How Did I Get Here?
Updated: Feb 17
This is a bit of a loaded question, but when I first told family and friends that I wanted to sell my house and move into an RV so I could travel around the country full-time, there were mixed reactions. Everyone was supportive and encouraging, but there were also a lot of questions. Many of which I didn't have answers to. I had never RV'ed before in my life, and there was a lot I needed to learn just in terms of basic logistics. But that didn't matter. I had been following several van lifers and full-time RVer's on YouTube and was intrigued. I had also been interested in tiny homes for ages and had been talking about both for a while. More as a fantasy, and not as something I’d actually do. I had watched many videos covering “a day in the life” or some variation on the reality of life on the road, and while that was helpful in trying to evaluate whether this was something I really wanted to do (or more precisely, something I could actually do on my own), it didn’t really help me figure out where to start. There was a lot to consider, not the least of which was assessing the reality of living in such a tiny space.
About 6 months before I made the decision to give this a go, I decided to spend a long weekend in a tiny cabin to see how it felt to be in a tiny space for a few days (stay was with what is now “Post Card Cabins” from Marriott). I’d camped as a kid, but that wasn’t going to be the same as RVing. Of course, that was part of the appeal. I’d get to be close to nature, explore places I wouldn’t otherwise get to see, and not have to deal with sleeping on the ground or trekking to the bathroom in the middle of night. Indoor plumbing is not to be taken for granted! But it's hard to know what tiny living feels like if you've never actually experienced it.
As you probably guessed, I absolutely loved that tiny cabin experience. I spent half the weekend thinking about how I’d want the space configured for long-term living and did a full inventory of my house once I got home. I felt confident (at least in my head) that I could do this, and I was more obsessed than ever.
That said, mental inventories and hours watching YouTube videos wasn’t going to make this a reality. There were plenty of reasons why I couldn't just pack up and go, and it was going to take time to sit down and figure everything out. No small task for a total newbie. But I felt the only way this was going to work was to jump in with both feet. It was a daunting proposition if it didn’t work out, but I had faith in myself even if I felt totally overwhelmed.
One thing that is true about me is that when I set my mind to something, it generally gets done. I won’t say it always gets done well or works out as originally hoped, but it does get done. Once I made the decision to go for it, it was time to really dig in and figure how to make it work. Thankfully, I came across the RV Life Masterclasses early on. I’m sure there are plenty of other ways to get started, but these organized a TON of information into bite sized pieces with lots of reference material. From the RV Buyers Bootcamp to Boondocking 101, it helped me to get oriented.
I was able to assess what type of RV would make sense for me (I ended up with an East to West Entrada 210NS which I totally love) as well as get up to speed on RV systems and operation. There were times when I thought my head would explode as it was a lot to take in, but once the decision was made, I wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible. All in all, it took me about 6 months from the time the decision was made until I was camped out in my parent’s driveway. Most definitely an expedited timeline with MANY trips to drop off donations, coordinating with a realtor, visiting RV dealerships, and making the actual purchase. All while working full-time. I still couldn’t answer all the questions my friends had, but I was going to do this one way or another. You could say I was on a mission.
If you were to ask me then, I couldn’t honestly tell you why I was doing this, but I felt compelled. In life, it’s too easy to get stuck and hung up on reasons why something can’t be done. There will always be genuine challenges, and available options might not be appealing. But at some point, we all need to find a way to overcome these challenges, or we’ll end up wishing our lives away while we make excuses as to why it had to be the way it was. I knew I didn’t want to wish my life away, so while I may not know why the RV life was calling me, it was a call I still wanted to answer. It just felt right.
I’ve been in my RV for over a year now and have no regrets. I was able to work full-time during that first year but recently retired so I could focus more on the travel adventure without having to perpetually worry about having good Wi-Fi. And this is what leads me to where I am now. With time on my hands and that first year under my belt, I feel ready to share the journey. There are times when I still feel like a total newbie (there is always more to learn), but here we are, and I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride.
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