Full-Time RV Life: The Quitting Has Just Begun - Why Many Have & Will Come Off The Road
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- Опубліковано 16 сер 2023
- In the past few weeks and months, we’ve seen more of our friends in the RV community calling it quits on Full Time RV Life. So why are so many coming off the road?
Why are people leaving full-time RV life? Well, the short answer is Living & Traveling in an RV for most people isn’t a viable long-term living solution. Learn more in this video.
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Thank you for sharing your comment and for watching the video! It's great to see fellow outdoor enthusiasts coming together. If you're looking for high-quality gear, I highly recommend checking out the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series. It offers a massive capacity, powerful output, fast recharging, and comprehensive protection. It's perfect for RV adventures and ensuring uninterrupted power supply. Stay powered up for all your outdoor endeavors!
After recreational RVing for 15+ years and owning class A & class B RVs I’ve learned that bigger more complicated RVs go along with many problems and high maintenance. Folks get drawn in to the vast space in big rigs and the slides. If you want to minimize problems and maintenance stick with smaller towables with no slides. Get composite construction or fiberglass, pay attention to the components the RV manufacturer uses starting with frame, wheel bearing suspension s, hot water heating system, condenser fridge, decent solar system with lithium batteries. Smaller RVs are much easier to find parks, boondocking sites etc that are available and the sites cost a lot less. You can easily expand your necessary outdoor space with easy pop up tents etc. Using a towable means you have your tow vehicle to use if the RV breaks down. Keep things small & simple as possible, you’ll be much happier.
Great points, thanks for watching
Well said!! We live in a 26 ft 5th wheel with no slideouts. The rv dealer we bought it from thought we were crazy to want an rv with no slideouts. We have zero regrets! Starting out 7th year full-time and no plans to exit any time soon. We also avoid rv resorts or parks... so many other options that cost way less or are free.
I bought a simple 5x8 teardrop with solar power. Had it built to my specifications. It’s simple and easy
I've been pretty happy with my truck camper. Full time 1.5 years. The simplicity of it is liberating. A dry bath would be nice but again everything is a tradeoff.
100% sage advice. Often when you spend more, expectations are higher, and the liklihood of disappointment increases.
For me, full-time RV living is a necessity. I lost everything in 2020 when my business was closed. Lost my home to bankruptcy after that. What I could afford to do was buy an RV and turn that life into my home. I guess it depends on why people started did it to begin with. As you stated, there is a very different reason when it's not a necessity. Still, I have learned to adapt and find that I don't need all that I used to think I needed. I make due with so much less, but I still have created a home that is safe and comfortable for me.
Blessings to you and the strength you are displaying to adapt! ❤
Amen Sister! Good for you and I will pray for you!!!
Is rving more expensive than owning a small house?
I'm glad you were able to adapt and have continued to thrive. You've done good Connie.
Good for you Connie! Also the RV choice that these guys made is very energy-intensive and high consumption. If you are boon-docking, and staying in one place for a long time, and co-operating with others for example pooling resources etc. then it's less expensive, less hard on the environment and more socially meaningful.
My daughter bought a 350 Ram Duly to pull her new 5th wheel. She pulled it to Florida and found a place on private property that provides the water,sewer and electricity for $500 a month .We made a couple stops on the way but ultimately parked it and it is her condo. She works from home and is close to the beach not on it but maybe an hour. Great place.
Where in Florida?
@@BeautyAndHerBeasts Lake County
Rental of unpermitted trailer space?
I’m quite sure that they have permits it’s just privately owned not the packed up areas. These people are quite honest and law abiding citizens.
@@sandrajordan3802I lived in Leesburg (Lake County) 😊
I'm just glad to see all the COVID RVers coming off the road. I've been planning my RV retirement for decades and now that I'm a year out 😔 it's been disappointing to see the camp grounds grow so crowded with rude people who only camp because they are stuck with a rig payment. There was a time prior to 2020 when people understood the unspoken manors between fellow campers. We never planned to sell it all and live in our RV. We always planned on keeping our home base to stop and rest between adventures. Basically snowbirding.
Monthly RVers are becoming more rude!
They “think” they own the space they “rent”.
I know this bc I’m a work camper. Trust me, if I owned an Rv park there would be no “MONTHLY’S”!
