What Full Time RVers Forget to Tell You
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Do you think about life as a full time RVer? It is easy to find the beautiful, adventurous parts of life on the road. Youtubers splatter it all over the internet. But what about the less than glamorous side to full time RV life? As with everything in life, there are pros and cons to RV life. So let’s talk about some of the least favorite parts of this lifestyle.
The negative side of full time rv life
so much work
Moving to a new campground is more than just putting away the welcome mat. The more stuff you have the longer it will take. I know some RVers who have a checklist starting 48 hours before departure. Although we can be packed up and ready to roll in 30 minutes that hardly ever happens! Usually, it takes 1-2 hours to pack up and at least 30 minutes or more to set up.
There are many variables that can make setup and breakdown take even longer. Some of these examples include flushing the black tank, going to a dump station and waiting in line, difficulty leveling, neighbors coming over to chat, RV slides not working properly (or other RV issues), pouring rain, power pedestal issues, and water pressure problems.
It took us over 4 hours to set up at this campground.
dirt dirt dirt
This is a battle you will fight every day and lose 90% of the time. Even if you take off your shoes at the door you will drag in sand and dirt from outside. If you have pets you can count on those sweet little paws to bring in the dirt too. Slides are also guilty of dropping dirt onto your freshly mopped floor!
Our new favorite place just outside Yosemite.
it takes forever
Trip planning is one of those things that I tend to procrastinate on because it is a total time suck! Reading campground reviews, checking availability, checking site length, campground rates, and calling campgrounds because they don’t have online reservations all takes time. We don’t typically look for the most glamorous campgrounds so you would think it would be a faster process.
But if you are new and struggling with RV trip planning don’t worry. It will get easier as you find your rhythm and your favorite trip planning tools. My favorite tool is RV Trip Wizard. I can’t imagine planning without it. I tried several trip planners just before we hit the road and this is hands down my favorite. RV Trip Wizard is a part of a bundle through RV Life Pro. (Save 25% when you click the link)**
If you need help with trip planning check out the following blogs
you will want to get away
This life is all about getting closer and spending time with your family. This is one of our favorite parts of full time RVing! We feel like we are catching up on all those years of being separated during Phi’s military career. But sometimes it can be way too much!
Think about it. Most of us spend at least 40 hours a week with our work family. So you are forced to spend time apart. With RV life it is the complete opposite. You travel together all day every day. You can’t head up to the man cave to catch a football game while your partner is in another part of the house doing their own thing. You may not even have a door in your RV! So how do you find space for much needed me time?
Something as simple as a walk around the campground, a trip to the grocery store, or even a set of headphones gives you the separation you need. We have found what works for us and you will discover what works for you too.
Antelope Canyon, AZ
it can be expensive
This is a big one! So many people have reached out to us via email or comments to say they had no idea RV life was so expensive! Costs can add up quickly. When you start buying all the odds and ends to get started such as the RV, towing equipment, hoses, EMS, water filters, GPS, etc all your gonna hear is cha-ching! Thankfully most of those purchases are one and done!
Now come, the reoccurring spending on campgrounds, fuel, propane, filters, RV maintenance and repairs, memberships, and more. If you don’t pay attention the cha-ching will get even louder! RV life can be either dirt cheap or super expensive. You decide! There ton of ways to lean more toward the less expensive side without boondocking in the Arizona desert for six months at a time.
You can easily save money by staying in a campground longer. Sitting for a month will reduce fuel costs and allow you to take advantage of campground discounts. Check out the blogs below for more tips to cut costs and to see what it cost us our first three years on the road.
sTORAGE IS a negotiation
We thought once we purged our house and all the stuff in it that would be it. We wouldn’t need to purge again. Boy, were we wrong! Life in an RV means you will stay in purge mode! You are always deciding if that thing is worth the space it is occupying.
Recently, we purchased dive equipment and had to work really hard to find room for it all. We ended up purging our guest towels (our kids stay with us occasionally). Guest will get o use our beach towels. We also had four sets of sheets which have been cut in half. If we have company, they will use our second set which is stored folded up in the sofa bed. We also purged a few other things under the bed which created space for the dive equipment.
Space is all about priorities! You will keep what is most important to you and learn quickly what you can live without. We are constantly surprised at how much we ‘thought’ we needed in our sticks and bricks!
Adding Dive Gear Under the Bed
RV cooking is a challenge
When you move into the RV your cooking style will change! BIG TIME! No longer will you have 3 pots on the stove, a pan in the oven, and miles of counter space.
Cooking for me now means one pot meals, instant pot cooking, sheet pan meals, and complete means on the Blackstone. I can no longer chop veggies as I saute meat. Every item must be prepped ahead of time because removing the cover from the stovetop also removes my countertop. The instant pot practically eats up what little counter space I have available.
