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Why did we choose to live in an RV? There are many reasons and we are going to discuss our process and why we made the decision.
But… First, I would like to mention how much thought went into this major life decision of ours.
We have never bought a house, but I feel that we put just as much time, energy, and thought into the buying process of our home on wheels, as we would have if we were buying a brick and mortar home.
We chose to live full time in an RV for a combination of reasons, but one of the main reasons/goals was to save money and to become debt free.
Prior to moving into our RV, we were enjoying living together as newlyweds, in our first one-bedroom apartment. We were loving life with our two fur babies, a view of a gorgeous park from our balcony, close to family, and commuting even distances from our jobs.
However, those commutes were becoming monotonous. I was also becoming listless about my work and felt that we needed a change. I wanted to explore life outside of my hometown and begin a new adventure.
Thankfully Matt was on the same page and just as eager to see what the next step would bring.
We discussed purchasing a house but ultimately felt that it wouldn’t help us meet our goal of being debt free, not to mention that we didn’t have a clue as to where we wanted to settle down.
We also considered moving to Florida, where some of our family friends live. But that would mean we would have to completely start over, and let’s face it, that is a big feat that we weren’t quite ready for.
The Beginning Stages
During the time we were contemplating our next step, my sister in law mentioned the idea of living full time in an RV. Without hesitation, I began researching the possibility. It intrigued me!
Being an opportunist, I don’t usually cast things aside without consideration and research. I scoured Pinterest, Instagram, Google, and even found Facebook groups dedicate to full-time RV living.
After much research, I felt that this could be the change and adventure we were longing for! This could be the answer to us becoming debt free, giving us the ability to travel, and live life on our terms.
So I mustered up the courage to talk to my husband about it, fully expecting some reservations on his part. To my surprise, Matthew was all for the idea!
The Planning Stage
Now that we had a goal and the next step was decided on, we had more research to do. The planning and preparation process took many months. I would be lying if I said that during that time we didn’t question our decision and wonder if we were crazy. I would think,
“Are we crazy? Shouldn’t we be purchasing a home, building equity, and having kids?”
The Doubting Stage
Being in our mid/late twenties, and newly married, there seemed to be some social pressures about settling down in a house and starting a family. And even though it was easy to look at others our age and feel like maybe we were wrong to not follow the same path, we had this dream to do things a little differently.
We reminded ourselves, and still do, that everyone’s dreams and ideas of happiness are different. It is okay to take the road less traveled.
Even though we had overcome our own doubts, that didn’t mean we wouldn’t face doubt or disapproval from others about our choice. After deciding and announcing our decision to RV full time we were met with comments like “RV’s depreciate.” “You’ll never get equity out of it.” While those comments were true, those facts weren’t factors for us. We weren’t worried about building equity or depreciation.
We dreamed of traveling and we were motivated to pay off those student loans and personal debts! To us, that was worth investing in.
What do we have to lose stage
Experiencing our beautiful country, with all of its magnificent wonders, without worrying about a ton of monthly loan payments is a dream! A dream that with a couple years of hard work, and budgeting could become a reality for us.
We felt like we had nothing to lose, but everything to gain by choosing this lifestyle. We had the opportunity to travel if we are able to or stay stationary. That is Freedom with our home base.
Update
April of 2018 was our beginning journey in living in our RV full-time. We have lived in our RV stationary on our Families land for about 2 years now. We had a surprise baby in 2019 and he has blessed our lives more than what we could have ever imagined.
I think with everything in your live, you must be able to pivot, to change, and go with the flow. Nothing is going to go as planned, but you have to keep going and taking those risks to make your dreams a reality. So if living minimally and traveling in an RV is your dream, GO FOR IT!
