9 Reasons to Live in an RV over a House
I’ve lived in a house for 30 years. I’ve done the 9-5, I’ve been an entrepreneur living in Orange County. For over a year now we’ve been living on the open road in an RV traveling across America. We started in a small RV and a few months ago upgraded to a huge beast. Looking back at the contrast between living in a house vs an RV there are some definite advantages to the RV Life that we live.
I realize that this lifestyle isn’t for everyone. However for us the decision to ditch the “normal” lifestyle and live a life of adventure has given us more enjoyment out of life than we could possibly imagine. In no particular order, here’s a few reasons why we prefer living in an RV vs living in a traditional house.
1. Live in the Weather You Want
There is a reason so many people choose to be “Snowbirds”. I grew up in Minnesota, the college I went to up in Northern Minnesota was so cold in the winter that they built huge underground tunnels connecting all the buildings together so you wouldn’t have to struggle through the cold. They knew college kids would probably just skip class when it’s 20 below zero. We were RVing in Northern Texas when we were caught in a rare blizzard. Ice froze over everything and as much as I was enjoying it, Danielle wasn’t. She said “I know we’re suppose to be in this area for awhile, but why don’t we just ditch our plans and drive to Florida?” So the next day we packed up the RV and headed to the warmth and sunny beaches of Florida.
2. Visit Bucket List Locations
There have been so many places I’ve dreamed about visiting. Places I saw in a magazine or on TV that made my jaw drop. In an RV we’ve been able to travel to these bucket list spots and enjoy as much time as we’ve wanted. Many of the places we actually set up and worked for the day!
3. Adventure
You can visit places and do activities that are as adventurous as you want. From climbing the highest peaks to surfing the biggest waves. An RV can take you there.
4. Less to Clean
I’m not a fan of doing chores or housework. Luckily the RV can be cleaned up in less than 30 minutes!
5. Wildlife
It’s one thing to see unique animals on National Geographic. It’s another to have them visit you while you’re in the RV. We’ve had so many animals come up while we were on the back deck of the Toy Hauler.
6. Enjoy a Pool
I’ve always wanted to have a pool. Growing up in Minnesota there wasn’t much of a “pool season”. For many people a pool can be an expense that isn’t in their budget. When you RV, many of the RV Resorts have beautiful pools and the best part is they are heated!
7. See New Parts of America
We’ve visited so many areas that we didn’t even know existed before RVing. The vast beauty of this great nation is endless. Whether you want to visit the National Parks or see some small towns, an RV is a great way to see new places.
8. If You Don’t Like Your Neighbors, MOVE!
Have you ever had a neighbor you weren’t thrilled with? When you live in an RV and don’t like your neighbor, just pack up and head out.
9. Live on a Lake
I’ve always wanted to live on a lake but good lake front property is expensive and often has a lot of upkeep. When you RV you can head to any lake with a campsite and finally have the lake front property you’ve always wanted.
What are your thoughts? House vs RV. Leave your comments below.
This post couldn’t be more timely for me. My husband and I are embarking on our own full time adventure next month – leaving our traditional home in Nashville, TN to travel the country from our 30′ Viper. All of these reasons are essentially why we’ve chosen to try this! Thanks so much for sharing.
Wow sounds like a blast! Can’t wait to follow the journey!
We been full timing in our Phaton Motorhome for 11 years.
In our 2006 Phaeton Love doing it. But, you better have a model the company stands by. So many after you leave the lot,they forget you.
Not Bob Tiffin in Red Bay,AL he’s the CEO & President. He gives his customers his personal cell phone number if you have a problem he’s is there for you.
Wow, that’s incredible and respectable! Thanks for sharing.
I have gone full time in my 40ft Monaco pusher for 1 yr now and love it so far. Its just me and my cocker spaniel. I’m pretty sure I am going to trade it in next yr on a 40ft fifth
wheel. The motor home is nice and convenient but very expensive for normal maintenance never mind the once and awhile major stuff. This yr alone was 6 tires @ $4500.00 and a rear end failure @ $8500.00. A lot of folks swear by class A’s and fifth wheels. For full time living and a more home like feel I think the fifth wheel is the way to go. One thing for sure no more homes are in my future.
