There’s No One Right Way To Fulltime RV
Believe it or not we’re still in Borrego (aaaand our tanks are still holding out), despite the fact that we’ve been planning to leave for days. The reason for our departure is the awesomeness of community surrounding us. Once the “Airstream gang” started rolling in around Jan 1st, word got out and more hipsters started rocking this way which kept delaying us for “just one more day” so we could meet & hang with the newbies. The fact that all these folks are younger RVers has certainly added to the allure.
For some people it’s all about the teeth, but what impresses me the most is that ALL these folks (all of them) are making their living fulltime on the road and they each do it in their own way, in their own particular type of rig, within their own (very variable) budgets. What connects us all is not our RV or our work, but a love of the road, of the outdoors and the idea of living an alternative kind of life.
It’s surprising and yet so very simple.
There are folks out here who make music for a living, people who code or do technology stuff, couples who are running online businesses, folks creating magazines, professional photographers, fulltime remote workers, investors and entrepreneurs. Some of these guys have been profiled in our neighbor’s Rambling Tales or in GoneWithTheWynns Make Money & Travel series, but most of them just go about their business and live life on the road in their own way.
And the people themselves are completely mixed too.
Many are in couples although several are solo travelers and there are families too! Yes, actual people with little people, pets and more all crammed into <30-foot rigs who are just loving it. A few days ago I led a hike into a Slot Canyon with 15 people, 5 kids and 5 dogs. We all adopted different hiking paces, but we totally meshed in interests & conversation.
We don’t all have the same finances either.
It’s been a few years since I published our own expenses (I’m due for an update -> suffice to say our usage has decreased every year we’ve been on the road), but I’ve always maintained (and still maintain) that you can fulltime RV with anything from $1000/mo to $5000/mo depending on how you camp, where you go, what you’re willing to compromise on and what you consider important.
In my experience the majority of fulltime RV folks lie around the middle of this range at $2500-$3500/mo (for more info see this excellent page from RV Dreams). The type of rig you own does impact your financial situation since in general bigger rigs do incur more costs in both maintenance/repair, campground fees, insurance and gas mileage, but the extremes are do-able too. I know several solo RVers (for example To Simplify & VanTramp) who comfortably manage the lifestyle at around $1000-1200/mo. For many of these folks fulltime RVing is what enables them to live a more simple (and less costly) life. I also know folks who prefer (and can afford) the luxury of fancier RV parks, lots of eating out and entertainment.
The point is there is no one right way to RV. This lifestyle offers the same breadth and variety as “regular” life and in some ways even more so. You will find a variety of people with differing backgrounds, religions, work, rigs, and finances….and not one of them is the “right” way to do it. So if you truly wish for this lifestyle and feel it may be for you, fear not that you might be different from the others. There’s room for us all out here….
P.S. We’re staying for just one more day and then we’re outta here…really, truly we are 🙂
A selection of the cats out here:
AirstreamLife, Aluminarium, @asolojourner, @dreaknufken,
@journeywithhappiness, @kmpuccio, @malimish_airstream, @russhaynie,
Rolling Recess, @sethkhughes, Tehcnomadia, @theroamingpint,
The Scenic Route, @toddmb, ToSimplify, @upintheairstream, VanTramp
I love seeing all these “younger” people out there doing it. I thought we would be the young kids on the RV block. Life is so much more than a 9 to 5 job and it’s nice to see people realizing that.
There are definitely lots of folks making it work out here. So many different ways to make a living and travel around. I love it!
Nina
What fun! Loved the picture of the gang! Borrega sounds like a great place.
We are nestled in right under the Superstition Mtns….so very happy to be back in the southwest!
Ahhh…the Superstition Mountains! We were there for the flower bloom in April 2013. What a spot!
https://www.wheelingit.us/2013/04/02/breezing-through-phoenix-desert-blooms-and-getting-caught/
Nina
Looks like a blast! You are right about the fact that there is no right way to RV. We just landed in another one of your past sites; Snyder Hills BLM outside of Tucson and we see everything from a VW Bus to the big rigs, everyone with something in common.
Another good little spot. Great location, albeit a tad crowded. Enjoy Tuscon!
Nina
It was so amazing to meet you both finally. What fun it has been.
Likewise!
