About the Host:
Stuart has been a nomad since 2020, traveling in his 40-foot Super C and 24-foot Sprinter van. He is accompanied by his two cats, Camden and Izzy. You can follow his adventures on Instagram at Stuart Doing Stuff.
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Transcript
And welcome to RV Dreaming.
2
:In this podcast, we help you
prepare for life on the road.
3
:Whether you're in an RV or van or in
the back of your car, we teach you how
4
:to get on the road and how to survive
your first year as a full time nomad.
5
:RV Dreaming, start here.
6
:Go anywhere.
7
:How you doing?
8
:My name is Stuart from Stuart doing stuff
on Instagram I've been a no man since
9
::foot super C RV and my 24 foot Sprinter
10
:van and I travel with my two cats Camden
and Izzy follow me on Instagram at
11
:Stuart doing stuff That's S-T-U-A-R-T-
doing stuff for more stories and videos
12
:and today We're gonna talk about full
time RVing and not about my travels Per
13
:se, we're gonna talk about whether it's
gonna be great for you because everybody
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:asks, is full-time RVing like worth it?
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:Is it, is it good?
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:And, and should I do it?
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:And, and I think that question
has so many complicated answers.
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:So today we're gonna take a step,
a six step assessment on whether or
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:not full-time RVing is right for you.
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:First, we're going to understand what
full-time RVing is all about, and then.
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:We're going to talk about the pros
and the cons of full time RVing.
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:We all see the pros on Instagram
and on YouTube and all the pretty
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:stuff, but there are a lot of cons.
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:I think sometimes there's just as
many, if not more cons as pros when
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:it comes to living full time in an RV.
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:We're also going to talk about financial
considerations, whether or not you can
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:really save money by living on the road.
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:We're going to talk about lifestyle
adjustments, about how your lifestyle
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:is going to completely change from what
it is now to being on the road mobily.
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:And then finally, we're going
to talk about, is RVing, full
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:time RVing, right for you?
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:With a little self assessment, and
taking into account everything that
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:we've talked about up until this point.
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:Okay, are you ready?
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:Alright, let's do this.
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:So number one, understanding
full time RVing.
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:Now there's a couple ways
that people look at this.
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:I'm a what, I'm a full time RVer.
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:But there are other RVers that are
also full time that do it differently.
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:And what does that mean?
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:So, I do not have a home base.
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:Some people have a home base.
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:Maybe they live in their vans but they
keep a storage shed or they keep a land
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:or a house that they rent and they go back
to it to maybe take a break from the road.
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:Maybe, you know, whatever.
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:I don't have any of that.
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:I am.
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:I live full time on the road.
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:I don't have a place where I go back
to, to unwind or to reset or regroup or
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:any of that, what my home is, my van.
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:And so wherever I go, I, I,
I have all my stuff with me.
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:I don't have a reset position.
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:I don't have a place where I
can go and just take a time out.
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:So I'm a full, full time RVer.
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:And sometimes that doesn't always work
for people because when you're out.
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:On the road, you're always having to
say where am I going to sleep tonight?
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:Where am I going to go?
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:What direction am I going to go?
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:And for some people, like
myself, that's exciting.
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:That's entertaining.
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:That's that great, um,
adventurous, spontaneous spirit.
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:Where you don't know where you're
going to wake up in the morning and
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:you don't know where you're going
to see or who you're going to meet.
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:That, you have to have.
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:Some people just don't
have that, and that's fine.
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:Does that mean that if you don't
have that spontaneous spirit,
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:you can't be a full time RVer?
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:Absolutely not.
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:You absolutely could.
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:When I first started RVing in
my Super C, I had reservations
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:planned out for six months.
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:I knew where I was going, I knew
how long I was going to be there, I
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:knew what I wanted to do when I was
there, and I knew when I was leaving.
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:So there's a whole bunch of different,
um, ways that you can full time.
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:But I think one of the biggest
characteristics of full time RVers...
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:Is you're looking for something new,
you're looking for an adventure, you're
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:looking to try and do something or see
something that you've been wanting to
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:or you never thought you would have
an opportunity or a chance to do,
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:you know, full time RVing is amazing.
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:I'm out here in Palm Springs right now.
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:And because I'm in my van,
I have, I'm at a campsite.
