Transitioning to RV Living
Whether you’re going full-time or just an extended period beyond your regular vacation, the struggle between the brick-and-mortar living to RV can be a challenge, even for the 100%, definitely-not-even-maybe, ready-to-go, already down the drive of us.
It’s a struggle that can involve the balance between freedom and security, space and control, and a half-dozen other little nuances that can catch you off guard. Thankfully, you aren’t the first or even the last to have those feelings, and beyond some personal experience, we’ve scoured the web for others’ stories and advice to help you along in your own journey. Maybe some of this advice will work, maybe it won’t, maybe you have your own you’d like to share (we’d love to hear it), but hopefully this will give you a stronger sense of community and understanding either way.
Struggle 1: Being Alone
Being alone. A fear we all have whether we know it or not. With too much time with just yourself and your thoughts we have a lot of time to think, question, get stuck in an endless spiral of thoughts and fears. RVing is pretty much an open invitation to moments of quiet that get a little too quiet. If you don’t know how to healthily manage it you end up with unhealthy coping mechanisms.
It’s important to take to these quiet moments with a positive, gratitude-infused, mind-set (we’ll go into more detail in a mo’). Disrupt the spiral and use it as a chance to sort of meditate, get to know yourself better. Don’t try to quiet them with distractions, that way leads to poor health – mental and physical.
Struggle 2: Loss of Connection
Life on the road is an amazing opportunity to meet new people, but casual and long-time friends aren’t always around – and if you’re flying solo or even as a couple, life can get pretty lonely. It’s not uncommon to weeks at a time without connecting with close friends – which if you’re particularly extroverted can be an issue. But even for the most introverted, there’s such a thing as too much alone time.
Struggle 3: Loss of Control
Control freak or not, being on the move will ultimately have you losing a good amount of control over your surroundings. Whether it’s literally being on the move with other drivers, limitations from the size or style of your RV, or unexpected road blocks (both literal, and things like park shut-downs or amenity restrictions). You’ll find yourself embracing the unknown and unexpected.
And honestly, the sooner you learn to “expect the unexpected” you’ll lower your stress levels a great deal.
Struggle 4: Freedom
You’re probably thinking: well how is freedom a struggle? First, there can be some guilt like “why do I get this when others don’t?” Or, you have a fear of it – the idea that if you don’t make the change maybe you’ll miss out on something, but staying where you are is the safer choice.
Don’t ignore these questions, examine them and their roots. Letting such thoughts fester can only hold you back. Acknowledgment, acceptance, and expanded awareness from them can help empower you in your journey forward.
(ew, I sound like an over-expensive lifestyle coach – there might be more ahead, know that it makes me queasy but it’s the truth)
Facing the Struggles
Self-reflection and shifting fears.
You’re not going to get over your struggles all at once, but accepting them as reality is a good first step (ignorance is not bliss). It can help you see them more clearly and come up with a game plan on how to tackle them for yourself. But we still have a few tips to get you started.
- Write down your thoughts and feelings
- New routines
- Practice gratitude
- Acceptance instead of judgment
- Enjoy the unexpected
Write them down. This is a good practice to organize your thoughts, examine your feelings, and gain focus. You may be surprised what comes up and how you trace the root issue to find a solution.
New Routines. We all have them; morning coffee, checking email, when we do our laundry. One aspect of transitioning to living in an RV is the disruption of our standard routines and it can be incredibly disorienting, and sometimes even distressing.
Smaller spaces lead to being in each others’ space more. Something as simple as your shower routine or making coffee can overlap with another routine in some way. Like, if you’re an early riser just making coffee can wake up any kids sleeping in the rear bunks – or, you might not have a sofa to sit and drink said coffee because it’s being used as a bed. These shifts can make you (and everyone else) cranky – particularly after the shine has rubbed off from the new experience (so to speak). You’re going to have to get more creative in your routines, compromise more. It can take a while, some experimenting even, but finding a new normal that works for everyone is worth it in the end.
Gratitude. It’s not just a trend, but it can literally help you wire your brain towards positive thinking. Glass half-full and all. Negative things will pop-up, but writing down or actively remembering one or two positives and actively practicing gratitude can help you face challenges and new experiences. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, it can be as simple as “I had a good cup of coffee this morning” or “the sun is out.”
Acceptance. As kids we are very firm on whether we like or dislike things. Food, clothes, wearing shoes – this habit doesn’t leave as we age, it refines itself. We’re always going to label something a ‘like’ or ‘dislike,’ extremely rarely are we completely ambivalent about something. Can you think of anything you just accept without categorizing or judging in some way? (And are you actually telling the truth?)
We do it subconsciously for the most part, but the next time you find yourself immediately ‘disliking’ something, try and take a step back and observe, like a third-party. Separate your emotions, don’t choose an ultimate feeling in the moment – just accept it. Write it down later and reflect, figure out what you learned from the experience. You’ll probably find that even the situations you ‘dislike’ have a lesson hiding in their depths.
Enjoy the unexpected. This goes back to loss of control; when you’re so focused on that you’re missing out on the new and different; the opportunities. Try new campsites, locations, routes. Put aside your fears and judgements and need to control and welcome the new and unknown. It can lead to incredible opportunities and new adventures.
These are just a few experiences and tips, yours may be entirely different. So, we’d be more than happy to hear from you; what have you learned about transitioning to long-term or full-time RV living?
Any wisdom to pass along? Let us know!