time or have plans to in the near future, but twice now we’ve been able to easily move to a new city for a work opportunity, where previously the types of jobs we could get were limited to whatever was available in the area of our hometown of Springfield, Missouri. Having the flexibility to relocate enabled my husband to develop skills and build a resume as a web and software developer, which then led him to starting his own business. Living in an RV also inspired me to start my blog, RVinspiration.com So now, as a result of our choice to live in an RV, even though it took a couple of years to get to this point, we both have businesses that allow us to work from home and live wherever we want—perhaps somewhere warm for the winter, then back to Springfield for a few months to visit family, then to wherever our next project takes us."
9) Experiences VS Stuff
I never thought we would watch a grizzly bear 50 feet away digging for grubs in Glacier National Park, or walk on the beach every morning in Pensacola for months. We have caught and eaten our own crab dinners on BOTH coasts.
We observed the 2017 Eclipse from within the totality. When we stop to look back and consider the mounting list of absolutely amazing adventures and experiences we have accumulated over just 3 years, we wonder why we ever lived any other way.
This is simply something you cannot do working 9-5 and staying situated except for a couple of weeks a year. RV living enables us to put ourselves out there and take an active part in how our lives are progressing. All in all that’s pretty remarkable.
10) RV Living Pushes You To Be Healthier
This is a very healthy way to live without a doubt. Our daily lives get us more exercise than we used to get going to a gym before. We walk long distances just exploring our surroundings, hike all the time at the parks we visit, go for runs several times a week, and are constantly playing with our kids……outdoors!
Anywhere we go, one of the first things we do is look for local farmers markets where we can get fresh produce right from the farm as well as fresh baked goods etc. Living on the road has made us healthier, happier and less stressed out.
11) You Can Try It Out Before You Buy
Renting an RV is easier than ever with services like Outdoorsy. You can rent an RV directly from the owner and even have it set up at a local park if you don’t want to drive. It is so easy and gives you some real insights into the great world of RV living.
Outdoorsy Rentals in YOUR Area
12) Learn About New People/ Cultures
Anyone who thinks that the USA is one culture has never been to New Orleans! It is truly awesome to travel this country and meet people from different places. Whether they are locals to the area or other travelers who are experiencing the same new place as you, it is always interesting to meet and get to know new folks.
And then there is the food…we LOVE to eat. We love to try local foods. We also look for the small, local museums and historical spots to learn about the area and how it became what it is today.
RV living allows our children to grow up realizing that there are all kinds of people out there who have their own thoughts and traditions. They learn to appreciate differences and also realize that deep down, we all share commonalities that can be the basis for friendships and respect.
13) RV Living Makes Cleaning Easy
Small space = small chores. Cleaning in the RV is simple – made so by the fact that it is just not that possible to make a big mess. Only 3 things fit on the floor, so the 4th one tips the scales and it is time to “Pick up that MESS!” Living in the RV forces you to be more organized every day, so the chore of cleaning day gets that much smaller.
Plus it takes maybe 15 minutes to vacuum and mop if everyone helps out. I’ll take that any day of the week.
14) You Can Visit Your Family Any time You Want
When you travel full time, you can make certain choices that are not always available to you otherwise. For instance, Frank’s mother is 92 years old. As time passes she is requiring more and more care and assistance on a daily basis. Frank’s 2 sisters live nearby and provide that care. But it is a large burden as they both have businesses to run and lives to live.
So this fall we decided to head up to Michigan for a few months so that we can help them out and allow the kiddos to spend some quality time with Grandma and their awesome aunts. This is not something we would have been able to do had we not made the decision to travel full time.
Our travels in the west have also allowed us to spend time with Franks brother and his wife who live in Phoenix, AZ. They are 2 of our absolute favorite people and we love to see them. We spent 5 months hanging in Arizona with them, we would not have been able to do if we weren’t living this lifestyle!
Our friend Danielle Leonard (The Frugal Navy Wife) says that their wish to be with family was a large part of their decision to travel once her husband got out of the military. Her travel blog, Our Roaming Hearts chronicles their adventures with their 5 children as well as giving blogging advice AND ways to save money on the road.
"We got on the road in 2015 after my husband got out of the military. During the leave times, we would travel to visit family -never just for us. Pair it with family scattered everywhere, we didn't know where we wanted to call home. We also said we would do this when we retired (mostly after watching the movie RV) and when we saw a blog of a family with 12 kids doing it we joked around about it for a few weeks. We ran the numbers since my work is all online and then made the jump. We were on the road 6 months after that."
15) We Don’t Even OWN a Lawnmower
We love to think about the amount of crap that we no longer own. Some of it is even stuff we have had in the RV. The fact is that storage is tight in an RV so you clear out the clutter quite often. In order to get new things we need, we must get rid of that which we don’t. Keeps life simple!
All of the stuff that used to fill our house and garage is just gone with the wind. I guess we really didn’t need it at all. It’s sad to think of all the money we used to spend on stuff!
