In recent years, there’s been a surge of people ditching the 9-5 routine to live and travel in vans, RVs, and other unconventional homes. Thanks to the sharing economy, better online resources, modern vans, and a supportive community, it’s now easier than ever to travel full-time in an RV. What was once a pastime for older, retired, or family travelers is now being embraced by people of all ages.
Despite the #vanlife movement’s popularity on social media, the real charm lies in RV travel. It’s a fantastic way to see the world. Marc and Julie from RV Love, a couple who’ve been living in their RV for nearly five years, share their wisdom on how to travel by RV.
They started their journey as full-time RVers in 2014. They met on eHarmony in 2010, got married in 2011, and hit the road three years later. They chose RV travel because they wanted to travel extensively while still working. They considered international travel, but the challenge of time zones and their desire to travel with their dog, Coda, made RVing the ideal solution.
Life on the road in an RV is an adventure. They’ve just entered their fifth year and recently upgraded to a 1999 40’ diesel motorhome. They spend most of their time in campgrounds and plan to do more off-grid camping in the future. They try to spend 2-3 weeks in each location, but that varies depending on the location, weather, and their current projects.
Living in an RV is still life. You need to do grocery shopping, make meals, do laundry, pay bills, and do housework. Then there’s RV maintenance and repairs! Upon arrival at a destination, it usually takes less than 30 minutes to set up. RV life can be as social as you like.
When you’re traveling around in an RV, if you aren’t already handy, you’ll learn to be! It’s definitely an advantage to become somewhat mechanical and familiar with simple tools. The RVing community is very helpful and supportive when it comes to finding answers for issues you may have.
Flexibility, adaptability, resourcefulness, and a sense of humor are necessary traits for living in an RV. Things don’t always go the way you want, RVs break (or break down), and travel plans go awry when you least expect it, so you need to be able to find a creative solution, often on the fly.
A lot of people are embracing RV/van life these days. People are questioning the traditional American Dream as a path to success or happiness. Technology is enabling us to live and work from pretty much anywhere, and more companies are allowing people to work remotely.
It’s a good idea to pay off as much unsecured debt as possible before hitting the road. Less debt lightens your load and allows you to really enjoy the freedoms of RV life. It all depends on how you want to RV, and your budget. Generally, it’s possible to RV full-time for about $2,000–$3,000 per month.
Buying an RV can be expensive, and buying the wrong RV can be even more expensive! Like anything with wheels, RVs depreciate (hard), and so doing your research in advance pays off. Before you even set foot on an RV dealer’s lot or go check out the RV you found on Craigslist, ask yourself who is traveling with you, how much do you plan to travel, and where do you want to go.
Full-time RVing is not a vacation, it’s a lifestyle. It’s exciting when you start. You want to go everywhere and see and do everything. Try to create a sustainable travel pace from the beginning. Stay longer in an area. It’s cheaper – in terms of fuel and campground fees – and you’ll really be able to immerse yourself, explore, and even feel like a local for a while.
It’s a good idea to consider renting an RV or van first, to see if you even like the lifestyle. You can rent RVs from rental companies or from private individuals using a platform like RVshare, which gives you more variety in the types of RVs you can choose from.
If you want more information, Marc and Julie Bennett are RVers who live, work, and travel from the road full-time, and since hitting the road in 2014, have visited all 50 USA states, plus Canada and Mexico. They are co-authors of Living the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road, and you can follow along on their journey via their website RV Love as well as their social media channels!