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:I'm at a Thousand Trails
campsite, and I was able to get
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:a reservation here for two weeks.
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:My, my plan allows me to get
three weeks of reservation.
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:I'm only at two.
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:But, I will take the van, and I'll,
I'll go out and explore Palm Springs.
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:There's some great hiking, there's
some great sightseeing, there's
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:some great stuff out here to do.
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:And then, sometimes, I'll stay out there.
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:I'll just stay, you know, maybe if
I'm gonna go do a Joshua Tree tour.
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:I'll go out and do a night in
Joshua Tree, and then I'll come
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:back to the Thousand Trails.
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:You know, to my campsite that's here
and regroup and shower and do all
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:those other, other kinds of things.
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:Um, there's other times where I'm
just trying to beeline it from one
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:place to the other and I'm going
to go six, eight hours a day.
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:Other times I just don't
know where I'm going.
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:So I'm just looking for an adventure.
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:You know, I've, I've found
that small towns are amazing.
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:I found that, um, I actually.
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:I kind of enjoy going to smaller towns and
smaller areas like that than I do going to
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:bigger ones just because there's, there's
so much more to see and so much more
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:to do there and so much more character.
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:That's exciting.
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:You know, so I think all of
us who are full time RVers, we
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:have that sense of adventure.
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:We have that sense of excitement
of what's behind door number two.
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:You know, somebody came up to
you and said, Hey, I'm going to
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:give you 100 cash or you can have
whatever is in this mystery box.
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:I think we're going to take the
mystery box, or at least I would.
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:You know, win or lose, you never know.
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:There's times where I've had
destinations where I'm just so looking
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:forward to going and then when I get
there, it's such a disappointment.
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:And then there's other times where I go,
well, I don't want to drive anymore, I
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:think I'll just stop here, and it turns
out to be some of the best places and
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:some of the most fun that I've ever had.
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:So, you just never know.
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:So, understanding full time RVing
There is no wrong way to RV.
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:I think that's the best way to say it.
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:Whether you want to be highly spontaneous
like myself, like I just described, or if
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:you want to be a planner and know where
you're going, why you're going, like I did
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:when I first started, you can do that too.
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:Is one way wrong, or better, or worse?
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:Absolutely not!
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:It just all depends on what
you want out of your RV travel.
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:So don't let anyone tell
you you're doing it wrong.
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:Because there's no such thing.
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:Okay, so now let's talk about some
of the pros of full time RVing.
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:Here's step number two, freedom
and flexibility to travel.
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:I remember when I was working,
I would love to travel.
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:I wanted to go see things and I
wanted to go do things, but the
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:cost of travel between airplane
tickets, hotel rooms, meals eating
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:out, all that stuff really adds up.
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:In an RV, you have none of that.
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:You don't need to worry
about hotel room bills.
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:You don't need to worry about eating out.
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:You don't need to worry about
the, the, all these other expenses
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:because you have your stuff with you.
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:So if you want to splurge and you want
to go out to dinner, you can do that.
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:But if you wanted to stay home and cook...
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:You can do that too.
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:That's the greatest part about
full time RVing is you have
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:everything you need with you.
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:It really significantly cuts down
the cost of travel, the cost of
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:exploring, and there's the cost
of vacationing to an extent.
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:So that has got to be the biggest thing.
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:If you ever said, I want to go here but
I can't afford it, you probably could
148
:afford it if you are a full time RVer.
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:It really does strike the cost.
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:We're going to talk about financial
considerations coming up in step four.
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:Um, More about pros.
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:And I'm going to say this
because to me this is a pro.
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:To some people it might not be.
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:But I'm going to go with, uh, simplified
living and downsizing possessions.
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:There is a time in everyone's life, I
think, that you kind of realize that,
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:um, You measure your worth, your life,
yourself, your accomplishments, not by the
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:car you drive or the house that you have,
but by some of the other intangibles,
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:like your relationships, your family,
your children, your friends, you know.
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:And, and now, as long as you have
that, you don't need these things.
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:So, downsizing and simplifying your life,
um, and it allows you to really focus on
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:relationships and focus on bigger things
as opposed to focusing on, oh, look at
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:that new model car that just came out.
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:I need to go get that.
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:Or, oh, check out this
TV, I need to go get that.