Worst thing campgrounds ever did! Two weeks was the norm and now even stat parks rent out monthly’s, how I know this is bc we camped in a state park in Alabama 😬
I’ll be honest I’m currently “renting” (hypocrite) I am but I’m honest only bc we’re in Georgia visiting with our soldier and granddaughter but I’m ready to get back to work and on the road!
Leticia
Tell me about it. It's often times been frustrating....I've sometimes for kicks and giggles plugged in dates 10 months to a year out for some campgrounds and they are BOOKED!! I really hope something changes.
@@eagleridgebuildingsofandre3748 yup.. it used to be that my husband could say hey I've got next Friday off let's book a campsite. Not anymore. Not since 2020 ruined it. It's not just too many RVers but it's also people booking spots that they don't even know they will use. Then the rest of us have to wait until they hit the cancel button. Although I love the UA-cam RV community I also blame them for the mess we are in here. Too many channels made it look fun and easy. Always preaching to people to get out there and try it 😒.
I’ve watched so many RV’ing YT’ers go through lifestyle/need changes. Either they were constantly changing rigs or taking a break. It didn’t take me long to realize that slickly edited videos couldn’t camouflage the problems inherent in the lifestyle.
You just explained alot of reason me and my wife stop full time RV life. Pre covid life was awsome! Than Covid hit the govt went crazy and the most rude people in the world bought RVs and brought there untrained dogs that like to attack other RVs with them. But of course we got out in the middle of the big price increase so we got 2x more for our Country Coach Magna than we payed for it lol. We had 3 dog attacks on my wife in Leash rule RV parks in 3 months. We sold it all for full time Rving while we were still working because of my job causing us to move quite often and the kids were gone so it seemed like a good idea. Then retired and really got a few years of good full time roaming fun before Covid crazy started.
No matter of all drawbacks the RV life might bring never forgot to appreciate the incredible luck of living in country where such way of life is possible....because next to USA and Canada there aren't too many regions around the world supporting such freedom combining ideal law background, climate and endless stunning territory...
I have been full timing since 2016. Last fall I could not find a RV spot at a RV park in Arizona for anything. This year, it was much easier to find a place for the winter in the same area. Hopefully more folks will leave RVing for the rest of us.
If you can’t afford a really new rv you are not going to rv at all. You are going to find an rv park and live long term there. That is what we are going to do. No kids, we don’t have pet. I want to find a good deal on a nicer used rv and then get a long term lease, pay by the month. Laundry and Showers included. She is right about the constant travel in an rv, they are not made to be driven down the highways, bouncing through parking lots, truck stops, state parks, dirt roads. No way. I heard not to buy a rv built during Covid as they are junk.
the 2001 Country Coach Magna we owned was rock solid! The right models in the right years are awsome quality. But its a lot of research. Some great brands got bought out and there quality dropped so you need to know when that stuff happened. The late 2000 Country Couches were not near as good as quality as early 2000 ones. There are no quality brands left they have all sold out to bigger names and with that quality goes out the window. @@dalepxp8963
2016 was a joy! You could get a campsite in a national park without a problem! Hard to believe it was only 7 years ago
Two years ago I found a part of the country I liked and bought into a Port Home community. A couple months ago I took a 5,000 mile road trip in my 42' fifth wheel. After not fitting into one too many RV and State Parks, after backing into one too many tree branches that I didn't see, I rerouted to return to the dealer where I bought the fifth wheel and downsized to a 28' pull trailer. Life happens, and we adapt.
I have a 46' mobile home.
I absolutely can't understand why people would think it is a good idea to pull a 42' RV that is only 4' shorter than my home.
Did you mean 32'?!
@@candeffect My fifth wheel was my full-time home for a couple of years as I traveled the country. It was a comfortable home and it was, indeed, forty-two feet in length, as are most Class A motorhomes. I pulled it with a 1-ton diesel dually and was well within all towing and stopping limits. Many modern RV Parks advertise that their sites can accommodate rigs and combos up to 65' in length.
My wife and I never plan on going full time. I like the idea that we can go for a few days or a couple of months and come home and repair the things on the camper that got broke on the road. We can plan what our next adventure will be without the pressure of what season and possible weather we will hit.
