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A number of years in the past I bear in mind listening to Dave Ramsey speak about a pair who was dwelling in an RV so they may get monetary savings and repay debt earlier than shopping for a house.

I bear in mind pondering to myself, “That appears cool and all the pieces, however I might by no means reside in an RV. I’m higher than that.”

I needed the consolation of a house, safety, and constant revenue. To reside in an RV I is perhaps regarded as “much less” or individuals would possibly choose me.

I consider that’s what you name dramatic irony.

In some way I landed an incredible spouse, Alyssa, who challenged me to dream massive and to not fear about what different individuals assume. We confronted a choice to both keep in Austin with our snug jobs or purchase an RV and hit the street on an epic 50-state street journey. We determined to decide on journey as a substitute of consolation, and it’s made all of the distinction on this planet.

I want I may inform you there weren’t any instances once I was scared or uncertain about our state of affairs. I’ve doubted myself fairly a bit truly. However trying again over the previous few years, I’ve grown extra as an individual than I may have ever imagined.

I don’t have something in opposition to homes. I grew up in a single.

However dwelling in an RV has made me understand simply how cool RVs actually are.

After school, our associates have been already settling down and shopping for properties. Nothing within Alyssa or me had a want to “calm down”. We needed to see the world and go on adventures.

What higher method to try this than spending your first 12 months of marriage touring the nation in an RV?

Our family and friends made a number of Breaking Unhealthy jokes about us transferring into an RV earlier than we hit the street. A few of them questioned whether or not or not we might keep married after a 12 months of dwelling in an RV (Spoiler alert: We’ve been married & touring collectively since 2014 so we’re clearly obsessive about #RVlife).

So listed below are 29 the explanation why dwelling in an RV is soooo significantly better than dwelling in a standard dwelling.

One purpose for each foot of our superior first RV named “Franklin”.

1. Our RV has taken us to 49 states throughout America. My childhood dwelling didn’t have wheels. Deal-breaker.

2. Our RV likes to boast breathtaking views out of his window. In a standard dwelling, these views would run you 1,000,000 {dollars}.

Whats up Maine. You’re beautiful.

3. RVing throughout the nation reminds you to not take something without any consideration—sturdy wifi, good showers, a dishwasher! These are complete luxuries. Life is a lot easier on the street and we’re reminded each day of simply how little we should be completely satisfied.

4. I can drive to a vacation spot and prepare dinner a pizza on the identical time. Heck, Alyssa can prepare dinner most of our meals whereas the RV is driving. Roasted rooster and greens? Stick it within the oven and lunch is prepared in an hour. Chili? Throw it within the sluggish cooker and we’ll eat it once we get there. Nothing makes journey days higher than having a sizzling meal prepared as quickly as you shift into park.

5. We aren’t being crushed below a large mortgage. Since are full time rving (or full timer as they are saying) our house is paid off. No month-to-month funds. WOOOOOOOO!

Sundown climbing round Banff with my bride. Pictured: Bow Falls, Banff, Canada

6. Residing in a small house and touring to 50 states throughout our first 12 months of marriage pressured us to learn to resolve conflicts, just like the huge blow-out battle over the GPS whereas driving in downtown Albuquerque, NM. There’s no room to cover out of your issues in an RV.

Preventing due to the GPS whereas driving in Albuquerque. Alyssa is strongly displeased.

7. The RV life-style promotes being outside whereas having a giant home promotes sitting on the sofa and binge-watching Netflix.

Kayaking within the Tetons on our inflatable Challenger Kayaks (10/10 extremely suggest!)

8. Our RV pays for itself in a single 12 months. What we paid for our first RV ($11,500) is lower than one 12 months of lease in Austin, Texas (and method lower than a full 12 months of lease in most different cities throughout the nation!).

Aspect Observe: Listed below are the precise numbers for the way a lot it value us to drive to all 50 states.

9. Now we have no utility payments EVER. You get free water, you get free water, EVERYBODY GETS FREE WATER.

10. RVing is like velocity courting for friendships. Invite somebody over for a cup of espresso and see how lengthy you’ll be able to stand being with them in a small house.

Fairly certain we broke some fireplace code violations once we invited associates over.

11. It takes 5 minutes to scrub your complete home. Six minutes should you vacuum.

Franklin after we gave him an enormous renovation!

12. I can pee with out having to make a pit cease. Possibly it is a man factor, however I believe it’s cool. Carry on driving, Alyssa. We’re all good right here.

13. You may adorn for the vacations on a ridiculously low cost funds. Spend $15 at Walmart and we’re decked out for Christmas.

14. The lingering campfire odor with a stunning sundown. No RV journey is full with out it. Is there a greater mixture???

