The TRUTH About Full Time RV Life
Living full time in an RV traveling the United States seems like a dream for most people but is it all it's really cracked up to be? In this blog I’m going to break it all down for you after our first 3 months full time on the road. Read on for the pros and cons and then let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.
THE BAD
Let’s start off right away with the bad side. This is the side of full time RV life that people don’t tell you about. You will rarely see things like this on social media from content creators because it’s not glamorous. Well folks I’m here to tell you that full time RV life isn’t always glamorous!!!!!
For starters you have to constantly be aware of the weather and what’s going on around you. Our first 2 nights full time we spent hanging out in bath houses riding out tornado warnings! This wasn’t our idea of how to start our journey on the road for sure but it was the hand we were dealt. The sirens went off so we grabbed the cat and took off to the solid structure. The last place you want to be during a tornado for sure is in a camper!
Our next issue on our journey was a broken leaf spring on the camper. Fortunately this happened as we were pulling into a gas station because once it snapped there was no moving the camper. This meant we had to seek out a place to repair the camper on the road side of course meaning a higher cost. Fortunately for us a local parts store had the leaf spring on the shelf and was able to make the repair because the closest city was over an hour away!!
The next problem along our journey was in Texas where the wind picked up and destroyed our Clam shelter! This happened despite the fact that the shelter was staked into the ground all the way around. The wind literally ripped the stake grommets away from the canvas leaving them in the ground. This definitely hurt after only having the shelter for about a month. This is the point we really started questioning our decisions and wondering if we were doing the right thing!
The final big issue, and most recent, was an almost brand new tire on our tow vehicle caught a nail right on the shoulder of the sidewall to the tread. The puncture was right in the area that could not be repaired so we had to replace it.
All of these things combined put us out a couple thousand that we hadn’t planned for but fortunately had emergency funds in place to address them as they happened.
THE GOOD
The best part, by far, of full time RV living is the ability to see the country. This country has SO much to offer and being able to raise children seeing all the various places is a blessing. We are able to see National Parks, cities, different climates and other areas that many people live a lifetime never getting to see. The friends made along our journey so far can never be replaced?
The ability to change locations basically anytime we choose is one of the best feelings in the world. Being able to chase climate has made us all happy.
OVERALL THOUGHTS AFTER 3 MONTHS
Now to the burning question you’re all asking. Would we change things? Are we going back to an actual house? We can all answer this without hesitation and the answer is a resounding NO! Despite the negatives we still love the journey. We’ve learned from every issue. Sure they’ve slowed us down and caused us to change plans along the way to account for the lose of money but we still press on. If you’re thinking about a full time journey I would highly encourage you to go for it. However, be sure to have a plan and expect for the unexpected! Until next time……….