I'd like to see a video highlights how people can afford these expensive rigs and traveling full time
That would be great. Also a discussion on the massive depreciation of these vehicles once they are driven off of the dealer lot. The people who are selling their homes to purchase these “homes on wheels” are in for a rude awakening when it comes time to sell their RV for a fraction of what they paid for it. Meanwhile their friend who purchased a small vacation home in a popular spot has been building up equity over the years with the home appreciating in value and is in a much better financial situation long term.
I guess if you’re financially well off then none of this would matter right?
I am a solo female RV owner, and I know I do not fall into any of the examples you gave. I researched joining the RV life years ago, planned it, and developed my dream into reality. I've been on the road since February 2023, and I am doing this full-time. I love this life. The adventures I do outweigh the work that goes into RVing. Just wanted to shared! Thanks for your videos!!
Do you have a channel on UA-cam?
Still in the honeymoon phase . . .
C how you feel in a couple of years
Do u get any action? Wink wink
How do you do it without a man, since you're just a woman?
A quality rv like a class A will stand up to use better than any class C. With a class A you get a medium duty truck chassis not an overloaded van chassis pushed to its limits.
I bought a used National Class A with low miles. Has had a few issues but nothing that caused me to seek out a repair facility. I did have the brakes and tires replaced professionally. 5 year un it so far put 35k miles on it. I have total confidence in this rig.
Live your dream. You'll be glad you did.
My wife sold everything we had in '19 and retired in May '20 with every intention of spending a few years on the road. And then covid ruined all of it. Once pleasant campgrounds and state parks became overrun with people turning rv parks into trailer parks. RV space prices and availability got ridiculous. We tried for a while and then just gave up and sold our toy hauler and bought a house. It was sad.
🤮
I saw several acquaintances buy RVs in a hurry at the start of covid. It seemed like a knee-jerk "get me away from it" reaction. I didn't get a sense that they really thought through all the implications of living that way.
But it never occurred to me how much this would make life difficult for people who were already doing it, and who knew what they were about. Sorry to hear it.
Motorcycle prices went up suddenly too, but newbie riders tend to get sorted out pretty quickly. 😕
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this video. Hubs and I literally had this convo over wine-30 tonight as we discussed our next phase. We are in escrow with a property that will be a home-base and PTR for us. We are in our 4th year full time and have ZERO regrets, but traveling full time is taking a toll on our rig, and we have seen a change in the RV community as a whole. We have been considering getting off the road part time for a while now, but an opportunity we can’t pass up was laid at our feet and we are taking it. RV life isn’t ending, but CHANGING. And you said it so well in this video. It was the words we were saying to each other. 😀
RV life is amazing, and it can look different for different situations and seasons. Thanks for watching and best wishes
My wife and I have talked about RV'ing, not full time but lets say extended time.
She of course is attracted to the larger RV's with slide outs, folding canopies, and all the other fancy stuff.
Ive told her if its mechanical its not IF its gonna break but WHEN its gonna break. Just one look at how slide outs work was an immediate NO WAY for me!
Finally, an honest RV'r. Thank you for that. I hope people will listen before they have to learn (but I doubt it :)
I appreciate your RV outlook, Insight, and all the reality’s of RV living. Hopefully you keep the great videos coming.
I agree in my 25 yrs of RVing this is what I know. Almost all full-timers I have known over 25 yrs, most quit within 4-5 yrs.
They are just exhausted
Very true, thanks for watching
Omg..it's good to know I'm not just feeling like there is something wrong with me!!
I did it for 6 months and it was exhausting 10 years ago.. Great reminder
Outstanding video! Great info to help people understand the realities of full time RVing. Great job on the editing Ben.
I have been watching your videos for such a long time and have enjoyed every min of all of them. We are a lot older than you two but have only been on the road for around 2 years. We hope to be doing this for years to come as well. Thanks for all the great videos.
Thanks for watching!
Love your honesty and Thank You For being very authentic, very refreshing and of great assistance. 👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🙋🏻♀️🇦🇺
I can't imagine how anyone would think young teens can or should adopt to this lifestyle. Leave it to the very young or old. Kids need stability.
We are 1.5 years into full timing and we love it. Hope to get a couple more years in before we settle back down. Thank you as always!!! Dana
Thanks for watching! Safe travels
Don't have an RV but several of my neighbors do. Therefore I've done a lot of UA-cam research and surfed many channels on all the tips, tricks, pros, cons, and recommendations. This video is without a doubt the BEST scripted, filmed, heartfelt, useful, informative and appreciated video on the whole topic that I've viewed.
