If you wish a life full of adventures or you just need a change from time to time, then the best way to escape the routine is to get an RV and visit the country. Even if you use the RV only on weekends and holidays or if you are a full-time RVer, you will experience the true freedom of being able to live wherever you want in your own home. Imagine waking up in your own bed and seeing a wonderful landscape, that you can change whenever you want and you don’t need to pay huge amounts on hotels and flight. That’s why one of the reasons for which we love RVing.
If you live in an RV you can take the comfort of your home in your travels. That means taking your pets, your bed, your kitchen and all that you need with you. You can choose whatever destination you want. You can move when bad weather comes. You will have complete freedom of where you get to live and how you do it. Thanks to the internet it’s very easy too keep in touch with family and friends and even work online.
We wanted to find out more opinions on why people choose the RV lifestyle so we reached out to 17 experienced RVers and asked them:
What are your top 3 favorite things about RVing?
To make sure that you can identify with the experienced shared here, we reached out to both RV experts that live in an RV full-time but also to RV enthusiasts that travel in an RV in their free time. This way, you can see both sides of the story.
The answers that we got show indeed what an amazing experience RVing. We welcome you to find out yourself in the post below.
Bryanna Royal – Crazy Family Adventure
Our top 3 favorite things about our RV have to do with how we want to travel and the fact that it is my husband and me, our 4 young kid and dog traveling full time in our rig.
First and foremost for us is having an RV that we can take pretty much anywhere and that allows us the flexibility to stop at random places when we are traveling. We use to have a 39-foot Motorhome which was awesome when we were parked and when we were driving down a nice big highway. But it was basically impossible or a total nightmare to make any random stops in while we were traveling.
Since then we have moved into a 23 foot Class C and the flexibility on travel days is amazing. Plus the gas mileage is a lot better too!Click To TweetSecond would be storage. With having a smaller rig it is important that the storage solutions are smart and functional. We went with a Winnebago View and one of the reasons we did that was because they are known for being creative and smart with figuring out storage solutions on small rigs.
The third is simplicity. With a family of 6 and a dog we weren’t looking for lots of fancy upgrades but instead wanted a nice solid rig with quality components like the doors, handles, etc. But wanted durability over fancy decor, buttons, and furniture. This has proven to be the best choice for us over and over again and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Alexi Shields – The Simple Nomads
We don’t want to be in Florida during Hurricane season (our family is in Florida) so we spent our summer in amazing low 70s in Maine and slowly trickled our way back down to Florida for fall and winter weather. Starting in Spring we plan on working our way up to Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming to enjoy that side of the country (in mild temps) without having to drive through the snow (hopefully).
2. Not just visiting, but experiencing the greatness of our country. RV-ing gives you the freedom to stay as little or as long as you like in each area which really gives you the ‘experience’ of living in that area. There’s so much to explore, from natural phenomenons to museums and historic buildings…with rv-ing you are able to explore and stumble upon all the little wonders on your journey. There’s also something special about sleeping in the great outdoors. It may be ‘glamping’ for some, but there’s something magical about walking out your front door to nature. It just has a different vibe from a sticks and bricks house.
3. Whether you decide to live full-time in your RV or just want to use it for short trips, it’s nice to always have the comfort of home with you. It’s rare to find a hotel that has all of the amenities home has which makes living (however short or long of time) feel more comfortable. It may be tiny, but it’s home…on wheels! Put in your personal touches such as artwork, or put family photos on display to really up the ‘home’ vibe.
Annabelle Needles – Swept Together Podcast
We knew next to nothing about RVs when we decided to buy, renovate and drive one around the country for the year. Now that we’re six months in, here is why we love RVing.
1. We have the comforts of home with us no matter where we are. We wake up in our own bed each morning but to a different view. We’re able to cook our own food every night, thanks to the full kitchen and fridge – unlike if we were staying in a hotel room being forced to eat out all the time. Plus, we can bring our cat with us on all of our travels!
