Last Updated on 06/09/2024 by Glynn Willard
What We Wish We Had Known As RV Full-Time Newbies
It’s been over four years now since we sold everything and moved into an RV to travel the country and live the RV lifestyle.
Do we regret our decision? Absolutely not.
Did we learn a few things about ourselves when we became full-time RVers? Absolutely.
Most importantly, would we have done anything different along the way?
Honestly, YES there are a few things regarding camper life and RV travels we would have done a little differently.
But most aspects, we would not change.
We have since sold our travel trailer, made a few financial changes, and purchased a new RV. A campervan.
That might tell you something about how in love with the RV community and lifestyle we are that continue to incorporate some aspect of full-time RV living.
We hope our experience helps you prepare to have your own campervan or RV to enjoy the experiences we’ve had as a family.
What would we have done differently living full-time in an RV?
Not only what we would have done differently, but what we wish we had known as RV full-time newbies!
- We would have paid for two hotspots.
- We took too much stuff for our small RV
- We didn’t need to rush our travels in the beginning.
- Looked for a small home base sooner.
- We would have moochdocked with friends more often.
- Learned more about RV maintenance sooner.
- Additional ways to earn or supplement our income for full-time RVing.
- Consumed less alcohol in the beginning.
- Less time for the kids on tablets.
Yes, we found that being connected was more important than we thought. And not just for our channel or social media.
Turns out, when you’re in an area with a different carrier and you already used your roaming data, it’s nearly impossible to research things to do in your surrounding area.
Yes, Starlink is making leaps regarding connections for those living in a recreational vehicle.
Those individuals who we’ve come to know who have multiple carriers, seemed to have a lot fewer issues.
It took a while, but we eventually switched out to two very different carriers allowing for a much easier connection.
As time has passed, we’ve learned a thing or two about the different ways to stay connected on the road.
It’s a great idea for full time RVers to have cellular connections with multiple carriers.
I wrote a great article covering a great way to obtain mobile internet almost as good as in a traditional home.
Best Off Grid Options To Get Internet (Nomad Ways)
Our RV newbie must haves list is short for a reason.
When we returned to our home base the first time, one of the first things we did was to unload a lot of unused weight.
We spent a lot of time in the full-time planning stages, but when we took off, we rushed like we had a short vacation.
It’s so hard to shed that frame of mind when it’s all you’ve known.
It’s good advice to just slow down. Especially on travel days.
It didn’t take long before we started to crave a small traditional home to return to and cool our jets.
We sold a giant expensive house but still craved a small house (a “nest”) that’s our own.
Staying with my parents over the past years is nice and appreciated, but it never feels like home.
I see this trend happening now with a lot of the bigger channels. Very few seem to truly embrace the “true nomadic RV” experience.
And I don’t blame them. It makes sense to be a part-time RVer rather than living the full-time RV life.
That is, of course, if your remote job or business allows for such an expense.
The longer we’re at this, the less we want to be fully nomadic.
We feel like a small home base with the ability to work from anywhere and take 2-3 month trips would satisfy all of our travel desires.
It also makes it easier to change how we travel (planes, trains, boats, etc).
If you’re considering selling it all, think carefully about what your perfect scenario looks like.
We found over time that we missed our friends and family more than anything.
Then we also figured out how easy and wonderful it is to take your RV to a friend’s house and stay awhile.
This will of course only work if they have the appropriate amount of space.
Many of our best and favorite times were when we were moochdocking with friends.
It’s always nice to return the “moochdocking” favor by helping around the house. A lot of time, that’s better than offering cash or a dinner.
It can get lonely boondocking most of the time, so more frequent stays with friends the first year would have been nice.
I’m not discounting the joy of meeting new people or experiencing each new place.
Just mix in more moochducking with friends or a favorite family member.
It’s a good way to approach full time RVing.
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We heard it and read it all the time before we left. Make sure you get to know how to maintain your new or used RV.
We also always heard to set a certain amount of money aside for RV repairs since it’s when, not if you’ll need repairs.
This is very true! We were fortunately prepared for one of our wheels falling off the trailer.
We really did learn a lot quickly, but could have learned even more about some of the important preventative RV maintenance.
For instance, learn more about bearing, wheel, and brake maintenance as well as the electrical systems and solar panels before we hit the road.
We still feel like we don’t know enough about the electrical system if it fails. But this is quickly changing as we make progress with our Roadtrek campervan.
Being at the mercy of a repair service when boondocking on public lands in a remote location is not a nice feeling.
If you decide to full-time, make sure you really learn about preventative maintenance as well as RV repairs.
Not surprisingly, Facebook groups for your specific RV can be a wealth of repair/maintenance information.
We tried work camping once.
Yes, we sold our business and have some money to live on for a while. But it will run out eventually.
We never imagined how much time producing a channel and blog would take for almost no return on investment (for a long time).
The blog is growing and makes a little bit of money, but not enough to live on as a family.
BTW, thank you for being here!
Will this change eventually? We hope and are putting in the time to make it so by bringing you the best value.
But part-time remote jobs would have made better financial sense. Or more time work camping.
Regardless, the good news and unrealized benefit is the fact that our kids (and us) will be able to watch these videos and read the articles long into the future.
That’s worth all the effort on its own.
So, if you plan on going full-time and hope to make a living off a blog and channel, reconsider if you’re not already doing it and are an expert.