Thank you!
Not the same as having and living in an RV.
Great episode. So much food for thought. I love when you share your insights into the “big picture” of RV living.
Thanks for watching
Interesting perspective. 👍 Curious, are you not interested in visiting all of the fun places other than the "big rocks"? We're finding it will take multiple lifetimes to see all of the cool places just in America alone. 😮
Very informative video from an experienced group of RVer's. Also very nicely done, you are a very good speaker. Will continue to watch and learn. Thank you
Great and insightful video, Charity! We are part timers and would not ever consider full timing it, we like having a home base. But we also like RV'ing. That said, the past several years have not been anything like the norm as it relates to RV's and campgrounds. I hope that RV manufacturers and campgrounds can weather the storms of excess we have seen in both directions, bull and bear markets, so-to-speak. Safe travels.
Thanks - safe travels to you also. Things are always changing and it will be interesting to see how things pan out in the end
This was a great video! We have been wondering why so many people were exiting or going part time. We actually just bought a small home in the country near my kids so that we have a landing spot. Our plan is to use it as an Air B&B/Furnished Finder until we are fully ready to move in. We are also adding a full hook up site to the property so that we can come and go as we want, even if its rented out. We have been full time for 3 years and still want to do it part time, but felt the need to make our exit plan and also have a place in case we needed it for medical care as we get older. Thanks for that video! Great Job!!!
I love this plan!!!
Ditto above.. Great strategy with options 🎉
That sounds like a well thought out plan. Hook a 30amp to the house with the agreement you come and go in your rv as you like. You always have a home base. That isn't as scary as just driving around the country and where ever you are is home for that moment.
I think buying a cheap piece of land and parking the RV should be highly considered. Even a famous UA-camr Bob Wells whose a full time RVer has a piece of land he stays on in Arizona. I think that’s the future of all full time RVers IMHO. RV parks fees are insane these days!
Makes perfect sense! We’ve been full-time for a couple of years - sort of have a home base (totally off-grid), but it’s for sale. We spend time at my brother’s house (park our trailer at a friend’s), but will be looking for a lot in the next year or so for winter. Just not much fun when it’s super cold outside. Barndominium / pole barn and a little room for a garden!
We are living in our Airstream, and will be hitting the road full time on Labor Day. It’s been a two year journey to get to this point. We are finishing up our last home town commitments, and are beyond excited about starting our full time travel life. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences. See you out there, on the road less traveled.
Hopefully we will see you out there!
It's Labor Day weekend. Enjoy your new life!!
@@o2bnov0307 thank you!
This is something you do when your kids are grown. Kids need friends and a stable household
The KYD kids turned out great!
@@sunnycharacter..even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
Useful information. Thank you.
Love all your videos! The experiences you have shared with your children are priceless! ❤️
You are so kind
So many things you said are so true for us. My husband raves about how much time he has not having something to fix or maintain on our class a since we sold it. We had a spot at our lake home to park it, but said, let’s take an rv break. Sold it at the right time and we really don’t see us buying another. It was easier traveling with pets, saw some great places, but could see them without rv.
People do need to start understanding that even buying an RV just for vacation purposes is not necessarily a cheaper vacation option. Last year I flew from Oklahoma to the the BVI’s, rented a catamaran and a Captain to sail it, 3 roundtrip airline tickets, and spent about $10,000. If you buy an RV and lets say have a $700/month payment plus another $100 for insurance, that’s $9600/year. Of course that doesn’t even include fuel costs or RV parks. I only had to pay for my 2 week vacation one time. You pay that $9600 for the RV for multiple years. If I don’t want to spend $10K next year, I don’t have to. But if you bought the RV, you have no choice but to pay $9600 whether you use it or not. No I don’t have a physical asset to show for my vacation, other than some t-shirts, but the RV is constantly depreciating in value and once you go to sell it, you’ll see how much value you have lost. And if you have a 5th wheel or travel trailer, you have to buy a big truck and insure that as well. RVing is great fun but people need to stop thinking that it’s a cheaper option than traditional vacations. Obviously full-timers need to understand that a “sticks and bricks” is an appreciating asset where you can build equity and could last for your entire lifetime, whereas an RV is a depreciating asset that will eventually be worth little to nothing and at some point need to be replaced. The bottom line is, an RV is not an investment, it’s an expensive toy for adults. If you understand that fact, you can have a great time with your RV. If you don’t understand that fact, you will be very disappointed
Well said! 👏🏻
The solution is to buy an RV you can afford for cash. RV payments are crazy.