But you learn a new normal in the kitchen. If you have mad culinary skills you this might make you crazy. I am far from an expert in the kitchen so I don’t have a problem with RV cooking. Check out Easy RV Cooking Tips and Meal Planning for more.
no privacy
And I mean NONE! Every sound will be heard. Every odor will be smelled. Most of the time it isn’t a big deal. But when you have company in the RV and you gotta go to the bathroom well let’s just say they may as well go in with you! I am sure you get the picture!
Grand Teton National Park
RV maintenance is a full time job
RV maintenance can be time consuming but it will save you time and money down the road. Staying up to date on maintenance items will prevent things from going wrong down the road. Download our free maintenance spreadsheet and personalize it to your RV. It will help keep you on track. Phil is always working on something.
If you want to save time and money learn to do your own troubleshooting and minor RV repairs. Phil attended RV fundamentals through the National RV Training Academy. It has already saved us a bundle in repairs and maintenance! You can attend a classroom setting or the home study course. Both will arm you with the knowledge needed for basic RV maintenance on all the major systems. And you don’t need to become a certified RV technician to gain the tools needed to maintain your RV. For more information on the tech course head to 5 Reasons You Should Attend RV Tech School.
you will miss your favorite foods
This is something I didn’t think about before we hit the road. As you travel to different regions of the country you will discover popular brands and types of food in that area. More than likely it won’t be your favorite! In the grand scheme of things, this is not that big of a deal but it can be annoying occasionally.
If you are on a special diet smaller communities may not have items you are looking for. It can be difficult to find specialty items like organic foods or gluten free foods. You will learn what to stock up on and what you can live without.
Community is the beat part of Full time life! Featured: Changing Lanes, Our Epic Field Trip, Life Beyond the Burbs, Runaway with the Clarks
every GPS gets it wrong
This is something no one ever wants to experience but will eventually. It doesn’t matter what device, in dash GPS, app, or program you are using it will take you down the wrong road, to a low bridge, or insist you make a U-turn. Even truckers have been taken down roads they should not travel on with their huge trucks and heavy loads. The goal is not to panic and get yourself and your RV out of the situation safely.
Garmin 890 RV GPS
We recommend you preview the route ahead of time. If there is something you are not sure about check google street view. It has saved us many times!
We recommend everyone have an RV specific GPS unless your RV is small enough to fit in a parking space. If you use something like google maps or Waze you will get yourself into trouble sooner than later. We have tried quite a few GPS options over the past 4 years.
CoPilot - Phone app, annual membership. It works pretty good but I do not like using my phone for mapping. Every time I needed to pay close attention to our route our someone (usually our daughter) would call us disabling CoPilot.
RV Life Pro - Phone App, annual membership. I like this program much better than CoPilot. It is also cheaper. Our friend, Scott from Our Epic Field Trip, uses this app for his 45 ft Integra exclusively. He loves it. Again, I prefer not to use my phone. (Save 25% when you click the link)
In-Dash Motorhome GPS - Many people love the in-dash GPS. We find the updates extremely difficult and the system was very out of date when we purchased our RV even though it was only a year old.
Garmin 890 RV GPS - This is my favorite RV GPS. We started with the 780 and upgraded last year to the 890. It has voice commands, a campground database, built in wifi and so much more. Best of all it is very easy to update! I love it!
Harney Peak, Custer State Park, South Dakota
planning ahead includes fuel stops
The bigger your RV the more planning is required and this includes fuel stops! You will want to plan your fill-ups based on your route and fuel costs. Of course with the goal of getting the best bang for your buck! Also, you are in areas without a lot of truck stops you will want to stop for fuel when it’s available instead of when you need it. When we were traveling around Yosemite we had to pay attention to the truck stops along our route.
We never let our fuel drop below half a tank so planning fuel stops is a must. When driving a motorhome you always want enough fuel in the tank to run the generator in case of emergency. Once the fuel hits a quarter tank the motorhome will not longer divert fuel to the generator. This safety mechanism prevents you from running out of fuel. So half a tank it is!
Most of the time we are able to route our fuel stops around price. We use the TSD RV Fuel Savings program and app so we can see the fuel prices, and available discounts before we hit the road or as we move along our route.
rv travel takes longer
The bigger the RV the longer it takes to get there! There are a number of reasons for the slower trip.
You won’t always be able to go the speed limit. Driving 75 mph in a 45 ft motorhome or hauling a 40 ft 5th wheel is not recommended.
Going through the mountains? Not all RV travel well on steep grades so your speeds might drop to a crawl.
Pulling into a truck stop can take forever! It is not uncommon to sit in line for an hour to fill up with fuel at a busy truck stop.
Need to fill up your onboard propane tank? Add another 20-30 minutes to your travel day.
Oh, and there is nothing like a good traffic jam! We were trapped in a traffic jam for over four hours in Tennessee a couple of years ago. Of course, it will be the same as in a car but worth the mention!
