Have you ever wondered if people who take the plunge into RV living have any regrets? I don’t know about everyone else, but we definitely would do a few things differently. While it feels at times that many glorify full-time RVing as the perfect lifestyle, just like everything else in life, there are benefits and challenges. Here is a raw look at our full-time RVing mistakes and what we would change.
Never camped before?
In 2014, we decided to completely change our 9-5 suburban family life. Our family had never been camping before. In fact, we had only tent camped once in our backyard. (The neighbor’s dog barked all night!) We had zero experience with RVs and had never even stayed in a campground before. Why not sell everything we own and buy an RV to travel full-time? This sounds perfectly logical, right?
As completely ludicrous as this idea sounded at the time for a family with a small child, that is exactly what we did. I will never forget the feeling that came over me the day we drove away from the custom-built 3,000 sq. ft. home we had always dreamed of to cram into a 40-foot fifth wheel that we had no clue how to use. While it is common to see families living in RVs today, this was a radical idea back then. We didn’t have many resources to learn from and zero support from friends and family. Leaving our jobs and setting off into the unknown was horrifying and exhilarating all at the same time!
The reason why we felt compelled to sell it all is a great story for another article, but for this part of our story, just know that we launched into RV living with a notebook full of info I gathered from loitering in RVing Facebook groups and a 2-year plan to see as many states and national parks as possible before returning back to “normal” life. By now, you are probably wondering why I mentioned eight years of RV living in the title of this article. Yep, our 2-year plan never ended. In fact, we are still rolling along with no planned end in sight. So, after eight years of full-time RVing experience, what would we tell our extremely naive selves before diving into this lifestyle?
Bigger is not better
The biggest mistake we made, and probably the most common mistake we see others make as well when getting started full-time RVing, is to buy a large RV. Of course, it’s tempting to want as much living and storage space as possible since this is your home. Coming from a large house, naturally, most people want the biggest RV possible to feel like a home. The unpopular fact about RVs is that a large RV can be limiting. We quickly realized this limitation as soon as we tried to camp in state and national parks.
No RV is perfect for RV living
The reality of living in an RV is that the perfect RV for full-timing simply doesn’t exist. A large RV may provide an incredibly comfortable living space while you are parked, but it can be a nightmare at times to drive, park, and find campsites. A smaller RV allows you to camp in more places and is easier to maneuver, but it can have limited living and storage space for your possessions. It’s honestly very difficult to find the right balance of size and living space for full-time RVing.
Allowing our daughter to still have her own bedroom and bathroom felt important to us when we sold our house, so our first fifth wheel was a 40-ft. rear bunkhouse with a second bathroom. After three years on the road, we felt like it was more important to have a larger kitchen and living room area as well as increased food storage. We bought another large fifth wheel with a mid-bunk loft. While this fifth wheel gave us more space for the family to sit and watch movies together and increased kitchen food storage areas, it was even bigger than our first fifth wheel. Yes, we bought an RV that was too big—not once, but twice! That is how tempting it is to go big for RV living.
While we all love the living space of a large fifth wheel when it is parked in a campsite, it causes us a lot of anxiety on RV travel days. Today, if we were to begin full-time RVing again, we would purchase a smaller motorhome with bunk beds. We would also tow a Jeep or similar high-clearance vehicle behind it. (Keep reading to learn more about our tow vehicle mistake.)
Get rid of more stuff
Everyone brings along too much stuff when launching into the RV life. A big reason is that you don’t know what you will need until you get out there and just start doing the thing. We often joke that RV living feels like the Oregon Trail. Even after many years on the road, we are still ditching more and more stuff as we go. It’s a constant challenge!
If we were to begin again, we wouldn’t even bring half of the stuff along. You really don’t need as much as you think you do. Besides, isn’t the goal of traveling to spend more time out exploring and doing things? If that is the case, you will be too busy to need most of the things you use in your house.
Why did we keep this stuff?
