RamonaCreel.com

When you tell someone that you’re an RVer, most folks say, “Wow, that must be a great life!” But they’re usually only looking at it from a “you-get-to-travel-all-the-time” perspective — not the “simplifying-your-life-and-reducing-stress” angle. And in doing so, they often misunderstand our reasons for giving up a stationary life in favor of the road.

The Bigger Picture

My decision to become a full-timer was only partly about the travel — my larger goal was to downsize and simplify, letting go of all the unnecessary trappings and stresses and expectations of modern life. I’ve always been a “minimalist” at heart, but it took moving into a 29-foot Airstream to REALLY teach me what simplicity was all about! Full-timing allowed me to drastically reduce the money, time and energy I spent maintaining my living environment — and put more of my efforts into enjoying life. Let me share the joys of voluntarily simplifying through full-timing:

Home

• no homeowner’s association fees or restrictive covenants to abide by
• even when the power goes out, you still have a working stove and refrigerator
• your carbon footprint is a fraction of the typical American’s
• if you don’t like your neighbors, all you have to do is pick up and move
• there’s no reason to ever suffer through a blazing-hot summer or winter blizzard again

Stuff

• you’re less likely to accumulate clutter with 200 square feet of living/storage space
• you never worry about forgetting something on a trip — all your stuff goes with you
• you have access to a swimming pool and Jacuzzi that you don’t have to maintain
• you use less of everything — water, electricity, gas, TP, you name it
• you’ll never have to hire “help” to keep your house in order

Travels

• you can spend time with all your different sets of friends/family all around the country
• you get to try a variety of fresh regional fruits and veggies, in–season and locally-grown
• your license plate is almost always a conversation starter
• you have no excuse for saying, “I wanted to visit there but never got around to it”
• you can have a different view out your window anytime you want

Maintenance

• when company visits, it takes about 15 minutes to “clean” your house
• you never have to cut the grass or clean the gutters
• the biggest “foundation repair” you have to consider is a blown tire
• the chances of your home ever “flooding” because of a plumbing problem are slim to none
• home maintenance costs pennies compared to a house or apartment

Money

• no property taxes and no mortgage payments
• you don’t have to pay state income tax if you choose the right place to “domicile”
• you get to say something most Americans can’t — that you own your home outright
• food rarely has time to go bad in the fridge, when you only store a week’s worth at a time
• your monthly RV park fee plus hookups is less than half of most folks’ rent without utilities