A realistic time frame for a blog or channel to take off is 3-4 years. That’s a long time waiting for those affiliate links and ads to come through!
Again, we love producing content, but it may not have been the best thing or made the most financial sense to us.
We’re health fanatics, but I (Glynn) still like to enjoy local beers when we began our journey on the road. All good, right?
What I didn’t realize is that being in a camper in campgrounds or RV parks elicits the desire to drink more.
First, because you feel like you’re on vacation being in a camper.
And second, a lot of people around you in a campground are enjoying libations.
As time went on, I found myself drinking more than usual on days I normally wouldn’t drink.
This is a dangerous tight-wire to walk. It doesn’t help that so many states sell alcohol in the grocery store.
That’s not the case in our “full-time residence” state of DE.
Not only was I spending more money than necessary, but my sleep was getting worse from the alcohol.
I missed out on too many productive opportunities due to just having two or three beers the previous evening.
Yes, I’m that sensitive to alcohol.
I have since quit drinking alcohol. But I had to learn the hard way.
If you regularly consume alcohol, prepare yourself to exercise discipline when you initially start full-time RVing.
This is something that evolved as Rose and I spent more time producing the channel while boondocking in the same location for too long.
We would visit the attractions on our list and then stay to work on content.
During this time, the boys would finish their schoolwork, play outside for a while, and then gravitate to the tablets.
Yes, we still could have limited time more, but even I could see the desire to join their friends on Minecraft servers.
It was their only connection to their friends.
And moving days are long and boring in the truck, so we allowed them a lot of time on the tablets.
Now we wish we had been more creative. The older they get, the more difficult it is to redirect their attention elsewhere.
Please don’t misinterpret this as a family who spends no time together. We do, but the tablets come out a little too often these days.
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What we wouldn’t change about our full-time RV experience.
- We’re so glad we didn’t buy a big RV!
- Boondocking was the way to go!
- We love national parks!
When we first started, we had visions of roaming the country in a big super C with a luxurious floor plan.
Not only would that have left us in debt, but it would have limited the style of camping we embraced.
We’ve found the low cost, easy maintenance, and agility of a small travel trailer to far outweigh the small living space.
Besides, all of our best memories happened outside the RV.
We might think differently if we lived from RV park to RV park.
Most importantly, we stayed within our financial budget and remained debt-free. Debt can cripple any lifestyle.
And there’s nothing inexpensive about living in an RV. Especially if you’re maintaining the same standards as your previous life.
Now that we own a campervan, I find that statement even more realistic!
We thought we’d like state parks the most. But it turns out we fell in love with boondocking on BLM and national forest land (public land).
The only problem; there are very few places to boondock east of the Mississippi. Yes, they exist, but nothing like the Western part of North America.
This meant we spent (and still spend) a lot more time out West playing, camping, and working on our YouTube channel.
We’re not complaining because it’s a preference, but it is limiting since most of our friends are east.
If you plan on going full-time, it’s a good idea to consider boondocking some of the time.
It’s free, you have more space and your schedule can remain open-ended.
Yes, national parks were one of our primary destinations during our years of full-time RV living.
With the National Park Pass, they’re basically free based on the amount of use the pass gets.
Of course, they’re beautiful and we always worked the Junior Ranger program into the kid’s education.
They also offer some great hiking opportunities!
I’d say the only problem that evolved was the boys became numb to all of the beautiful parks because we went to so many.
That minimized the enthusiasm some of the time.
If you have kids and go full-time on the open road, space out the national parks, so the novelty doesn’t wear off.
Mix in the museums, excursions, and fun activities that they want to do.
What were our big “Realizations” living in an RV full-time?
- We value being debt free more than we thought.
- I (Glynn) really wanted more free time.
- We love having our kitchen and bathroom with us all the time.
- Our “Reset” incorporated more than we realized.
I thought we would love the travel and take in all the sights more than having no debt. I was mistaken.
Avoiding any debt that has to be paid off on a monthly basis has crept to the forefront of our love for this lifestyle.
We never want to go back. And we only ever carried a mortgage in the past. That’s it!
It’s such a liberating feeling not basing your decisions on having to repay a loan. It’s awesome!
Although many decisions are based on available funds, which no one can escape.
In my world, that’s staying ahead of the curve!
Keep that in mind when you’re selling your house and buying an RV. I mean really keep it in mind!
Even though I had a lot of time off from working in the business, I spent a lot more time working on the business.
Too much in fact.
At the time, I didn’t realize what I was missing. I was missing time with my family and hobbies.
Ultimately, it was unhealthy for my psyche as well as my family.
I didn’t even realize my craving for more free time even existed until we “reset.”
Now I understand that spending more quality time with the family and on hobbies is at the top of the list whether we’re in a home base or on the road.
Who knew!
Yes, we’ve become spoiled when traveling. “Dad, I have to pee” is a lot less stressful when all I have to do is pull over.
The same goes for the “I’m hungry” statement. We like it so much, we’re willing to have a class B as our daily driver!
If you already have a camper, you understand that it can be the best way to travel with the whole family!
We grew acutely aware that refining our mindset was equally important to selling everything and living in an RV. That didn’t take long.
It forced us to take a deep dive into what a reset really meant to us and look back at all the traits that helped us reset several times in life.
What would be better for you? A mindset change or picking up and living in an RV? Or both? Think about that!
Happy and safe travels!
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