Nina
Thank you for your blog! We purchased a fifth wheel in November, 2014 and hit the road in December. We are trying the fifth wheel out here in Florida. We have never “camped” before, but are finding this way of life seems to suit us. We are heading back to Michigan in the spring with plans of selling the house and going full time – hopefully by summer’s end. I know you mainly travel in the west. Have you ever been to the east coast and/or southern states? Do you have a mail house forwarding system? Thanks again – J&J
Yup, we went to the East Coast our first year. You can look at my “Travel Tales” tab and click on the Eastern States to see where we went and what we did. Also, on our “Journey” tab (we keep our travel map there). We enjoyed the East Coast, but have to admit that our hearts are out West.
For Mail Forwarding we use Dakota Post in SD.
Nina
We are not one of the “hipsters” but we did enjoy spending a little time with you. John and I both wish we had known of this lifestyle when we were in our twenties and thirties and doing weekend camping in our tent. We oooo’d and ahhhh’d over the Airstreams then. If we only knew then what we know now…….
The good thing is that it’s never too late 🙂 You guys are on the road and doing it now, which is all that matters. It was good to see you guys too.
Nina
I wish I could convince my wife that we should have started yesterday. Unfortunately, my wife has a job she enjoys but cannot do from the road (company frowns on telecommuting), and she wants to work another eight years to qualify for the pension plan. I will be 66 then and will no doubt feel like so much time just slipped away. Because we have a special needs son we care for, taking extended trips on my own is not an option, unfortunately.
How wonderful to see so many young folks enjoying this lifestyle. Wish I had had the courage to step away from corporate American at an earlier age but so glad to have found the RVing life.
I honestly don’t begrudge our years in Corporate. They provided the financial basis for what we’re able to do today. I’m still happy we decided to step away when we did. Most folks thought we were leaving great careers far too early.
Nina
Uh-huh.. sure you’re leaving. 🙂
It was darn tough to pull ourselves away, I admit 🙂
Nina
Hi, I’m a long time reader but I’ve never commented. I love all of your posts but this one was especially timely. This post has covered many topics that are important to new and ‘thinking about it’ rvers. I am a member of a Solo Women RVers group on Facebook and lately many women have been asking questions about younger rvers and how to make a living on the road. You answered many of those questions. Would you mind if I posted a link to your blog on our Facebook page? I won’t do it if you would rather I didn’t. Wanted to ask first. Thank you, Evie
Please feel totally free to post the link. I’m always happy when my stuff gets shared.
Nina
There is one right way and that is to “just do it”.
Can’t say I disagree with that one 🙂
Nina a
This is a very inspirational post to read. We’re still in our first year as fulltimers (as of August 2014)and still finding our way.
It takes some time to get into it. It took us around 6 months to get comfortable and around a year to get really into the groove of fulltime RVing. Our second year was when we started really connecting with the nomadic community too.
Nina
I like to see all ages living the way they want. Heck I started living on the road in a Vega in my 20s. People thought I was nuts.
I bet they did..and there’s probably folks who still think you’re nuts. I really enjoy seeing the variety of folks, ages and types out here. It’s quite the mixed community.
Nina
My husband, Dave, Denali and Jenna, the Siberian Huskies, Nun and Kun, the Himalayan cats and I have just started our full time RVing adventure. We will finish selling our business and finally hit the road in late May. I have so enjoyed your blog. Btw…very close to you is Agua Caliente. It’s a great hot springs in the Anza Borrego. The spa is great. We will visit there in late March or early April. Enjoy!
Congrats and good luck with your upcoming plans! I’ve received a few recommendations for Agua Caliente, but have yet to visit. It’s on the “list”.
Nina
Very cool that so many young people are figuring out how to live and work on the road. I full timed when I was in my 30’s, but definitely not in comfort — I car camped with a backpacking tent for a year in the States and another year in Europe. Had there been technology then like there is now, I would have taken to the road in a trailer for a longer stretch! At the time, I thought trailers were for retired folks. 🙂 Twenty-five years later, and now I’m traveling full-time and working part time on the road. What a great life!
You’ve had the nomadic spirit with you from a very young age. Not surprising that we get along.
Nina
I love reading your posts! This one is very inspirational for us since we are ‘not yet there’. I know others are probably saying “what are you waiting for?” ha ha, but we have a goal of paying things off over 2015 and selling all in 2016 when we hang up the WORK flag.
Of course there is the unknown out there for us but all of you bloggers answer most of the questions we have. Being Canadians the work option does not play into it for us, no matter as we only plan to travel, spend summers in the warmth, explore and meet new friends. We can’t wait!! Thank you again for your post, I want to post it on Facebook too for those naysayers out there. 🙂
Setting out with no debt is a great goal. The more liquid you can make this lifestyle, the easier it is to live. Good luck with everything, and hope to see you down the road.
