The seed for the RV lifestyle was planted around 2016 when I came across blogs run by “roadschooling” families. These families traveled around the USA, experiencing so many beautiful and special places while working online and schooling on the road.
We had just returned from a six month cross-country roadtrip, staying in AirBnb’s for a minimum of one week in each place. And I was not ready to settle down!
>>This was back when AirBnB was still inexpensive so this trip was cheaper than playing NJ rent. We stayed in Chicago for $80 per night in the downstairs apartment of another homeschooling family; we also spent $80 per night to stay right on the beach in Manhattan Beach, CA for two weeks over Christmas and New Years. Many other rates were $30-40 per night. I miss those AirBnB days! But I digress…<<
The cross-country trip was a bucket list journey that opened up an intense desire to see the rest of the country, especially with Elodie. Yet if we had an RV (or, in our case, a travel trailer) we could bring our home with us instead of packing things in an out of a rental every few weeks. We started to visit RV sellers, read books about the places we wanted to see, point on RVs on the highway, and camp (in the car) in campgrounds to get to know the lifestyle. Finally, in 2021 we took the plunge.
This is our little camper 🙂 It has everything we need – comfy bed, kitchen, bathroom, dinette, and even storage – all in a tiny package. Originally, I didn’t intend to buy such a small camper, but this one was an easy entry into the RVing world. It’s easy to tow (2,300lbs) without enhancements to my SUV, it’s easy to maintain and learn about the ins and outs of RV repair. I can easily get out of tight places, such as when I make a spontaneous turn down a narrow road or end up in a dead end where even a normal car would need to do a K turn (which tends to happen often!).
Also, one of the major reasons we live this lifestyle is to be outside more often. We do most of our daily activities outdoors – cooking, learning, my working, and relaxing. Plus we’re traveling to experience the country, not stay inside our RV. Although, Elodie would likely say that the small size makes it a perfect cozy fort that she never wants to leave 🙂
Of course, there are challenges to being so small, and it’s mostly because of our books. And herbs. And spices. We’re book hoarders, and have too many crafts and board games. It’s hard to have a variety of clothes, games, books, herbs, spices, and food in general when there is so little space. We’ve had to be very selective in what we bring, but somehow that’s still too much! We’ve left items at thrift shop drop-off’s and books at The Little Library spots all over the country. It’s a constant lesson in learning to live with – and appreciating – the simplicity of less.
Life on the road
Life on the road is similar to life off the road, except that for part of the year we’re in different places every few weeks. We spend at least 10 days at each stop but usually closer to 2-3 weeks. Half of the week we spend at the campsite – working and schooling, cooking, exercising, walking Max, meeting with new friends, etc. Normal life.
Other days we’ll spend the day, or partial days, visiting somewhere new. Some days we’ll be in a city, a National or State Park, a quaint town, a museum, or maybe a random landmark in the middle of nowhere (like Mushroom Rock State Park in Kansas). I love being able to experience the country in this slow-paced way that allows us to visit places we would have never taken a vacation to see (such as Alabama), or we would have never known about with a quick fly-in type trip.
Read about WHY we travel here.
Over the past 5 years, we’ve been:
A few favorite places
By far, the most frequent question we’re asked is – “what is a favorite place you’ve been?” It’s honestly a difficult question to answer because there are so many great places in the country that can’t be compared. What is better – Yellowstone National Park or being in the home of MLK? Hiking among the red rock formations of Utah or visiting the space museum in Huntsville, AL to see – and touch – rockets that have been to space? They’re all memorable, special, and important places to experience.
However, I know that’s not a satisfying answer 🙂 so we’ve narrowed down a few peak places that always come to mind first.
See more about each place here: A few fave places and experiences