16) RV Living Makes Cooking Simple
There is an old story about a young mother who cut the ends off her Christmas ham before baking it in the oven. When her daughter asked “Mommy, why do you cut the ends off the ham?” She replied “It’s what my mother did. It makes the ham taste better!”
The little girl thought about that and went to her grandmother and asked the same question. Her grandmother replied “It’s what my mother always did. It makes the ham taste better!” The little girl was not convinced. She moved on to her Great Grandmother. “Nana, why have you always cut the ends off the ham?” The old woman replied, “Why dear, my oven was so small, the whole ham wouldn’t fit!”
I feel this story living in an RV. The oven is small, the stovetop is small, the grill is small. You can’t do BIG meals. Combine that with the fact that we have no interest in spending all of our time creating meals and you find ways to simplify. I love the fact that cooking has become so simple when you live in a tiny house.
When it comes to cooking in the RV, we find simple one-pot type recipes that we really like and use those as a basis for our meals. We also do a lot of slow cooker meals and easy RV meals in the stove. We can get creative as we want, but we always try to keep it simple. Our RV and Camp Cooking area is loaded with recipes and ideas for the RV kitchen.
17) How Else Can You Say “I Love To Boondock.”
There is no other lifestyle which allows you to utter the words “I love to boondock!” Boondocking or dry camping is a dividing line for RVers. If you boondock, you are just a little bit cooler, more out there, livin’ on the edge than the rest. Boondocking gets you right into nature, up close and personal. Plus it’s free. BOOYAH
18) Un-scheduling
One of the really nice things about RV living is that you can unschedule your life just as much as you like. It is nice to let the wind blow us a bit and see where it leads. Nice weather- get outside. Lousy weather – more school/ work. New places offer different opportunities so to take full advantage – just keep the schedule loose.
19) Lighten Your Load
I was amazed at how much stuff we had accumulated when we were living in a 2600 square foot house. Once we started selling everything in order to downsize, we were shocked at just how many things we actually had!
We don’t spend money on stuff anymore because you don’t have an extra storage space when you live the RV lifestyle. Therefore you save money by not spending it on useless junk. Selling off all of that stuff was one of the most freeing events in our life. You feel lighter every day. Now we spend money on experiences with our kids instead of stuff!
20) Stop Nick-Naming The Days of The Week
Monday is no longer “Suckday.” There is no need for a “hump-day’ and the weekend really has no special meaning except that we stay out of National Parks in the summer. Sunday is no longer “Ohcraptomorrowissuckday” anymore. Sunday is now Church and football! (Twice the awesome!)
21) You’ll Know More Than You ever Wished About Trucks
If you tow a travel trailer or 5th wheel you will get an education on trucks you never thought you would have. Matching a truck to a trailer is akin I think, to putting a man on the moon. Heavy math is involved. And many an underpowered truck owner has called out “Houston, we have a problem” when his truck went into limp mode!
You will learn terms like “exhaust brake” “Gross Vehicle Weight Rating” and “bulletproofing.” (That last one is what Ford owners do. It loosely means “replace all the crap that is going to break anyway, and then act like your truck doesn’t suck.”) LOL- see if I get some comments on THAT one!
"I never thought we would watch a grizzly bear 50 feet away digging for grubs in Glacier National Park, or walk on the beach every morning in Pensacola for months. We have caught and eaten our own crab dinners on BOTH coasts."
22) “I’ve Been There”
It is interesting to watch as your local knowledge of many places grows over time. When you first start traveling, you just listen (and take mental notes) as other people you meet talk about interesting places they’ve been. Soon you realize that “I’ve been there” becomes a more frequent part of your vocab.
A few years of living on the road, and you will be right there in the thick of it- spewing your own stories of the road and sharing local knowledge with the next newbies.
23) You’ll Learn To Watch Your Gigs
For most people, RV living requires an advanced education in staying online. You will soon learn all about Hot Spots, streaming, and gigabyte usage more than you ever wanted to. Finding a data plan that fits your needs is important to manage costs and stay connected.
Every carrier claims to have the best wifi networks so you will certainly need to do your homework. Most parks offer free RV wifi but it is very rarely reliable and often very slow. Boondockers sometimes require a signal booster if they are in remote areas. Personally, I send the kids up to the roof with some tin foil.
24) Enjoy New Experiences With Your Family
The ScaryMommy says: Lots of families are craving closeness, and that desire has given birth to a new way of living — RV style. Parents all over the country are selling their belongings, closing up their houses, and hitting the road in a motorhome to experience all that the world has to offer.(3)
Living full time in an RV forces you to live in the moment with your family. You are truly in this life together and very little gets missed. It is one of the big reasons we chose RV life. We wanted to share our kids’ lives while they still like us– these years go by so fast. It forces us as a couple to be engaged in a very meaningful way, both in our own relationship as well as with our kids.
I love the way Jessica Meinhofer captures this sentiment in her quote below. She and her husband Robert travel full time with their 2 kiddos and cat. Their blog: Exploring The Local Life covers all facets of RV living from RV park reviews to homeschooling. It is an awesome read!
