Is RV Living Full-Time Right For You?

Many dream of the freedom and adventures of full-time RVing. Wouldn’t it be nice to know if you would love it BEFORE taking the leap? Read on to find out if RV living full-time is right for you!

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RV In Campsite And Beach At Sunset Is RV Living Full-Time Right For You

Full-Time RVing is an incredible adventure, but it is also a huge life change. For many people, it requires selling a home and many or most belongings. It also requires leaving behind many things that are familiar including the support system of friends and family nearby.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know if you would love this adventure before you decided to take the leap?

We wondered the same thing 7 years ago when we decided to sell our belongings and take off in an RV with our family. Back then there weren’t many resources to find out what RV living was like, especially for families or younger couples.

I am happy to report that we do love this lifestyle and are still on the road. I will say that there are many parts of this lifestyle that are amazing and some that are also really difficult at times.

It helps to have the right expectations going in. Read on for RV living tips to find out if this traveling adventure life may be the right one for you.

Winding Road In Forest Is RV Living Full-Time Right For You?

Tips To Know If Full Time RV Living Is Right For You

1) Full-Time RVing Requires Doing Well With Change

How are you with change? Many people love to travel but are still creatures of comfort that enjoy coming home to a predictable environment.

People that do well living on the road are personalities that are okay with change.

This is a lifestyle of constant change. Not only are your locations changing but so are many parts of daily life. Here are some examples:

– Groceries: where you shop, store layouts,  brands or types of foods available, prices

– Physical Locations: campground reservation procedures, checking in and out, different camping rules

– Mail: how and where you receive mail, does campground accept, price to accept

– Internet and TV: coverage and availability

– Weather: extremes in temperature, humidity, storms, fires, dust and allergies

– Services In Your Area: medical, veterinary, barber/salon, mechanics

The great news is that your food, bed, belongings, and home always go along with you. So you do have your core comforts at all times.

I actually hate packing for trips and this is no longer necessary with my home on wheels! Being good with change is a must for full-time RVing.

Fifth Wheel Camper Is RV Living Full Time Right For You?

2) Living In An RV Full Time Requires Flexibility

I will be completely honest here and say that the worst personality for full-time RVing is someone that always wants to be in control of every situation. If you thrive on control and predictability, then this may not be the right lifestyle for you.

I am a planner by nature and always have been. Quickly into this adventure, I realized that I can plan all I want, but many things while RV traveling are simply out of my control.

This lifestyle requires lots of trip planning, however many factors get in the way that you can’t control resulting in loss of plans. Here are some examples:

– Reservations: not being able to get reservations in desired area

– Weather or Fires: may have to reroute or evacuate

– Illness or Mechanical Issues: can require you to stay in one place longer, then reservations after that can all fall like dominoes

We are very organized and spend lots of time planning our routes and reservations however, there are just many things out of our control.

We often have to completely scrap our plans and adjust to our current circumstances. Being flexible is a huge part of full-time RVing!

Check out:  When SHTF Full-Time RVing: 8 Ways To Keep Rolling

Get your Reservations Tips FREE GUIDE HERE!

Mountians In Zion National Park Is RV Living Full-Time Right For You?

3) An Adventurous Personality Is Helpful For RV Living Full-Time

The key to loving all of this change and uncertainty is having an adventurous personality. What do I mean by that?

We view BOTH the great parts AND the challenging parts of RV life as the adventure. It is all part of it!

The unpredictability and craziness of it all is a large portion of the journey. It isn’t all just perfectly planned camping locations and sightseeing. All of the unplanned experiences will become crazy stories to tell someday.

So it helps to be adventurous both in wanting to see and experience the amazing travel destinations, but also to embrace the journey and bumps that happen on the way there.

Check out: Why Full-Time RVing Is Not Like Living On Vacation

4) Life In An RV Is Easier If You Are Handy

Things break often in RVs. Even brand new RVs have many repairs and maintenance required.

It is extremely helpful if either you are handy or if you have a budget for repairs. Many RVers make the mistake of not having enough savings to fix the many things that break or to cover when plans have to unexpectedly change.

We have lived in 2 different new fifth wheels during our full-time RV life and both have had their share of issues. We know that this is the case, so we have the right expectations about this part of RV life. We use an extended warranty, mobile repair, and loads of patience.

Check out:  When SHTF Full-Time RVing: 8 Ways To Keep Rolling

Girl Paddle Boarding Is RV Living Full-Time Right For You?

5) Enjoy Spending LOTS of Time With Your People To Live In An RV

Living with your crew in a tiny space can be an adjustment. Most people aren’t used to being with their partner or children daily 24/7 in the same space.

So ask yourself honestly, do you enjoy being around your people or do you really crave time alone and personal space?

When we lived in our 3,000 sq ft house, we were always right on top of each other. Our family craves togetherness but we can also drive each other nuts sometimes!

