27 Lessons Learned Living a Fulltime RV Life

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As my husband and I prepare to embark upon our 13^th year of fulltime RV living combined with the gratitude of the holiday season and New Year resolutions, I’m inspired to share some our life-learned lessons about living the fulltime RV life.

So, in no particular order, here’s a partial list of the wisdom we’ve acquired over the years:

1.   No matter how long we’ve been RVing, we’re always in “RV school”.

2.   Even though we’ve seen so much of the country, there’s still so much to see.

3.   I can cook anything in my RV kitchen…though flambéing is not recommended.

4.   Maintaining our RV over the years has made a tremendous difference in the look and life of our rolling home.

5.   A smaller space can’t hold a lot of stuff so instead of things we collect experiences.

6.   RV parks and campgrounds are their own mini-communities…with all the good and challenges that go along with it.

7.   Conducting “Operation Sunshine” is much harder in practice than it is in theory.

8.   Our RVing friends come from all over the US and, instead of across the street neighbors, we meet up at parks across the country.

9.   Though we live in an RV – a typical vacation vehicle – we still have dreaded home duties to perform including laundry, dishes, and paying bills. We’re not always on vacation.

10. Just like living in a stick home, we still need an occasional vacation – away from the RV (see #9).

11. With the blinds closed we are “home” but open them up and we could be at a number of different locations with unique and different views.

12. The low cost of living the fulltime RV lifestyle coupled with being debt-free allows us an unprecedented amount of freedom.

13. (Almost) every item in our RV must do double-duty.

14. We live in a box on wheels and if we’re not in a good situation – be it work, neighbor or other, we can simply move along.

15. Driveway camping at a friend’s house is always a blast but our hosts are constantly baffled when we want to sleep in our own bed instead of their guest room.

16. Some people – friends and/or family – still can’t get their head around our lifestyle…and that’s okay.

17. A reliable mail service is critical to maintaining life on the road. 

18. PPO health insurance can be used all across the US but unless you return to the same location each year for your check-ups you are always a new patient.

19. You can work from almost anywhere thanks to technology.

20. The perception of RVers in general is not always positive – even though the gambit runs from pop-up to Prevost owners.

21. Staying longer than a few days in a single location allows a more enriching local-culture infusion.

22. Making our big purchases at national chain stores allows us to take care of product or service issues no matter where we are.

23. With the advent of credit union shared branching, we can bank all over the country just like we’re at our home branch.

24. Alone time is achievable…just take a walk.

25. Unless we have a specific time commitment, leisurely traveling is always more rewarding than rushing right along.

26. Keeping track of our travels gives us hours of pleasant walks down memory lane or good reference points for important dates/events.

27. People are always curious about our lifestyle and for many, we are living THE dream!

How about you? Do you have any lessons or words of wisdom to share? Leave a comment below…I can’t wait to learn from you, my fellow fulltime RVers. 

Evanne

RVCookingShow.com