2. Life became simpler when we were forced to downsize. Our RV is 36 feet, which we thought was tiny when we were first moving in, but now we realize that we’ve brought along so much more than we needed! Because we’re in an RV, we spend more time outside on adventures and way less time cleaning, organizing or taking care of our possessions.
3. An RV gives us complete flexibility and control over our travel plans.Click To TweetAs we move around the country, we can extend our travels to spend more time with family; we can add additional destinations, or we can even drive to work sites when we have to visit a client. Because our house comes with us, we aren’t tied to one location. So far we’ve driven through 25 states and visited 15 National Parks!
We’ve fallen in love with our RV and although we set out for a year-long road trip, we may not be able to give it up that soon!
Birgit Walker – Keep Your Paws on the Road
My top 3 favorite things about an RV.
My husband and I have traveled for over 20 years. We’ve seen much of the world, have stayed in many hotels, all-inclusive resorts and vacation rentals, and have traveled in our fifth-wheel. Early on in our travel, we noticed we enjoyed our vacations and weekend excursions a lot more when we took our pets. We started to plan our vacations with our four-legged friends in mind. Soon RVing became our favorite mode of travel. While traveling with pets always requires a lot more planning, we found that traveling with our pets in the RV made everything a lot easier.
1. One of the main reasons why traveling in an RV is our favorite way to travel is that our dogs and our cat quickly learned to adjust to the RV. It became their home. With familiar smells and surroundings that won’t change, our pets are well adjusted wherever we take the RV. While our pets always seemed a bit uneasy in a hotel room or vacation rental, leaving them in our RV is never a problem.
Many hotels and vacation rentals frown on having pets left by themselves. This largely restricts our ability to go to a restaurant for dinner or visit local attractions that don’t allow pets. On the other hand, most RV parks allow well-behaved pets to be left in the parked RV, while the owners enjoy non-pet-friendly activities. Of course, we still need to be sure to return in time to take our dogs for their walks, but it frees us to do a lot more on our vacation trips.
2. Another reason RV travel is so convenient is that it is the best way to find pet-friendly accommodations. While there are hotels and vacation rentals that allow dogs, they are hard to find and often times have restrictions on weight or number of pets allowed. Since we travel with 2 dogs and a cat, we would often time be denied, even at pet-friendly hotels or vacations rentals. RV parks and campgrounds, on the other hand, are much more accommodating with our pet-situation.
Even though some do pose some restrictions on breed or number of animals per site, we rarely have problems finding a welcoming RV spot.
Being in an RV park or campground also offers a lot more opportunities to walk our dogs, or enjoy the outdoors with our pets.Click To TweetDuring our RV trips, we tend to eat-in a lot more, since we have our own kitchen, and we BBQ and sit outside by the campfire.
3. However, our most important reason why we prefer traveling in the RV is not pet-related. Both my husband and I suffer from back pain, and ever since we started traveling in the RV,we are able to sleep in our own bed. Over the years, we have noticed that our back pain would increase when we traveled. We believe that sleeping on different kinds of mattresses has been the cause.
Although hotels and vacation rentals try to have top of the line mattresses, they do not always have the right kind of mattress for our aching backs. Being able to take our bed with a custom-made RV mattress with us on all our adventures, has been the number one reason why we love to travel in our RV. It also helps that you never have to log suitcases around and there is no unpacking or packing up.
Overall, my husband and I prefer traveling in our RV over staying in a hotel or vacation rental. We love our home away from home, and so do our pet.
Jason and Rae Miller – The Getaway Couple
You aren’t tied to anything and you can move at your own pace. You can see an area for as much or as little time as you want. Accidentally booked a campsite that turns out to be awful? Just move! Same goes for rude campsite neighbors, underwhelming sights, or not-so-interesting towns. Just move!
