RVs are so comfortable these days that more people than ever have sold or moved out of their permanent “stick” homes to live full-time in a recreational vehicle. And now with so many opportunities to work remotely from anywhere, the pace is increasing.
Look at the photo below. No, it’s not a traditional home, but a motorhome. In an hour or two, it can be packed up, its slides pulled in, and the residents on their way to a different place — a few miles down the road or a few hundred miles.
How easily could you live in an RV as your only “home”? No sticks and bricks, no nothin’! Just an RV. Tell us in the poll below, and feel free to leave a comment. Thanks.
Having lived in berthing on three different class of Navy ships for 10 of my 20 I don’t believe I would feel very closed in living in our 5th wheel. Comparatively it is a huge mansion! The wife is a bit more nervous about it though. Right now I have her talked into selling our current three bedroom when we retire, putting the money away while we do some full timing before returning and buying a smaller retirement house later.
Had to help someone move into a RV after they were evicted when the mold made the apartment they been living in uninhabitable. Years later they’re still in a RV.
I’m a 100% medically and honorably retired U.S. Army and Iraq combat wounded veteran (ret. at the young age of 27 yrs old, currently 38 yrs old) who is planning on purchasing myself a new motorhome and traveling the U.S. as a well funded nomadic man.
Thank you for your service, James. Words cannot express our gratitude. (My son, a Marine, was in the second tank that went into Iraq on the first day of the war.) Good luck on the purchase of your new motorhome, and we wish you many happy years of RVing around this beautiful country that you helped protect. Take care. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Did it for two years but like having a homebase for when I need (or the dogs need) a rest from the road.
Moving into our 45 ft motorhome was the easy part. Selling and moving out of our house was the hard work. Our MH is more comfortable and roomier than the staterooms I had aboard aircraft carriers for six month or longer on navy cruises. My wife enjoys traveling and likes moving every two to three weeks. She is, as a friend said, “my chauffeur” since she does most of the driving. We miss the kids and grandkids but they have their own lives. We visit with them in the spring and fall when we go “home”. As I have more birthdays it gets harder to do the blue jobs and help with the pink chores. Also, much more of the maintenance is now outsourced. We know that in the race of life Father Time is chasing us and will finally catch us but at this time we are still ahead.
We did do it for over a year while I remodeled a house. If I was by myself, it would be easier.
Yes, we live in ours fairly easily. But our 5th wheel is 47′ long. It has two bedrooms, apartment-sized appliances, (washer, dryer, dishwasher, stove, etc.), residential furniture… When we first got married almost 40 years ago, we had a 4-room apartment. Now, after the kids are gone, we are back to a 4-room apartment! We turned the back bedroom into a hobby room. It’s perfect! Except that we stay in one place for a lot longer than we used to because of the time it takes to get travel ready…..
A motorhome in the picture accompanying the survey? It looks far more as though it is the inside of a fifth wheel.
As to the question, yes, I could. I did live full-time with DW and our 55-pound furbaby for 8 months while our house was built AND we both were tele-working full-time. However, I have no desire to do so and would not full-time. I have too strong a tie, too much respect for the years that Daddy and Momma spent farming our land and raising cattle. I don’t do either; only try to keep it up. We (DW and I) spend several hours weekly cleaning up fallen trees, removing un-needed fences, and generally trying to restore the appearance of the place to where I think Daddy had it. We may never quite get there, but my, perhaps Quixotic, quest is to attempt it. Living full-time in an RV wandering the country is mutually exclusive with that quest. However, periodic travel does provide a welcomed vacation from the work.
I guess it was fairly easy for us since we spent 17 1/2 years at it! Sold our home in 2002 and didn’t look back until 2019 when we decided it was time to hang up the keys – we are both over 80.
I haven’t tried it, planned for it for 20 years when the time came, late DW said no. Now with a new DW we are in our 80’s and even though we would like to do it I’m afraid time has caught up with us and interferes with the ability to safely do it. However we refuse to accept the idea the medical profession seems to have about octogenarians that tell us to go home and sit in the rocking chair. Actually had a heart Dr tell DW just go home and get in your rocking chair(and wait to die). Our hearts are still strong, that was 4 years ago, that Dr died of a heart attack 2years ago.
Been living in my motorhome fulltime since 2004. No problem fulltime living.
I live on a river in Arkansas between two large lakes, so I would not want to. I have my shops and my wife has her craft room, a big beautiful deck overlooking the river. Heaven on earth. We take our TT and boat to different campgrounds and go fishing, but leave AR and head down to Florida in the deep of winter to escape the cold, which is where we are now. We have worked hard all our lives to have the life we live now and we deserve it. To all you younger folks who read this, keep your head down, work and save as much as you can. You will arrive at your dream-life someday, although it seems so far away.
I would go stir crazy. I need a garage to tinker with my classic car and other projects. I don’t golf.
As much as I love camping, I still need a home base in case of an illness or something else where I would need to recover.
I probably could but my wife would not. I personally wouldn’t. I love the “security” of owning a home base. We have the advantage of having an adult son to live on-site to maintain it.
Same situation! Adult son takes care of the home while we are off, whether for a night or two or for several months.
I genuinely love the idea, but even if I let go of all my home goods, I’d still have far too many books for it to be feasible.
We went full-time 22 years ago, have never regretted it, and have no desire to ever become stationary again. 29′ Class C with no bump-outs.
I’ve got you beat, Phil, by about 9 years. In 1992 I sold my house and everything else I had that wouldn’t fit in my new 31-foot Bounder and have been living full-time in an RV ever since. Since I was still working, I couldn’t start traveling until 2006, though. I just can’t bring myself to go back to a house.
We went full time in 2021 after retiring. It was the plan..sold home in 19 scaled down some to apartment while exit strategy was perfected…then to motor home 16 months later. We entertained the idea of keeping sticks ad bricks place but we are in a very high insurance and property tax area (Galveston County Tx) economically it just didn’t make sense since neither of us wish to be landlords. We love it! 2700 ft to 1300 ft to 400 sqft…not a problem. Wouldn’t change a thing…planned for 2 years..going into 3rd and talking about the things we missed along the way that we need to go back ad visit again…maybe a 4th year..who knows. Just making memories while we can!
Good job. Good planning. Shutting down a lifetime of sticks and bricks is tough so truly, my compliments to you for the strategy implemented. Favorite post today.
We recently upgraded our fiver and can see living in it long term but not full time as I will miss my toys! Plus selling the sticks and bricks isn’t an option. In CA we’d never be able to afford to replace it when we’re too old to RV
Always want a sticks and stone house to go home to. Rving 3 to 4 months out of the year is enough time away from our home.
AMEN, & again I say AMEN !!!
we did for 6 years FT and I loved it. unfortunately my husband became too ill and couldn’t do the steps so had to go back to stick 🙁