The same holds true with items kept back home in storage. Almost every full-time RVer we know eventually goes back to their storage and wonders why they kept the things they did. I get it, because every time we have gone back to storage, we have gotten rid of even more stuff.
When you first sell your home, you don’t know if you will enjoy RV living. What if you hate it and want to go right back to living in a house again? It’s this uncertainty that makes people, us too, hold onto too many things. If we were to begin again, I would only hold onto irreplaceable keepsake items. Everything else can simply be replaced if and when we want to own it again.
Your tow vehicle can make or break your travels
Earlier, I mentioned that we went too big with our fifth wheel, and it has limited the places we can camp and created anxiety on travel days. What I didn’t go into is the fact that the large dually truck needed to tow that heavy beast is its own thorn in our side while traveling. We are a one-vehicle family, meaning the dually is our daily driver when sightseeing. Talk about a pain to park and drive. We have found ourselves in some scary situations on roads that we should have never tried to fit on. Parking can be a nightmare, and sometimes we have had to just leave because it was so tight that we just couldn’t find a spot.
The huge downside of going with a large towable RV is the vehicle needed to pull it can be expensive and cumbersome to drive when not towing. If we could change our setup to a motorhome, we would switch to a high-clearance vehicle that is more conducive to going wherever our adventures take us out on the road. This would make our days out sightseeing or even just running errands much less stressful.
Keep better travel notes
The experiences out on the road are absolutely incredible. The travel adventures are the reason why full-time RVing is worth it. Some of the places are so completely epic that you feel like you will always remember the details from your journey. The problem is, we don’t. Sadly, we didn’t keep anything other than photos to remember the adventures.
Now that we have been on the road for a long time, I wish we had kept a journal that had the names of campgrounds we stayed at, our route, the miles traveled, the names of people we met along the way, as well as our favorite places, trails, or activities in each location. While it feels like you will remember it all, the more you see and do, the farther the older details slip from your memories. If we could start again, I would jot down some of these details so we could look back at these stats and memories. (This is a good logbook to keep.)
You know the old saying, hindsight is 20/20. This holds true in RV living. You don’t know most of these things until you jump into the lifestyle. Plus, everyone’s needs and desires in RV living are very different. While we made many mistakes in the beginning and still make mistakes today, this is the result of getting out there and going for it. That is what really matters at the end of the day. If you have a dream to explore RV living, dive in and make your own mistakes. You can always figure things out as you roll along!
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I don’t journal, but post FB posts to only myself. We also have an atlas that we high light in yellow the routes taken with the motorhome, day trips in the toad with orange and places camped with blue.
I thought we were the only ones that still use a paper atlas and mark all over it! I love our trucker atlas to double check our routes. We also mark different membership campgrounds to help find great places to stay near points of interest in our budget. There is just something about seeing it all laid out on paper that just can’t be replaced by apps. I wish I had marked it all down in the early years but just started this during the last few. Better late than never!
2001-2004, we RV’d with 3 kids, 4 cats, and a dog. Truly. And homeschooled the entire time. What better way to learn we thought. The kids, now in their 30’s still talk about it. They kept binders with pictures and journaled. Good for you and your family!
That is so incredible Donna! I love that your family has these meaningful memories together. Family time is our most precious and fleeting resource. That really hits home lately when I look back at the pictures of our daughter who was only 6 when we started traveling and who is now 14. Maybe it’s stepping away from routines and other commitments but time traveling really feels like quality time together. Now I hope you get the chance to make similar memories with the grandkids!
We’ve been full time for 7 years. What you wrote is so very true. We went from Class A to large fifth wheels to now a truck camper. We are constantly unloading stuff. We don’t have a tow behind, just our dually. We are enjoying our travels so much more, stop at places with the camper, and travel so many different roads without a huge rig to worry about. No need for reservations or RV parks. It’s been our best decision. We just completed 8600 miles thru BC, Yukon, NWT & all of Alaska. With one reservation, Denali. When started out on this adventure my MIL gave me a journal. I’m so happy I stuck with it! We also travel with cards that we give a custom card we give to people we meet.
