Full-time RVing in a Time of Pandemic
April 12, 2020
by Steve
We've been on the road for 3 years and 8 months now. When we hit the road back in August 2016, we anticipated a life full of the freedom of travel. You know: go where you want, when you want, and stay as long as you want. For the most part, that dream has been fulfilled, although if you want to go at a popular time of the year, you have to do a bit of advance planning. So it's a fair bit less spontaneous than we thought it might be, but we're okay with that. Steve likes to know where he's going to be and so does most of the planning. Generally we go north and/or higher in elevation when it gets warm, and south when it gets cold. The whole point of the RV life is to be going to new places and seeing new things all the time. Unless there's a pandemic.
When we talked about going on the road, we discussed a variety of things that might happen. What if one of us gets sick? There are hospitals everywhere. What if we want to settle down? They're selling houses everywhere we go; just pick where you want to be. You get the idea of the things we considered. Global pandemic was not on the list, so this is new territory for us. So now we have to decide what to do for this summer. Basically The Clash summed it up for us:
Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
As I write this in early April, 46 states are under some form of "stay at home" order. Exactly what this means varies from state to state, but generally it means people should travel only for "essential" services (like groceries, gas, prescriptions, or exercise), or for work (assuming you're essential and can't work from home), or to get to your home. So snowbirds who wintered in the south can travel back home, but generally will need to self-quarantine for 2 weeks upon arrival. But where does this leave full-time RVers?
Many states have closed their state parks. Some have banned "recreational" travel and won't let RV parks take new reservations. But because many full-time RVers live permanently in an RV at a park, stays of 30 days or longer are sometimes exempted from these restrictions, at least at private RV parks. So technically we could book stays of a month or more and still travel to them and be (somewhat) within the "stay at home" orders. We live in our motorhome, so we're always home, right? While some full-time RVers are still traveling and assuming "business as usual," most are opting to stay put until this pandemic is passed. That seems to us to be the more responsible approach, so we're staying in southern Arizona for now. We are still able to see some local sights without interacting with any other people.
Some RVers think we'll all be traveling again by June, or maybe late summer. Others think that we're done for the year. Many of these restrictions are set to end by May, but they might get extended. The reality is that we really don't know. So we're looking at the very real possibility of spending the rest of the summer in Arizona, something we really didn't want to do.
If you know much about RVs, you know that they are not insulated very well. Three inches of insulation in the roof and an inch or so in the walls is about all they have. This means that you really can't live in one in the Sonoran desert, where the temperature can hit 110 degrees. Our rig has 2 a/c units, but realistically they would likely run non-stop just to bring the temperature into the 80s. We'd spend a fortune in electricity to live in what is basically a hot tin can in the desert. So we're looking at other options, like renting a house for a few months. As retired people without a home, we don't "have to" go anywhere. And right now that seems like a good thing.
We'll let you know what we figure out!
4 comments
If you want to travel north, you are welcome to stay on our driveway for as long as you want, where it's possible to give you full hook-up. My mom and dad used to do it
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I imagine this is a really stressful time for you! Praying for wisdom and direction...and a good temporary nest!
ReplyDeleteWe're in Phoenix and don't relish the thought of spending the summer here. Hopefully when the 'stay at home' order is lifted we'll feel comfortable traveling to family property in northern WI for the summer. No meandering for us this summer. We'll drive there quickly and stay put. 🤨 Who would've ever thought?
ReplyDeleteHope you both are doing well and staying safe. What did you end up doing? Hope you rented a house with good a/c!
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