When you picture a full-time RV family, what pops into your mind?
Ten years ago, the answer would have been simple and predictable: An older couple, retired after a long life of working hard, perhaps with a few grown children they visit in their rig a few times each year. Don’t forget their pair of tiny little dogs!
But nowadays, the landscape has changed, and there’s no way to characterize the “average” full-timer. Those retirees have been joined by middle-aged couples home-schooling their kids and even 20-something solo adventurers. Turns out the RV life has a pretty darn broad appeal… who’d have thought? (Trick question: We did.)
Of course, there are several factors underlying this demographic shift, including the ever-increasing price of traditional housing and the digital revolution that allows so many more of us to work remotely on our own time. Plus, increased interest and demand has led to fantastic cost-saving opportunities for RVers — like our favorite camping club, Passport America, which can save you 50% on every single campground you stay in.
But there’s also a whole lot to love about RVing, and many exciting elements of the lifestyle that keep campers of all ages on the road and truckin’.
So, wondering what’s so great about RV living? Here are a few of the reasons we hear most often.
Young RV Living
Next time you run into some young RVers, you may discover these factors played a role in their lifestyle choice.
1. When you’re a full-time RVer, there’s no such thing as boredom.
How many of us who schlep ourselves back and forth from our too-big house to our 9-5 job every day occasionally fantasize about leaving it all behind?
Well, full-time RVing is exactly that. No more boring daily routine; no more mowing the lawn or paying the mortgage. Just you and the open road.
At least, that’s the idea. Don’t get us wrong: full-time travel isn’t always a picnic. Although you might avoid the stress of certain traditional home-owning responsibilities, you’ve got lots of systems to maintain, and likely more than a few repairs to be done, on your rig.
You’ve also got to keep up with the simple demands of living in constant motion, which doesn’t sound like a chore at all… until you realize someone has to plan where the next stop is, how long you’ll be there, and exactly where you’ll stay, not to mention figuring out where the best grocery store/doctor’s office/mechanic in town is hiding.
When you live in one place, you only have to do all that stuff once or twice a lifetime. But for young RV owners, the trade-off is totally worth it. You get a new view out your front window every few weeks and a life filled with wonderful unexpected surprises. It’s totally worth spending a few hours each month with your travel planning binder!
Budget Travel
From finding the best-priced RV for a young couple to learning how to save money by cooking at home, moving your life into a 150-square-foot space can be a radical way to make over your budget.
2. Living small can reap rewards.
Obviously, less living space means you’ll have to have less material items. Buying and using less means it’s easier to get out of debt faster and stop accumulating more crap, feeding into the cycle of consumerism. Plus, there’s just something totally liberating about realizing how little you really need to enjoy your life.
Already live small? Well, for the spendthrift with a case of wanderlust, RVing is an ideal solution: You can save money by cooking your own meals and you never have to worry about paying for a hotel room.
Don’t fall victim to the myth that going full-time will automatically make you save money, though. From expensive resort campground fees to the numerous repairs most RVs will need during their lifetimes, you’ve still got lots of expenses to take care of when your house is on wheels!
Making Money on the Road
Here’s one of the main reasons this alternative living style is becoming so accessible — and therefore popular.
3. It’s all possible because of remote jobs.
We’ve all gotta eat. And in our system, that means we’ve all gotta make money.
Until recently, that meant most of us were tied to a specific location, whether for an office job or a position in the service industry. But nowadays, remote jobs mean you can earn money while traveling… which can turn your whole life into one, long vacation. Yes, please!
Young RV Travelers
Here are a couple more reasons a young family might take on the full-time RV life.
4. Full-time travel can actually be a great way to raise a family.
You might be thinking, “But there’s no stability! Where will the kids go to school?”
Well, hear us out. If you’re in a position to home-school your children, RVing can be an incredible opportunity to actually show them the stuff they’re learning about — whether that means a road trip to America’s historical sites or simply meandering through all of the diverse kinds of ecosystems we have here in the U.S.
Plus, kids who grow up on the road will be exposed to all sorts of different people and cultures. Try to emulate that kind of socialization in a traditional classroom setting!
5. Plus, of course… it’s just plain fun!
I mean, who doesn’t want to live a life of adventure? Full-time RVing means the world is yours to explore, with the only limit being your time, money, and the boundaries of the highway system.
You can live a multitude of lives when you’re a full-time traveler: maybe you’ll spend one week curling your toes into the sandy beaches of Florida or California, only to retreat into the mountains of Colorado or Virginia the next time you pick up and go. And all along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to meet other travelers and adventurers just like you, whether you simply run into them in the campground or join RV Clubs like Escapees and Passport America.
As we mentioned above, we don’t want to give you the impression that the full-time RV lifestyle is never challenging… because it is. But that’s all part of the adventure! So whether you’re 27 or 72, if the road is calling, why not answer?
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