What we've learned about the Motor Home Life

We’ve been on the road in our motorhome now for almost three months.  In that time, we’ve had the opportunity to get to know a few of our fellow “RVers” and have been surprised at some of the things we’ve learned.

1.       Not all RVers are the same.  

a.       Some folks use their RVs to travel relatively short distances most every weekend from their homes to “get away” and relax, as well as join like-minded RVers they’ve become friends with.  These people are usually still working (and thank God, still paying into Social Security for people like us!) and with younger families.  This is the case of Harold’s brother and sister-in-law Kathy who met us at Shawnee National Forest for a weekend.

b.      Some other people use their RVs for somewhat longer-than-normal vacations here and there – anywhere from two weeks to a month.  They may also use them for short getaways not too far from home.  Again, these folks are mostly those restricted by jobs and family size and really miss their permanent homes and “stuff”  when away. 

c.       Some people are like us – so far.  They travel several months of the year and go back to their regular home for the rest of the time, thus keeping the roots established in their home communities.  Almost all of these types are retired but still love their homes and cities.

d.      And then there are some people who sell their homes and most of their belongings, buy a motor home (usually a big one), and live as fulltime RVers.  These are the most fascinating to us.  With the exception of a few (we met a couple with 4 children, all home-schooled in the RV and the husband works and reunites often given his sales rep career) they are all retired with lives deeply moved by wanderlust to see new places and new people all the time.  Many of these are also “work-camper”  RVers, those who get free RV space and hook ups to work at a resort, national park or private RV park (a monthly value of approximately $1,500 in exchange for 20-30 hours per week).

2.        There are many more full-time RVers than we realized.  We have met several at the various campgrounds we’ve stayed at, and are told that there are a million households living full time in RVs.   Full-time RVing not only provides a degree of excitement, it can also be more economical than living in a regular home somewhere.  For instance, one couple we met recently has been living full time in their motorhome since 2005.  They lease a space for their RV, on a yearly basis at only $1600 per year, at a campground in southern Arizona.  They sold their home in Michigan, spend 6 months of the year at the Arizona “campground” along with 800+ RVers at their campground, and then travel around the country, like we’re doing, for the rest of the year.   There are no property taxes to pay, and although there are upkeep expenses on an RV, they are generally less than one would have on a full-sized home or condo.  The motor home is generally cheaper to buy ($50,000 - $200,000 on average) than a home with land, and one can use the funds they raise from the sale of their home for investments.   We asked our new friends the question of what happens when you finally reach the point that you feel incapable of driving one of these monsters around the country.  Their response was, “That’s the automatic trigger point for going into a Senior Living Housing Complex or an assisted living facility!”  How many children would love not to feel responsible for forcing that kind of decision on their parents?

3.        Full-time RVers are adventurers, as a group.  They’re risk takers.  It takes a risk-taker to sell all or most of their belongings and set out to live in a vehicle which is in many ways more complicated than a regular home (for instance, who do you call when you’re on the road somewhere in Montana and you have a flat tire – on a 25,000-pound vehicle!).   They’ve broken away from the day-to-day social relationships that make us all more comfortable in the world and depend, basically, on just their companion and the casual friendships they pick up on the way.  In many ways, they’re the frontier people of our time, forging a new life in a new way in new places.

4.       RVers are easy to get to know.  Everyone in a campground is looking for socialization and conversation, even if it’s just for an evening.  It might take months or years to find friends in a new city you’ve moved to, but fast friendships are formed quickly (if not necessarily lastingly) in the RV campground.  For those of you reading this and knowing Harold and me, there are constant conversations outside the coach, in the laundry room, around outside fireplaces over wine at night, and often when going downtown to an occasional dinner night out.

5.       RVers come from all walks of life.  There are retired policemen and professors, professional photographers, retired millionaires, retired plumbers, young families on vacation, young professional couples without children who have somehow found a way to live working only 5 months a years and travel the rest (yes, we met one of them), fifty-somethings from other countries who take a year off from their careers to explore the United States in a motorhome.  There is always someone you have something in common with in every campground where you stay, or someone whose life is so different from yours that you can’t wait to hear how they do it.

6.        At the risk of stereotyping, all the men in RVs adore their RVs and find nothing more fascinating to talk about than their RV and its inner workings, challenges, and mysteries.  The women may have to search to find things in common with one another:  politics, the arts, family, great restaurants they’ve found, their pets, books they’ve read, etc.  Men never have that problem.  They all KNOW what interest they have in common and they have an immediate bond.  Ask Harold about hydraulic jacks or gray tank management and get ready for note-taking!

Harold and his friend, Don Lehr, carry on an animated discussion on some arcane aspect of maintaining their motor homes (possibly boring - you think? - Don's wife, Darlene).

7.       Motor homes are pretty nice places to live!  They’re compact, but they can be very roomy, comfortable and about as elegant as you want to make them.  Here, for instance, is the inside of the 37-foot, 3-slide, and RV home of one of our friends.  It’s all there: the microwave (combo convection oven), stove, kitchen counters and cabinets, dining space, couches and easy chairs, as big a TV (almost) as you could want, office space for the RV; two bathrooms, if you feel you need them, a combo washer-dryer (yes, the same appliance does both!), lots of storage space, bedroom with queen-size beds, surround sound, etc.  Besides, most  RVers  like spending almost as much of their time outdoors as in. 

In short, we’ve found the “RV life” very appealing.  It’s only been about three months so far, of course, but so far we’ve found it to be a good decision and a rewarding experience.