We weren’t a one-vehicle family for long. Recently we bought a Class C motorhome — a Winnebago Itasca Viva.
You read that correctly.
WE BOUGHT AN RV!
This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment purchase. We had been considering buying an RV for more than a year.
We did extensive research, watched countless videos, read numerous articles, and weighed every angle: maintenance, fuel, emergency repairs, parking, campgrounds, laundry, Wi-Fi, and more.
We chose the Winnebago Itasca Viva, a Class C motorhome. We considered a Class B but opted for a Class C for the extra living space.
Why we picked the Winnebago Itasca Viva:
- At 24 feet long, it’s compact enough to handle easily but spacious enough for our needs. We’ll travel with our dogs, and there’s plenty of room for the four of us.
- It’s straightforward to drive and its fuel economy is comparable to the Wrangler we once owned.
- It includes a full bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink.
- There’s a proper bed, and the layout can sleep up to six people comfortably.
- The kitchen comes with a roomy fridge and freezer, sink, stove, and microwave.
- A dining area provides a good space for me to work on the road.
We love our new RV. We’ve already taken day trips to test systems and layouts, and it feels like a great fit.
If you’re wondering why we made this decision, here are the main reasons.
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We spend a lot on hotels.
Class C motorhomes are an investment, and the Winnebago Itasca Viva wasn’t inexpensive. Still, we were spending a sizable amount each month on hotels and short-term stays.
Given our travel patterns, the RV makes more financial sense for us. We’ll still enjoy hotels and Airbnbs occasionally, but those stays will be less frequent. With our own “home on wheels” we can be more flexible and comfortable while traveling.
We also plan to cut costs by taking longer stays in one place to reduce fuel use, using bikes or a moped instead of towing a car, and boondocking when feasible.
Related: How To Camp For Free, Even In Beautiful and Desirable Places
We want to travel more comfortably.
Packing and unpacking every morning at hotels wears on you. Little losses—like leaving a favorite shirt behind—add up.
Having an RV makes travel more comfortable for us and our dogs. It provides a consistent place to call home while we’re on the road.
It’s convenient to have everything we need on board: meals prepared in our kitchen, our own bathroom, a bed, and space to relax.
We want to take breaks when we want and need to.
With an RV, we can stop more freely and avoid racing to the next hotel. On long road trips we often logged 12–15 hours in the car in a single day to minimize overnight stops. The RV allows us to travel at a more relaxed pace.
We want to visit friends and family more.
We love Colorado and the surrounding regions, but we miss friends and family. An RV makes it easier to visit loved ones more often and stay longer without imposing, since we’ll have our own accommodations.
We enjoy traveling.
We love being on the road and feel there’s still a lot of North America we want to explore. An RV simply fits our travel style better than hotels alone.
There are many diverse and dramatic landscapes across the continent, and we want to experience more of them at a slower pace.
We can still work on the road.
Another major factor was our location independence. We can work from anywhere, and the RV supports that lifestyle.
Working on the road and traveling freely is an ideal combination for us. For mobile internet, I’m using a Verizon MiFi Jetpack to stay connected while traveling.
Are we crazy? Does RV travel interest you? Would you like to see more RV-related posts?
And the big question: Where should we go next in our Class C RV — the Winnebago Itasca Viva?