IS RV LIVING FULL TIME WORTH IT
IS RV LIVING FULL TIME WORTH IT? If you want Less Junk, More Journey, and the freedom of the open road then you might be wondering: Is Full Time RVing Worth It? It’s been over a year since I bought my new 2018 Thor Outlaw 37RB Class A toy Hauler motorhome to start living on the road aka RV Life full time! The Truth About Full Time RV Living: the first 6 months of full time RV life will have you pissed. After 1 year of living in an RV, you’ll learn a few lessons. But, after 18 months of RVing full-time you’ll have a few confessions to make. You need to start Preparing yourself for RV life now because there is a good, bad, and ugly side to RV Life especially RV living full time. Living in a house and moving into an RV has its own set of spiritual, mental, and physical challenges. Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on whether you should RV fulltime or not. These are the pros and cons I wished someone had warned me about before I started RV Living (aka Living in an RV full time).
DOWNLOAD >> 📚 TOP 10 MISTAKES MOST RVERS MAKE 📚 <<
Here’s the video transcript:
Hey, I’m Blogging Brandi and this is RVersity a University for RVers. If you follow my story then you know I quit my job, sold my house, and bought an RV to live in. The first RV I purchased was a Travel Trailer, and then I lived in a van, all before buying my class A motorhome. Every week I share my thoughts, tips, tricks, and tutorials about RV life. So be sure to subscribe and hit that bell Icon to be notified each time I post a new video!
After RVing for several years you start to learn a thing or two. Today, I’m breaking down some of the pros and cons of RV life and answering the question: “ Is RV Living Full Time Worth It”
Not having a Stable Home (unless you’re RV living stationary)
The first thing, I wrote on my list about living the RV life and if it’s worth it is the fact that you really don’t have a stable home, especially when you’re first starting out, unless that’s something that you’ve already planned. But for me, I lived in the city in a condo and when I sold my home, I didn’t really have anywhere to park my trailer at the time. So I rented a storage unit and then I would tow it to an RV park. And I didn’t really understand camping memberships and discounts at the time. So I was paying full price. I wasn’t renting monthly. Then I tried to take my RV and stay with family and friends, between storage units, traveling in it. Quickly learning it gets expensive to move an RV.
It’s a good idea to know what kind of RV Lifestyle you’re going to be living and figure out your process, where you’re going to live in it, store it, etc… If I could go back, I would probably plug up at RV park or have my RV delivered to any RV park and learn the ins and outs of the RV before I took it on a long journey. And I would do that close to the dealership. So if anything goes wrong, I could have it fixed there. Keep in mind there are PROS and CONS of Full Time STATIONARY RV LIVING IN AN RV PARK vs Traveling on the road all the time!
No Stable Internet or Wifi (depending on your location)
The second thing that I was thinking about is the fact that you don’t have wifi or internet when you’re traveling all the time or even at some RV parks. While some RV parks may offer internet and wifi, it may be free or you may have to pay for it. And then it may not be at your RV site, or if it is it may not be that good of a signal. I’ve learned not to rely on RV parks and others for my wifi needs! So I either tethered from my phone to get wifi, or I have a hotspot. That allows me to upload videos and stream online content. I have also paid for a local Internet service provider when living stationary in my RV at an RV park, but I cannot tell you how many times they cut my cable/internet line installing a new one for someone else. I only use Cellar Providers for my internet right now, but I had to get my own wifi because I couldn’t rely on anyone else’s, especially if you’re like me working on the road. If you need constant unlimited Internet/wifi, that’s something to think about: how are you going to get it? And it may differ in your area versus my location. I did make a video about My RV INTERNET SET UP for Full Time RV Living you watch it as well!
Never enough hot water (or the ability to take a shower)
Another thing to think about whether RV living is worth it, is hot showers! If you really want a hot shower you’re going to have to compromise, especially if you have other people that you’re already working with to have a hot shower, it means getting up in the morning, turning on the hot water tank, and heating my hot water. Typically a 30-minute wait. Because I have learned not to leave it on all the time: One because it runs my electricity bill up! Two it adds more wear and tear on my hot water tank. Not to mention If I get up and shower, I’m going to wash my hair, shave, and wash my face – by then all the how water could be gone. So the next person might have to wait or I might not be able to wash the dishes, etc…
Or if I’m not plugged up like at an RV park I would be boondocking aka dry-camping without hook-ups. And if you’re boondocking, you might run out of hot water in general, especially if you didn’t bring enough with you. Plus, the hot water costs either electricity or fuel. If you heat it with gas and have somebody else with you, you don’t want to use all the hot water because you want them to have hot water. At least if you care about them, you might have to change whether somebody takes a shower at night or in the morning.