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Hey guys, great post! It is a pleasure to be able to follow along as you share the highlights of your adventures! Nicole & I made our decision to go FT a little over two yrs now. Your post reminded me of the many different emotions we experienced as we made that transition working to untangle and declutter that suffocating web that we had managed to spin ourselves into over a long span of time! The experience can certainly be trying at times but rarely enough to overcome the sense of exhilarated liberty and freedom that continues to grow while living in this lifestyle. We have yet to ecperience one single day of regret other than to wish that we had begun our journey much sooner! We are both SO excited that you have come to this great idea so early on in your lives and are siezing the opportunity to pursue your dreams by your terms. Perhaps one day we will cross paths on the open road but, until then we look forward to your spirit filled posts as your many adventures unfold!
Hi Craig and Nicole! Thank you so much for the inspiration and encouragement. It is so nice to have reminders that we are not alone on this RV lifestyle journey! To know others have experienced similar transitions, trials, and thoughts while making the move is refreshing! Again thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm! 🙂
Great post! I would love to do this at some time in my life.
Hi Ivy, Thank you so much! If it’s what you desire, you can do anything!
Great post. We are right now selling our stuff to get ready for our full-time life. About 6 more months and we’re on the road.
HI Cristine! How wonderful! Thank you so much and we wish you the best. The downsizing part is time-consuming but worth it! 🙂
We lived in a travel trailer for a few years while homeschooling and saved tons of money. We did buy a new house but we downsized from what we had before the camper, we realized how little we really need. My husband says that when he retires we will find ourselves a little class B and hit the road. LOL
Have a great day,
Yvette
Hi Yvette, That is awesome! Great to hear others have been able to save by choosing the RV life. 🙂
As a homeschooling family this thought has crossed my mind many times! I would love to full-time, at least a couple months to start. There is so much to see in the United States and I’d love for my kids to soak it all in before they grow up. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
Hi Trisha, Thank you for reading! There are so many families choosing to do the homeschooling and traveling at the same time. We even hope to do the same when we have kids.
I think this is awesome! More and more these days people are breaking away from social expectations, which I think are ridiculous anyway. We need to always take our own paths and go after what we want. I am slowly starting to figure that out, so it’s refreshing to see others do it as well.
Hi Lynsey! Thank you for your encouragement, We wish you best! 🙂
Great article, Nissa. Thank you for sharing your experience. I am looking forward to following along. My husband and I have been considering living FT in a RV for a few years. Like you, we are working towards being debt free and now that our sons are grown it is even more appealing. I am excited for you both as you have started this great adventure.
Thank you so much for reading and following! We are excited to see what comes from this lifestyle. There are so many groups dedicated to Fulltime RVing, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact. 🙂
Less is more is right! We’re hoping to be an RV family at some point in the future. We downsized our possessions this spring when we moved to the S Pacific, and are looking forward to traveling the US when our time here is up. Well done!
Yes! Sounds like you’re on your way! The RV life is great and the US has so many amazing wonders to explore. and Thank you so much!
This is something my husband and I have been talking about! We currently own a home, but it’s not where we want to stay. So we have been talking about taking the equity in our current home and either saving it or paying off all of our existing debt and starting over. But we have 2 little boys so finding something with enough space for all of us to sleep comfortably has been the biggest downside I see so far. Hopefully within the next year we will buy property and live in an RV!
Hi Kayla! I have heard and know so many people that did exactly that. They used the equity from their home to pay off debt and purchase their RV. Completely doable! Keep us updated 🙂
I love your article! I feel like I have too much stuff to get rid of before I could even consider moving into an RV. It would be like tiny house living to me. But the idea of being debt-free is always appealing. I’m looking forward to reading more from you.
Thank you so much, Erica!! Yes, the downsizing part did take time. We donated and sold quite a bit and it took about a year. We still have items in our family’s garage that are sentimental that we didn’t have room for but is was that debt-free appeal that kept us going. 🙂
My husband and I are within a few yearso f retiring and are wanting to get an RV and travel our retirement years. Sounds like you have a good plan. Have fun.
Thank you so much! You all will truly enjoy it! There are so many beautiful places to see, I can’t wait until we can hit the road! 🙂
This is awesome! I love that you have goals of being debt-free. You are making some bold choices for your life and I know you will reach your goals.
Thank you so much, Lara!!