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:Simplified living takes a lot of
stress off your plate that you
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:can use to focus on other things.
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:So that is a, a big pro in my book.
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:Uh, potential cost savings
compared to traditional living.
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:You know, when you look at the
cost of rent nowadays, when
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:you're looking like in California.
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:A one bedroom apartment can be going
for anywhere between 2, 500 and 4, 000
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:a month for a one bedroom apartment.
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:You know, and, and that's
just, to me, mind boggling.
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:That, um, you can do that.
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:We talk, we, we hear stories all
the time about how the real estate
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:market is Is it's just dead right now.
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:Interest rates are high, nobody's
selling, you know, it's just, it's
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:really hard to get into, uh, into a home.
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:And so because of that, everybody's
renting and it's driving up rent prices.
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:So we hear about all that kinds of stuff.
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:And I just say, you know, an RV may
be a depreciating asset, but at least
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:it's still an asset when you're renting
from somebody, an apartment or a house.
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:It's an asset, but it's not yours.
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:It's not going towards anything.
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:When you leave that lease,
you can't get anything back.
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:As opposed to an RV, you go out and
spend 50, 000 on an RV, you live in
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:it for X number of years, and when
you go and sell it, and you sell
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:it for 30, 000, at least now you're
getting 30, 000 of your 50 back.
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:It only cost you 20.
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:You know, so, there's, there's...
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:Benefit of even though it is a
depreciating asset and at least it's
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:your asset At least when it comes time
to get rid of it and sell it and move
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:on and change your life or whatever you
want To do at least you have now still
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:something to show for it So that's to me
is is another pro is it gets you out of
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:that Sticks and bricks it gets you out
of that rental place at the high rent
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:where you can still Save quite a bit of
money doing this Another pro and this is
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:one that I did not anticipate, but it's
the community on the road There are some
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:amazing people traveling full time in
their RVs And I'm not talking about, like,
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:if you see movies and you see, you know,
people who talk about, oh, you're living
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:in your car because you're homeless, you
have no other options, you got bad credit,
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:you can't get a job, you can't do it.
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:We're not talking about that.
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:I know people that I've met on the
road that are computer programmers,
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:that are data scientists, that are
all working remotely, that are all
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:exploring, that are all traveling,
that are all living their best life.
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:Right now.
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:And, and I think that's one of those
things where you kind of get this, this
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:perception that, Oh, if I'm, if I'm
going to get on the road, you know,
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:the only community that's out there
is, you know, these dirty old people
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:that can't, you know, hold down a job.
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:They're all druggies or all this.
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:That's not true.
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:I mean, there are.
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:That, them that are out there,
but the great thing about being
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:on the road is you can pack up and
you can go and find your tribe.
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:You can find people that relate
to you, and you relate to them.
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:There are people that are out there, it
doesn't matter who you are, or what walks
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:of life you're coming from, you will
find that group of people on the roads.
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:I'm talking about solo travelers,
solo female travelers, families.
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:Seniors, retired, working age, everything
in the middle, you can find on the road.
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:And it's not that hard to do either.
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:All right, tip number three, let's
go over the cons of full time RVing
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:because we can make it, you know,
look all pretty and, and sunshine
224
:and rainbows and stuff like that, but
there are some cons to full time RVing.
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:And I think the first one is going
to be the one that resonates with
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:people the most, and it's the lack
of stability, you know, people.
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:inherently like routines.
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:They like to go to home, or get home,
wake up, go to work, go to their
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:thing, and then come home and be done.
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:They like that, people like
that sense of stability.
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:Um, in an RV, you do have that,
but you gotta add a couple
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:other items into the mix.
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:So, there is no, uh, you don't have
a permanent address, you don't have
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:a permanent place to live, you don't
have a permanent place to sleep.
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:Well, you have your van, or your
RV, you sleep in your RV, but
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:where are you going to park the RV?
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:You know, you're always thinking
what's next, what's next, what's next.
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:And for some people, they can
see it as just, that's just one
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:more thing I have to worry about.
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:You know, and, and, That can also
be a pro though, because if you
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:like that spontaneity, if you like
that creativity, if you like getting
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:out there, that could be there.
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:Space limitations and privacy concerns.
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:So space limitations, absolutely.
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:We talked about this in the prose.