Also in an RV, you might have to do what’s called Navy showers. I made a video showing you how I took a shower in my RV van and my van had a much smaller freshwater holding tank and hot water tank. Then my class a motor home. So it was even more important that I took a Navy shower and didn’t use all of the hot water.
>> RV SHOWER – HOW I SHOWER IN MY RV
Not having your own Space (especially if you’re RVing with someone else)
Another thing that you might want to think about whining asking yourself “Is RV living worth it?” — is that you have to become best friends with your spouse, kids, neighbors, etc… depending on how or who you’re traveling with/near! If you’re going to be RV living with someone else, then you’re going to have to be their best friend. And this also goes for your neighbors. If you’re going to be RVing, you either love your neighbors or hate them, but the best part about RVing is you can leave! So there are pros and cons to being with your spouse and being with people at the RV park who are in really tight quarters with you. Most RV parks don’t really spread you out that much. And someone is either in your front yard, backyard, or on either side of your RV. In terms of privacy in general, if you’re used to taking a shower or using the bathroom and not having somebody around, just keep in mind RVs are really small and those outside can probably hear everything that’s going on. Not Having space from the inside and out was something I had to adjust to.
No RV is perfect all of them have problems (especially new RVs)
Whether you buy a new RV or a used RV, no RV is going to be perfect. And new RVs, especially come with a year of problems that you have to work out. And if you don’t know how RVs are assembled, they’re pretty much thrown together really fast. By multiple people in an assembly line. They just churn them out, slap a warranty on them, and tell you to bring it back if you have problems. Every new RV has problems, at least during that first year especially if you are moving around all the time. Then, Things are, bumping, shaking, rumbling, and breaking. So naturally You’re going to have problems.
Driving can be Stressful
When you go from a home that’s always stable to a home on wheels. It is going to be different. So another thing to think about when asking “Is RV living worth it?” — is the driving aspect. Driving is stressful, no matter when you’re driving the RV. I don’t drive the RV at night if I can avoid it or in rainy, wet, windy conditions. Because just on a normal day, driving the RV is stressful! My RV is easy to drive and it’s easy to tow my car now. But if you saw any of my original RV adventures: my travel trailer was wrecked on the side of the road (Thank God I had insurance). And then when I decided to live in a van, I bought a trailer to tow my smart car, which if you haven’t seen those adventures, you should check out on my channel. My trailer for my smart car was a nightmare. I had to deal with strap downs and towing and the trailer broke and it was just not fun. And then somebody ended up stealing my trailer off of my RV.
I’ve learned a lot about towing and that it’s not something that I want to do, which is why I ended up buying my Thor Outlaw 37 RB class A motor home Toy Hauler. If you haven’t seen a tour of it my smart car actually goes inside my RV garage. Which doubles as an extra space or garage. People could sleep in it, but I use it as my office or a patio at times.
Never spending “Quality Time” in one place long
Another thing to think about when it comes to driving your RV is that if you’re moving around constantly, either you’re not getting to see things that you want to see on your RV journey, or you might be working all the time inside! And, if you’re working while you’re constantly moving, you will find it hard to get stuff done. Which is why I prefer to stay in one place for a while. When we travel, I will stay there for two or three days minimum. But I prefer to stay places for a week, two weeks, or even a month at a time.
Never-ending RV Service, Repairs & Maintenance
One of the biggest things they don’t tell you about RVing is after you buy your RV and you have problems, it’s going to be a problem to get it back in for service, especially depending on the dealership that you buy it from. Or if things are under warranty, ordering parts and getting your RV serviced can be a big challenge. I’ve had to wait on parts or service for weeks and Sometimes my RV has been in the shop for a month or longer! There hasn’t been a huge revolution in the RV industry as far as speed. Sometimes I have been able to call RV mobile mechanics to come out to me in the RV. It just depends on where you are located and what type of service they’re doing. However, if something goes wrong in the RV, it could put a damper on your travel arrangements or your RV life overall!
Living in an RV is humbling because resources are limited
Not only do you learn how to fix a lot of things yourself when it comes to living in your RV, but you get humbled. When you go from living in a house to living in an RV (especially traveling) you have to figure out where are you going to get your water if you’re not plugging up at an RV park. So that you can take a shower, wash your hands, or use the toilet. And then where does that water go? What goes in must come out! I made videos about how I hook up my RV, to get water and dump my Sewer (aka my RV holding tanks). Plus, how I get electricity in my RV? Just like a house in your RV, you’ll need water, sewer, electricity, maybe even cable, and of course wifi/internet. Either by plugging up at an RV park or while you are boondocking!