We paid cash for our used rv and truck....no payments for the 6 years we have lived full time. We don't stay in rv parks.... we stay in state, county or city parks...boondock, army corps of engineer campgrounds, and others that are way cheaper. We have no regrets and are starting our 7th year this month. We know people who sold their stick and brick homes for less than they paid for it. And they put thousands into them to maintain and update. There's pros and cons with each situation.
Great points, I would add for those thinking about buying an older used RV to avoid payments is a great idea, but it has one issue: Many RV parks get snooty about the age of a rig. Ours is 15 years old, has just 30K miles, looks almost new but nevertheless we've been turned down wanting to stay at an RV park because it's over 10 years old. On one hand, I get it, they don't want a dilapidated rig parked next to a nice fifth wheel, leaving oil and other fluids behind, etc.
RoadsofFaith has a great solution to this by staying at public parks (national, state, county, COE, etc).
But you are so right about the cost. I'd say if someone has the idea RV'ing is cheaper than regular vacations you're going to get a rude awakening especially every time you pull into a station to fuel it up.
All very good points.
Well presented vid of an attractive and complicated way to experience a fulfilling life.
I also wonder if part of the reason so many are not RVing full time is because of the fuel costs. My Camry cost about $70 a fill here in Oregon, I can only imagine how much that would cost an RV.
Stops me in my tracks. I have about the most economical rv you could have and I was spending about $100 a day just in fuel and that was 5 years ago when diesel was much cheaper even. So.. not many travel days now and you might as well stay in a motel. 😮
Yep! Indeed! To most people the RV lifestyle can essentially be just a life phase for period when possibilities and desires come together in right time and dream brought to reality.
I'm sure glad my parents didn't drag me into that lifestyle, I loved going camping but after a week or two I was always ready to get back to my neighborhood friends and riding dirt bikes in the woods we lived next to. I'm 65 and been retired for 9 years and still keep in touch with some of the kids I grew up with. I believe I grew up in the best of times I call it the leave it to beaver days, we were all good kids alcohol, pot, fentanyl meth, heroin and all the other drugs we're not even in are vocabulary. In fact I loved the neighborhood I grew up in so much I bought a house near buy the house I grew up in, it's really hasn't changed much good schools, stores and neighbors.
Such a great summarization! I think the term "full time" isn't really well defined and gets thrown around a ton. We set out after Kolie retired from the Air Force with the intention of roadtripping and finding a home base - so "full time" has always been a planned phase. Your "anytimer" term is fantastic and I can't wait to adopt that once we find and settle into a new home base and start launching out on more adventures! Great video.
Thanks so much, safe travels
We started "full timing" in 1994 as my job required extensive travel across the Western US. Our kids had left home.
We rented our new home to a friend. We thought this might be a couple year adventure. Fast forward to 2023, we're still full timing and retired. But...planning ahead...we purchased property in AZ which is set up for RV's...and we have a mountain RV Site on family property in Montana.
Best of all worlds.
Been full time since I retired in 2017, and what you said is very true. I plan to stay full time for quite a while.
Safe travels and thanks for watching
Very thoughtful and well done video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching
Great video. I always wondered if the dream gets deflated a bit when kids turn into teens and they want to follow their own passions like organized sports.
Life changes as the kids become independent- and then seasons will change again when they leave for college or jobs / life is always changing. 😉
Very well done video and I completely agree 😊
You make some very good points. While we are not full timers, I like to think that with nearly every "season" in one's life (RVing included), there comes a time when the initial honeymoon is over and one then enters a period of evaluation on how they'll proceed post-honeymoon. I think that many full timers find a need to have something of a home base where they spend some time in that home area on an annual basis taking care of the things one has to do - dental, medical, catching up with family, maintenance on the Rv, etc. Many full time RV channels have come to this and you mentioned several, but we all watch Today is Someday head to San Antonio on an annual basis, RV America Y'all recently bought into a resort in Florida, and Next Exit has been in Yuma, AZ. for a few years. My wife and I have plans to go full time upon retirement (and get out of CA), but we also realize it may be a stretch of three to five years before we again drop anchor somewhere that may become a base of operations. Thanks for this - I think a lot who have the dream of going full time need to see it.
