I love full-timing. In fact, I recently wrote about my top 10 reasons to full-time in your RV.
After several years of traveling the U.S., we had to switch to part-time RVing for family reasons. I miss morning hikes in new locations the most, but there are many things about a house that are wonderful, too.
So, here is my list of things I don't miss.
1. Rock and roll
Every time someone walked in the RV, you could feel the movement. Just rolling over in bed would move the whole RV. Sure, you can get stabilizer jacks, but they can be a lot of work when you are only staying a few days and didn't seem to completely eliminate the problem.
Now, I can exercise and jump without waking everyone in the house.
Even stabilizer jacks don't seem to completely eliminate the problem of movement in the RV.
2. Laundry
Laundry is more of an event when RVing. We never had the space for an RV-style washer and dryer, so we had to find a park with laundry facilities or drive to a laundromat. We always did several loads at a time, so we had to gather the clothes, detergent, bleach and quarters and then haul it to the laundromat.
Sometimes, you stay with the laundry, and sometimes you walk back and forth to the facilities. Reading or chatting with others was a good way to pass the time.
Now, instead of a major event, we throw in a load and forget it while doing other things in the house.
When it's time for laundry, don't forget to bring the quarters.
3. Holidays
When you are essentially on holiday every day, it is difficult to keep track of major holidays. Suddenly, we realized the Fourth of July, Labor Day or Thanksgiving was coming up. Everyone was out camping and had made reservations months in advance. For one Memorial Day weekend, we had to stay one night at a Walmart and finished the weekend in a casino parking lot. Oops!
At home, we know we have a place to stay for all the holidays.
If you forget about holidays, you could end up in the Hollywood Casino parking lot in Charles Town, West Virginia.
4. Violent weather
Rain is loud in an RV. Forget about watching TV or having a quiet conversation. High winds are dangerous when driving and keep you awake at night as the RV rocks. Potential tornadoes mean you start making a plan to run to a bathroom or other permanent structure.
Weather is much more immediate in an RV. In a house, we look outside for a bit then return to whatever we're doing.
The rain at Silver Springs State Park in Florida was impossible to ignore.
As I wrote this, I realized there aren't many things I disliked about RVing. The problems were fairly easily handled and made life more exciting.
When can I get back on the road?
