If you’ve been following our blog you know that we’ve been doing outdoor social distance visits with family and friends as well as spending time in nature. We’ve been asked about why we decided to RV full time, why we picked our RV, how we downsized, and how things have been going in ~200 sq. ft. Here are some quick answers to those frequently asked questions:.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO LIVE FULL TIME IN AN RV?
DOUG: I was interested in both the adventure and self sufficiency. The seed was planted by a prior co-worker, Kate Gilbert, who became a digital nomad several years ago. She and her husband sold everything along with their house, bought an Airstream trailer, traveled the US for about 3 years and then started touring Europe. She writes an informative blog (www.talesfromthescenicroute.com) that we’ve been following and that influenced our decision to buy an RV.
The timing was serendipitous. Both of our companies were purchased by larger medical device organizations so we lost our jobs but the company purchases provided us with some extra funds.
I was interested in both the adventure and self sufficiency. – Doug
WENDY: Doug’s completely right. In fact, I like to tease him that we should have named our RV “Cursing Kate” instead of Baloo (as in the bare necessities from the Jungle Book) because Kate’s blog was definitely the impetus for looking at an RV versus just planning multiple travel trips for a travel sabbatical.
The main reason we decided on a travel sabbatical versus waiting to retire was internalizing the fact that none of us have an infinite amount of time.
In 2019, I had two family members pass after short but hard fights with cancer – my cousin TC (47 years old) and my stepdad Darrel (66). What they had in common was that they both understood how to live with intention. Being around both of them and those closest to them like my brother, TC’s wife Carrie, and my mom, made me realize that they weren’t now, and never had been, living their lives waiting for someday (i.e. retirement). They inspired me and inspire me still to be in the moment, cherish those I love, and start “someday” now.
They may not know it, but Kate, TC and Carrie, my brother, Darrel and my mom, Invuity and nVision Medical kick started our RV adventure and thankfully, most of our other friends and family have been supportive as well.
…they both understood how to live with intention….They inspired me and inspire me still to be in the moment, cherish those I love, and start ‘someday’ now. – Wendy
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR RV MODEL?
Doug did a lot of on-line research to try and narrow the vast number of choices down before we attended a local RV show at the local fairgrounds in early 2019. The show completely overwhelmed me but I highly recommend it for anyone thinking about RVing just to see what’s possible. Once we decided on a few key factors though, the choice became very clear. We’ve delineated the key factors and reasons in this post (Wonder Why That RV?) and so far we’re incredibly happy with our decision.
HOW DID YOU DOWNSIZE?
Wendy and I tried our best to follow the KonMari method with a few modifications (see also this post). We weren’t as bold as Kate (mentioned above) as we didn’t think we could dispose or donate of what we call irreplaceable items (photos, mementos, etc) because we believe that we will eventually get back to a typical house. With this in mind, we agreed to only store items we couldn’t easily re-purchase and get the smallest possible storage unit available.
HOW HAS IT BEEN LIVING IN SUCH A SMALL SPACE WITH YOUR SPOUSE 24-7?
Ironically, and despite Covid which is forcing a lot of families to spend more time together, this is the most frequently asked question from women I know and they always add the word “really” as in, “How has it REALLY been?”.
This is a big question and later I’ll try to post more information on day to day life on the road, but I will say one of the most entertaining, tongue-in-cheek posts about RV life is this one from Chapter 3 Travels (dear-people-of-instagram-wtf) . We disagree with her on the rooftop views, but enjoyed the article nonetheless.
Back to the question above, I’ll focus on small space living and more time together.
Until the Covid-19 shut down in March, Doug and I hadn’t spent more than 3 weeks together 24-7 so like most couples we didn’t know how it would work out. The March 2020 shut down actually eased us into spending all day, every day together, but that was in 2000 sq. ft. home.
To get a sense for living in a 200 sq. ft. RV, walk into your bedroom and imagine removing everything but the queen mattress and then bring in your closet, a shower, toilet, bathroom sink, kitchen sink, one drawer food pantry, 2 burner camp stove, pot/pan/dish/silverware storage cabinets, a microwave, half your fridge, 2 living room/dining room chairs, a small dining table and the front of a Ford transit truck with bucket seats. (See more on our RV layout in this post).
Living in 200 sq. ft. seems challenging until you realize that your goal in full time RV living is to spend as much time as possible in nature. The RV is really just an upscale tent with modern conveniences, so we rarely spend all day inside.
We do spend every day together, but we love that. We’re a great team and over the last few months, we have developed a well-choreographed dance for preparing meals, putting away groceries, or getting ready in the morning so that our small space doesn’t become a big problem.
More than once we’ve bumped our heads on overhead cabinets and stepped in the dog water bowl, but all the memories we’re making together far outweigh any inconveniences.
Living in 200 sq. ft. seems challenging until you realize that your goal in full time RV living is to spend as much time as possible in nature. – Wendy
HOW HAS BAILEY (THE DOG) BEEN DEALING WITH ALL THIS?
She’s doing really well, despite always being on the move.
Your dog is probably like Bailey -with a very specific routine, when it eats, when it’s ready to walk, and even what route it takes around the block.
Even though we’re mobile, we actually do still have routines. They’re just slightly modified and she’s comforted by just being with us all the time. She still wants her walk first thing in the morning and no matter where we are parked, that happens. The route is always different but she’s with us and she returns to her home, the RV.
The only tough issues have been related to rough weather as she doesn’t like loud noises and in the RV, rain, thunder and hail can sound like someone put a tin can on your head and started banging it with a metal spoon. She’s working through it.
WHAT’S BEEN CHALLENGING?
DOUG: The small shower ;-). Also, the pace so far has been much faster than expected. We’ve been on the move every 1-3 days as we’ve had many family and friends to visit with on a somewhat pre-determined schedule and after leaving later than expected due to Covid, we’ve also been chasing good weather.
WENDY: One of the biggest surprises has been a lack of connectivity. Since we boondock (dry camp away from campgrounds and RV parks) we’re often without internet and sometimes without cell connection. I know there are digital nomads working from the road, but my current experience tells me that this takes either a lot of planning to be in or very near to towns with free WiFi or the willingness to stay in connected but crowded RV parks. I haven’t ruled out working from the road, but also haven’t figured out how to do it easily yet either. The other challenge is keeping the outdoors outdoor. We had a mouse problem and although the cab built by Leisure Travel Vans is well made and sealed, like any car, the Ford chassis is open to mice getting in (more on that at a later date). We’re finally winning the war we’ve been waging for weeks with humane traps and peanut butter.
One of the biggest surprises has been lack of connectivity…we’re often without internet and sometimes without cell connection… – Wendy
WHAT HAVE YOU LOVED ABOUT RV LIVING?
DOUG: The best part has been the exploring, hiking, biking, paddling, etc. we’ve been able to do together. It has also been a great experience to spend quality time (mostly socially distanced and Covid careful) with family and friends throughout our travels.
WENDY: I could go on and on about why someone should try it out and I completely agree with Doug on the top two reasons – exploring and friends/family. Doug’s children, our siblings and a lot of our friends have demanding careers and families which makes it difficult for them to get time away with their significant others, let alone see us and our parents don’t travel as often (or at all in 2020) so the RV allows us to go to them and just fit into their schedules. The older I get the more I realize that family and friends are what really matter.
The best part has been the exploring, hiking, biking, paddling, etc. we’ve been able to do together. It has also been a great experience to spend quality time…with family and friends… – Doug
We hope we’ve answered some of your questions. We’ll do another FAQ soon so keep the great questions coming.