2. It’s also great to always have the comfort of “home” with you. After a long day of adventuring, you can come back to your own space. You don’t have to worry if you brought the right type of clothing or if you forgot anything because you’ll have everything you need in your moveable home.
3. Another awesome perk of having an RV is that you’ll have the ability to travel any time of year. We love exploring national parks when it’s not peak season. So what if it’s a little cold? We have our home to warm up in after a great day of exploring a non-crowded park.
Julie Chickery – Chickery’s Travels
We recently celebrated the 3-year anniversary of purchasing our RV this summer and took some time to reflect about our experiences. There are so many things we love about our RV, it was hard to narrow it down to just 3 favorites, but we tried.
First, and foremost we love that when we travel we have everything with us: we don’t have to pack, we have our own bed, and we can stay healthy by preparing our own meals. Our RV even has a residential size refrigerator and a pantry so I can stock up on plenty of groceries. I have not missed the old fast food stops of our pre-RV road trips one bit. Also, whenever I have to pack a bag to travel by other means, I always end up forgetting something. With the RV all my things are close at hand. It is truly wonderful to have the comforts of home wherever we go!
Our next favorite thing about traveling in an RV is that it encourages us to get outside and enjoy nature more.Click To TweetWe travel to many beautiful locations and stay in a range of RV resorts, as well as national parks. Most often there are hiking, biking, and kayaking opportunities right at the campground. We’ve even taken up a new outdoor hobby, geocaching, which is like a treasure hunt with a GPS. This has also led to us spending more quality time together as well.
Last but not certainly not least, one of the most unexpected things we love about owning an RV is the amazing people we have met along the way. RVers are kind and generous, and we’ve have nothing but wonderful experiences so far. We’ve made new friends from all over the U.S. and Canada, and have shared some great stories around the campfire. We’ve even kept in touch and planned other meetups in the future!
Curt Chandler – SF Bay Area Private RVs
Seeing new places
Going to and seeing places I’ve never been is one of my favorite parts of RVing. Once you get behind the wheel of an RV you realize that you can go just about anywhere you want to. I get excited just by looking at a road map!
Meeting RVers
I’ve been an RVer for over 20 years and in the RV rental business for 7 years with SF Bay Area Private RV Rentals, powered by Wheelbase, and have met thousands of RVers!
Traveling without a suitcase
I so LOVE traveling without a suitcase! Give me a bed, shower, kitchen, and my own drawers closet. Allows me to see the country at my own pace without unpacking and repacking every day. RVing makes the adventure of exploring the country so much more convenient and FUN!
Rick and Sandy Rose – Portable Advisor
Fast Friendships
When you live at home and commute to work every day the opportunity to make friends is limited. Making connections with new people is difficult and it only gets harder as you get older! In the RV, it is a much easier and more natural process. Parking in RV parks, you only have to step outside your driver’s door and you will be surrounded by like-minded people eager to exchange RV tales! Some of our closest friendships have come from encounters on the road.
On The Flip Side!
No neighbor is permanent in the RV world. If the neighbors from hell pull up next to you in the campsite you can simply pull away without a second thought! Sadly this is not the case in your standard house!
Less Tv More Adventure
Everyone enjoys relaxing in front of the TV after a long day. So do I but before we got an RV this was our nightly habit week after week. The RV has completely changed this. No longer are we watching reruns of Friends episodes we have seen 20 times. Instead, we are exploring old woodland trails and setting up campfires.
If you are a family with young kids the RV life can be especially beneficial in breaking their couch potato tendencies.Click To TweetMargo Armstrong – RV Lifestyle Experts
After living the RV lifestyle for 22 years, three things stand out as my favorite reasons for continuing down this road.
1. Living the RV lifestyle opens a window to many worlds. The most important part to me is the need to feel as though I am independent of the bustling world around me. Whether I am boondocking on a seashore or sitting in the middle of a metropolis, feeling safe and self-sufficient is satisfying.