If you’re boondocking, will have to take those resources with you! Some way to get water, and somewhere for the water to go after you use it. And then you’re going to have to have some way for that electricity to recharge itself. I know that’s probably a lot to think about, but it really comes naturally after you do it in the RV. It took me a while to adjust to the RV life and even understand in my first RV, my travel trailer, I didn’t even know that you could take water with you or what freshwater was! That was just a whole new thing to me.
Living in an RV is humbling because resources are limited electricity, water, sewer, wifi, etc… yet when you’re plugged up it feels more normal. I have boondocked and plugged up in my RV equally a lot. I prefer to be hooked up, but boondocking in the RV isn’t really that bad once you’ve customized things!
Not so Never-ending resources… water, sewer, electric, wifi, etc….
Now, another thing to think about when it comes to the resources, humbling you, as far as carrying your water and electricity and dealing with sewer, cable, wifi, etc… is yes, you have to find these things up front, but then you have to be limited with them. So if you’re boondocking, you cannot just use as much water as you want, because you might run out of water. And then if you fill up your holding tanks with the dirty water you’ve used, you’re going to have to dump them. So even if you have plenty of water but your RV holding tanks are full, it’s going to come back up the drains into your RV. FYI You don’t want that water coming back up inside! If you run out of electricity in your RV, you might not be able to have air conditioning, or you might not be able to heat your water unless you have propane. And that’s just something else to think about. This brings me to my next point that a lot of people think RV living means that it’s cheaper.
RVing can be cheaper, but NOT cheap!
RVing can be cheaper than a sticks and bricks home but that takes time. However, RV living full time, part-time, or just for a weekend can actually be quite expensive without proper planning! So living in an RV is not necessarily cheaper than living in a house. But, if you do your research upfront, plan your RV journey in advance, and learn from other RVers like me, (i.e. subscribing to my RV YouTube Channel) then you will be a lot further along than I was when I started my RV journey. Because I learned the hard way, really quickly that traveling in an RV is not necessarily cheap. If you haven’t seen the video about how much it costs for me to fill up my RV and put gas in it, I suggest you check it out.
⛽️ >> What kinds of Gas Mileage does an RV get and How Much does it cost to fill your tank?
I also made a video about my RV living expenses and how much my RV costs me. Not only to pay for the RV itself (which is financed) but as well as the cost to operate the RV every month. Those are all things you really want to think about before you get into the RV life. Because having a big RV motorhome was something that I needed for my comfort, RV lifestyle, and budget at once time, but it may not be what you need. However, keep in mind the size of the RV has nothing to do with the price or cost to operate it. They do not necessarily go hand in hand.
I paid the same amount for my motorhome RV that I paid for my RV van. YES, my BIG BUS Class A Motorhome cost me the same amount as my SMALL little Class B Mercedes Sprinter Van. True story! Living in my trailer was something completely different. It wasn’t like I could just pick up and go. When I did it was expensive.
💰 >> HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO LIVE IN AN RV FULL TIME? What are your RV LIVING COST?
Get to see some cool places and appreciate them more if you love to Travel or Nature.
So one of the really cool things about living in an RV full time is that you get to be traveling anytime you want a hand, you get to be out in nature. I get to see some really cool places and it’s fun to see nature and wildlife as well as these new locations. You get to see everything when you’re in your RV, which is why I mentioned that living in your RV and learning that work-life balance, getting your water, your cable, your sewer, your wifi, everything in check, and understanding how you’re going to live in your RV is really important because otherwise, you’re not going to get to enjoy these things. You’re going to be moving all the time and you’re going to hate your RV life. You’re going to be really, really stressed. On that note…
Personal Growth: learning how to pivot, and deal with issues fast is a never-ending thing…
You do experience a lot of personal growth which is something that I think that I’ve probably experienced the most in my RV life from starting in the travel trailer then wrecking it and going through a year of recovery and dealing with RV insurance claims. Then I bought my RV Van and learned how to live in an extremely small space. But, After someone stole the trailer that I used to pull my smart car with behind my RV Van. I said No more towing trailers for me! And, I bought my motorhome with a garage in it! Plus at the time the RV van was too small for my RV lifestyle and It just became a nightmare.