I cannot wait to begin RVing in my Elder Years… This has been my goal since 2018
I really appreciate your honesty.
Thanks for keeping it "real". while it sounds glamorous or like so much fun....people need to realize it can be hard or even harder out there. Thank you for being honest and not painting a rosy picture on being full time.
For sure. It is an Active lifestyle and you must be OK with living outside of your comfort zone.. or at least pushing it..
thank you very much sharing this video with us... well done...
Thank you too
Thanks for being honest and telling us the real truth about traveling and RVing.
Thanks for watching
I kept seeing all the Fiesta Key pictures. Hubby and I stayed there for a month last year. Loved it. Very worth the $ as a one time splurge. We didn't use our TT discount because we wanted to stay for a month and then we moved to a TT with our discount and made our way slowly to North Florida using the TT discount every other site, and then home. It worked out great for us.
So cool!
We lived in a 37’ fifth wheel for 2 years while looking for property. Then moved the 5th wheel to the property and then built a house. Sold the 5th wheel. But we were in an rv park close to our jobs, and only $400 a month rent which included full cable, trash pickup, they mowed, and we were even able to have an rv carport put over ours and hubby built a really nice deck. It was an easy life at that time. Now we are retired and camp when we want to. Will be gone over 5 weeks soon! Love being able to come home though.
First of all earth breeze looks great. Second, I just stumbled over your video and have seen many different sites but this video is so well delivered to the person who w is a novice/never hit the road. I know I have a ton to consider and research before pulling the trigger, but a big thank you to you and your crew. Subscribing and looking forward to more videos. Thanks again and safe travels.
Awesome, thank you!
One year until we start work camping March - Oct with a no mortgage home base in FL for the winter. Kind of a mostly retired thing. Super stoked ! And with work camping there is always a spot for you LOL. Hoping to get one of those good deals soon. Like your videos very much.
Love the vlog! We have learned a ton from your channel. Absolutely amazing family and content. (Cute top💕). The photos in your rv make it over the top! Carry on rv’ers! 🌴🥰💕
Thanks so much
I can see this myself. I’m looking at longer stay places at least a month because gas on the west coast is so high. Also looking at park models in over 55 places.
I was exhausted when I did it to for a month lol but I was alone and doing it by myself. Plus parking in an RV is a pain. I have a 26 ft Winnebago but it’s not nimble. I have 2 cats so a van was too hard. 😅
I learn so much from this channel. You are so wise.
Thanks so much 💙
We're on 5th wheel #4 and we're at that point you spoke of. We don't know how long we'll be able to keep up with maintenance on our own. We've been wintering in Texas or Florida since retirement (5 months a year), but with fuel prices, the virus, and a cold winter projected for the South, we're staying home this year. Come spring, we'll see how we feel: bored or ready to go again. Safe travels.
Thanks for the comment and for watching
Good talk. I'm happy YOU ARE NOT LEAVING.
Me too
Great info. Any chance you can do a sequel? We would love to hear how you go about renting out your home: Do you use a property manager? Do you rent it on your own? Pros and cons of either? When you decide to go home, is it a big deal to move back in and then turn around and leave again? Tips and tricks of this piece of your lifestyle would be amazing! If you rent on your own, do you have a lawn service, cleaning crew, painters, plumber, electrician, etc? Do you prefer short-term renters compared to a year or longer renters?
Ditto.. following
The Earth Breeze laundry sheets are great! Been using them for over a year. They are PERFECT FOR A CRUISE!!! As well as RV’ing!
We are selling our 30’ Bounder Classic, cuz we bought a 34’ Tiffin Allegro Open Road…love love this thing…THIS WILL BE OUR LAST RV! We’ve had 4..done after this! Once we see the areas of the country we want…yes, we may be done..right now this baby is just what I wanted! Things change constantly…go with the flow!
Always go with the flow - thanks for watching
A very thorough analysis! Great video
great information. we are soon to be retired and will hit the road some.
we intend to go to certain areas of the country as work campers for a season the back to home base the back out for another area and season.
Thanks! I have learned so much from your channel!
Thanks soooo much!
Really well presented!
