Expectations vs. Reality: RV Traveling
Women relaxing by the beach in lounge chairs, showing perfectly pedicured toes with a splotch of sand scattered on their feet, tanned legs as their bodies face the ocean, pretty drinks poised for consumption.
A young lady sitting in her van with a thoughtful expression on her face as she looks out of her wide opened doors, an expanse of majestic mountains in the foreground, a coffee mug in her hand as she is ready to take a sip of the hot, steaming joe.
I have seen it splashed all over social media with breathtaking images, life of ease and comfort and how attainable it is no matter if you are retired or not. Even the popular rv’ers on YouTube jumped on the bandwagon to show us with video how idealist this lifestyle was.
But there is another side to this lifestyle, a side that is not discussed much, not so much a secret, but a side that shows the reality of living and traveling in a RV. What I am about to share is the expectation vs. the reality of fulltime rving, from someone that once did it. I will share an expectation then use a reality response, which could be positive or negative. Some things are true of expectations, but some are not and I want to share what the truth is from my perspective:
Expectation: Living in a RV will be fun with my partner!
Reality: I agree and disagree. It was fun to live in a RV with my partner, SOMETIMES. It is squishy in a RV, no matter how big or small yours is. We both have to step out of each other’s way to walk inside the camper. Not much space to move around in the camper when your partner is there. You may even get annoyed with your partner always in your face or space! You need to REALLY care for your partner as you will be snug as a bug in a rug living in a camper.
Expectation: Easy peasy cleaning the RV.
Reality: NOT!! Yes, it is small and will take less time to clean then a house, but how long will it stay clean? You are always bringing in dirt or rocks from the outside, no matter how much you clean off your shoes. The wind blows and if you have your front door open, dirt comes in. The same day I would clean, the floor would be dirty again, which kind of sucked. I used to ask myself, why bother cleaning? Just move the dirt around.
Expectation: We can go anywhere we want!
Reality: Yes and no. Yes, you can travel anywhere you want, but can you really do that? You have to plan for it, even if you are the spontaneous type. So much can I can say here. Plus, can you fit in all camping spots? Another thing to look into, especially if you have a large setup like we did. Check out a blog series I did, “So You Want to Learn the RV Lifestyle.” It is a 6 part series to help you make the important decisions with fulltime RV living!
It costs money to travel, planning to find campsites, time to get to your destination and more money to spend. Living and traveling in a RV fulltime is not cheap but you can make it affordable for your financial lifestyle with careful planning.
Expectation: I can get more followers on social media with my amazing posts!
Reality: Not really. Unless you know like a million people. There are plenty of influencers out there, pushing this fulltime living in a RV, with budgets that can do it. How about you? Are you ready to spend money to “boost” your posts?
Expectation: Camping is fun!
Reality: Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. I loved visiting new places, seeing our great national parks and learning how other people live in different states than my own. But it is hard work with the driving you will be doing, the cost as mentioned above, the constant cleaning, finding a place to camp, watching the weather, which can be scary in some places, lots and lots of planning. Even if you are the spontaneous type, you still need to plan if you camp at a campground to make reservations. Did I even say repairs? You will breakdown so it will be wise to save money for that time cause it could be EXPENSIVE!
Expectations vs reality are two different things that should be thought and discussed, especially if you have a partner. It is not an easy lifestyle and vastly different than probably anything you have ever done. It was for me. I am thankful for the opportunity we had to travel in our RV, but I did receive a wakeup call that what I expected (perfect hair, perfect place, perfect camping site, never run out of money) never did happen, but the reality was each place we visited was perfectly suited for us.
Share with us your RV experience, whether part or full time!