Badlands National Park
ITs not all great views and adventures
When you are dreaming of a life adventure in your RV what do you envision? Do you see beautiful views surrounded by nature? Do you see a life of Instagram worthy pictures? Do you also dream about dirty laundromats, barking dogs, rally style campgrounds, dumping your poo, and navy showers? Most people don’t dream about this side of full time RV life but you will eventually run into all of these things and more during your travels.
You will also have days when you don’t leave your RV. I know you had these days in your sticks and bricks. Days when you just chilled out, watched TV, cleaned all day, curled up with a good book, or stayed in your jammies vegged during a rainstorm. You will have these kinds of days when you full time RV. There may even be days when you are begging for a day in stretchy pants and binge watching your favorite show.
Fourth Cliff Recreation Area, Humarock, MA
boondocking is not free
This is something we hear all the time. Go boondock on BLM land. It’s free! Yes, it is cheaper than other types of camping but it is not free. There are costs people don’t think about. We certainly didn’t before we spent a month boondocking throughout Arizona. We didn’t think about the cost of the laundromat, propane (it was freezing that winter), water fill, dumping tanks, or generator fuel (we did not have lithium or solar yet).
We had a great time and found some beautiful places to boondock that winter but it was not free! Please keep that in mind when you create your budget.
Picnic tables are gross
We never thought about his until we saw it for ourselves. I couldn’t believe my own eyes! Our neighbor put his sewer hose on the picnic table! No lie! He was packing up his RV to leave, threw his hose over his shoulder, and then tossed it on the table. People use those tables to eat dinner and play games. This is not the only occasion we have seen stuff on picnic tables that shouldn’t be there. But it was the worst offender.
We recommend everyone use a table cloth of some kind if you plan to use the picnic table. No way you can disinfect those things good enough!
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
power and tanks rule
It doesn’t matter if you are plugged into a power pedestal or boondocking on BLM land you will constantly watch your power and your tanks. It is a habit that starts because you are nervous about overfilling the black tank or depleting your batteries but never ends. It is always in the back of your mind no matter how experienced you are or maybe because you are so experienced!
If you have lead acid or AGM batteries it is so important to watch those batteries! If you drop your batteries below 50% you can permanently damage them. Learn how different electrical appliances and electronics draw power and always watch the charge of your batteries. If you think you need to charge the batteries don’t hesitate to turn on that generator. That first winter we had to turn on our generator up to three times a day to keep our batteries above 50%. Keep in mind boondocking in areas with generator hours limits when you can top off those batteries.
No one wants to run out of water while boondocking half way through their stay. It is a real bummer to close everything up and drive the RV one street over to fill with fresh water or dump a full grey tank. The goal is to develop tricks to make your water last as long as possible. There are many clever ways to stretch your water and not fill your tanks. Trust me, you will watch that tank monitor like a hawk ensure you make it to the end of your reservation.
Need more info on RV electrical and batteries?
Mail is not always easy
This might be a surprise to some. There are so many options for mail these days everything from Amazon drop boxes to mail forwarding services. But navigating mail will take planning.
Some campgrounds (national parks, state parks) do not accept mail. You also may not be in a location long enough to receive your mail. It has taken 12 days to receive mail from our forward service. If you are moving around a lot it can get difficult especially if you are ordering from a company with longer shipping times.
Post Office Run
Overnight at a Harvest Host winery in New York with Life Beyond the Burbs
Poo Duty
Someone in the RV will get stuck with this job. Dealing with the black tank is an important job for every RVer although it is never glamorous! Someone has to make sure the tanks get cleaned, sanitized, and emptied. It could be pouring rain or 120 degrees outside. When the tanks need to be emptied someone will have to go outside and glove up all while hoping not to get sprayed in the process.
Carhenge, Alliance, NE
Laundromats
Going to the laundromat is one of those chores I really hate! I feel like I am just wasting the day away watching my clothes go around and around. I have taken books to read and my computer to edit videos but nothing helped.
I recommend reading reviews before trying out a new laundromat. They won’t prevent you from walking into a place with washers so gross you turn around and walk right back out but it will help. Be sure to open those lids and take a peek before you put money into any machine! Most places are maintained and you won’t have issues but not all.
You may also be surprised by the prices of laundromats these days. I have paid up to $3.50 to wash and $4 to dry! When you haven’t done laundry in a while it will add up quickly. I would much rather use the washer and dryer in my RV but if we are boondocking or don’t have sewer for long periods of time this is not an option. Of course, not every RV is equipped with a washer and dryer. Before buying an RV decide if they are on your must have list or your wish list.
Yellowstone National Park
It’s not so bad
Now that you know some of the worst parts of RV life you can be ready for it when you hit the road. The good news is the worst parts are really not that bad. As you can see by some of the pictures sprinkled in the blog the amazing adventures waiting for you will make you forget about the negatives of RV life!
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