Living in an RV
Living in an RV is quite the lifestyle change. From a typical 2000 foot plus house to a 300 - 400 square foot living area. When you first start to contemplate living and travelling on the open road in an RV, we all have our "dreams" of what it will be like and how we will live.
First piece of advice - don't bank on those dreams to be true!
The RV Lifestyle is extremely different from living in a house or apartment. Just learning and understanding how the utilities work will be a challenge. Don't get me wrong - it is awesome, but also intimidating to learn on a day-to-day basis.
Where will I park this monster - everyday? When do I need to empty the gray or black tank?? How do I make coffee in the morning? Plug is there but no power!?! How do I drive this thing?? How do I back into a parking spot? OMG - why is my "spouse" right next to me ALL DAY?!!?!
Living in your typical house or apartment didn't require any thought. The electricity worked, the sink drained every day, the toilet flushed to somewhere - all good!
Living in an RV will still have all those features - you just have to learn and understand it all.
So, what's the Pros of this?
Travel, Open Road, seeing sites and places you never knew existed. Nothing like it frankly!
We're from the east coast and had never traveled to the western states by car. Flew over many times, but never really "saw" things. Well, you're in for an incredible ride! There's a site called Roadside America that features unique areas/things of each state. Just that alone is worth it. We've seen all kinds of unique areas and places in our travels. Wondering thru lower third of Utah will leave you speechless!
Reasons for Living in an RV
These pictures are of just 4 places within the Grand Staircase in lower Utah! The colors and majestic views of so many areas with southern Utah are just mind boggling!
In your RV, you can just take your own time and see all these wonderful natural phenomenons as you travel. You'll never see these things from an airplane 5 miles up in the sky! We got stuck in traffic during construction on the Hoover Dam bypass. We just kinda smiled to each other.... we had food, water and a bathroom while sitting in traffic - all those in their cars didn't. After doing this, it gets really hard to pack a suitcase and get on an airplane.
Yes, there will be times when you each need to have your own space for the day! One of you goes out for a hike, walk, shopping trip, laundromat, whatever it takes to give the other space. Seeing sites like these will quickly make you forget just how much you had to learn to enjoy this lifestyle. It is soooo worth it.
We did a 60 day tour of Alaska in our RV. It's a shame it is so far away! We'd go back again. You truly connect with nature and animals when you are traveling in your RV.
Would we do it all over - YES!!!
Sometimes it is challenging - especially where to park "tonight" when driving to a new area? Parks are getting full and want only new RV's in them... quite the shame. Would love to see RV parks just open an area to park overnight safely, without full hookups, etc. Many parks have open areas that would be ideal for allowing an RV to park for a minimal fee. Can't really park in truck stops - they need all those spaces. Trucks can only park in those types of places - we have more options.
As I said, it is a different lifestyle. But, we've been "out" now for 10 years and still love that Open Road feeling and just seeing this awesome country up close and personal.
