Why Did We Do This?

Why Did We Do This?

There are countless blogs about the benefits of full-time RV living, but each family who chooses to live this lifestyle has their own reasons. We’re often asked what possessed us to make this drastic lifestyle change, so here’s the story.

On some of our camping trips, we’d notice people who, unlike us, were not packing up to go home on Sundays. Often, they’d be sitting outside enjoying a cup of coffee and a book while we were breaking camp. More than once, Ken told me that when we retired, it would be great to travel around the country in an RV. Being nowhere close to either retirement age or RV ownership, I’d just agree; I never gave it more than a passing thought.

One evening while I was at work, Ken started watching the series, “How to Live Mortgage Free, with Sarah Beeny” on Netflix. (I’m still a bit surprised that he would land on something like that, considering that he doesn’t like documentaries or reality t.v., but he ended up watching a few episodes, probably because of the words “mortgage free”). The show highlights people who have gone to extreme measures to pay off or eliminate their mortgages, by either saving or dramatically downsizing their living expenses. When I came home, he asked me, “What would you think of selling our home and moving into an RV full-time? We wouldn’t have a mortgage or be in debt, and we would finally have time to travel.”

For a bit of background, when Ken and I started dating, I told him I would ‘only’ go three places with him: anywhere, nowhere, and everywhere. I have never found my joy in a particular location or certain possessions, but rather in relationships and experiences. Ken feels the same way. The fact that we owned three different houses in the span of four years pointed to our penchant for change. Clearly we weren’t satisfied with staying put.

Of course I agreed to do it. As a former military brat and spouse who’s very used to being flexible, I was an easy sell.  I’d like to say that I felt eager and excited, but truthfully, I was just willing, at first. I could appreciate the benefits: saving money, traveling around the United States (of which I’ve seen woefully little), and not being burdened by taking care of a large home, to name a few. As Ken shared his research with me, it seemed more and more plausible. We would read people’s blogs and watch their videos, and I started envying those who had already ditched their “sticks and bricks” houses to live in their “rigs”.

Realizing that we were not going to have to blaze any new trails (because the full-time RV families who’ve gone before us have already figured everything out) comforted and encouraged me. I set up a Pinterest board called, “Hit the Road, Jack” and pinned away. I’ve since deleted several of the pins, like the ones about downsizing (done!), but I’ve already learned so much from those who’ve been at this for a while. I will detail the steps we took to get here in later blogs. It is our desire that someone—anyone—can be inspired by our story and take this plunge, instead of waiting for ‘someday.’

What about you? Would you feel comfortable making this decision? If not, what’s your dream?