The trade offs of life when fulltiming in an RV

The saying “you can’t have everything” resounds in every aspect of living in an RV.  One must LOVE this lifestyle to actually flourish. It is not for the faint of heart, those that like consistent creature comforts or familiarity of any kind. It’s an ever changing, unknown, unpredictable lifestyle that can challenge even the most adaptable type of person.

We wanted to put out a list of things to really consider before you decide to live in your RV fulltime. We are now 4 months in and the rose colored glasses have shattered and we can share this information from experience.  Before you read our list please know that this has been our experience, and as great as it is, it can also be just as challenging.

Either you RV out in the boondocks where you don’t have all the amenities and water is like gold, or you join the masses and fit yourself into a sardine can. It is really a trade off. Here are a few of our reasons for no longer full timing in an RV.

*The cost of fulltiming can become high if you are not consistently watching your spending and distance that you travel.

*Privacy, if you are boondocking you can have more space than you know what to do with. If you are in any type of camp or park people will probably be right out your front door.

*Dog poop is everywhere, not all people will pick up their pets poopies!  We haven’t been to a single place where there wasn’t dog doo doo.  Either you end up stepping in it, your dog try’s to eat it, or steps in it themselves and it’s just a crappy situation.  Oh, and no just letting them out the door to do their business, you gotta go for walks in the rain, the cold, the heat and all the in betweens. 

*Familiarity of your surroundings is a challenge because you are always somewhere new.  Finding a repairman, the Laundromat, the grocery store or where to buy propane gets very frustrating at times.

*Refueling at a gas station becomes something of a search, not only for the lowest prices but the ability to maneuver in and out of the station with 56 feet of metal.

*Space…. Overall, it is lacking. The fridge, shower, microwave, stove, oven, countertop and everything else is just smaller, I know that’s a given but months into it, things seem even smaller.

*Some places will charge for electricity, want to do a credit check, charge you for more than just two people or if you have pets.  Seriously.

*Finding RV toilet paper can be one of the most frustrating things while traveling!

*If you love baths, moving furniture around, decorating the house and meeting friends for dinner on a whim, this lifestyle will not be conducive to such things.

*If you are like me and want to be more organized, eat better, exercise more, and have less stuff this lifestyle won’t automatically make you that way.  I still throw stuff in a drawer to deal with later, I love my candy and we’ve both put on a traveling 12 lbs each, we don’t ride our bikes as much as I thought we would and as for less stuff, yes but you can do that at home.  Please don’t make the mistake I did in wanting to be a better me and not do the work in hopes that your environment will change you, it’s gotta be you that changes you. I am such a dreamer, my ideals about how I would be didn’t mesh with the realities, and that’s life sometimes.  Now I am ready to go home, plant some flowers, and watch them grow.

Our situation, since we have the camper and travel trailer has been challenging beyond words trying to only pay for one site.  Most places will charge you for each recreational vehicle, not allowing you to use one site. That cost can add up quickly considering the average charge for a night can range from $20 to $40 a night per site.

Fulltiming gives you the freedom of the open road, but life is about perspective and if that is not your ultimate hearts desire it may not be for you.  The freedoms you wont have is to do laundry whenever you want, shower with real water pressure, or have hot water the whole way through.  Ultimately, all the day-to-day things you do and take for granted, when out on the road can become your most challenging hurdles.

With all that said, we wouldn’t want to pee on your parade, be negative nelly’s or ruin your ideals of this lifestyle.  We just want to share with your our experiences, challenges and those things that helped us to realize this way of living isn’t for us.