My husband and I have lived full-time in a house and full-time in an RV traveling the United States. We are now part-timing it by living in a house and taking many RV trips.
I have to say that I miss full-timing. Here are some of my reasons to love full-timing.
1. Adventure — You can schedule short trips when living at home, but full-timing means a new place and new adventures every few days. You don't know when you might visit the area again, so you try to experience the best hikes, museums or other activities. Many of us live near some tourist attractions that we plan to visit "someday," but we never get around to it. Full-timing gave us the push to try new adventures.
Climbing using the steel cables on Hunter Trail at Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona.
2. Connection with nature — When you travel, nature involves more than your backyard garden and the neighborhood cat. We saw animals like tarantulas, ghost crabs, javelinas and bobcats that we would typically never see outside a zoo. Different habitats like deserts, plains or mountains meant different plants and animals. Nature is right outside your door with trails leading you forward.
Ghost crab at St. Andrews State Park, Florida.
3. Every day is new — Every day is new when you RV. Whether that is visiting new parks or showering with a lizard, it is never boring. We adjusted to different laundries, campsites and how to do taxes when in an RV.
Lizard in the shower at Bueshner State Park in Texas.
4. Learning — They say continuous learning keeps your mind sharp. Full-timing provides plenty of opportunities to learn. Whether it's learning new plants, visiting museums, learning history at the actual locations or attending classes at a state or national park, there are plenty of opportunities to learn.
Little Round Top at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
5. Sunrise, sunsets and stars — Obviously, you can see the sun rise and set at home. But do you? In an RV, you are either outside or a few feet from a window. You are at a beach or perhaps in the mountains with a spectacular view of the sunrises and sunsets. I have dozens of pictures of sunrises while I was full-timing but few when living in a house. As for stars, few stars can be seen in most towns, but many parks have tremendous views with dark skies.
Sunrise at Moss Park, Florida.
6. Simple life — When you have a small space, you learn about wants versus needs and what things really matter. It turns out you don't need 20 blouses or dozens of high heels. Life is simpler.
There's not much room in an RV.
7. New people — A new campground means meeting new people. Whether you meet in the laundry or walking the loop at a campground, there are always friendly people to discuss easy topics like good places to see in the area. Some people can be very "interesting," such as the conspiracy theorist who camped at Walmart to keep off the grid but still uses the internet, or the guy who constructed his camper using mailboxes and other spare parts. But aren't new ideas the point of meeting new people?
Unique camper.
8. Seasons — When you stay at home and depending on where you live, you have four seasons. When we full-timed, we had long falls and springs, a short winter and a normal summer. RVs are not designed for cold weather, so we wintered in Florida, Texas or Arizona to have a short winter. In the spring, we would move north seeing spring occur over and over. In the fall, we would move south and see the leaves change in different states over long weeks.
Spring flowers in Seminole Canyon State Park in Texas.
9. Relaxation — Again, this is something you can (and should) experience in a home, but I felt relaxed more frequently when walking in the woods or seeing a gorgeous view.
Misty morning in Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia.
10. I was there! — When watching a movie, a TV show or even commercials, there have been multiple times we could say "I was there!" It might be the Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Liberty Bell or small museums in a Travel Channel show. There is a special excitement and happiness in knowing you've personally experienced places you only dreamed about in the past.
Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
We have our memories and lots of pictures from full-timing and our shorter RV trips will help. But full-timing is a different state of mind.
