Season 3 at a Glance

As our third season of full time RV living comes to a close, we are seeing more and more people interested in this lifestyle. From people planning their retirement/retiring or young couples/families, everyone seems to be interested. The online world has made this lifestyle so glamorous and romantic, it occasionally misses the realistic side of the lifestyle. There is a huge difference between what people are seeing on Instagram or YouTube channels versus the reality.

This is a beautiful and relaxing lifestyle most of the time, however it does have its moments of stressful and annoyance. Stressful moments of something breaking and having to figure out if we can fix it ourselves or if we have to pay someone to come do it. This year we got the joy of sealing our roof and dealing with our water pump being on the fritz. Both of these ended up being tasks we did ourselves (the roof being a 4 day ordeal) and the water pump a few hours of our time.

The ongoing realistic non glamorous, sometimes annoying side of this lifestyle, you deal with your own poop at least once a month. When the blackwater tank is full you know. Not having a water hook up, means we fill our water tank at least once a week and empty our grey water tank along with it. Knowing where you packed your stuff, you do not have room for all your gear inside the living area. It’s on going of which tote in the “basement” (storage area underneath) is the hunting gear in or warm clothes etc. All of these things are minor and we do figure it out every time.

This season was a bit different for us, our nieces and nephews are growing up. They do not need an adult around all the time and visits have become a bit more spaced out due to sports and very active social lives. It's beautiful to watch them grow up but we do miss the craziness of them being around. Instead we found ourselves busy with family/friends events, work, hunting and horses. So back to the age old question at the end of every season, does this lifestyle still work for us? Do we want to continue full time RV living?

When we first started this lifestyle back in 2021 there were two major reasons; 1) to travel everything in winter and 2) save money. As we come to the end of this very busy and fun season, with plans for Mexico for winter 2024. That being said, that shows the lifestyle working the way we wanted it too. Our expenses are considerably down and continuing to travel each winter is still a possibility.

Back to the original question: do we want to continue full time RV living? Simple answer is, yes. We do see ourselves leading this lifestyle for at least a few more years or more as it is continuing to work for us. As I work different contract positions I have had the opportunity to meet many different people with very different outlooks on lifestyles and goals. Which has made me reflect several times over the months on our lifestyle.

This reflection still brings me back to being thankful for the changes we have made and continue to live by. The changes we have made have allowed us to continue to meet our goals every year, spending more time with family and friends, hunting, riding, travelling each winter and other financial and health benefits.

I have spoken with people who admit they just don't understand the smaller space living. I can explain it easily as "think of going to your cottage or on vacation. How living with less for that time period is so easy, waking up calm and relaxed each morning. That is what this lifestyle is for us." We took how we feel every winter away, brought it home and continue to live that way year round now.

We found a way to keep that blissful nonchalant feeling going year round. We see the financial and health benefits of it and plan to continue this lifestyle until it does not meet our needs.

Cheers!

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray **