Our modern world can get quite overwhelming. With all the achievements of modern technology also came many, not so great downsides. It only makes sense that you would want to get away from it. And what better way there is than living in an RV? RVs (Recreational Vehicles) are becoming more and more popular with the younger generation, because they offer a level of freedom unlike anything else (maybe except a houseboat).
But you can’t just take your entire house and just stick it into what is essentially just a single-room-sized car. There are many things you need to think about before you start your new life on wheels. In this article, we’ll look at some of the most important things you should consider, before you buy yourself an RV.
What RV will you live in?
The first, and most important thing about living in an RV is the type of vehicle you will buy. How big should your RV be? How many rooms will it have? Will it have it’s own power source (like solar panels)? Will it be just an oversized camper van, or a full-on house on wheels? These are the types of questions you will need to answer before you even buy the RV.
These questions also ties with what type of lifestyle you want to lead in your RV. If you just want to camp in it for at most a week at a time, you will need a different vehicle than a person that wants to live in it 24/7.
Another massive factor is the amount of people living in the RV. If it’s just you with your potential partner, or you have an extended family situation. If you have too many kids, it might be completely impossible to switch to an full-on RV lifestyle. Children simply need some things that an RV can’t provide. Your little school kid will hardly make any friends if they are forced to move to a different place every year.
Once you have all of the above things sorted out, you can finally start picking your RV. Keep in mind, they these house-cars rarely come cheap. While you can buy one for even $10, 000, more often than not, their prices can climb into six figures. And that’s before you even get to customize the insides. But let’s say you already have your dream RV, what else would you need?
Start downsizing your life
While the term “life downsizing” may sound weird at first, you quickly learn what it means when you get an RV. The simple truth is that RVs are fairly small. You need to fit all of your essential in there, and even that might sometimes be too much.
Are you a person that likes to read a new paper book every week? Time to say goodbye to them and switch to E-books. Do you have a wardrobe that would put Narnia to shame? Sorry, but those cute one-time dresses just won’t fit inside your new, compact clothes cabinet. Do you buy a new pair of shoes for every occasion? Now you’ll be happy you can get 3 pairs each into your oversized shoe box. I hope you get the point.
RVs just can’t accommodate for a grandiose lifestyle. Before you even move into your RV, you should already start to get rid of non-essential things. If you jump straight from a house to an RV, it will be like diving head-first into an ice-cold lake. It’s best to get used to a “downsized life” in a controlled environment, before going for the real thing.
Connect your RV with the outside world
Another very important thing is your internet connection and phone signal. Even though you’ll be constantly switching your location, the real world will still be there, still demanding your attention. While your house may have its own satelite, your RV won’t have that luxury.
Since you’ll be on the road most of the time, chances are you will find yourself outside of the normal coverage. That’s why you should put (at the very least) an antenna on your car. This will help you to stay on-line, even when you would normally be well beyond any normal signal coverage. Even then, it still might be possible you’ll lose your connection, especially when traveling a long stretch of nothing between cities.
Find work doable in your RV
It should come as no surprise that you won’t be able to do a regular job, while living an irregular life. While it could technically be possible to work a typical office 8 to 5 job routine, it wouldn’t be really practical (even though you could technically park your whole house in front of your workplace). Because of that, it’s practically a no-brainer to find a home-office job, before you move into your RV.
The best type of job you could get is one that won’t require you to be working for long stretches of time at once. You’ll want a job that you can do at your own pace, independent on other work factors. While that may sound like wishful thinking, these jobs aren’t that uncommon. Since you might lose your internet connection almost anytime while on the road, it’s great to be able to not need an internet connection 24/7.
You could also consider gaining a source of passive income, or even starting your own business, but now we’re getting into too many specifics.
Resolve your house affairs
When you switch to an RV lifestyle, it’s possible you won’t see your house for weeks, maybe even months or years at a time. That depends on your chosen RV lifestyle. Because of that, it’s best to plan for any problem that might result because of your absence. If you often receive mail, you should think about a mail forwarding service. If you have any living things that need constant maintenance (pets, houseplants, maybe some livestock), that you can’t fit into your RV, consider hiring a house-sitter.
Maybe you even plan on fully switching to an “on the road” lifestyle. In that case, you could even full-on sell you house, since you won’t be using it anymore.
The need for those thing will, of course, vary depending on your chosen RV lifestyle. But no matter your lifestyle choice, you should always thing about your house, before you decide to switch it out for an RV.
Prepare for the life on the road
Now that you got your own RV, you got used to a new, downsized life, even found a good job, it’s time to get on the road. But remember, what you are doing is not a simple vacation, it’s a new lifestyle. It won’t be just sunshine and roses. You must also expect the gritty side of living in an RV – flat tires, defects, breakdowns and defects, running out of gas mid-journey, maybe even a car crash. There are many things that can go wrong in an RV, and you need to prepare for all of them.
There are also many different unwritten rules of RV travel, which you should learn about before you first set out on the road. One of those is setting up a travel schedule. You can’t just drive for a week straight. It’s important to take a break on your journey and have a day or two just for relaxing and taking in the nature around you.
You should always find time for yourself. If you plan to spend your whole life on the road, it’s only natural you should allocate some time to actually enjoy the journey.