Nina
This is awesome! And I’m so jealous. I would have loved to have been surrounded by so many other young travelers while were on the road. What a great community. And you’re right, there’s no one way to do it. We did it for close to a year in just a car and a backpacking tent for three of us – kid included. It put us a little bit out of the RV circuit since we were a little more constrained by weather, but it was amazing.
A car and tent with four…that’s pretty darn impressive! Our very first trip together was a car/tent across CA and UT. We froze half to death (we did it in Feb), but we had sooooo much fun, and so many amazing memories.
Nina
In February? Impressive! I hope you had some super warm sleeping bags. Yeah – the winter part is kind of hard for tent travelers – especially day after day. We camped through November (in New Mexico at that point) and then stayed with family and friends and month-rentals for the winter.
Yeah, we had good sleeping bags and did a lot of “snuggling”. Still remember one night in Bryce (which was covered in snow, of course) where I burned a hole in my socks trying to get my poor frozen feet closer to the campfire. Ahhhh, the folly of youth LOL!
I like your idea of intermixing with house stays and rentals. A lot warmer and more comfortable.
Nina
Sounds like a great group. My wife and I are only dreaming of it right now, but maybe someday!
Great post Nina–and I love the colorful group shot. I remember when we were still in the 5th wheel and I posted a photo of some folks we were sitting with at a group dinner in San Antonio. My niece asked me then if I was the youngest person in that RV park and I wasn’t, there was another woman who was two years younger than me. Now it seems there are more and more of you younger people out there and I totally admire you all!!
Thanks Janna. Can’t take credit for the group shot (Leigh from Aluminarium captured that one), but I’m glad she herded us all together to get it. There are certainly more and more of us younger gen folks out here. Thirty years from now I’m sure we’ll be looking back at the “good old days” when we were young and on the road. Who knows what RVing will look like then.
Nina
Dad was in his late 60’s when he started his snow bird life, and often complained that there were “only old people” at the rv parks, cracked me up. He would love this insurgence of “young people” out on the road. While I think there’s a lot of old hipsters out there now, I’m especially excited to see the stigma of old golfers in black socks and sandals being erased from the lifestyle 🙂 What a great time with great people – that hike must have been so fun – thanks again for sharing the many, many options for doing it right.
You dad sounds like he was a hoot! I can’t deny there are lots of older, retired folks on the road (many of whom we call good friends), but I’m seeing a sub-current of younger types growing out here too. I think technology, Internet and the ability to work remotely are enabling it to happen. It’s a brand, new world.
Nina
It’s been an awesome experience for us to be part of this group, and so great to meet people we have been following online for a while. We haven’t regretted our decision to sell everything we own, leave our corporate shackles and hit the road. The wisdom of our choice has never been more apparent that this week sharing time with this great group of inspiring people.
Thanks Nina for your wonderful blog.
It’s been wonderful to meet you too! We knew a few of the folks here before they arrived, but many of the pack have been new introductions. So great to get to know such a diverse and fun group. There’s a good reason we keep delaying our departure!
Nina
When we left NYC to full-time 13 years ago we weren’t retired…and we thought we were so unique…once we got on the road we learned there were over a million full timers…mostly older retired folks…it was rare for us to meet someone in their 50’s let alone anyone younger…it is refreshing to see all these young people living their life on their own terms in their own way…kudos to you and to them….
You’re still unique Jil, even all these years later 🙂
Nina
🙂 🙂
I love it!!! You just posted a Blue Bird Wanderlodge! Probably about an 1989/’90. We own one too! Its a lot of weight and a lot of fuel.. but we park it often and tool around in a Prius, lol I wish the fuel consumption in one negated the other, but alas it doesn’t quite compute! But we love our rig! Maybe we will see you in our travels.. Happy New Year.. be healthy, safe and joyful!
Yup, the beauty pictured is Todd & Russ’s 1986 Bluebird Wanderlodge. It’s GORGEOUS on the inside! I can totally see why people get hooked on these. Of course it’s a tank and weighs ~40,000 lbs too, but on the plus side you could probably roll that thing several times, right it up and just keep going.
There’s always a big Wonderlodge get-together at the big show at Quartzsite (end of Jan). I biked by last year and admired them all.