2. Wondering what lies at the end of the next road spurs the spirit. Whether the planned trip to an RV Rally with its many fun activities or a spontaneous stop by a quiet river scene, every day can be as different as I choose. Being in control of the next adventure makes life full of joy. Even if work interferes with my fun and sticks me in one place awhile, the knowledge that it is temporary eases the stress.
If life becomes too tense, too noisy, or too overwhelming, turn the key and another world appears. Click To TweetTechnology makes it possible to work from anywhere, the RV lifestyle makes it easy.
3. Following my dreams is easy when everything I own is on wheels. The things that make life satisfying can be revisited again and again within setting down roots. New interests develop that do not require lifetime commitments. Volunteering my time to charities or disaster relief happens quickly and easily without the need of long-term planning.
Boredom is not a word in my vocabulary. Every adventure creates new friends, new skills, and a better understanding of my own inner life that builds confidence.
Logan Johnston – Outdoorsy
The RV community
The RV movement is growing, and there are a ton of great communities that help you stay connected even when you’re on the road. Check out Escapees club or the Make Money and RV Facebook group if you haven’t already.
New Financial Opportunities for RVers
There are tons of new financial opportunities that make it easy for anyone to get started with RVing.Click To TweetPeer-to-peer RV sharing sites allow RV owners to actually profit from owning an RV.
For example, Outdoorsy’s veterans program sets up active military and veterans for success in the RV rental business by giving them 100% off service fees for a year. If you know of a veteran or someone who is actively serving, this is a good way for them to become a business AND an RV owner.
Waking up outside
Sleeping in an RV is the best rest you’ll ever get. From the crisp morning air and the peaceful quiet of the outdoors, I swear, the coffee never tastes better than when you’ve woken up in an RV.
Shane Malpass – We Buy Any MotorCaravan
1. Never have to pack for a holiday
It can be a pain deciding what to pack for whatever destination you’re heading to next, only to discover when you get there that you have forgot something crucial. When traveling out in your RV everything comes with you. There’s no unpacking and whatever clothes you need are already hanging up in your wardrobe.
2. The view from your window each morning
If you are particularly lucky, in most campsites the view from your window might include lush greenery and breathtaking mountainous areas.Now, who wouldn’t want to swap this for a drab picture of suburbia or a busy main road? This is where RVing can be good for the soul!
3. Being part of a community
Probably the best thing about RVing is being part of the community.Click To TweetIn busy, built up cosmopolitan cities it can be difficult to foster the same sense of community that you will find in RVing circles. You’ll notice when at campsites other RV’ers will wave at you on the way to the showers or shout hello when you’re at the other side of the road. If you check out online forums you’ll also notice how friendly your fellow RV’ers are. They are always happy to share hints and tips and answer any of your burning questions!
Kara and Jesse Vincent – Jaunt Junkies
Trying to pick our top three favorite things about an RV is difficult. It is like choosing your favorite child. The RV lifestyle provides so many things to like and enjoy. Our list might be a little different because we are not full-time; we are what they call weekend warriors. We load up as soon as possible after the workweek and return home Sunday evening. For our top three, we broke it into three categories adventure, time, and people.
The RV community is one of the best groups of people you can ever meet. We love spending the evening walking around the campsites talking and sharing stories of places to go and things to see and do. Diversity is a large part of this community. You can find people from all walks of life snowbirds, twenty-somethings, families, and the list goes on and on. Having a trailer or motorhome provides the quality family time that is not achievable in other circumstances. If you want to spend more quality time making memories with your family I would say there is no better way.
Like many people, we are not in a place to quit our jobs and travel the country from our RV. With our limited time off, we have to use what we have as effectively as possible. Our fifth wheel allows us the ability to escape from daily life and get to a new place and perspective as quickly as possible. An RV does not need to be just for long extended trips.
