We all have those moments of clarity, when the cobwebs of life are brushed aside from the recesses of our mind and we’re able to grasp something useful enough to be considered a life lesson.
Shifting from a stick and brick home to the full time RV lifestyle definitely speeds up that process. If you’ve ever made this transition, you may be able to relate to the top 10 life lessons we’ve learned. If you’re still thinking about making this change, we hope our experiences will be of use to you.
We promised to be transparent at the outset of creating this blog. By doing so, we hope you’ll learn from both our victories and mistakes. If you read this article, you’ll know we really don’t hold back on our flaws.
In order from 10 to 1, these life lessons refer to when we first made the transition, to now that we’re making our life on the road.
So without further ado, here we go…
Life Lesson #10: There is no shame in not knowing.
We were clueless. The good news is that no one has life all figured out. As it is in life, so it is in RVing. There is simply too much to know about RVing for any one person to be an expert.
Questions arose:
- “Are we really doing this?”
- “Diesel or Gas?”
- “Class A or Class C. What the heck is a Class B again?”
- “Can I cook a meal in such a small kitchen?”
- “How tall is this rig exactly?”
- “What about hot showers?”
- “What happens if I push this button?”
- “How will this compare to our budget in our stick and brick home?”
- …and on and on
We’ve learned so much since we rolled down our first highway that it has been like drinking from a firehose. For those of us on the more clueless side, let’s just say we we’re soaked.
Thankfully, we’re not the first people down this road, nor will we be the last. Already in our journey, we’ve met seasoned veterans with decades of full-timing, and folks who are literally on the cusp of taking the step into the full-time RV lifestyle.
The lesson here is twofold: 1. Ask questions. 2. Verify the answer. There are countless forums, blogs and websites run by and for RVers. Use them, and make sure you verify any answers you’ve been given before you make any major decisions.

Life Lesson #9: Don’t buy things you don’t need, with money you don’t have, to impress people you don’t like.
You’ve heard this lesson before I’m sure, but how does it apply to the RV lifestyle? Let me tell you…
When we first started looking at RVs, we toured all the big rigs. Those fancy new 45′ Class A diesel pushers by the top brands are pretty darn impressive…and expensive! Perhaps it was a bit of ego or pride that had me (Eric) touring these coaches. Ok, so it was completely pride and ego. I mean, I didn’t want to be rolling up into the campground in hooptie and have strangers judge me!
When I couldn’t afford the $250,000+ price tag of those super mega rigs, I got practical. I started looking at brand new gas rigs, you know, because those are only around $180,000+. ~rolls eyes~
Brittany was really patient with me. For the record, Brittany is much more practical than I am, and clearly the sensible one of our duo.
Seriously, there is nothing wrong with getting a top of the line rig IF you can afford it and IF it is what you really want. But in our case, that was way outside of our price range. To be completely honest, those rigs were too big for what we wanted anyway. So even if we could afford one, it was still not what we were looking for. What was I thinking?
We ended up going with our rig, “Meriwether,” a used diesel pusher that was two feet longer than what we were wanting and a lot older than what I wanted. But it was in our price range. We got a fair deal from a good couple. We own Meriwether and have the title. No payments = better options for campgrounds and fun! We’re really happy with our home. Yes, we’ve had issues that came up, but thankfully they weren’t anything we couldn’t overcome.
Oh, and no judgmental stranger has ever called Meriwether a hooptie.
We’ve also found that now we are living the full-time RV lifestyle, we don’t really need that much stuff. Space is at a premium, so nowadays when we look to buy anything, it has to pass the “Where-Will-It-Go, What-Can-It-Do, How-Will-It-Travel” test.
The lesson here is simple: Remember once you have your rig, you’ll still need to find campgrounds where you want to stay. These can range in price drastically. So depending on the lifestyle you want to live, you might want to save those dollars for locations rather than having a rig that is one year newer. Also, don’t buy stuff unless it passes the “Where-Will-It-Go, What-Can-It-Do, How-Will-It-Travel” test.

Life Lesson #8: The most valuable lessons in life must be experienced.
There is a big difference between knowledge and experience. You can know intellectually that if you skydive from a plane, your body will plummet to the earth at around 120 mph. But until you’ve jumped out of a plane, you don’t have a clue as to what it is really like.
The one phrase that has come out of my mouth most since we started this adventure is, “This is awesome/amazing! We would never have done/seen this if we hadn’t started this journey.” Brittany will vouch that my favorite phrase is uttered at least once a week.
It seems as though we’ve put more into the past 5 months than most people do in 5 years. Intellectually, you can know what it would be like to bask on the white sand beaches of Pensacola, walk through the Cypress Swamp, listen to the blues in New Orleans, jump into a spring-fed pool, canoe past a wild gator, or go 1,120 feet underground inside a mountain and see a waterfall…but until you’ve been there, you really haven’t lived. (For the record, this is just a small sampling of what we’ve actually done in the past five months.)
The lesson here is: Don’t get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life. There are two types of people in this world. Those who talk about doing things and those who do them. Fall into the latter group and experience life!