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:You're downsizing your life.
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:You're downsizing your possessions.
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:You're living a more simplistic life,
which means you only need the essentials.
249
:You're only going to get the essentials.
250
:You're only going to have room
for the essentials that you need.
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:As far as tangible items in your life.
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:So, when we talk about space
limitations, I never thought
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:I could live in a 24 foot van.
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:I went from a 3, 000 square foot condo,
to a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 3, 000 square
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:foot condo, to a, um, 40 foot RV, to a 24
foot van in a matter of a couple years.
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:I never thought I could do it.
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:But I love it.
258
:It's, it is the greatest,
greatest thing ever.
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:So, there you go.
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:Privacy concerns, um, I'm a solo traveler,
so I only have to worry about privacy with
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:my two cats and they don't care, they just
kinda do their thing and I do my thing.
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:I think if you're traveling with
your partner, a wife, spouse,
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:boyfriend, girlfriend, um, if you
were living together anyways, you're
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:just gonna get a little closer.
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:If you're talking about private
time with, uh, kids and families and
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:all that, well, I'm not the right
person to ask on that, I just...
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:Straight out, I'm not
the right person to ask.
268
:I have no experience with all that.
269
:I can tell you, though, that if you're
a family traveling, or a large group
270
:that's traveling, these RVs that are
out there, especially when you get into
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:these fifth wheel sizes, they've got
private bedrooms, they've got outdoor
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:spaces, they've got indoor spaces.
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:Some of these things can rival an
apartment that you would get in
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:like a Chicago or a New York or
anything along those lines, you know.
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:Some of these places
are built for privacy.
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:Some of these new RVs, these fifth
wheels, have bunkhouses and attics and
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:things like that that you can get up to
and throw the kids up there and stuff.
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:So let them have their space
so you can have your space.
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:There are ways of getting around
any sort of privacy concerns that
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:you may have, um, as an RVer.
281
:I think the one that bugs me the most
on the cons list is this maintenance
282
:and the unexpected repairs part.
283
:You could be driving down the
road and anything could happen.
284
:You know, you might say, hey, we're
leaving point, place A today and
285
:then we're going to be there in place
B and you could be down the road
286
:and any number of things happen.
287
:You can get flat tires, it could be
traffic, it could be freeway shutdowns.
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:You know, but I think that's one of
those things that We as RVers, we just
289
:kind of go with the flow on, you know,
there's nothing you can do to change it.
290
:So you just, you just shrug
it off and you, and you deal
291
:with the problem at hand.
292
:Now, do you like it?
293
:No, absolutely.
294
:Isn't it inconvenience?
295
:Absolutely.
296
:But it's no different than if you're
planning Thanksgiving dinner at
297
:your house and your sewer drop, you
know, backs up or toilet clogs, or
298
:you have a roof that's leaking, you
know, any of these kinds of things.
299
:You, you have to do the same thing.
300
:You just kind of roll with it.
301
:So whether you're in an RV.
302
:Or you're in a Sticks and Bricks
home, you're gonna have these
303
:kind of emergencies and these
unexpected repairs that pop up.
304
:Is it happen more often in an RV?
305
:Maybe.
306
:I don't know.
307
:Um.
308
:Depends on your RV.
309
:Depends on the house
that you're living in.
310
:Depends on the, on your landlord.
311
:Depends on a lot of things.
312
:So, that's kind of a, uh, a
very different kind of thing.
313
:Another con, and this is the last
one on this section, then we'll
314
:move on to financial considerations.
315
:Uh, the last con I have is, um,
weather dependency and safety.
316
:Excuse me.
317
:Weather dependency.
318
:Um, you don't want to
be out in a hailstorm.
319
:You don't want to be out
in a lightning storm.
320
:Even heavy rain.
321
:You don't want to be
out in excessive heat.
322
:The good thing about it is, we can
get away from all those if we need to.
323
:So...
324
:Just always being alert and always
being aware and you're ready to go.
325
:Not a big deal safety concerns That's a
that can run from a wide gamut of things
326
:We do full podcasts on RV safety and you
should go look those up if you haven't
327
:seen it But those are those big two big
cons though that will wrap up this list
328
:as far as full time RVing All right.
329
:So what about money?
330
:What kind of financial considerations?
331
:Are there in RVs?
