This publish could include affiliate hyperlinks. See our affiliate disclaimer right here.
Several years in the past I bear in mind listening to Dave Ramsey speak about a pair who was residing in an RV so they may get monetary savings and repay debt earlier than shopping for a house.
I bear in mind considering to myself, “That seems cool and everything, but I would never live in an RV. I’m better than that.”
Those have been my actual ideas. I wished the consolation of a house, safety, and constant revenue. To reside in an RV I may be regarded as “less” or folks may decide me.
I consider that’s what you name dramatic irony.
Somehow I landed a tremendous spouse, Alyssa, who challenged me to dream large and to not fear about what different folks suppose. We confronted a choice to both keep in Austin with our snug jobs or purchase an RV and hit the highway on an epic 50 state highway journey. We determined to decide on journey as a substitute of consolation, and it’s made all of the distinction on the planet.
We determined to decide on journey as a substitute of consolation, and it is made all of the distinction on the planet. Click To Tweet
I want I may let you know there weren’t any occasions the place I used to be scared or uncertain about our state of affairs. I’ve doubted myself fairly a bit really. But wanting again over the previous few years, I’ve grown extra as an individual than I may have ever imagined.
I don’t have something in opposition to homes. I grew up in a single.
But residing in an RV has made me understand simply how cool RVs actually are.
After faculty, our buddies have been already settling down and shopping for properties. Nothing inside Alyssa or me had a need to “settle down”. We wished to see the world and go on adventures.
What higher approach to try this than spending your first 12 months of marriage touring the nation in an RV?
Our family and friends made lots of Breaking Bad jokes about us transferring into an RV earlier than we hit the highway. Some of them questioned whether or not or not we might keep married after a 12 months of residing in an RV (Spoiler alert: We’ve been married & touring collectively since 2014 so we’re clearly obsessive about #RVlife).
So listed below are 29 explanation why residing in an RV is soooo a lot better than residing in a conventional dwelling.
One purpose for each foot of our superior first RV named “Franklin”.
1. Our RV has taken us to 49 states throughout America. My childhood dwelling didn’t have wheels. Deal-breaker.
2. Our RV likes to boast breathtaking views out of his window. In a traditional dwelling, these views would run you one million {dollars}.
3. RVing throughout the nation reminds you to not take something without any consideration—robust wifi, good showers, a dishwasher! Those are complete luxuries. Life is a lot less complicated on the highway and we’re reminded each day of simply how little we should be completely happy.
4. I can drive to a vacation spot and prepare dinner a pizza on the identical time. Heck, Alyssa can prepare dinner most of our meals whereas the RV is driving. Roasted hen and greens? Stick it within the oven and lunch is prepared in an hour. Chili? Stick within the gradual cooker and we’ll eat it once we get there.
5. We aren’t being crushed below a large mortgage. Our house is paid off so no month-to-month funds. WOOOOOOOO!
6. Living in a small house and touring to 50 states throughout our first 12 months of marriage compelled us to discover ways to resolve conflicts, just like the huge blow-out struggle over the GPS whereas driving in downtown Albuquerque, NM. There’s no room to cover out of your issues in an RV.
7. The RV way of life promotes being open air whereas having a giant home promotes sitting on the sofa and binge-watching Netflix.
8. Our RV pays for itself in a single 12 months. What we paid for our first RV ($11,500) is lower than one 12 months of hire in Austin, Texas (and approach lower than a full 12 months of hire in most different cities throughout the nation!).
Side Note: Here are the precise numbers for a way a lot it value us to drive to all 50 states.
9. We don’t have any utility payments EVER. You get free water, you get free water, EVERYBODY GETS FREE WATER.
What is it actually prefer to RV full-time?
In our newest ebook, we share what it’s like RVing throughout America—breakdowns, bear encounters, gorgeous hikes, beachfront tenting and all.
10. RVing is like velocity courting for friendships. Invite somebody over for a cup of espresso and see how lengthy you’ll be able to stand being with them in a small house.
11. It takes 5 minutes to scrub the complete home. Six minutes for those who vacuum.
12. I can pee with out having to make a pit cease. Maybe this can be a man factor, however I believe it’s cool. Keep on driving, Alyssa. We’re all good right here.
