Challenges of full-time RV travel

When you think about living in your RV full time, you are hopefully getting excited about all the places you’ll get to go, the things you’ll get to see, and who you’ll be with through it all. There are so many benefits to RV living and traveling, but there are some challenges that a lot of people don’t talk about often or share on social media. There are a lot of things you can do to prepare in advance, but here are some of the bigger challenges we deal with when we’re on the road for long periods of time.

• Handling medical needs: Getting prescriptions/regular medical appointments was a challenge we expected but it was still difficult to manage. We had to really plan ahead when a prescription was due to run out, getting refills ahead of time or with just enough time, finding a local pharmacy to transfer the prescription to, and making sure it’s available and filled in time. The other challenge was needing physical written prescriptions of some medications, which required someone back at home to pick up and fill the prescription and ship it to us at a campground that would accept packages and be there on time for us to arrive. Thankfully, we stayed healthy and we took care of our regular appointments before hitting the road, but the addition of tele-health would certainly be helpful for RV travelers. 

• Receiving packages: Getting packages on the road was a challenge, especially when we are used to buying something and having it arrive on the front porch two days later. When traveling, we had to order items ahead of when we were arriving at a campground, and hope we could get the package on time. We also had to contact each campground to find out what kind of deliveries they accept, how often, how they hold/secure your items, and how often they get mail.

• Keeping bills paid and home life running: Paying bills and keeping things in order at home can be difficult from the road. For the most part, most of our bills are available online or paid automatically, but there are always a few random ones that pop up unexpectedly. Our water bill, of course, comes quarterly and isn’t available online, and for us, we were watching for toll expenses and fees associated with states that don’t recognize the EZ Pass. Thankfully, we asked our family to look out for these specific ones and anything else that looked like a bill so we could take care of it quickly from the road.

• Camping is expensive: I think one common misconception is that living in an RV can save you money. Of course, there are ways to travel and save money, but we found it difficult to find inexpensive campsites that felt safe, had strong cellular or wireless internet service, and were convenient to the places we wanted to visit. We did have a one year membership to Thousand Trails, which can create cost savings if you’re interested in staying in the locations available through the program. Certain regions were definitely more expensive (ah-hem East Coast) and there are many more options as you head west, with a variety of campgrounds but much more BLM land.

• Social FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): One of the hardest things was being away from friends and family, and admittedly, our pets. Because we traveled a lot during the peak of COVID, we honestly didn’t miss a lot of social gatherings and family events, which helped ease the home-sickness a lot. We spoke to our family and close friends regularly, but we definitely felt a little more disconnected from the things going on in our community, at school events, and celebrations. It helped us to share updates on social media and it really filled our hearts when people would comment on our activities and share their experiences as well. It also helped to meet and socialize with other RV families who were experiencing some of the same things we were. We loved the time we spent together as a family-unit, and we met a lot of friendly people along the way, but it was definitely a challenge for all of us to stay in touch and feel connected to those back home.

• Laundry sucks even more in an RV: Laundry is one of the worst chores at home, but it certainly tops the list of annoyances on the road. We were worried a lot of laundromats and facilities would be closed while traveling during COVID, so we decided to purchase a small washer and get a drying machine for the RV. It was a little loud, took up a lot of space, and I could only do very small loads and only as fast as the clothes would dry. It was nice to be able to do it on my own time, throwing in a load while working, and not have to walk across a campground to the laundry room and back several times. The one time I did have to use the campground laundry machines, it wasn’t horrible, but it was extremely inconvenient. I literally edged out one other person by mere seconds, thankfully, or I would have walked back (again) with wet clothes, waiting for another time to dry them later in the day.

Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.

Parker Palmer

• Close quarters and lack of privacy: When preparing to live with 3 other people in ~300 square feet, I knew it would be tight, but sometimes it felt harder than expected. It was hard to get any privacy, to get time to yourself, to do anything without an audience. It wasn’t just crowded in the RV, but most of the time your neighbors are literally living just a few feet away. You can hear their conversations, just as they can hear yours. There are always people around – watching you park, watching you exercise, watching you hookup/set up your RV, watching you cook, etc. I enjoyed taking walks by myself or just sitting outside for a few minutes alone. Even a quick trip to the grocery store helped sometimes. We enjoyed when the kids would find other kids and disappear for a while, even sometimes coming home late for dinner, because we got to have a quiet conversation and meal alone. You have to take what you can get, and make sure to make time for yourself to stay sane.