332
:Well, like I mentioned
before, you gotta have an RV.
333
:You gotta buy one, you gotta rent one, you
gotta lease one, get a loan, do whatever.
334
:Um, how much?
335
:RVs run anywhere between brand new, maybe
25, 000 if you want to get a little travel
336
:trailer fifth wheel or travel trailer kind
of thing, all the way up to millions and
337
:millions and millions of dollars for these
big fancy Class As and stuff like that.
338
:I noticed that most people...
339
:Most RVs, you can find, depending on
what you're looking for, somewhere, you
340
:can find a quality one, especially used,
starting as low as 50, 000 and as high
341
:as, you know, six or even seven figures.
342
:So, it's hard to say how
much money Do I need?
343
:Because it just all
depends on what you wanted.
344
:You can go find an RV with really
great bones that's been mechanically
345
:maintained that looks great and you
can gut it just like a house and you
346
:can upgrade it with your own sofas,
your own furniture, your own things.
347
:You know, you can make it yours.
348
:Uh, for very, very little money.
349
:So, as far as the cost of an RV, that's
really kind of up to you, but if you set
350
:your budget, you can go out and you can
find the best darn rig that you can find
351
:that money will buy, that your money
will buy, and that you can make it work.
352
:That's not a, uh, That is not a drawback.
353
:You can find whatever you need
to be able to hit the road.
354
:Even if you have an SUV
right now that can tow.
355
:You say your tow capacity is 7, 000
pounds like a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
356
:I think their tow 500 pounds.
357
:You can go out and find RVs
that weigh less than that.
358
:And then you're in the, and then
that's 20 something thousand dollars.
359
:You're good to go.
360
:Right?
361
:You're all set.
362
:Now let's look at some other stuff.
363
:Fuel, insurance,
maintenance, campsite fees.
364
:Oh gosh, you know, fuel.
365
:I always say fuel is my biggest
expense, but I travel a lot.
366
:If I traveled less, I wouldn't
spend as much money on fuel.
367
:I mean, it's a basic thing.
368
:If I stuck around an area, like,
again, I'm in Palm Springs.
369
:There's a lot of BLM land out here.
370
:There's a lot of stealth
camping spots out here.
371
:Uh, it's a very friendly, RV friendly,
stealth camping area to be at.
372
:If I just made a circle and I never
slept in one spot more than two days,
373
:like if I'm here one night and I moved
a mile down the road and slept somewhere
374
:else for another night and I moved to
Joshua Tree and I was there for a week.
375
:You know, your fuel cost
is going to be nominal.
376
:Your campsite fees are going to be zero.
377
:You know, you can really add
all that kind of stuff up.
378
:Your insurance is going to be the
same whether you drive 1, 000 miles
379
:or you drive 10, 000 miles a year.
380
:You know, that's not the issue.
381
:Maintenance, kind of the same thing.
382
:It's going to fluctuate depending
upon the number of miles that you pay.
383
:Put onto your rig.
384
:So that's kind of a hard kind of scenario
to be able to look at But what I would
385
:say is when you're budgeting you should
always budget for emergencies because
386
:you just never know what's gonna happen
and emergencies Are different than
387
:your normal repairs and maintenance.
388
:You should be budgeting for your
normal repairs and maintenance for
389
:Your tires, your oil changes, and,
and all that other kinds of stuff.
390
:You know that's going to come, so
start putting money away for that now.
391
:Emergency budgeting, I'm talking
about is if your air condition
392
:dies, your refrigerator dies, and
you need to go and buy a new one.
393
:Those are the emergency kind of costs that
I'm looking at um, when I say emergencies.
394
:So, you have your repairs and
maintenance budget, you also
395
:have your emergency budget.
396
:Let's talk about Income on the road,
remote work, seasonal jobs, you know,
397
:you can get jobs at campgrounds.
398
:You can get seasonal jobs as a camp host,
running a campground, in maintenance,
399
:in repairs, in customer service.
400
:You know, if you stay, I know a
lot of people that will stay put
401
:for one campground season, make
a bunch of money, And then travel
402
:the rest of the eight months, you
know, that's, that's an option.
403
:There's a, someone that I know that
just got a amazing, uh, camp work job
404
:in Yosemite, stayed up in Yosemite the
entire season, met a ton of different
405
:people and was out exploring the entire
park, lived on site, um, for free.