13. You can beautify for the vacations on a ridiculously low cost funds. Spend $15 at Walmart and we’re decked out for Christmas.
14. The lingering campfire scent with a stunning sundown. Is there a greater mixture???
(The reply is sure. Add mountains, wine, and burgers on the grill. Now it’s excellent.)
15. When you prepare dinner bacon, the entire RV smells like heaven.
16. RVing is a superb dialog starter. No one cares that you just personal a home. Everyone lives in a home. But everybody we meet asks to tour our RV.
17. When you need to transfer, as a substitute of hiring a transferring firm you pull within the awning and unhook from electrical energy. Plus, you’ll be able to transfer every single day. Don’t just like the climate? Tired of the mountains? Want to reside beachfront for the summer time? NBD. You can reside actually ANYWHERE.
18. It’s completely acceptable to continuously eat s’mores everytime you like.
19. You can journey full-time and nonetheless earn a living. There are extra distant work alternatives now than ever earlier than. We’ve run three companies whereas touring full-time, all of which we began in our RV. We’ve acquired 50 enterprise concepts for RVers proper right here.
20. You can solely be a hoarder for therefore lengthy since you actually don’t have the house to build up stuff. You’ll by no means personal something that isn’t important so that you’ll by no means be weighed down by stuff.
21. It means that you can embrace a life-style of caprice. You can take your RV wherever on the planet. Because sure, we’ve met individuals who ferried over RVs from Europe! We’ve RVed in New Zealand, Canada, and Italy and realized that RVing is much more fashionable overseas than it’s right here within the States.
22. RVing will help you eat more healthy. In my former life, I spent $300/month consuming out. Now since we journey with our kitchen we (as a pair) solely spend $50/month consuming out. Plus I don’t eat McDonald’s and all that junk anymore. (This could principally be a facet impact of marriage…)
23. If you need to promote the RV, you simply publish it on Craigslist as a substitute of hiring a realtor. (Except why would you promote this factor? It’s superior!)
24. We can watch our daughter develop up and expertise the world from the consolation of dwelling. We began touring with our daughter when she was 4 weeks previous and she or he travels with us in our Winnebago now. She’s visited over a dozen states and three international locations and is presumably the happiest human in the entire world. I really like her.
25. You aren’t homesick whenever you’re away out of your hometown. Home is wherever you park it.
26. Whenever you need to transform your own home, it solely takes one can of paint to alter the complete really feel of your private home. We renovated Franklin and it took lower than every week!
27. The RV way of life reinforces not residing a “comfortable life.” Things are at all times breaking, life is hectic, and also you at all times have a GPS working since you by no means know the place you might be. It helps you develop as an individual, like when the slides in your RV received’t allow you to attain your whole underwear or the tow automotive practically crushes you to loss of life all in a 24-hour interval. Yeah. That was a tough day. But we’re continuously being pushed and rising as a result of we’re at all times doing issues out of our consolation zone.
28. RVing teaches you to make things better. I hoped I used to be going to be wealthy sufficient to pay a mechanic on a regular basis. That technique hasn’t labored out for me but, so now I understand how to flush my radiator, repair my generator, verify gauges, and lots of different manly stuff I couldn’t do earlier than. I even lately outfitted our Honda CR-V for correct towing. Dad could be proud.
29. It teaches you to worth experiences over belongings, and relationships above work. At the core of it, that is what our way of life is actually about. Not about shopping for a number of issues. Not about having a giant costly home or automotive. Not about following the identical path as everybody else. It’s about valuing issues that actually matter, like spending time with my household and experiencing the world collectively.
All in all, I stand by all of my beliefs in selecting the RV way of life over shopping for a conventional dwelling. Does that imply we’ll by no means quiet down and purchase a home? Not in any respect, however for now, it’s the most effective resolution we’ve ever made.
Want to RV Full-Time? Here are a couple of extra blogs that can assist you get began:
How Much Does it Cost to Travel America in an RV?
7 Ways to Make Money While Traveling
Our Experience Renting Our RV with Outdoorsy
11 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Used RV
14 RVing Essentials: What You’ll Need to Buy AFTER You Get Your RV