Three years ago we emptied our house, put it on the market, and drove to Colorado. We had already been location-independent for a few years and felt the travel itch. That decision marked the beginning of our life traveling full-time.
It wasn’t easy. I remember going out to dinner with close friends right after packing everything into the car. I cried as we said our goodbyes — selling our house and leaving friends and family was emotional.
We established a temporary home base in Fruita, Colorado, and used it as a launch point to explore Colorado and nearby Utah.
We didn’t know anyone in Fruita when we arrived. We chose it after a recent visit because we liked the location, the small-town feel, and the abundance of mountain biking, rock climbing, and hiking.
Soon after moving there, we started looking at RVs. We saw one and ended up buying it — and that purchase led us to travel full-time. We haven’t regretted it for a second.
Last year I published an April Fool’s post titled I’m Tired Of Living In A Motorhome!, and many people fell for it. Despite the joke, RV life remains one of my favorite ways to travel. There’s still so much to see, and I don’t think anyone could see every corner of the United States even after a decade on the road.
Traveling full-time allows me to live the life I want, and I plan to keep doing it for many more years.
Living in an RV full-time has been the experience of a lifetime. I never imagined I would become a full-time traveler — especially not an RVer — but I’m so glad we tried it. If you’re considering the same change, I highly recommend it.
We’ve met wonderful people and made lasting friendships on the road. We’ve explored amazing places, and we do it all comfortably from our mobile home. Even our dogs are thriving with this lifestyle.
Honestly, life couldn’t be any better.
If you’re interested in RVing, see other RV-related resources in my archive.
- The Ultimate Guide To Getting Started RVing
- Becoming an RV Family – How We Travel Full-Time With 4 Kids and 2 Dogs
- How To Make Money While RVing
- How Much Does It Cost To RV?
- Common RV Questions – Yes, I Even Talk About What We Do With #2
Below are some updates and reflections from our full-time travel life.
We don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
The top question we get now is, “When will you be done? Are you going to do this forever?” While we don’t have a set end date, it will likely end at some point far in the future. For now, we absolutely love traveling full-time and are excited about what’s next.
We’ve debated several options: spending a summer in Alaska, buying a sailboat, or maybe doing both. We haven’t decided on plans for the upcoming year, and that uncertainty is part of the appeal. Wherever we go, we know we’ll enjoy the journey.
We have plenty of space.
Before moving into an RV, my husband and I agreed that if the space ever felt too cramped we could occasionally rent an Airbnb. Moving from a 2,000-square-foot house to an RV is a big downsize, so we wanted a backup plan.
We’ve rarely needed that plan. The only times we rented an Airbnb were for brief trips or when it made dog-sitting easier — we didn’t want someone to have to manage the RV systems. We’ve never felt the RV was too small; it hasn’t hurt our relationship, and our dogs are comfortable.
Sometimes we even feel like our RV is larger than we need.
We also aren’t missing our old belongings. When we sold the house we donated and gave away a lot. Initially it was hard to let go, but it became easier over time. Now we carry a small amount of everything and prefer living this way.
Downsizing has made us more mindful about purchases, reduced waste, and helped us save money.
Read more about our downsizing experience in my downsizing guide.
Storage units are a waste of money (for us).
Storage units aren’t useless for everyone, but for us they were unnecessary. In July 2016 we cleared out our storage unit, which cost $185 per month. We had mainly stored photo albums and childhood items.
There were downsides: paying a monthly fee for things we rarely used, worrying about restrictions on stored items like photo albums, and the inconvenient location. We decided to move everything into my husband’s parents’ attic and gifted them our newer furniture.
Getting rid of the unit was liberating. Over time we realized that paying for storage would have cost us more than $5,000 — money we would rather spend on experiences.
I love being a digital nomad.
Working while traveling full-time isn’t perfect — it can be hard to separate work and life and to take a real day off — but running a business from the road is incredibly freeing. Whether I’m driving, parked at a national park, on a sailboat, or staying in an Airbnb, I can maintain my business.
Initially I worried about internet access, poor signals, or being unavailable if something required a “home” presence. In practice, those challenges are solvable. Traveling full-time has actually helped my business by keeping me motivated and inspired, far from the stagnant work environment I left behind.
Read more about how I earn a living on the road and how I run my business while traveling 365 days a year.
I don’t need a lot of the things I once thought I needed.
I kept many items because I thought I might need them someday, but in reality I used perhaps 25% or less of what we owned. A lot of people hold onto items “just in case.” My rule of thumb now: if you don’t use something within a year, you probably won’t miss it.
When I think back on what we gave away, I can’t even remember half of it. Owning more things didn’t add happiness. With far fewer possessions, I’m happier than I have ever been.
Own what you truly want and use — not what others expect you to have.
You meet some interesting people while RVing.
Traveling full-time opens up encounters with fascinating people. RV communities and travel hotspots attract a wide range of personalities, and people often ask about our lifestyle. We’ve met photographers, professional climbers, sailors, long-term backpackers, bikepackers, someone who walked across the United States, hundreds of full-time RVers, and many other travelers — each with their own compelling story.
We’ve never met so many intriguing people until we started traveling full-time. Putting ourselves out there has enriched our lives in unexpected ways.
Related: 12 Things You Need To Know About Traveling With A Dog
Are you interested in traveling full-time? Why or why not?