406
:In the van just cost no money had an
amazing summer made a ton of money and
407
:then just hit the road again So there
are a lot of things that you can do
408
:That are out there as far as seasonal
work as far as remote work remote
409
:jobs kovid really element, uh elevated
remote work and when it comes to um
410
:The acceptance and the availability of
nomadic jobs, so that's a huge thing
411
:when we look at financial consideration.
412
:So, can you save money living on
the road or in an RV as opposed
413
:to your current situation?
414
:Well, that's a hard question to answer.
415
:If you're asking that question and
you're in a high rent, high cost of
416
:living area like California, New York,
Miami, something along those lines or
417
:Chicago, the answer is probably yes.
418
:But if you're listening and you are in,
uh, uh, Iowa or Kansas or some other
419
:lower cost, uh, place, uh, lower cost
of living, um, the answer could still
420
:be yes, but it's also gonna depend.
421
:So, every situation,
every area is different.
422
:So, can you really save
money by living on the road?
423
:I am.
424
:I'm saving a lot of money
by living on the road.
425
:Uh, but I also was paying high
rent and I was in a high cost
426
:area in Los Angeles, California.
427
:So, that's an individual answer that
you're going to have to talk about.
428
:And decide for yourself.
429
:Alright, so number five.
430
:Lifestyle adjustments.
431
:Well, we talked about a lot of
different lifestyle adjustments
432
:from moving into a home into an RV.
433
:We talked about the elements of stability.
434
:We talked about downsizing.
435
:We talked about a lot of
these other kinds of things.
436
:But I think that When you're looking at
these adjustments, you have to go in with
437
:the basic concept that you are moving from
what you were doing before, maybe it was
438
:a more materialistic lifestyle, and you're
moving now into more of a minimalist.
439
:Lifestyle.
440
:So you only carry what you need.
441
:And for me, I only carry something
as long as it can do multiple things,
442
:you know, and you just kind of have
to change your way of thinking and
443
:change your, your perception and change
your outlook on, on certain stuff.
444
:And it is hard.
445
:It can be hard at first.
446
:Um, but I think that it is, um, once
you kind of get into that, you're
447
:gonna go, Why did I need that 5, 000
statue and an interview hall table
448
:and a chandelier and the thing?
449
:You know, because those are just
things that you think you need.
450
:I mean, how many times have we bought
something, where it's like, oh, this is
451
:going to make my life so much easier,
and then you use it for a little bit,
452
:and then you put it into a kitchen
drawer, never to be heard from again.
453
:I mean, those are the things
that, that you kind of look at.
454
:It's like, why do I need to
be in that I'm on Ti you know,
455
:like, so you're on TikTok, right?
456
:And you know those things, those
Amazon products you must have, or
457
:new kitchen gadgets, or whatever.
458
:And it's like, All these things that
you can go and buy that cost 30,
459
:however much they cost, but it's
like a knife will do the same thing.
460
:Or this whole thing that I already
used for one thing can do, so you don't
461
:all of a sudden need those anymore.
462
:So you're not spending money
on those things anymore.
463
:You know, you're living this down, this
minimalistic, simplistic lifestyle because
464
:you're filling your time, you're filling
your bucket with experiences and exploring
465
:and taking on A different level of
satisfaction that you get from, from life.
466
:Not a materialistic ones anymore.
467
:You know, we're going to talk
about living in close quarters
468
:with family or your partners.
469
:Uh, that definitely is going
to be a lifestyle adjustment.
470
:Uh, but again, going into full time RVing
with the right rig, knowing what your...
471
:Must haves and like to haves.
472
:It's like buying a house
or looking for this.
473
:You're going to have your must have list.
474
:You're going to have
your nice to have list.
475
:Use that list when you go shopping for
a rig, and you're going to be okay.
476
:You know, just know that it's
going to be a lot closer.
477
:But, here's the great thing about the RV
life, is There's, you know, you have your,
478
:if you're in an apartment, you have your
little patio that's just sitting outside.
479
:Right?
480
:Maybe it has a little view of the street
or the park or courtyard or whatever.
481
:But when you're RVing,
you don't have a patio.
482
:You have a whole nature preserve.
483
:You have everything.
