5 Unexpected Things About RV Life

December 19, 2018

As we grow tired of metropolitan life, society and millennials especially often fantasize about buying an RV and riding off into the sunset. We do this in the hopes of living a less stressful life with more freedom. When your entire life revolves around the mechanical wellness of your vehicle though, there’s always going to be a little stress involved.

The good news is that you don’t have to start from scratch; plenty of people who have pursued the journey before have had their share of speed bumps, literally and figuratively. Some of them might even be things you hadn’t thought of!

Laundry Isn’t Always Easy to Deal With

Now, if you like to stop off at hotels or only travel in your RV once or twice a year, this may not be as much of an issue for you. Even if you travel regularly, you can still have a small washer and dryer installed in your vehicle. This isn’t always very convenient or cost friendly though when it comes to water and electricity usage!

There are days when you may wake up and not know what direction you’re headed or how many miles you are from a city with a laundromat. You might be able to get away with wearing the same shirt for a few days, but repeating underwear is neither ideal or good for your hygiene.

Plan ahead when it comes to acquiring clean clothes, and be sure that you keep detergent on board for days when you might have no choice but to hand wash and dry your laundry.

Downsizing is Necessary

When you live in a house we 3 rooms and a garage, there’s plenty of room for all the unnecessary junk you hold onto for “sentimental” reasons. When you move into an RV, there’s usually one closet, one bathroom, and a few locations for storage. You won’t be able to hold onto a year’s worth of holiday decorations, but you can keep that mountain climbing equipment, you’ll actually have a chance to use it now!

You Can’t Just Show Up to RV Parks on a Whim

Well, you can, but you better hope you arrive during a time when the area is less populated. As we established earlier, this lifestyle is becoming more popular, so if you happen to pop in without a reservation you’ll likely end up with nowhere to park. At some point, you will need somewhere to change out your water tanks and handle other regular maintenance that is required for a camper.

You Still Need Savings and Income

It might feel like you’re heading out onto the open road without a care in the world like Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild, but reality will set in quickly for you just as it did for him. Operating a camper isn’t cheap, and you can expect to pay a rent bill in gas alone depending on how far and how frequently you plan to drive. Hookups at the campsite run you anywhere from $40 to $80 for electricity, sewage, and clean water.

When you add flat tires, cracked windshields, strep throat, and a long list of possible mishaps, the cost really starts to go up.

Extra Preparation for Emergencies

When you’re 300 miles out in the middle of Missouri heading to Colorado, you can bet that there won’t be any hospitals, veterinarians, or ambulances nearby. If your kids get a serious cut that won’t stop bleeding, or your dog swallows something that has to be extracted by a professional, it's a pretty distressing feeling.

No matter where you’re headed, keep a list of hospital and clinic routes on hand. Make sure you have the phone numbers of the nearest place to take refuge should you experience a medical emergency.