(The reply is sure. Add mountains, wine, and burgers on the grill. Now it’s excellent.)

Freedom tenting in New Zealand

15. While you prepare dinner bacon, the entire RV smells like heaven.

16. RVing is a superb dialog starter. Nobody cares that you simply personal a home. Everybody lives in a home. However everybody we meet asks to tour our RV.

17. While you need to transfer, as a substitute of hiring a transferring firm you pull within the awning and unhook from electrical energy. Plus, you’ll be able to transfer every single day. Don’t just like the climate? Uninterested in the mountains? Need to reside beachfront for the summer time? NBD. You may reside actually ANYWHERE.

Biking by way of La Veta, Colorado

18. It’s completely acceptable to continuously eat s’mores everytime you like.

Professional tip: Chocolate chips work nice in a pinch should you run out of chocolate!

19. You may journey full-time and nonetheless generate profits. There are extra distant work alternatives now than ever earlier than. We’ve run three companies whereas touring full-time, all of which we began in our RV. We’ve bought 50 enterprise concepts for RVers proper right here.

20. You may solely be a hoarder for thus lengthy since you actually don’t have the house to build up stuff. You’ll by no means personal something that isn’t important so that you’ll by no means be weighed down by stuff.

21. It permits you to embrace a way of life of caprice. You may take your RV anyplace on this planet. As a result of sure, we’ve met individuals who ferried over RVs from Europe! We’ve RVed in New Zealand, Canada, and Italy and discovered that RVing is much more standard overseas than it’s right here within the States.

Only a good sundown whereas tenting without spending a dime on the seashore in our Wilderness RV rental in New Zealand. Residing the precise dream.

22. RVing may help you eat more healthy. In my former life, I spent $300/month consuming out. Now since we journey with our kitchen we (as a pair) solely spend $50/month consuming out. Plus I don’t eat McDonald’s and all that junk anymore. (This will likely principally be a aspect impact of marriage…)

23. If you wish to promote the RV, you simply submit it on Craigslist as a substitute of hiring a realtor. (Besides why would you promote this factor? It’s superior!)

24. We will watch our daughter develop up and expertise the world from the consolation of dwelling. We began touring with our daughter when she was 4 weeks previous and she or he travels with us in our Winnebago now. She’s visited over a dozen states and three nations and is presumably the happiest human in the entire world. I like her.

Exploring castles in Italy collectively. Our RV rental is parked within the car parking zone so we will return for child naps every time we have to.

25. You aren’t homesick while you’re away out of your hometown. House is wherever you park it.

26. Everytime you need to transform your own home, it solely takes one can of paint to vary your complete really feel of your own home. We renovated Franklin and it took lower than per week for an entire makeover!

27. The RV life-style reinforces not dwelling a “snug life.”

Issues are all the time breaking, life is hectic, and also you all the time have a GPS operating since you by no means know the place you might be. It helps you develop as an individual, like when the slides in your RV received’t allow you to attain all your underwear or the tow automotive almost crushes you to dying all in a 24-hour interval.

Yeah. That was a tough day. However we’re continuously being pushed and rising as a result of we’re all the time doing issues out of our consolation zone.

TBT to that point I needed to change out our dump hose (sewage)

28. RVing teaches you to make things better. I hoped I used to be going to be wealthy sufficient to pay a mechanic on a regular basis. That technique hasn’t labored out for me but, so now I understand how to flush my radiator, repair my generator, test gauges, and a number of different manly stuff I couldn’t do earlier than. I even not too long ago outfitted our Honda CR-V for correct towing. Dad can be proud.

29. It teaches you to worth experiences over belongings, and relationships above work. On the core of it, that is what our life-style is really about. Not about shopping for a lot of issues. Not about having a giant costly home or automotive. Not about following the identical path as everybody else. It’s about valuing issues that actually matter, like spending time with my household and experiencing the world collectively.

Instructing my daughter the right way to stroll exterior of our Winnebago

 

Full time RV dwelling isn’t for everybody. It’s a serious adjustment should you’re used to a sticks and bricks! (That’s what we RVers name an actual home.)

All in all, I stand by all of my beliefs in selecting the RV life-style over shopping for a standard dwelling. Does that imply we’ll by no means calm down and purchase a home? In no way, nevertheless it’s one of the best determination we’ve ever made.

Need to RV Full-Time? Listed below are just a few extra blogs that will help you get began:

How A lot Does it Price to Journey America in an RV?

7 Methods to Make Cash Whereas Touring

50 Enterprise Concepts for RVers

11 Inquiries to Ask Earlier than Shopping for a Used RV

14 RVing Necessities: What You’ll Must Purchase AFTER You Get Your RV