Awesome! We LOVE our 5th wheel (and so do our Traveling Pomeranians)!
You meet the nicest people while traveling. Everyone is in a vacation frame of mind. Older RVers are a wealth of information. Even when problems crop up, as they inevitably will, don’t sweat it. There is always someone to help.
Couldn’t agree more! RVers seem to have a code of being nice and helping out!
I agree wholeheartedly with everything you’ve said. In addition, you can make it economical too and we RVers leave less of that so called carbon footprint. Tiny houses? Hmmph, RVers have been doing that for a long time.
Absolutely!!!
We thought we’d embraced the RV lifestyle as full timers but after four months we really missed the comforts of a home. We had sold our home and traveled from Missouri to the east coast and eventually settled in Pensacola. No regrets, glad we did, but it just wasn’t the life for us. Maybe we are too young for this life style and will reconsider once in our 60’s.
Good for you for giving it a shot!
We sell the house on april 2015. Now we are fulltimers…we Works Seven month and leave Canada for the South 5 monts….without réservations…hope we found great places for camp…
Wow, sounds like quite the RV Adventure!
How do you afford to keep doing this after you’ve spent the money from selling your house.
Hey Katt, thanks for reaching out! I work full time from the RV just like when we lived in a brick and mortar house. Additionally an RV Loan is a home loan and the payments are WAY LESS per month than what we paid per month back in Orange County so we’re actually saving money even with factoring fuel and insurance.
Good for you! I’m Canadian, too and I know how quickly life can change. Enjoy your travels when you can. You never know when your travel/emergency insurance may not allow you freedom to go.
Just retired and now living in our RV….loving it and agree with everything you said….life is so short not to enjoy it.
Good for you!!! Happy Camping
Six months into full timing and absolutely loving it for all the reasons you mentioned.
Awesome!!!
I find I need the comforts of home. I’ve grown weary of motels. In motor home I can have my bed and pillow. I can take my pets (kids) and not board them out or worry if they are being taken care of
Yeah we’ve noticed a huge convenience for our pets with RVing also!
R there any good RV parks in Florida u can live ?
Its just me & my little Pomeranian.
And r they complete hookup ?
Any info would be appreciated.
We stay primarily at Thousand Trails RV Resorts which have full hookups and countless amenities. They offer for people to have annual sites to live in. Our 2 Pomeranians love Thousand Trails Resorts also haha!
I would suggest a Good Sam directory, available at Camping World locations of on the Internet. The campgrounds are well kept and inexpensive in most cases. Most have monthly rates with unlimited stay if you don’t try to make it look to permanent.
Yeah Good Sam has HUGE directory. Thanks!!
We are in our high middle 60’s and I’m still working full time because I like my job as a consultant. Probably retire at 72 in 2020. We have a 2005 SunVoyager gas workhorse which we are happy with but don’t get out enough in it. We thought about full timing in future for a year to try it out. At the moment we are getting knees & hips replaced to become more mobile. Our reservations are:
What do you do if one of us become sick due to age where we need a stick built residence? We like the travel idea but think a place to call home fits our future better as of now because of our medical needs.
Those reservations make sense, traveling might be worth the risk…. Keep us posted if you hit the road!!
Hi Mike and Diana, your reservations about moving into a depreciating fast and non-maintenance-free are understandable. These and health certainly are factors to consider.
We have a 18 foot RV travel van that a Quebec company has outfitted. $80,000 plus some structural issues (crushed gas tank fitting that was not disclosed to us by an RV company in Airdrie, Alberta meant that we needed to outlay a few hundred dollars to fix. The van though is wonderful and we have a yearly insurance cost of around $1,100. We still work and plan to use it for longer trips when we retire in a few years. We know that we will never full-time it ,and we will never sell our stick home (smaller home in a desirable area). But we hope to have the van for 20 years and the dream of the Rocky Mountains of Banff, Lake Louise, Radium and Kimberley, B.C. keep us going. We would never hang our financial future on an rv.
All the best to you and happy travels Mike, Diana, Shore, and all.
Jill
Good stuff, happy camping!!
We are moving towards selling the house, buying a toyhauler and going fulltime. We will need to say in the western states for awhile because of my elderly mother. We have had people tell us we will regret going with a 5er over 35 feet. Do you have problems finding spots? We also feel 1000 trails would be a good fit for us. Do you ever have trouble getting reservations when in California?