I bet this change has felt so freeing! It sounds like the perfect fit. After our daughter goes off in the world, we will for sure be downsizing. I love the idea of a truck camper or a larger van. Glad to hear you are enjoying it. I bet the trip to Alaska was epic! It’s still on the list.
Welcome to the staff Scott and Vanessa!
We are seasonal rather than full-time RVers, not that the FT doesn’t look tempting from time to time. We have a mid to large trailer we leave at the RV park. For a six month stay, we wanted a bedroom with a door. But, too big to haul around exploring. We opted for a SUV and a less than 4,000 pound self-contained camper as a second rig. Perfect for the 1,700 mile semi-annual migration or the overnight to few week touring trips. Because you are correct. You can’t have it all in one rig. Several of our FT RVing friends are now doing a similar thing with 2 rigs.
Thanks Jim! That sounds like the perfect arrangement. It’s so hard to find the right balance and we have talked about getting a smaller “summer rig”. I am glad you are enjoying traveling. We may have to join the 2 rig club soon. Ha!
Welcome to the staff, enjoyed your article and good writing, very informative!
Thanks so much Bob! We are excited to be here.
We met a couple not to long ago that are full timers for 4 years. They are loving it, no regrets. They did have an issue with the truck on this last move and had to have their 5th wheel towed to the RV resort and the pickup has been in the shop for 3 months with a transmission issue. They are basically stuck until the truck is fixed. But I’m telling you they are having a great time and taking one day at a time. After all this is there casa on wheels and in no hurry, the only thing that changes when your full timers is the scenery. Have fun!!!!
Yikes! I hope they can get the truck fixed and hit the road again soon. RV living is super stressful when things break. We have had similar issues over the years. Some that have resulted in long hotel stays while things are repaired. That is about the only time we wish there was still a house to go back to. Luckily those times are rare! The travel experiences and time together outweigh the temporary inconveniences.
Welcome Scott, Van and daughter. I agree with everything you say. Do you hear a “but”? My wife and I have a 40 ft 5th wheel pulled with a F350 dually. We wouldn’t change a thing. Yes, there are places we can’t get into but overall everything is a trade off. We considered a motorhome but unless you get into a massive Class A (from my experience) you can’t even turn around in the bathroom. Might we go smaller one day? I can’t say we won’t but our needs are met with what we’ve got. Yes, the tow vehicle does create some challenges but we usually park away from main entrances to stores and the exercise doesn’t hurt us. I always say: ‘if the mirrors go through, the rest will follow’.
We also considered full timing but for us we just couldn’t give up our sticks and bricks home. And downsizing, ahhhh, what a nightmare that would be. I know we shouldn’t leave that to our children once we’re gone but I think it will be a lot easier for them to throw stuff out than it is for us. Would you like some long play records I inherited 30 years ago? That’s the quandry.
Downsizing really is a deal! Keepsakes are tough to find a home for. My parents are nice enough to store the keepsakes and all of the junk our daughter won’t part with. We had to clear 3,000 sf in just one month because our home sold so fast. Of course this was during a record breaking cold Midwest December so there was no way to have a garage sale. I thought we were going to have an emotional breakdown trying to get rid of all of that stuff, but once we did finally drive away from it all, we surprisingly felt light. Hard to describe, but a mix of relief and accomplishment. It ended up feeling freeing. We still have too much stuff though with us in the fifth wheel! I love that you guys are enjoying traveling. It’s worth it and I bet your kids will just be glad you went for it! At the end of the day, stuff is just stuff but it’s the time together and memories that really matter.
FT for 17yrs. We also started with a 2yr plan. Biggest mistake I see most people making? Expectations set WAY too high. RV life is NOT like a S/B house. Stop trying to equate the two. And yes, smaller is better. Your ego can bury you.