"The thing we love so much about RV living is that it makes you live a conscious life. We aren't just going through the motions. Every day, we are present, together. We share in the awesome campfires and frustrating tire changes. We learn and grow together. We chose the RV lifestyle to simplify our lives. We quickly learned that this life isn't simpler, but we did remove the things we didn't like about living in a house - mowing the lawn, trimming the shrubs, and choosing between cleaning or adventuring. With this RV life, we can clean up in a few minutes and hit the hiking trails for the rest of the day."
25) Everything In Its Place
In an RV there is not a lot of space. This results in only keeping things you need and everything having a place. There is no room to leave things lying around so you tend to stay much more organized than you would in a house. It is nice to always be able to grab a flashlight, or the cayenne pepper and know right where to look. I love that everything has a place, it means I can actually find it again. See our guide to Finding Storage Space In Your RV here.
26) Following The Weather
Florida in the winter? Michigan in the summer? Why not? Following the weather is almost ingrained at a DNA level for RVers. No matter what your preference, you can go there. Feel like skiing? You get it… Of course Phoenix in January…better book early! Snowbirds follow the weather too!
Jill and Tony of Lets Travel Family are following the sun with their 4 kids. Their blog and vlog offer tips to traveling with kids, travel destination ideas, and inspiration to travel more together as a family.
"Tony and I hit the road full-time with our 4 kids back in May of 2017 to find adventure, build a closer relationship as a family unit, and to follow the sunshine. We decided we wanted to live our dreams now, and not wait for some day. Full-time RV living and traveling has allowed us to live our dream! We’ve been driving our home-on-wheels to areas of the country with 'nice-weather' as the seasons' change, which is new and exciting for our family. Getting outside in the winter months didn’t happen much back in Minnesota before we launched. Each day is an adventure on the road, especially as we grow and learn next to one another. Full-time RV living has allowed our family to grow closer than I ever thought possible. People often ask us how much longer we’ll be on the road. I tell them that we see no end in sight."
27) Ditching Bad Neighbors
28) Enjoy The Seasons and Holidays
29) Sharing Stories Of The Road
30) Utah National Parks
31) What a Community!
(1) Heather Long,1 million Americans live in RVs. Meet the ‘modern nomads.’https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/11/12/million-americans-live-rvs-meet-modern-nomads/
(2) Camping World, 10 Things You SHould Know Before Becomming A Full Time RV’er, https://blog.campingworld.com/the-rv-life/fulltiming/10-things-you-should-know-before-becoming-a-full-time-rver/
(3) Brandi Jeter Riley,These 9 Families Living In RVs Will Make You Want To Hit The Roadhttps://www.scarymommy.com/9-traveling-rv-families/
This is a wonderful overview of some of the drawbacks as well as the many benefits to RV life! I think #15 might be one of my favorites, ha!
I know it’s my husbands lol. Thanks so much for contributing to it 🙂
My husband and I, along with our three goldens, traveled the country for about a year. While we did stay 2-3 weeks in some locations, we mostly fast traveled because we took a year off and wanted to see as much as we could. Several months after resettling (yes, buy everything again) we realized how liberating traveling full time was. We are not tech savvy so we couldn’t work virtually. If we had had a steady source of income I have no doubt we would’ve kept traveling. At a more relaxed pace. We miss it.
Hi Candy,
It is really a wonderful way to live. Try looking for travel applications of you and your husbands careers. You may be surprised to find a niche just for you. Glad you had the year you did!
The Foleys,
Sorry, I meant the above email for you! Any insight into the reality of limited RV sites in the US, or difficulty in booking a place to stay is greatly appreciated. It seems that a huge number of people have purchased RVs since COVID-19 and I’m concerned that if we make this investment we will have difficulty in finding RV sites to stay that are in more popular locations. I don’t want to be forced to stay in a place/state that has no real attraction because, it’s the only place available.
I’d appreciate any thoughts you have with this!
HI Kathleen, I understand your concern. We took a break from full time travel last year partly because of the COVID crisis so we have not been making bookings. We have heard a lot about difficulties booking sites as you mentioned. My thinking about that is that the increase may die down just as quickly as COVID dissipates later this year so that pressure will probably let up as many people return to their traditionally forms of travel. We have ALWAYS had a tough time booking for 2 reasons. First, the size of our rig (38ft) and second our length of stay. We have usually tried to book a month at our locations so that we could relax and explore. Finding 30 days in a site in busy campgrounds is tough. We usually have found that looking 30-60 minutes away from the attraction would get much better results. We also found some great campgrounds and good value by doing this. If you have not joined RV’ers Facebook groups I highly recommend doing that- you can get a lot of great info from folks about specific areas. Maybe do some calling around to campgrounds in the areas you want to visit and ask them directly how far forward you need to book. I ALWAYS strongly recommend speaking to campgrounds in person- you will get MUCH better information.