Hey Jacque! That sounds like an adventure! We have had to make sure we plan ahead to find spots because it can be a challenge. About two weeks ago I hit two trees with the Road Warrior because we didn’t fit in the campground we pulled into and there wasn’t a way out haha. We’ve had no issues getting reservations with thousand trails anywhere and would highly recommend it!
Did you storage some of your belongings before you left?
Yeah we had 2 storage units for the past 2 years. Last month we downgraded to 1 while we were back in Orange County, CA.
We do both. My wife is still working at a hospital she enjoys and is still studying to become even more cutting edge in DNA work. I am retired and make military hops overseas once a year. I also cross America on a cycle and pull a pop up camper, or take the 5th wheel. If I stop to visit family, she will take time off and fly out and spend time, then fly back. I don’t think she will ever give up the house, so we live a modified combination life style. (My first trip with the fifth wheel was almost 4 months long across the country, to Alaska by way of the Marine Highway, and back.
That sounds like a great way to go! I’m sure when/if we settle down in a few years and buy a house we’ll do something similar.
RV or MOTORHOME is all good while it’s new …once it starts to fall apart it’s headache …did it for 13 years and now live in my home ….lots of fun for 13 years and if u invest all your money from sold home it’s not wise idea …some of these things like mine was 45 footer cost half a million dollars new ….it is not good investment to say the least
Yep! It’s a depreciating asset that we appreciate lol.
“Life rocks when your living room rolls!” Full timing for 9 years and wouldn’t turn back. We are blessed to enjoy the freedom this lifestyle affords us. Our blog is http://www.rvandmh.blogspot.com. Enjoyed your blog and hope to see you on the road!
Wow 9 years, that’s incredible! Happy Camping
We are planning our RV retirement now and came across your videos and blog. Thank you for your enthusiasm and insights. We are excited but nervous. We certainly hope to establish a cohort of folks to communicate with that have paved the way, so to speak.
Thank you for sharing your travels.
Thanks!! You’ll realize it’s a lot easier than you might think and a lot more adventure also!
I am so envious of you all! We still tent camp and have been shopping for a camper but have not taken that leap yet. We have been raising 3 daughters and the middle is about to head off to college. We are on the backside of our 40’s and I really want to travel before we get much older. How do you afford to continue to rv year round? Internet jobs? Thanks for any information you’d like to share with newbies just getting away for a weekend.
Thanks! We own a marketing firm that helps business owners become more profitable through social media which allows us to work remotely wherever we RV to. We probably aren’t the best example of frugal RVers but there are a lot who are great examples and share all their info on their blogs. http://wheelingit.us/2017/02/09/the-costs-of-fulltime-rving-part-i-budgeting-planning-your-spend/
You must be a Bemidji State grad. Marketing, advertising… ??? Love that area but too darn cold. I’m a MN gal, as is my hubby. We are hitting the road in about 6 weeks. Full-time RV life for us! We did find our RV, a 4 season, full-time rated Montana because we will need to be in MN for the Christmas Holiday… Lordy, I hope this camper really will be 4 seasons! Also, love the Duluth area and often are up to Grand Marias, the Gunflint Trail, and boundary waters. I just am done with Minnesota 9 month winters!
Fantastic to hear from another Minnesota! Congrats on the switch to Full Timing. What part of MN will you have your RV at in the winter? I actually went to BSU to be a gym teacher but became an entrepreneur shortly after college. We are way behind on blogging compared to where we actually are and just left Princeton, MN (where I’m from) a few days ago and arrived in Washington DC today. Odds are good you’ll love the Montana, they are well built. Our Road Warrior has handled the cold in MN like a champ!
We will be in the Alexandria area for Christmas mainly but love to get up north to the Gunflint Trail warmer months. Hope to see you on the road!
LOVE Alexandria, My younger brother went to Alex Tech for a couple years!
I agree that living in an RV will let you visit places and do adventurous activities whenever you want. My husband and I have been planning to buy an RV to travel and live from one place to another. We think it’s very exciting and refreshing. I love your article because you gave me more reasons to convince my husband to finally do it.