My uncle has camped/RVed since the ’50s. His philosophy is you rv into areas where you spend all possible time outdoors. Using the rv as sleeping quarters. I have morphed this into “We are constantly searching for 70°”.
I love your uncle’s philosophy! It still feels good every winter when we don’t have to shovel snow. I don’t think I could ever go back to Midwest winters.
I have been living full-time in an RV since 1992. I had lost my job in Virginia Beach and was having a difficult time finding another job ANYWHERE. You “old timers” may remember that it was during that time that our economy was really bad. Military bases were being closed down and companies were putting hiring on hold. (As you probably know, Virginia Beach is one of the cities around Norfolk where the military was/is a huge part of the economy.)
I sold my house and bought a 31-foot Bounder, got rid of nearly everything I owned and hit the road back to Texas. It never occurred to me that I couldn’t handle a big rig! I have never looked back. ….to be continued.
…continued. To be sure, I kept far too much “stuff” so my rig was overloaded. I was shocked when I learned just how much it was overloaded when I weighed it at a weigh station. I had to start off-loading a lot of things!
In Austin, I traded my Bounder for a 36-foot 2000 HitchHiker. I was aghast when I discovered that I couldn’t get all my stuff from the Bounder into the fifth wheel. More off-loading!!
Later, when I was getting ready to retire, I bought a 26-foot Lazy Daze motor home so I could go more places. I’m still living in it. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
Making changes like this require a certain mind set so it’s not for everyone.
Glenda, that is so incredible! Good for you for going for it. As stressful as I am sure it was when you were looking for work, it sounded like it opened the door to living life on your terms. It’s for sure not for everyone. There are times when RV living is incredible and other times when it gets a bit difficult. I am sure that you will agree with us that it is never dull! Ha!
Great article Scott & Vanessa that made me hungry for more! Can’t wait for next installment. The only piece I thought was missing was : MONEY. How much did you budget for while FT? What sources of income would you have during FT? What were your Initial investments for: rig, tow unit, insurance, etc.? Thank you for providing inspiration to those of us “blue skying” our options! ☺👍
Thanks so much for the kind words Elliot! Money is always the huge question everyone has regarding RV living. In a nutshell, the range of expenses for RV living varies so much depending on how you travel. For example boondockers and those that stay in one area a long time spend quite a bit less compared to travelers that really put down the miles and prefer to stay in RV resorts.
We currently spend on average between $4,500-$5,000 per month. The biggest variable can be RV repairs which are frequent and something that should be a part of the monthly RV living budget. We use RV memberships to keep the costs down and don’t have loans which is another large factor to the cost.
We work on the road as freelance travel writers for RV Magazines and blogs, but it’s easier now than ever to find a remote job thanks to the increase in online positions and the improvement in internet service. Workamping is a popular in person position while traveling but the income solely from this type of job isn’t always enough to fund the lifestyle. I hope this helps!
welcome Scott & Vanessa. Great article. look forward to more
Thanks Robert! We really appreciate it.
We have two ways of keeping track of and planning for our months long trips that are overlapping in nature both “memories journal” too.
We use trip planning software to set out our trip. Each location has a “NOTES” section for journal entries.
2nd, we still use our trusted Excel spreadsheet with columns NITES, DATE/DAY, MILES, ROUTE, DESTINATION/CAMPGROUND/THINGS TO DO/RESERVATIONS. This format allows for more detail than trip planning software. Example, under “Campground” important details to us are logged (FHU, Dog Park, concrete pad, Verizon OK, etc.). I guess trip planning software would allow notes to that effect, but we like looking at the spreadsheet, especially in print.
I still love spreadsheets too, Pat! Thanks so much for the idea. Simple and gets the job done.
Welcome, Scott and Van! Hello to Sissy 🙂 I nodded my head a lot while reading your article — when we handed over the keys to our sticks & bricks, 3000 sq ft home and got into our dually pickup and pulled our 38′ fifth wheel away from the curb, we were newbies, too. The only other RV trip we’d ever taken was a two week trip that turned out to be disastrous from beginning to end. We figured, “Could full-timing be any worse?!?” so went ahead with our plans to full-time.
