Reflections on Full-Time RV-ing, Three Months In
November 01, 2016
On August 1, we moved out of our house and began this nomadic lifestyle. Some things have been even better than we expected; some have been worse; some have just been different.
Better Than Expected
- Small-space living. We've both been pleasantly surprised at how very easy it is to live in 300 square feet—about one tenth the size of our former house. Steve misses the large shower in the house, but I have felt crowded only once, when we unexpectedly had six guests for lunch. Fortunately, the weather was good, so we could eat outside.
- Minimal stuff. A component of small-space living is not having a bunch of stuff. It's great! I recommend it. There have been a few times when we've said, "Shoot—we should have kept a such-and-such," but the only two we can recall right now are a bucket and an ice-scraper. For a bucket, we use a plastic storage bin, and when we need an ice-scraper (just once we had frost on the car in the morning), we head south.
- Alone time. I think a lot of people were worried that so much togetherness in such a small space would be hard on our marriage and/or our sanity, but we've fallen into a pattern that gives us both some introvert space every day. First thing in the morning, Steve hangs out in the main living space, while I generally take my coffee back to the bedroom and close the door for some solitude while I'm having my morning devotions. Typically we spend the rest of the day together, unless I manage to work in a solo jog or walk, but evening will often find us in separate rooms for a while, particularly if there's a ballgame on. Steve will watch that in the living area while I read or, if we have strong enough wifi, binge on Netflix in the bedroom.
- General daily living. I wasn't sure how complicated it would be to hook up to water, electric, and sewer; to cook on a propane stove; and so on. I did burn my breakfast eggs early on, before I got used to this stove, but that's been the worst of it.
- Meeting people. We had heard that RVers are generally friendly, and that has proven to be the case. Some people we enjoy spending time with and then move on; others we stay in touch with. And as I have no problem starting up a conversation with strangers, we've had lots of interesting interactions with non-RVers, too.
- Churches. No doubt about it: when it comes to church, there's no place like home. But we have consistently found a warm welcome, good liturgy, and biblical sermons in the churches we have attended—and sometimes a famous figure buried in the basement. Congregational singing has been a little more variable; I'm not sure how much of that is because we've been in small congregations and how much is reflective of the state of congregational singing in churches in general. This past Sunday, however, our worship was enriched by robust, four-part hymn-singing. It was wonderful.
Worse Than Expected
- Driving. We knew I wouldn't like driving an RV (I'm not that fond of driving in general), but we hadn't realized how stressful Steve would find it. The biggest problem is, of course, other drivers. People do really stupid things on the road, and they do those stupid things with no understanding of how much longer it takes a motorhome to stop or accelerate. We used to complain about crossing Nebraska because it was so flat and empty; how we'd love to find roads like that in the east!
- Wifi. Sometimes works. Sometimes doesn't. Sometimes works v e r y slowly.
- Campground aesthetics. As tent campers and backpackers, we usually camped in beautiful places. We've had a few lovely sites, but in general RV parks are about convenience, not aesthetics. I was disappointed at first, but see point 1 below.
- Blogging. I thought I'd be a good blogger. I have tons of ideas, and I'm a fairly decent writer. I'll often be composing a post in my head when we're out doing something. But sitting down and writing it—well, I pretty much suck at that. We're usually out and about during the day, and by the time we get home at night, I'm tired, or Steve is on the computer, or I can't get online, or I just don't feel like doing it. So now I'm having those dreams again about the end of the semester coming and I have a project due and I suddenly realize I haven't gone to class all year...
- Corelle. Within a week, one of our plates was chipped along the edge. I figured that was our fault; we must have banged it, or it rattled around too much in the cupboard while we were on the road. But yesterday a plate exploded in the microwave. Now, come on! We got Corelle rather than melamine specifically because it's microwave safe. Or, I guess I should say, supposedly microwave safe. The warranty, by the way, doesn't cover "accidental breakage." It does not mention intentional breakage, however, which gives me some ideas...
Different Than Expected
- Being in campgrounds. I had envisioned eating most of our meals outside, maybe with some charming little citronella lanterns (yeah, I pinned some on Pinterest) and a decorative table on which to rest a glass of wine. Turns out we eat most of our meals indoors. We had a lot of rain in our first month of this lifestyle, so we got in the habit of eating indoors. And as I mentioned in point 3 of "Worse," some of the campgrounds we've stayed in have been less than attractive. To say they look like RV parking lots would be an exaggeration, but not always a very big exaggeration. But the biggest difference is that we're really not camping; we're just living. Usually we choose a place based on its proximity to things we want to see and do; the campground is the launching pad rather than the destination. While I still really appreciate the campgrounds with some natural beauty, I'm now okay with the ones that are strictly utilitarian.
- Physical fitness. Before retirement, when I was jogging around and around in the Tyndale warehouse on my lunch hour, I would dream of a lifestyle active enough to eliminate the need for workouts. I envisioned hiking at least five miles a day. I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me that not all weather (did I mention the rain?) and not every location is conducive to hiking. I have sometimes managed to fit a 30-minute jog into my day if we're not heading out too early in the morning, but I haven't had the discipline to do so when the weather is bad. Still, both Steve (who does absolutely no workouts at all and is still in better shape than I am, blast him!) and I have both had to buy smaller jeans, so this lifestyle seems to be better for us than spending 8 hours at a desk.
- Housecleaning. The space is small, so cleaning takes almost no time at all. However, the space is small, so every area is a high-traffic area. And somehow I had not anticipated the amount of dirt we would track in, now that we approach our "house" via campsites rather than via sidewalk and lawn. So, yes, cleaning house is fast and easy. But it probably ought to be done more frequently than we do.
- Crafting. I really like to make stuff. Before we hit the road, I was particularly interested in altering books to turn them into personalized journals. I brought along some of my supplies to do that, but so far, I haven't. Part of the reason, probably, is that it takes me anywhere from 20 to 40 hours per project; that wasn't a problem when I could leave things out in my craft room for several days or weeks, but it's considerably more complicated when everything must be packed up every night. I've found a new hobby, though: making jewelry with found objects. It takes a lot less space, and my dear friend Kate Nyenhuis has generously shared her jewelry-making tools and some supplies with me. Being of a somewhat obsessive personality, I've gotten rather fixated on making jewelry that reflects the places we visit. If you're interested in seeing more of it, let me know in a comment, and I'll include it in future posts. You know—eventually (see point 4 of "Worse").
Assessment Thus Far
The Betters far outweigh the Worses. So far, we're glad we traded our house in suburbia for life on the road. It's not for everybody, but right now, it is for us.
May your life be equally joyous.
1 comments
Hi Steve and Jane! This is the Haffner's, new owners of your beautiful former home in Winfield. We can see that you are enjoying the relaxed pace of being on the road and we are so happy for you that you are living out your dream! We wanted to let you know, we are absolutely loving the house. John comes home frequently from work and says the house is the best thing to come home to, it makes a bad work day much more tolerable! Practically every morning and every evening he sits out and enjoys the deck. Olivia & Amanda love their rooms, Olivia has the larger one and Amanda has decided to make the west room her homework area. So she actually has more space than her older sister now using the two rooms! They have had several friends over and large gatherings just like we had hoped. When I drive around the neighborhood, I look at all the other houses and love ours the best! I also have been able to spend a lot of time out on the deck and in the garden listening to the pond, enjoying the tranquility. Thank you for not only making your dreams come true but our dreams come true as well! Best regards and safe travels to you!
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