So after I bought my Class A Motorhome toy hauler, it has been night and day from where I started, but it took me a really long time to figure that out. I wasted a lot of money wasted and time. Not to mention lost out on a lot of experiences! But it has taught me how to deal with those things and how to pivot and how to kind of be my own electrician plumber and not get upset about things that a lot of people probably would get upset about. So not only is RVing humbled me and taught me how to pivot in crucial times! Plus, how to just be different, and think of things differently than the average person who goes to their “normal” day job.
Meet new people just like you in the RV community which is pretty unique
Because when it comes to living in an RV and traveling all the time, you get to meet a lot of new, different, really cool people. And, The best part is they love doing the same thing you do. You meet a lot of RVers at the RV parks or when you’re boondocking. It’s kind of like “the jeep thing” – where when you see another RV or RVer you’re like, Oh, there’s an RV! OMG, they love the same thing! And usually other RVers are pretty friendly and they’re similarly thinking “Oh there’s an RV” then you’re almost instant buddies. If you’re lucky you might even end up loving your neighbors and making friends in the RV park. Or if your dog runs away, you make friends in the RV park (maybe enemies ) but you get to meet a lot of other people either way!
Even at the RV park: the people who work there can tell you a lot of information about the area that you’re in. Most of them are actually RVers themselves and probably live in the RV park if they don’t already own it. But, if you don’t like them, you can always leave! The RV community is unique and something to get involved in, whether it be on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, but FYI Facebook is where a lot of RVers hang out in Groups! Even I have an RV Facebook group you can join. And it’s just a really interesting niche of people that are willing to talk about and share their RV experience because there’s not a lot of information out there about RVs. So a lot of people will share their RV tutorials, tips, tricks, and behind-the-scenes of their RV life. Plus the places they go, know, and love! It’s interesting to follow these people. But, if you follow others in the RV Community you’ll start to learn how they’re living their RV life and get ideas for how you want to live your RV life.
Constantly downsizing, organizing, and getting rid of clutter!
And if RV living is really worth it, the next thing to think about is downsizing. If you think I can not live without my stuff or my clothes or this thing, or that you can, okay. I used to have a huge closet and a condo full of stuff. And after you move Time and Time, again, you start to downsize, but then whenever you decide to live in a trailer or a van, you really start to downsize. So I made a video all about how I downsized my life to live in an RV full time.
But, I learned a lot when it came to downsizing like what I could and could not live without, but you really can live with less than what you think. And if you haven’t looked at it in three to six months, you’re probably doing without it just fine. And there are also a lot of things that you wouldn’t even use in your house that you would need an RV and vice versa. It does take some time to adjust and it might even take you a year to downsize, which is why you should probably start. Now. If you’re thinking about living in an RV, I don’t miss a lot of things. And there’s a lot of things I have in the RV that I don’t even use them. I’m still thinking about downsizing now. And I’ve been in my RV for five years. And then the other thing is you want to get rid of clutter because you don’t have a lot of space.
And the more stuff that you bring on board, not only does it take up space, but that costs you more money to move the RV around. So the heavier, the RV is the more it costs you and fuel to get where you’re trying to go. So it’s just a domino effect. And there’s just a lot of things that you really don’t need that you think you do.
>> How To Downsize – [DOWNSIZING TIPS] for LIVING IN AN RV Full Time
Every time you move your house (set up and take down is a must)
If you’re thinking about living in an RV full time, then you really need to consider the fact that your home is on wheels and it’s moving. And when your home moves, you have to set it up and take it down every time you’re leaving. So if you want to go to an RV park and check it out, you’re going to have to set up so that you can use your water, electricity, sewer, cable, wifi, every time. If you move to a new location, you have to reset your cable, make sure your wifi is working, and reset up everything.
I made some RV hookup videos that you can check out about how to RV and how you hook up your RV, but there’s a lot involved. And while it seems easy now, when you’re first starting out and trying to figure this out, it’s not fun to be moving constantly and trying to learn how to RV while you’re moving. It’s a nightmare. I don’t really get a lot done when I’m moving constantly. I have to stay somewhere for an extended period of time to be able to actually get things done.
Temperature and Climate are never the same or accurate!
This brings us to the end of the list! Not to mention I am burning up right now filming this video because if I had my fan on right now, you wouldn’t be able to hear this video or anything that’s going on. And I’ve made that mistake in a past video. But you should know, that the temperature in the RV is never good. It’s never the same. And usually, it’s about a few degrees off from what you would think it should be. Meaning if it says on my control panel that it’s 80 degrees it might be 70 degrees or it might be 90! It’s hard to maintain the temperature in the RV. Especially when it gets really hot in the summer. The day I was making this it was around 90 degrees with no fan on or AC!
