Up until now I have focused mostly on the financial side of our story. Let’s take a moment to discuss the ultimate purpose of this journey which is for us to live full time in our RV.
When we talk amongst friends or family and put our plans out their it’s always interesting to see their reactions. They typically range from blank stares to some sort of forced happiness. Although more and more people are choosing to live life on the road there is still a common misconception and stigma attached to it.
Some people seem to think we will be living in a dirty trailer park, surrounded by meth labs and eating cans of pork n’ beans to make ends meet. Now, I will not dispute that there are some very interesting people on the road. However, 99% of the people we have met during our travels have been wonderful to speak with and are usually very friendly and generous. The places we choose to stay are almost always clean and well maintained. If not, we leave. Simple as that. If you own a home and your neighbor is loud and disgusting it’s not that easy, so I consider the RV life an upgrade in that respect.
A question we typically get is how can you afford all of that travel? This is another misconception of life on the road. Sure, If you plan to drive every day or every other day and eat out at restaurants for every meal that would be expensive. But that defeats the purpose of the lifestyle in my opinion. We are not looking to be in perpetual motion, always searching for a place to stay. Most full time RVers I have spoken with find a place they enjoy and stay there for a significant amount of time. The goal is to enjoy everything an area has to offer and when you have exhausted those resources, then you move on. People often time their moves with the seasons to stay ahead of the weather. Also, and this might come as a shock to some people, RV’s have refrigerators, stoves, ovens and microwaves just like a stick and brick home. And don’t tell anyone, but RVer’s are usually very good cooks. Especially when it comes to barbecue.
All told, living in an RV is much cheaper than a plain old boring house. No property taxes, no water bill, no electric bill (unless required for extended stays) and no HOA fees. An RV payment is usually less than a house payment and RV insurance is usually cheaper than homeowners insurance. You can choose to stay in a luxury RV resort or you can boondock for free on public land. The choice is yours based on your desires, budget or lifestyle.
The biggest misconception of all, RV’s are for old people. Umm, NO! We have traveled all over the western half of our beautiful country. While there are a lot of older retired folks traveling in their RV’s, we have camped next to and hung out with more people in their 30’s and 40’s than any other group. Maybe in the past this was a valid perception. Not anymore! RV’s are very affordable and people of all ages are hitting the road. RV sales have been on fire and there are not enough “old people” to drive that market.
The great part about RV living is that there is something for everyone. You can live an extravagant lifestyle or a budget lifestyle. Whether it’s the RV or the places you choose to stay you can have it your way.
As we continue our journey I will focus on the financial side as well as the RV lifestyle. If you have a question or a comment about either I would love to hear from you in the comments below. I am not a financial guru or an RV expert by any means. But I have a passion and experience in both.
My girlfriend and I have thought about traveling around the country in an RV for a year… renting out our house during that time. Not being tied to one spot sounds like happiness to me!
It doesn’t get any better in our opinion. I look forward to choosing my new backyard whenever I want.
This is exciting! My husband and I are planning to do a cross country trip and go to all the National Parks as soon as we become FiRE (hopefully in 5 years)!
It’s also funny how you mentioned how people have misconceptions around the lifestyle you have chosen! I find that to be true for us too! When we sold our house and moved to a 1 bed/1 bath apartment, our friends/co-workers thought we were crazy…and when a couple of them finally came over, they were so shocked that our apartment was “nice,” as if they were expecting us to be living “poorly” because we chose to “downgrade” and make changes to reach FI faster!
It’s interesting that doing things to better yourself financially and trying to be self sufficient can be seen as a negative by people. It show that people equate things to happiness instead of freedom. Stay the course! I highly recommend Yellowstone and Grand Teton for your trip. Amazing is an understatement.