The thought of RV living full time might sound less than appealing to some people. I felt the same way when my husband first told me he wanted to live in an RV to save money as our retirement plan.
When he outlined the freedom we would have and that we could literally bring our house with us to live in whatever city we chose, I was sold!
We could visit friends and family all over the Canada and the US and still avoid the winter months.
This was a fabulous retirement plan when neither of us had anywhere to be 40+ hours per week. However, we are both too young to retire now so, what would stationary RV living be like?
RV Living Full Time Pros
We Love it!
I feel the pros far outweigh the cons and have found benefits to RVing full time that I didn’t even know I needed! We are living in a fifth wheel year round and agree that living the RV lifestyle has improved our lives and even made some things easier. Here are some of the pros of RV living full time in our day-to-day lives:
Size Matters
Although our RV is smaller in area than the condo apartment we were renting, somehow having an RV as home feels more spacious. RV manufacturers really know what they’re doing to make small spaces feel much bigger and even more functional than some condos. Believe it or not, the fact that our RV is smaller than the average condo makes my day-to-day life easier! I know that sounds crazy, but it is true. Here’s why!
So Much Storage
Our RV has more storage than any other place we have lived. There is literally somewhere to put every little thing which makes it feel bigger because clutter is a thing of the past. The RV is not so big, however, that a few “I don’t know where to put this” piles begin to take shape.
I Found my Keys!
Ample storage means everything has a place and can be easily accessed, which means there is less clutter for my keys to hide in. Before moving into an RV, I was notorious for losing my keys. I have not had to use my Tile to locate my keys even once since we have taken up the RV lifestyle.
Cleaning is a breeze
It is far easier to keep on top of housework in an RV than in a condo or apartment. I never realized how much wasted space there is in a condo until we moved into our RV. With so many places to store things, keeping our home free from the day-to-day clutter has never been this easy. The countertops are the smallest ones we have had, yet they are also the least cluttered. Cleaning is fast and easy because we don’t have to declutter before cleaning; which always took me longer to do than the cleaning itself.
More Functional for Visitors
Our RV feels bigger and even more appealing for guests than the condo we had been renting. RVs are designed to be functional and there are many styles and layouts that can meet anyone’s needs. Our RV can sleep ten people comfortably. We have the space to invite guests from out of town and, a family of four can sleep comfortably in our second bedroom. Our visitors will even have their own full bathroom and entrance/exit too! We did not have the space to have more than one person visit at a time in any of the condos or apartments we had rented before.
Two Kitchens
Our RV not only has a great kitchen inside, but it has fully a functional kitchen outside too! The outdoor kitchen has almost as much cupboard space as the main kitchen inside. It has a medium/small size fridge, a sink to wash our dishes, and a flat grill which will get a lot of use in the coming months as the weather gets warmer. We put our BBQ beside the outdoor kitchen and now it’s just as functional, if not even better, than the indoor kitchen!
Bye Bye Elevators!
There really is something to be said about opening your front door to the fresh air instead of into a stuffy hallway!
Trip Planning is Easier
I was never great at taking elevator wait-times into consideration when travel planning. Sometimes I would wait five minutes (or longer) before the elevator showed up, and then another five to make my way out of the parking garage. Now I’m just a few steps away from being on my way.
Even the Dog Thanks Us
Our dog can run right outside to do his business and we don’t have to worry about him having an accident in the hallway while waiting for the elevator; or in the elevator when it does finally arrive. No more doggy barking competitions in the elevator should our little guy forget his manners and start a barking match with a dog coming onboard... "Sorry!"
How embarrassing!
Gardening Pots
I have always had outdoor plants and flowers on our balconies, however, I rarely spent time outside on the balcony. We could not even fit a bistro table on our last balcony, so I really didn’t spend much time admiring the plants. Now with our own little area right outside our door, I get to admire my plants every time I step outside, even if it’s only to walk to my car or take the dog out.
Don’t worry; the “Getting Ready Routine” was Only a Slight Adjustment
Although living full time in an RV did not make my face/shower/hair routine easier, I decided to bring up bathroom use and functionality because it was something I worried about when we were RV shopping. There was a bit of learning curve at first, but it was mostly size-related and not anything crazy. I will get into more detail about bathroom/bathing functionality and what to look for when buying an RV in a separate blog coming soon.
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