Nina
As I mentioned to Leigh, that group photo needs age-balance. Although we are in our 60s, by the time of our Great Escape in 2016, we’ll be in our 30s. 🙂
Solar on the Bounder is nearing completion. Hope it works. Woohoo!
Hey, all that matters is your age at heart. I’m sure you could “hang” with the gang.
Nina
Thank you for sharing the details for everyone at the end…I’ve subscribe to them all, and look forward to seeing this year where everyone’s individual (or group!) paths lead from this…nexus of awesome. =)
-J
Cool! Enjoy following the “gang”.
Nina
Very interesting post Nina. I can see why you are hanging around. Love the sunset over the airstreams and the group shot. Pretty soon there won’t be anyone working a regular job except those too afraid to get out on the road. Yikes for the camping spots. Like the others we were heavy tent campers in our 20’s and 30’s. We’d make up excuses to be gone for months. Wish I’d known about fulltiming then too but it seems to be really catching on now. Don’t think as many folks were doing it back then. Sort of like homeschooling, another thing I wish I’d done. The times they are a gettin’ better in many ways.
Times are a-changing for sure. Even though this is a “growing” movement I still think it’ll remain a smaller part of society. Not everyone is made for this kind of life. As an interesting aside Escapees was started primarily for younger, fulltime RVers back in the day. Even then, the movement had started and what we’re seeing today is simply the next generation of those same adventurous types.
Nina
The technology has finally caught up to the point where working from the road is really, truly possible. It’s really dependent on the affordable and nearly ubiquitous network connections that are available now, via WiFi and/or the high speed cellular data network, to give people the ability to no longer be tied to one location.
20 years ago, you had to move a physical piece of paper through a company to pay the bills.
10 years ago, you had to move data through an internal network to pay the bills.
Today, you can log on to a company server hosted in the cloud from anywhere in the world and pay the bills.
…and it’s only going to get better. Faster, cheaper, more coverage in more places.
You’re right, in the near term, the RV parks and dedicated RV campsites will have more people in them – but in the long term, that creates incentive for building out more RV parks and dedicated RV campsites – that will have the latest available technologies integrated right into the design, because that’s what the target market (younger, working fulltime RVers) is clamoring for.
Man, I can’t wait. =)
TOTALLY agree Jonathon!
Nina
What a fun post! Maybe someday soon we can join up with everyone. We’ll be one of the geezer crowd, but really, seeing pictures of nothing but old people and their RVs leaves me cold. We’d much prefer to be in the “all age park” side of life. 🙂
We’ve seen a great mix of ages on the road. I love seeing both sides…old and young. One day we’ll be old geezers too 🙂
Nina
It’s wild how young many of these RVers are. Makes you wonder if it’s the economy or just a shift in culture away from the 9 to 5 and the big house with the white picket fence. I know we look forward to ditching our big house and living a simpler life.
We used to worry that when we were both retired (one more year ;)) we’d be surrounded by old people. Not really the case anymore. Lots of young people dropping out of the normal workforce and either making money some other way or just living a frugal life. Exciting.
I believe there’s a fundamental shift going on, powered in part by the Internet and availability of remote jobs. Also home-schooling (for families) has become much more mainstream and accepted. These two things are giving younger folks more traveling freedom than they’ve ever had before. Exciting times for sure!
Nina
I started out backpacking in the 60’s and fell in love with the solitude of mountains and deserts. That was real freedom. Now I camp in a 17ft. Casita travel trailer. Not the same but I’m older and can’t climb and rock hop like I use to. For me owning a house was ball and chain slavery. Now technology has made it easy and fun to be a full time RV’er. For those of you waiting to be able to retire, I say go for it now. Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow, live for today and each day there after. Until the last of your days. You will look back on your life and smile with satisfaction. Instead of wishing you had done this or that. Fear is an awful curse put upon us by fearful people that haven’t lived this life style. Go for it.
Well said. Totally agree.
Nina
Amen.
What a fantastic post. I feel incredibly lucky to have the time to get out on the road a few months out of every year but I have a crazy amount of respect and admiration for all that do it full-time. Thanks so much for sharing.
We are younger RVers traveling the US and homeschooling little people. Currently in Crystal River FLA headed to the keys. Would love to meet more people full timing that are closer to our ages and kids would be an added bonus. Your site is great- we used it extensively in planning our trip and have mentioned you in our blog for the excellent info on your site. Thanks!
The photo shows a much younger full-time crowd than I’m used to seeing. I’m glad of it, too. When I hang out with fulltimers, the average age drops to 82….. 😉