We're mostly full time. We mooch-dock off Grandma's boyfriend's horse farm in the summer and then travel through the spring. Funny you mention Hawaii , we did spend 2 months on the big island this past winter and a friend in New Mexico kept an eye on our unit and the cats. I have solar and a huge battery bank, so never any worries about losing power. We will probably buy some land next year to call home base and then not travel as much.
My hubby & I started in 2011 the retired full-time RV lifestyle. We enjoyed the travles, experiences, new friends,... but over time the costs of maintenance on the aging rig, aging toad, cost of campgrounds/ fuel, unavailability of campsites, rude newbies, stresses or driving,... was beging to tak a toll on us. So after 11 1/2 yrs of RVing, we found our final retirement home in Western Kentucky in 2022 & came off the road. No regrets, because we needed to change things up and have the abilities to still travel but have the stability for our final years!
I traveled for work for decades and lived in a series of rvs from truck campers to class A motorhomes. When I retired I continued to live and travel in my last motorhome. Three things drove me away from RVing. Maintenance, the rv park 10 year rule and the very steep rise in rv park charges. I miss it sometimes but never enough to try again.
Hi! I love your channel! Many RVers were remote working and have to go back to work in person now too.
Very true, thanks for watching
as a trucker who lives on the road most of the time, id say to get the smallest RV possible that gives u more places u can fit, a big RV towing a car will get stressful , also the main difference between a regular home and living on the road is on the road u control nothing , best laid plans fail
I’ve thought about quitting van life because it has it’s ups and downs. Mostly ups so I’m going to stick with it. I sometimes have anxiety of getting a knock asking me to leave but that’s my fault for not choosing the right place to boondock.
Great video, keep on the adventure highway
Great video 😎 We have a house in Florida for six months in the winter, a lot in Tennessee for six months and use Tennessee for summer home base. My happy place is windshield time running in and out of Tennessee on road trips😊
Don’t forget the Buccees stops!
@@GratefulGlamper I’ve only got gas at one and that was south of Louisville Ky on 75. My beef with Buccees is letting fueled vehicles set at the pumps while customers shop for an hour🥴
Excellent analysis.
We didn't know all this at the time, it was always a "dream" to buy an RV and go camping with our kids on weekend trips but time got away from us and our kids were getting older, one a junior, one a freshman and one an eighth grader and so we bought a pop-up for the summer. Got to use it twice, in 2019. Sold it that late summer to a nice family and we knew we wanted to test the waters for a bigger RV because the pop up was too small so we or I shopped around online and in person for the perfect and affordable unit. That is when Feb 2020 rolled around and I found it!! We picked it up and brought it home March 16, 2020! With snow falling down, that should have been the sign! 😂 Covid hit the roof end of March so camping season did not happen for us only in our back yard. So I booked several places for the following year 2021 and we enjoyed it so extremely much!! I also had in the back of my mind it is going to be hard booking because of crowded campgrounds. So we enjoyed summer of 21 making memories in our travel trailer and sold it in Dec 2021 or January 2022 to get a 5th wheel we found in October 2021! This was an extreme upgrade but more of a retirement rig than for our family. (No bunks.) but has two theater recliners and a fold out couch. We got it Oct. 2021 with a great deal and ended up not camping anywhere in 2022 because of gas prices but this year we have gotten out and also have had to do some improvements on it but we have also had to do improvements on our home in these past few yrs too so it comes with owning things! 😢. We have plans to use our 5th wheel to travel a week at a time to possibly a few wks at a time when my husband has his vacation built up. I don't currently work outside the home so I'm the planner. It is hard with one income but we make it work. Student loans getting ready to pay along with another one entering her Senior year of High school today and looking at going to college as well like her oldest brother! Happy Camping everyone! ❤
However, I will say, watching UA-cam in 2020 got us or me more excited about learning about rving with all of you so that it would make it possible! So thank you!! ❤
Honest info, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Traveled for 10 years decided to buy a house. Live in a busy retirement place in Fl. After about 5 yrs we started missing it. Now 15 yrs off the road and i still watch rv videos !
RVing is an amazing way to travel! We love it, it’s just changed in how it looks for us vs how it used to.
I'd like to thank you and other vlog RV'ers for putting your genuine experiences out there for others to see/learn. In my mind, RVing is a wonderful dream for a few minutes that ultimately gets crushed by unanticpated costs of things we all know will break and usually at the worst times. Kind of a much more expensive version of owning a boat or expensive vintage collector car. Major buzz kill.