Many weekend warriors use their RVs for sporting events, little league tournaments, and Nascar weekends. When time is limited camping in close proximity to the destination becomes a top priority. We no longer have to deal with airports and handsy TSA agents. People forget how rejuvenating a weekend away from the normal can be.
The most important and probably our favorite thing about an RV is the adventure.Click To TweetDriving from camp spot to camp spot is not just the means to an end it becomes part of the adventure. Taking a road, you have never been on, to a place you haven’t been. Stopping to stretch your legs at the local coffee shop or other tourist attractions. Sitting around the campfire eating smores with no one around for hundreds of miles. Going to a wine and cheese tasting at the RV Park with people you have never met. Setting up camp one night overlooking the ocean and on the top of a mountain the next. Adventure is around every corner when it comes to RVing.
If you ask ten people their three favorite things about an RV, you will get thirty different answers. For us, it comes down to the three things that make us look forward to the next trip, or make us watch the clock all day Friday waiting to get off from work. An RV provides a quick retreat from the hustle and bustle of life. Our vacation begins when the tailgate shuts. The community of diverse likeminded people that you meet along the way that all have similar views on life. We have spent so many hours talking to people and sharing stories as if we had known each other for years while walking around the campsite. The time we have spent, as a family having adventures that we have had and will always remember.
Janet Groene – Camp And RV Cook
2. My own bathroom, no matter where travels take me.
3. Meals when and where I want them. I love to cook, but even non-cooks like being able to have milk and cookies at 2 a.m. or a pot of pulled pork barbecue to serve the tailgate party. “Home” cooking saves money and it’s a must for people who have special diets.
Garr Russell – The Camper Connection
Family
I started with an old Class C RV about 5 years ago, for family trips. Since then we’ve been hooked, and I started The Camper Connection, an RV rental business that runs on Wheelbase. We have several branches throughout the country, and so we’ve helped thousands of other families to find the perfect RV to rent.
Friends
Campers are some of the friendliest people around. Stop for the night in a campsite and you’ll leave the next day with new contacts, or at least great information on where to visit next. You’ll trade stories with other campers and maybe even find someone going to the same place you are headed.
Campfires
I love sitting around the campfire with my kids watching them eat a messy s’more with chocolate all over their face and hands. Sitting around a campfire is definitely one of the best things about RVing.
Brittany Wittig – The Rolling Pack
My partner and I have been living in our RV for the past year, and we love it! Our favorite things about RV travel all relate to the freedom that our RV provides us.
1) Do you dream of owning an ocean view home? Or maybe you’d prefer an unobstructed view of the Eastern Sierras? In an RV those incredible views can easily be yours. We regularly wake up in the middle of spectacular natural scenery, and the best part is that when we want to change things up we simply fire up our engine and drive to the next beautiful spot.
Pro Tip: Many people assume that owning an RV means always staying in RV parks. There are many other amazing options for RV camping! We regularly camp on National Forest land and in remote BLM campgrounds that are affordable, beautiful, and often very private.
2) We never have to endure uncomfortable weather!
Whether you love a winter wonderland or warm, sunny days, RV travel allows you to chase the weather of your choice. Click To TweetFor us, that generally means summers in the Pacific Northwest and winters in Mexico. Other popular winter locations include the Southwestern states and Florida.
3) RVing allows us the freedom to follow our body’s natural biorhythms. We fall asleep shortly after the sun goes down, and we wake up shortly after sunrise. This natural shift in our sleep cycle gives us so much more energy when we’re awake, and we find ourselves far less stressed. The freedom to create your own schedule is one of the BEST parts of RVing.
Brendan Binger – Life Among Pines
My wife and I travel the US full-time in our 2007 Fleetwood Bounder at lifeamongpines.com. We purchased our RV as a means of mobility and travel only to discover that we actually really enjoy the lifestyle that comes with living full-time in an RV.
