Full-time RVing- the Ups and Downs

The ups and downs of full-time RVing can have you pulling your hair out and also loving life and ready to see what’s next on the horizon. Many travelers who love the adrenaline rush of a good trip spend their days in the office thinking about traveling full-time, but there are some considerations that every individual should think about before committing to a nomadic lifestyle.

Here are a few of the pros and cons of making a life on the road. Some will love it, others will hate it. There’s really only one way to find out…

Cons:

Your Costs Depend on Your Lifestyle
The cost of living on the road isn’t really that much different than living at home if you’re not willing to adjust your lifestyle. Sure, you have less room for junk and a fridge that’s not full-sized, but if you continue to spend money like crazy, you’ll find yourself wondering where all your money went.

You’ll need to take into consideration the other financial aspects of living in a vehicle full-time. Maintenance and fuel costs should definitely be calculated before you hit the road to ensure it fits in your budget.

Sleeping Arrangements
Depending on how you want to spend your evenings, staying in a campground every night can be pretty pricey. You’ll end up paying for things like water and electricity separately in some places. And with seasonal rates, you may be following the jacked up prices for campsites everywhere you go.

If you decide to go the boondocking route, you’ll definitely spend less money on your nightly routine, but you may have difficulty finding these places to stay in a big rig. You may have a difficult time finding boondocking places in many states that don’t have BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land that allows you to stay for free, although states are getting better about it!

Space
If you’re traveling with another person, significant other or not, the lack of space may become an issue. Living in a vehicle can be hard on you emotionally if you’re uncomfortable with your roommate or find yourself in tiffs over silly things. Finding time for communication and alone time is much more important living on the road full-time than it is inside a house with many rooms.

Not only will emotions run high with your co-pilot, but you may find yourself emotional over leaving some of your most prized possessions behind. When you live in an RV, some of your belongings make the cut while others don’t. You have to be willing to make sacrifices in order to downsize for the road.

Luxuries aren’t Always Available
No matter how luxurious your rig is, you won’t have the same “luxuries” of living in a home. With a certain electric amperage, you have a limitation on how many things can be plugged in and on at one time. You also won’t have a kitchen with extended prepping space, either. What you find at home to be “the usual” become “luxuries” on the road and you often find that those luxuries are downsized or limited.

Pros:

Home is Where You Park It
Your RV is now your home and that home can find itself parked just about anywhere. If you want to hit the road for a summer in Alaska, find a route and make your way up north. If you want to boondock in the desert, take a dirt road and find yourself lost (just not too lost!). You have the freedom to make your home almost anywhere and your backyard can be as beautiful as you want it to be.

Monotony Isn’t a Problem
A day in the life of a full-time RVer is never the same. You can find yourself in an entirely new place in just a matter of hours. You can adventure into a forest or land yourself at a repair shop due to a flat tire. Getting bored is very rarely an option. And if you do get bored, there’s most likely something within a short distance to keep you busy.

Learning is an Everyday Occurrence
It doesn’t matter if you’re boondocking for several weeks in one location or traveling from state to state every week, you’ll learn something new every day. From blown fuses to finding routes off the beaten path, each day is a new lesson. Living in an RV full-time is a lot of work, but it also allows you to keep up with your mind maintenance and consistently learn new things.

Your Life is More Flexible
Want to stay in an area for another week? There’s nothing stopping you from changing up your agenda. Living on the road full-time allows you to be more flexible and follow your heart. If you think you need more time to explore, just add a few extra days to your itinerary and make it happen. The normal day to day callings don’t exist anymore, so you are free to cut and extend your daily routine as you see fit.

Your Life Changes for the Better
Despite the cons of living on the road full-time, you realize that no matter how frustrating a day is, you still get to live a life full of adventure and flexibility. Some days you step outside your rig and see a herd of elk, while other days you find yourself lost in the desert. When you visit friends and family back home, you realize that your life is much different from theirs in the best ways. You have memories to keep for a lifetime that other people will never get to experience.

Are You Ready?
What do you think about living on the road full-time? Do you think you can handle the flexibility and lifestyle changes? For many, living on the road full-time isn’t for them, but for some living on the road is the way they live life to the fullest. When you do your homework and make a plan that can be easily changed along the way, you enjoy living on the road much more, but flying by the seat of your pants can be fun, too.

Whether you decide to live on the road full-time or only want to keep your RV as weekend transportation, owning an RV is truly one of life’s greatest adventures.

If you’re not entirely sure if full-time RVing is for you, take a look at some of the advice from full-timers out on the road here.