It is possible to RV full-time and still have some personal space. Here are some tips:

– RV Layout: consider a bunkroom or toy hauler to have a separate room for kids or an office

– Outdoor Space: create an outdoor room with a Clam or screened tent

– Take a walk or go for a drive

 

6) Full Time RV Life Is Great When You Aren’t Very Attached To “Stuff”

Whether you decide to sell much of your belongings or store them, you just can’t take much with you when living in an RV. Some RVs have lots of storage, but you can quickly overweight the maximum carrying capacity of your rig.

Being overweight in an RV is a serious problem that can both be unsafe and cause stress on your RV frame and damage. If you are a packrat or attached to many belongings, this may not be the best lifestyle for you.

Part of the joy of this lifestyle is valuing experiences over things. It is a life of simplicity that, once you get used to it, really feels freeing.

After being on the road for 6 years, we rarely think about our 3,000 sq ft house crammed full of stuff. I don’t miss it and don’t feel the need to own that much stuff ever again.

We have traded belongings for time and experiences which feels amazing!

Get your Reservations Tips FREE GUIDE HERE!

Waterfall With Rainbow Is RV Living Full Time Right For You?

7) You Are Probably A Risk Taker If You Are RV Living Full Time

Have you ever heard the saying without risk there is no reward? It really is true in full-time RVing.

It is a risk to walk away from your old life and step into a completely foreign new life. You risk letting go of everything and then not loving the lifestyle.

While that is a possibility, we have found that even many of those that have only stayed on the road a short time, are glad that they went for it and had those experiences.

If you choose not to go for it, will you feel like you may have missed out? Or that you will always wonder what if?

When we were considering if this adventure was right for our family, the idea of full-time travel nagged at me night and day. It was like as soon as I knew the lifestyle existed, I just couldn’t get it out of my head.

I was scared to death of trying it and failing. Of letting go of everything I knew when I didn’t know if we would like it. However, I felt in my heart that if we didn’t try it, we would always be asking ourselves what if.

Today we have 42 states and 6 years of adventures and memories together from the risk that we took and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

I hope that these tips are helpful to see if full-time RVing may be the right choice for you. Even though I share these, you could hate change, get easily annoyed with your partner, be a packrat, need lots of alone time, not be handy at all, and still absolutely love this lifestyle!

When we were moving into our RV, we had it parked in a campground near our home and met the RV camp hosts. They had been full-time RVing for many years and workcamping.

We just happened to run into this couple again over a year into our adventure while visiting a national park. They shared that they didn’t even think we would make it a month out on the road!!!

We were that much of a hot mess getting started and didn’t seem at all like the kind of people that would love this lifestyle. And yet here we are still rolling on. So if we can do it, you can do it!

Girl Sitting By Lake Is RV Living Full Time Right For You?

Still Not Sure? Consider A Test Run

Consider an extended RV trip to check out the lifestyle. It could be as simple as booking a campground near your home for a month and staying in an RV while working or living your daily life. Or take a more extended RV vacation.

Don’t have an RV? Do you know someone that would let you borrow one? You can also rent an RV.

We had never been in an RV before when we decided to sell it all and dive into this lifestyle. So we rented an RV from Cruise America just to try RVing and see what campgrounds are like.

Of course the RV you would purchase is likely very different from the one you would rent or borrow, but this at least helps you to see if you would do well living in a small space or staying in campgrounds. 

Get your Reservations Tips FREE GUIDE HERE!

Did this help you get an idea if you would enjoy the full-time RV lifestyle? Leave a comment and let us know. I hope that if this is your dream, you don’t let anything get in your way.

RVing has become popular and harder to get reservations. I spill all of my secrets in my FREE guide: How To Score Sold-Out Campsites In State And National Parks

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to share it and PIN it for later.

Enjoy your adventure detour!

Did this help you get an idea if you would enjoy the full-time RV lifestyle? Leave a comment and let us know. I hope that if this is your dream, you don’t let anything get in your way.

RVing has become popular and harder to get reservations. I spill all of my secrets in my FREE guide: How To Score Sold-Out Campsites In State And National Parks

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to share it and PIN it for later.

Enjoy your adventure detour!

RV Camper In Campsite And Beach Is RV Living Full-Time Right For You
Scott and Van Russell
Scott and Van Russell

Scott and Van of The Adventure Detour are travel writers focusing on RV travel, family outdoor travel, national parks travel, and hiking. They have been full-time RV living and traveling across the US since 2015. In 8 years of full-time RVing, they have visited 38 national parks so far with the ultimate goal to see them all. They work as digital nomads while roadschooling their daughter nicknamed Sissy. On the way to all 50 states, they have visited and hiked through 42 states so far. The travel bucket list is forever growing!

Full-Time RV Family In Front Of Mountains

Hello!

We are so glad you found us. We are Scott, Van & Sissy. We turned our love of travel into a 7 year full-time RV living adventure.

Our goal is to guide you to unique US travel destinations, share RV travel tips, and help you navigate full-time RV living.

Something that makes us different is our unfiltered approach. We choose to share both the benefits and the challenges of traveling and the full-time RVing lifestyle.

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