1. The aspect of “tiny-living”
We honestly hadn’t given this much consideration prior to hitting the road. We purchased our RV as a means-to-an-end, so to speak. For us, it was a way to see everything that we wanted to while being able to bring a “home” along with us. Once we were on the road, we came to find that we actually really enjoyed living in the “tiny” space.
We've even found that our rig has more space for us than we probably need. It's exceptionally comfortable.Click To TweetWe have everything that we could possibly need, and nothing that we don’t need.
2. The affordability
Living and traveling in our RV, we have lower monthly expenses than we did in our New Jersey home. The RV lifestyle can be exceptionally flexible from a financial perspective. We can easily control our expenses on a monthly basis by limiting how far we travel in a given period, or by being decisive about where we choose to stay.
3. The reduced carbon footprint
We’ve found that living in our RV drastically reduces our environmental impact. We installed a solar power array on our rig which allows us to generate free, zero waste electricity. Also, we now use about as much water in a month as we used to use in a week at our home.
Kelly Beasley – Camp Addict
The three things I love the most about RVing are:
1. The freedom from the burden of mortgage or rent payments, OR campground fees!
2. Vacation on the cheap!
3. The people- I have more friends now than I ever have in my life
Financial freedom – to a point
I have NEVER understood the American ‘tradition’ of living in a big place with multiple rooms. Unless, maybe, you have kids. Even if you WANTED to find a small, modest place to live in to save $$, good luck finding one. Most places are built traditionally. They are large, made from typical materials that are not cheap to purchase, and with a yard full of non-native plants to try to keep up with, wasting water and fuel resources to make it happen.
Where is the logic in all of this?
Instead, I live in an 8 x 20’ house on wheels. This allows me the freedom to live for FREE as well as to move at my own pace, getting to explore the country. I paid only 10K for my entire house. How does this not financially beat getting a $250,000 mortgage that will actually cost around $700,000 when it’s paid off in 30 years? I am a full-time RVer who boondocks exclusively. 2.5 years strong and haven’t looked back a single day!
Exploring Made Affordable
The typical American gets a job where they cannot move from the area and still keep that job. Simply changing to a mobile job will allow one to work from ANY location, as long as there is decent internet in that spot. I get to leisurely move around the country, usually following the best weather, as I don’t have A/C because I am not plugged into shore power. I get my power through solar and sometimes a generator.
While others have only 2 weeks a year to go on vacation, they usually have to fly to a destination, then pay an exuberant amount to stay in hotels.
While here I am, in some of the most expensive travel destinations in the country, but it only cost me the gas to get there.Click To TweetI pay no campground fees. I live modestly, and it pays off! I look around when I am somewhere like Telluride, Colorado and think to myself, ‘I couldn’t afford to get here the traditional way’, nor would I want to spend that kind of money doing so. The brilliance of it is, I can do it for just the cost of gas. Amazing!
Overflowing With Friends
Never in my life have I had so many friends. I have made more friends in 2.5 years than I ever did in the last 15 years of living in the same area. RVers are incredible and we all have something in common, immediately. We share the love of travel and living a different lifestyle than the ‘norm’. We connect through other mutual friends, RVer convergences, or Instagram. We see each other for a short bit then part ways. Usually, I will seem them somewhere down the road, whether it’s 6 months later or 2 years. It doesn’t matter, we still have the RV life in common and keep up with each other. I love these people with all of my heart- it’s like having an extended family! I can also go see my friends and family on the cheap since I live on wheels.
I have no end game here, I do think I will live nomadically the rest of my life, as long as I am physically capable. Whether it be in an RV, jumping from Air BNB to Air BNB, or living in a van, I want to keep moving. I love the friends, the freedom and the affordable new lifestyle RV life has afforded me.
We are grateful to all the RV experts that shared with us and our readers their experience. Have you traveled in an RV so far? What do you love about RVing? If you have any questions or doubts if the RVing lifestyle suits you, then let us know in the comments below.
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