Are you considering the full time RV travel life? The research and preparation can be overwhelming. Read below for ten things to know before you go RVing. Maybe you will find a pointer or some advice to make the transition a little easier, or what to expect when you get there.
1. You need a hobby
And it has got to be one that doesn’t take up any space. We arrived in Oregon earlier this year than last, which has been great! We got to do some playing in the snow that Ken and I had never done before. But what we did not know is that between the snow melting and the sunshine starting, it is cold rain. Lots of cold rain. When we started out, I envisioned constant motion, hiking, kayaking, sightseeing. I did not envision being stuck in this teeny, tiny RV for one week solid. With bad tv service. And worse internet service.
I am rediscovering crochet now.
2. You will gain weight
Okay. Obviously, some of you will be better about this than we are. But Ken and I can’t resist a good restaurant and we are always on the lookout for our next awesome meal. Staying on budget helps but unless you cook every meal at home, it’s difficult to stay on a healthy, well-balanced, diet. There is just sooooo much good food out there. Even the farmer’s market sparks my inner Julia Child.
This is a tough one for us and if you have any coping strategies, please comment and share.
3. The festival will be the week before or the week after you are there
We have the freedom to move and go wherever we would like. But there is much to consider when you move on to a new location. It takes research. You research the roads, weather conditions, where you will stay, what is there to do, and last but not least, where will you resupply. Oh! And budget considerations too.
It is great when a festival or fair, an event or celebration coincides with your visit. But basing your travels on these events is difficult at best. Most towns don’t do a very good job of marketing their events. So, a search doesn’t necessarily bring them to your attention. We have just missed tickets for events that we would have loved to attend, have been unable to get RV park reservations for a nearby event, or just didn’t know in time to make changes to our schedule.
We keep an event calendar of things we have stumbled upon and may want to return for in the following year. There have been a few festivals that occurred while we were there. But it isn’t easy.
Is there is something you have your heart set on? My advice is to plan, plan, and plan well in advance.
4. You won’t have your favorite brand unless you stockpile it.
This is a tough one. We do not like doing without our favorite products. And we have discovered even more of them while living on the road. But you will not always find your favorites. Thank goodness it is Walmart that stocks the best RV toilet paper on the market, as they are everywhere.
While we don’t have room to carry everything, we do add a little extra in some cases. It makes me sad at times, frustrated at other times, but is a small price to pay for all we have gained.
If you must have it, make a place for plenty of it.
5. Cooking takes more organization in a tiny house
I used to love organizing the week’s meals in my stick-and-brick house. In love with my refrigerator, my world was good when the vegies were prepped and ready to go on its shelves. The pantry overflowed with any dry good or spice needed to express myself through cooking or trying a new recipe.
Not so much anymore. Each prep step is performed in a small space and must be cleaned before I can move on to the next step. Each ingredient has been established to be a crucial item if placed onboard. Each meal is planned and crafted for ingredients and time. The meal planning and organization skills that I honed when living in a stick-and-brick are coming in handy. It used to be a feeling of satisfaction, but now it is crucial to getting us fed a healthy, well-balanced meal.
If you are planning to move into a tiny home, start by putting away your pots and pans, your dishes and utensils, now. Learn how to cook with less and how to organize more. It will be great training.
6. You won’t need half the things you think you will
Releasing your possessions to move into a tiny home is hard. If you have a vision about what your new life will be like, that is a good thing. You need the visualization of your new life to help you through the process of letting go. But be aware that what you visualized may not be what it’s like (see first item You need a hobby). So, bring that blender along because you will be drinking margarita’s every night, take those fishing poles that you have never had time to use. And tools, don’t forget all the tools you will need. You know, to fix things and build things.
We still laugh about a few of the items that we brought along with us and continue to let go. I’m not saying don’t bring them but be aware that you will have to figure out how to get rid of unwanted stuff on the road.
7. Everything you need will be in the outside storage
Do you need pet meds? They are in the outside storage, below. Need those other boots? Also, down below. Extra fruit that won’t fit in the fridge, it is down below. See what I mean?
This problem is directly proportional to the size of your RV, but I’m sure it is universal. We just don’t have all the space that we would like. It happened in our stick-and-brick home and it happens here. All I can say is, try to remember what you need before ten ‘o’clock at night.
8. Personal standards will slip
I can hear you now, denying that you will let things start slipping. But most of you will.
I cannot count the number of women in RV parks who have decided to quit covering their grey. A particularly scary sight was a woman pumping gas into her RV wearing pink fuzzy slippers and what looked to be a housecoat. Shaving every night gets a little difficult when you have a tiny shower and limited hot water. Personally, I am still trying to decide where loungewear is acceptable in public. It is very comfortable in the RV, and I don’t want to take it off.
How about mealtime? I hate paper plates but have been sorely tempted to use them just to make my cleanup a little easier. And fresh is best, but I find I am using more dried herbs because there just is not enough room to have it all.
But my biggest surprise… getting your hair done. You are never in the same location. So, unless the plan is to keep coming back to your stylist every six to eight weeks, you are at the mercy of someone new. I have had a couple of questionable stylists, which is why, I think, so many women in RV parks have given up and are letting their grey grow out.
9. People living in RV’s are strange
You will be the only normal ones. But be prepared to meet some of the nicest people around. Ken is an introvert and even he has come home with information or help gleaned from the other campers. It’s a great group of people and most everyone loves to share what they know. We have learned of great places to visit, to stay, and even had fresh trout given to us by a fellow camper who had extra.
Keep an open mind and remember that you too chose this lifestyle, so maybe normal is relative.
10. One cellphone provider will not be enough
This point is simple enough. One provider is not enough. It does not matter if you have Verizon. Or AT&T, or T-mobile, or, fill-in-the-blank. Ken and I have different phone providers, and a third hot-spot provider. Even then, we sometimes have no service and must go to Starbucks, or McDonald’s, or other establishment offering wifi.
Research this one thoroughly, as it can have a huge impact on your budget.
You’ve got this
These are the ten things you should know before you go rving. We understand it is hard to process, figuring everything out before you move onto your RV. But relax, give yourself plenty of time to make the transition, and do not worry too much. There is always a store to buy it in, always a friendly person to help you, businesses that are catering to this lifestyle and, if all else fails, the internet to help you figure it out. And the reward is worth it.
Always Grateful. 👫