Thank you
@@GratefulGlamper I do hope that you and your family have made some good memories as well RVing. I'm sure you have.
Thanks again for saving me from my own ignorance. :o)
I think your information is spot on. We are more like 80% Home and 20% RVing, which might increase once my wife actually retires. We will see. Keep up the good work....
Thanks for watching
good! When I want to park in a public funded park, it will be a lot less crowded.
WINNING!
I bought a year's supply of Earth Breeze... Love it!
Good choice!
My neighbors got tired of traveling, got acreage, and planted their large RV permanently. They still travel but the big unit is now home base. It's working out very well for them.
Very common - thanks for watching
Sobering video. There is lots that we don't take into account when considering permanent RV living. I live up North (Canada), absolutely *hate* our brutal winters, it's so demoralizing. I could picture myself living in a small/teardrop RV for 5 months a year during those soul-killing months! Being away from a cold and bleak climate would provide ample motivation to put up with some of the minor inconveniences. I've had a tough life, being able to spend 4-5 months in the US southern states would make me feel like royalty!😄
You go.. yes I totally get the soul killing winters I spent in the PNW. Had to get out and moved heaven and earth to do it it seems.
Best of luck and happy trails to you 🎉
@@gweger6425 It's so kind and nice of you! I appreciate that more than you know.
We came off the road full time in September 2022 and bought a new home with the proceeds from selling our Entegra Cornerstone. Overall, the RV life was a good experiment, but nothing beats a home with a yard. We still travel, but Airbnbs, etc., are much better for us. When you are done, close the door and leave. No fuel, no maintenance, and much fewer headaches. We have been followers of you guys since our full time RV days and continue to check out some of the cool places you have been. I think we visit the Love Boat Ice Cream in Fort Myers based on your recommendation once.
Love boat is the best! Thanks for watching! We have some “new” content (maybe a new channel too) coming soon!
@@GratefulGlamper Good luck
We did it. We quit full time RV living and moved to Ecuador. We couldn’t be happier.
We've felt like the bubble is bursting too. It's not surprising. Tons of people tried it thanks to COVID then realized it wasn't for them, got burned out, or simply had to go back to an office.
Love your obsevation... we love ven camping because it's a smaller scale same big country and we then return to our owned own home on Grand Lake Presque Isle MI.
Yippi
We’ve been RV’ing for decades. The biggest change I see are the increase of “full timers”, taking up most of the RV park slots. They are grumpy, territorial with every inch of slot space, and reduce the ability to find slots.
Cost, overpriced rigs, trucks to tow them, fuel prices, repair bills, long waiting periods for repairs. Poor quality of service. Not enough campgrounds or legal off grid spots to stay, too many rules.
no surprise. I had assumed that a few years in, all of those new RVers would be selling off their rigs. We are full time (sort of). We knew from the start that we wanted a winter homebase, where we would park and live in our motorhome. And we would travel during the spring, summer, fall. But this year we ended up staying all summer at our home base because it takes longer than we thought to build our pole barn.
When we get too old to travel or just get tired of it, we can park our motorhome there or put in a tiny house or park model.
Glad to see y'all visited Arkansas. Hope y'all had a good time.
It was hot! But we did enjoy it. Thanks for watching
I can’t afford the rents these days so living in my rv is a life saver. I don’t drive very far nowadays so hopefully my house will last a while.
Yes, we also left full time RV living, now are some-timers. We bought land, built a barndo & now travel about 5 or 6 months of year... our main reason was a big medical issue and needed to stay near our primary doc. Now all us well, so back to several longer trips in the RV.!
Glad to hear all is well! Maybe we will see you out there sometime
We dont have an RV but we love Earth Breeze laundry sheets! We’ve been using them for over a year, solid product.
Awesome!
We have a seasonal site in Michigan, about 2 1/2 hours away. Near Lake Michigan. We also take other types of vacations. Rving can be a flexible plan
But the rv is getting older and older.
Earth breeze is fantastic. Consumer Reports was not thrilled with its stain fighting ability, but I use oxi-clean occasionally. I love saving space and those awful plastic jugs..
You are an absolute pro. When you were speaking, you have the boys and professional look at rivals anybody on main stream TV. Great job.
Thank you!