484
:When you're in an RV park, there's
swimming pools and hot tubs and
485
:rec rooms and pool halls and...
486
:All these different pickleball, I'm
looking at a pickleball court right here
487
:and horseshoes and barbecue pits, you
know, you don't need to stay inside.
488
:If you're an RV or you can get out and
you can go and explore and you can go
489
:hike, you can have your alone time.
490
:You can go out there and that's what.
491
:You know, RVing is all about.
492
:It's to get out there.
493
:You don't have to spend
all your time in the RV.
494
:And let me tell you about
rain days in my van.
495
:They suck.
496
:Because I do feel like I'm trapped.
497
:Because I don't normally
spend all day in the van.
498
:I like to be out and whatever.
499
:So, I found like, rain
days, I go to movies.
500
:You know, I'll go to a mall.
501
:And just go walk around and, and,
and things along those lines.
502
:You know, I'll find something to
do just to be able to get outside.
503
:Because that's so important.
504
:Just being able to get outside.
505
:And, um, And, and just explore.
506
:So, don't worry about being close.
507
:You can be as close to or as far
away from somebody as you want
508
:when you're doing, uh, this.
509
:And then your daily routines, you
know, as a full time RVer, they're
510
:gonna, they're gonna differ,
but they're gonna be the same.
511
:You're still gonna wake up, you're still
gonna work, you're still gonna think about
512
:what you're gonna do today, you know,
but instead of saying, Oh, I'm gonna...
513
:Vacuum, I'm going to mow the lawn.
514
:I'm going to, you know,
go and clean the gutters.
515
:You're saying, well, we're going
to check out this campsite.
516
:We're going to go do, you
know, go explore this town.
517
:We're going to sleep here tonight,
or we're going to go back to the
518
:campground or we're going to leave
a day early or stay two days later.
519
:You know, so you're still
trying to make the adjustments.
520
:You're still making those decisions.
521
:They're just different decisions about
how you choose to live your life.
522
:So it is an adjustment.
523
:But when it's all said and
done, it's not much different
524
:than what you're already doing.
525
:Finally, is full time RVing right for you?
526
:Well, if you've gone through this
list and you've been nodding your
527
:head up and down going, yeah, I get
it, I can do that, then it might be.
528
:But if you're like, oh...
529
:I can't do that.
530
:No, there's just, that's a hard no.
531
:RV full timing might still be for you.
532
:Because one of the things that I hear the
most is, Oh, I need a shower every day.
533
:So take a shower every day.
534
:You know, in my tiny van,
I've got a full shower.
535
:You know, in my big RV,
there's a full shower.
536
:I'm at a campground, there's
a bunch of full showers here.
537
:You know, So, maybe you're not going to be
an RVer that goes boondocking out in the
538
:middle of nowhere for weeks and months on
end if you need this hot, unlimited water.
539
:Maybe you're going to be more of
an RV campground kind of RVer.
540
:And again, there's
nothing wrong with that.
541
:You know, so, don't let that kind
of thing say, Oh, no, I'm not
542
:ever going to be able to do that.
543
:Um, you know, another thing to consider
when you're looking at full time RVing is
544
:your relationships with the people going.
545
:Are they all excited as you are?
546
:Are they all ready to go?
547
:Now, I've done a lot of interviews
on the RV Dreaming podcast and
548
:for the full time freedom week.
549
:I've talked to a lot of people And there's
a lot of times where one person is more
550
:excited than the other But the person
who's not excited agrees to try it, you
551
:know, quote air quotes try it for one
year Or some specific length of time.
552
:And they're the ones that end
up falling in love with that
553
:lifestyle more than anyone else.
554
:Like, I was just talking to somebody,
they've been on the road for like three
555
:or four years now, but it was a one year
trial, and now they're all in, and they're
556
:raising their children that way, and
it's the one thing that she goes, I never
557
:thought I would have ever have done this.
558
:Like, it, it blows me away.
559
:It is not anything like I thought about.
560
:I thought I was going to have to suffer,
I was doing as a favor to my new husband.
561
:No.
562
:They're all in.
563
:She loves it.
564
:You just never know.
565
:So, but, relationship considerations,
if everybody's on board, then
566
:everybody needs to be on board.
567
:You have to be able to cope with,
uh, changes in uncertainty as well.