But, I gave a tour of my RV sharing my tips and tricks for how I keep it cool to beat the heat! I have different types of material that I put in my windows. Plus, some videos that I made about how I stay cool in my van without air conditioning. Be sure to check those out and subscribe to my YouTube Channel so you’re notified the next time I post again!
I have fans. I have Air Conditioning. I’ve cut reflectors and panels for all of my RV windows! Also, even though I have AC in my RV I have to be plugged up or turn the generator on to run it. So It costs me money to run the AC either way. At the RV Park, I pay a power bill each month on top of the lot rent. And, if you didn’t know I hate the noise that the AC makes. It is extremely loud when you turn it on and just annoying. Then, you have to turn the TV up to a hundred. Let’s just say I love having AC in the RV but I hate hearing it.
- 🎬 How To Stay Cool In Your RV This Summer [TIPS & TRICKS]
- 🎬 KEEP COOL IN YOUR RV this summer! [RV LIVING TIPS & TRICKS]
- 🎬 HOW TO STAY COOL IN AN RV WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING
Let’s Review:
So if you’re asking yourself “Is RV Living Full Time Worth It?” then consider some of the things I mentioned through my own RV life experience:
- No stability or “Home” (this goes for Storage, boondocking, hooking up, family, and friends)
- Wifi & Internet can be limited or non-existent in an RV depending on the location and where you stay.
- Hot Water and Showers may be limited in an RV. (Learning how to take Navvy Showers is a must!)
- Space and Privacy can be hard to adjust to! (i.e. RV neighbors and Spouses or Kids become your best friends)
- Every new RV has a year’s worth of problems to work out and comes with a learning curve attached. No RV is perfect!
- I hate towing. it’s NOT my thing!
- RVs require maintenance and service just like a house or car does. But, if something breaks it may take weeks or months to get fixed!
- Living in an RV is humbling because resources are limited electric/water/sewer but when you’re plugged up it feels more normal!
- RVing can be cheaper than a sticks and bricks home but it’s actually very expensive without proper planning.
- Get to see some cool places and appreciate them more especially if you love to Travel and be close to nature!
- Personal Growth is going to happen! Learning how to pivot, and deal with issues fast is a must!
- The RV community is pretty unique you Meet new people just like you every day!
- Not a lot of space in an RV: downsizing, organizing, and getting rid of clutter is a daily priority.
- Your home moves all the time so you have to also set up and take down every time you do!
- The Temperature and Climate are never accurate or the same inside or outside the RV!
- RV Driving can be stressful (actually it always is on moving days)
So overall living in an RV, it’s not completely different than living in a house. You still have all of the same resources they just function a little differently in an RV vs a house. Yet, the best part about an RV is that you can take your house anywhere and live in it as long as you plan ahead. That’s why you want to do your research upfront and watch videos like this one. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit that little bell icon so you’ll be notified when I post another video! Plus share this with someone, you know!
Pick up my top 10 mistakes that most RVers make. It’s a list that I’ve put together. You can download it to teach you a lot about some RV mistakes that you want to avoid because they can cost you a lot of time and a lot of money. And I’ve already made them! So, you don’t want to make them. too!
DOWNLOAD >> 📚 TOP 10 MISTAKES MOST RVERS MAKE 📚 <<
Comment Below
So what do you think is RV living full time worth it? Is there anything that I mentioned that you haven’t really thought about? Or is there something that you didn’t think about when you got into being that you wish you would have thought about? Now drop a comment below. I love to read your comments and answer your questions! Plus, who knows you might end up in my next video, or blog post!
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ABOUT ME
If we haven’t officially met, Hi I’m Blogging Brandi, an EX-Corporate Kool-Aid Drinker, born to be Creator, Digital Nomad, and Entrepreneur who loves RVing while running my own business on the road! Over 8 years ago, I traded my sticks & bricks lifestyle for a life on wheels. Quit my job, sold my house, and everything else, and then bought an RV! First, was a Travel Trailer, then Van Life, and eventually Motorhome Living!
I created RVersity out of my love hate relationship with RV Life! Because whether you’re a weekender, snowbird, part-timer, or full time RV living, RVersity Member Benefits are here to support you. Get help with everything needed to make RVing easy, affordable, safe, and most important of all fun! It’s a space where I’ve put together all my RV tools and resources, plus a tribe of like-minded RV Loving individuals all in one place!
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WATCH MY STORY
- Part #1 – WHY I Live Full Time in an RV! [VIDEO]
- Part #2 – How I decided to Become A Solo Female Digital Nomad (NOT always RV Living) Entrepreneur!
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