Could You RV Full-Time?

If you're asking yourself this question, the answer is probably YES! RVing looks different for everyone, so you can make it work for your lifestyle.

While you probably won't know if it's right for until you've tried it, we compiled the questions we kept asking before buying our motorhome.

Hopefully, these answers will help you get a little closer to taking the leap and living the RV life!

Do you have to travel constantly?

It makes travelling a whole lot easier! But this is just one of the perks of this lifestyle, traveling all the time is not necessary. There are many ways to live in an RV and not move around the country. A lot of people get into this life because they like to travel. We love to camp and live in nature, so it works well for us. At the moment, we don't travel much. We live in one area and only move the rig every 3 months or so.

Loren works an 8-5 M-F job, so we have to live within about 30 miles of her work. Though this limits us, somewhat, there are still so many places we can explore within this area. We camp host, so jobs usually last 3-6 months. We can travel between a few of our favorite parks and manage to stay close enough for Loren to work. There are many options for where you can park your home, read about more of them here. 

We love having the ability to take our home with us on vacation. If we need to relocate, it's not a huge move. It's a matter of packing up the cats and pulling the slides in.

Is there enough space?

When we were asking this question, we went to Camping World to look at an RV in person. We told the salesman we were not ready to buy, we just wanted to see if it's something we should look into further. He showed us an old smelly 32' Forest River Georgetown. After a few minutes of snooping around, we knew we could do it. 

It's really going to depend on your personal needs. We have a 33' motorhome, so it's not a huge RV. We've found this to be the perfect size for us (two humans + two cats). If you have want more space or have a bigger family, perhaps a 5th wheel or bunkhouse would work better. There are so many options!

Remember, you're not limited to just the space in your RV. We've typically got acres and acres of beautiful land just outside of our door. This is a luxury that we're new to, having lived in apartments for the last 10+ years. 

How do you afford it?

We financed our rig with $1,000 down and payments are under $400 a month. It's a 2006 Fleetwood Southwind in spectacular condition. Since we camp host and have a free full-hookup site, it's the lowest rent we've ever paid! Read more about how we live on one income here.

You can live on less than this, but we're paying off old debts and cars. This life can be as costly or thrifty as you want it to be. It's really up to you!

Is it a lot of work?

Some weeks it is a lot of work and it feels like everything is broken, nothing works and you might even say it's not worth it in the heat of the moment. These times come and go, but it is worth it! The freedom and time you have with your loved ones makes it absolutely worth it!

The maintenance we do week to week is probably similar to that of a house. Never having owned a house, I can only speculate how it compares. I have spoken with other full-timers, and they've told us the difference is that you can't put things off in an RV like you can a house. If something breaks, it's usually going to need to be fixed then and there.

What about the black tank?

Yes... it is gross. It's where your toilet waste goes... poop. Honestly, it takes us about 10 minutes or less to dump the tanks once per week. The first few times are scary, because of the fear of being touched by icky things, but once you do it a few times it is fine. We have a routine on how we dump the tanks, and typically tag-team it, so it takes less time. It smells a bit, but then goes away quickly. I would love to replace it with a composting toilet eventually, but it's become a pretty normal routine for us. 

What about pets?

We've got two pretty neurotic cats, and this was a huge concern in the beginning. They are our children, and our lives are basically centered around them. We're always thinking of how we can make their lives as happy and healthy as possible. Luckily, they took to the RV instantly. They have more windows than they've ever had and love bird watching and chirping. They also like the tight quarters, surprisingly enough. They follow us wherever we go. It's not unusual for one person to walk to the bedroom and the other three members of the family to follow. 

The only time they don't like the RV is on moving days. We're trying to figure out a less stressful routine for them. Since we don't tow a car yet, they ride along in carriers. Hector panics the second he sees the carrier and starts making horrible howling noises. Kitty is... okay usually, though it's still a rough day on each of them. Once we start towing a car, we can both be in the RV to make sure they are safe while we are traveling. Until then, they've gotta stick with them in a separate car.

They've always been indoor cats, and despite the attempts we've made to leash train they remain indoors now. We may construct a cage for them to hang out outside with us, but they're perfectly happy inside for now. 

Well, could you live in an RV full-time? Leave us a comment below and don't forget to subscribe!