568
:You know, things change really quickly
around here, and being able to, you
569
:know, just kind of go with the flow and
think things through with a level head.
570
:Very, very important.
571
:Um, finally, And this is, and
this is, I started without this.
572
:And to be honest, right now, I still
don't have an answer to this last point.
573
:Long term goals and how full
time RVing fits into them.
574
:I don't know.
575
:People ask me how long
I'm going to do this.
576
:I don't know.
577
:People ask me if I would ever
consider settling down again.
578
:I don't know.
579
:I don't want to say yes.
580
:I don't want to say no.
581
:I, I just know that, You know, going back
to the lifestyle elements of a full time
582
:RVer, you just kind of go with the flow.
583
:If somebody called me up today
and said, Hey, I got this great
584
:job you would be interested in.
585
:It would require you to get
off the road and be in person.
586
:But hey, here's the job.
587
:And it was something that
I've always wanted to do.
588
:Yeah, done.
589
:I'm in.
590
:I've turned down jobs because
the opportunity doesn't sound as
591
:exciting as getting off the road.
592
:You know, so there's that, that balance
there, and to get me off the road would
593
:have to be something pretty spectacular.
594
:, but nothing's come up like that.
595
:Now, also, I am getting tired.
596
:I'm in my third year of full time RVing,
you know, without a domicile, without
597
:a home base, without any of this.
598
:So, I am getting tired.
599
:It is a lot of work.
600
:I'm planning, thinking
about where we're going.
601
:The driving, all the kind of variables.
602
:So this winter I am planning on
slowing down my travels a little bit
603
:and not being so go, go, go, go, go.
604
:Just to kind of give me a little reset.
605
:And I think for me, that's going
to give me the rest that I need
606
:to be able to move forward.
607
:And wintertime really allows you to
do that because as the winter moves
608
:in from the north and it gets colder,
everyone fought south to Arizona,
609
:Florida, Texas, You know, for, for
their full time wintering, uh, needs.
610
:And I think that's what I'm
going to be doing as well.
611
:I think I'm going to be camping out in
southern Arizona for the, for the winter,
612
:and not moving as much, or at all.
613
:So that's going to be enough for me
to kind of recharge my batteries, to
614
:stop and focus on some other things,
like growing this podcast and working
615
:on RB Dreaming and stuff like that,
to allow for me to be ready to go.
616
:Come April and May, where I want to
head back up to Canada again, where I
617
:want to go hit the Pacific Northwest,
I'm sorry, the Pacific Northwest, oh,
618
:and the Northeast, you know, so...
619
:I don't know.
620
:And it's okay.
621
:You don't have to have that in mind.
622
:You don't have to have an answer.
623
:I don't.
624
:Does that mean that
you can't full time RV?
625
:Absolutely not.
626
:Do it.
627
:Just start going.
628
:Alright?
629
:So these are the main points
that we looked at today.
630
:Is full time RVing right for you?
631
:Understanding the full
time RVing lifestyle.
632
:The pros and the cons.
633
:Financial consideration.
634
:Lifestyle adjustments.
635
:And finally, you know, some other
things about is full time RVing.
636
:Right for you and I'd
love to hear from you.
637
:What are your pros and cons?
638
:What are your drawbacks?
639
:What are your fears about hitting the
road and now that you've been on the road
640
:if you've been on the road Tell me what
you thought Your fears were how you dealt
641
:with them and how you're getting through
your next cycle your next phase of your
642
:nomadic lifestyle I'd love to know more
about all that drop your comments below.
643
:I really appreciate you tuning in Thank
you for listening to the RV dreaming
644
:podcast If you like what you heard or
you got something out of this please
645
:take a moment and leave us a review
on Apple podcast or Spotify and helps
646
:us get more exposure and helps us just
More people like you thrive on the road.
647
:Alright, so enjoy your travels,
make them safe, make them
648
:fun, and make them memorable.
649
:RV Dreaming.
650
:Start here, go anywhere.
651
:We'll see you in the next episode.
652
:Thanks for listening to
the RV Dreaming podcast.
653
:See the action on Instagram.
654
:Steward doing stuff.
655
:Hear about it on the podcast.
656
:Be sure to subscribe.
657
:We'll see you in the next episode.
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