Have we regretted it? We’re in our 15th year and have to admit we’ve had some regrets, too — and they mirror yours. Looking forward to reading more of your articles!
Wow, 15 years is incredible Ellen! I am glad you went for it and have enjoyed traveling. Our start was also eventful. Ha! Maybe that was just character building to be prepared for the ups and downs of RV life to follow. It’s worth it!
On the road since 2001. Sold the s&b in 2012, but have kept an apartment with “stuff” we are not prepared to part with. Plan B will be when we get off the road for good. We are motorhomers. Started with a 33 foot no slide, no anything else really. Used it hard and loved it for 45,000 miles and 3 years. Now in a 36′ 4 slide diesel pusher since 2012. It is home. It is the right size for us. 99% of the time it is just the two of us, but we have had couples and grandkids stay with us and over an extended weekend we fed 13 people in and around the coach. We have room for more stuff even within our weight allowance, but really don’t need it. Current tow’d is 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
That sounds like such a great setup! I can’t imagine 13 people. I bet that was a lively weekend! Wonderful memories made there. I am glad you are enjoying traveling. It really is worth it.
The Russell Family: Looking forward to reading your views, adventures and stories. Checked out your YouTube. I’ll continue to read your submissions here. Hoping you’ll have time to establish your channel. Good Luck, Safe Travels and Enjoy Life! Remember the kiddo grows up very fast and you are doing a Fabulous Job!
Thank you so much for the kind comments. Kids sure do grow up fast. It feels like a time warp has happened. Ha! Our daughter was much more into RV living when she was little. The teenage years have been a bit special so far! If you are over on Instagram (@theadventuredetour), that is where we are most of the time nowadays. We would love to connect with you over there. Hopefully we will get more into YouTube soon. Thank you!
Thank you, Vanessa and Scott! Congratulations on successfully making 8 years as full-timers. I found your comments about rig choice very interesting. DW decided that I would be more competent driving an RV and towing a vehicle than towing an RV. Hence we have only had motorhomes since we began RVing in 2016. I never considered the possibility that a safe, dependable tow vehicle could also be a huge headache if not towing, just driving around. Welcome to RV Travel. I look forward to your articles.
In 2001, our family bought an RV – 3 kids, four cats, and a dog. I told dh the “whole” family goes or not at all. 😉 We settled on a Class A – never found anything with a bunkhouse in a Class A back then. We traveled for 4 years – kept diaries, took pictures, homeschooled (which we were doing already). The kids still talk about it and they’re in their 30s. No regrets.
We’re back to RVing again after retirement and this time I would have chosen something a bit different but still RVing after 5 years.
All that to say, sure, some regrets, but not enough to stop. 🙂
I was really lucky, grew up camping and traveling all my life, thankfully because of my parents. I’ve been to most of the continental US (we missed a few states in the middle), Canada many times also to Mexico. Give me a campfire to stare into and I can relax, this is our retirement plan to enjoy life as we can.
It makes a difference. How often do you plan to move? How you live will make a big difference in the ‘stuff’ you want at hand.The longer your stays in one spot the larger RV will ‘feel’ better. If you are a traveller staying put for typically no more than a week or two, go smaller. We own two TTs. One is small apartment size and mostly stationary as a seasonal home. The other is small and nimble and perfect for adventure. In both cases you have to figure out what you really need to be happy. And for us living on the road means a lot fewer kitchen tools, a lot narrower volume of clothing, fewer yard accessories. The opposite when stationary for an entire season.
Thank you, Vanessa and Scott! Interesting. Have a great day and safe travels! 🙂
Excellent article!
While we do not fulltime, rather 4-5 months of Canadian snowbirding we bought a 35′ 5th wheel.
Sometimes it does feel just a little big. The dually long box is also our daily driver when out on the road, and we just park as far away as possible when we are out.