Life Lesson #7: No matter how slow your progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who hasn’t started.
It took Brittany and I nearly 3 years to purchase our RV and hit the road, from the first time we discussed the idea to the moment we locked the door of our stick and brick for the last time. No matter where you are in the process of your RV adventure, know that as long as you are progressing toward the dream, you are ahead of 100% of the people who aren’t progressing.
It’s a big decision to make. We get it. But I’ve yet to meet anyone on the road who hates the lifestyle. If you are contemplating it, go for it. You only live once. #YOLO
The lesson here: Count the cost, make wise decisions, pursue your dreams, and make sure you are moving toward the goal. Don’t be stagnant and let your dreams pass you by. In short, get out of the starting gate.

Life Lesson #6: Pace yourself.
When we were researching the full-time RV lifestyle, we read so many forum posts and articles from RVers who were suffering burn out because of the frantic pace they had set. They were ALL recommending to slow down and enjoy it.
We read the words, and we didn’t heed the warnings.
Five months into our adventure, I turned to Brittany and said, “If we don’t slow down, I’m going to get burned out.”
We work for ourselves online, and we have clients Monday through Friday. We were traveling every Saturday hooking up, going out Saturday night, blazing through the area on Sunday. Then working Monday through Friday and going out 3-4 nights during the week. Then Saturday would come and we were back on the road. Exhausting!!!
As I write this article, we’re actually staying in a spot for two weeks for the very first time! This means we got to enjoy our first full weekend without having to move. All of the ol’ timers are laughing at me right now as they read this. Guaranteed.
Our new two week minimum stay rule has been so nice already. Both of us are feeling a sense of peace we haven’t felt for awhile. Who knows, by the time we’re ol’ timers, we might be in one spot for a month at a time. ~gasp~
The lesson here: Don’t do what we did. Set a slow and steady pace from the get go and remember to stop and smell the roses.

Life Lesson #5: People who want to be a part of your life will make an effort to do so.
One of our concerns was staying in touch with our friends. Together, Brittany and I have been blessed to know a LOT of people. Like everyone else, we have friends who are closer than others. However, one thing full-time RVing will teach you is who your real friends are.
They are easy to spot. They are the ones who do whatever they have to do in order to stay in touch. Whether it is a phone call, text, Facebook message, an old school letter, or even smoke signals…the ones who go the extra mile are your hardcore friends.
If you’ve been alive for any length of time, you know that friendships are deeper and more connected depending on your season of life. Like the tide, there is an ebb and flow with friendships.
The lesson here: Don’t worry about this too much, but be ready to do your part. Friends who are true friends are friends for life.

Life Lesson #4: There is nothing better than finding someone who knows all about your flaws and still thinks you’re completely amazing.
If you really want to get to know someone, I mean REALLY want to get to know someone…live with them in an RV. You think you know your other half? HA! Try living with them for just a month in an RV. Then tell me you know them. There is no hiding of flaws, BO, or farts for that matter. Privacy is at a minimum, and any OCD type tendencies will shine like the North Star on a dark night.
But if you are blessed to find that perfect soulmate, the one who knows all of your flaws and still thinks you’re amazing, there is nothing better than sharing the full-time RV life with them.
The full-time RV lifestyle is a magical journey of non-stop exploration and adventure. If you are going to share it with someone, make sure YOU know all of their flaws and still think they are completely amazing. It takes two to tango.
The lesson here: Brittany is taken; find your own. ~smile~ Seriously, if you have that special someone in your life, be transparent with one another. Anything you aren’t transparent about will come out when you full-time in an RV together anyway.

Life Lesson #3: You’ll find out just how patient you really are when being patient is the only choice.
For those who follow along with our adventures at RV Wanderlust, you’ll remember we had our first major mechanical breakdown in Orlando, FL. The entire event was captured in this article. (<~~ Click on the previous sentence to read it.)
Grandma was in town, all four kids were with us, and Meriwether wouldn’t start. We had one week to get him fixed to stay on schedule and it was the week before the 4th of July. Tow trucks were hard to find, and RV repair shops were booked solid. We finally got him to the shop where he needed to be fixed, and then we waited.
Waited on word from the shop, waited on our future plans, waited on the unknown and waited on the repair bill. We were actually waiting in line at Disney’s Animal Kingdom when we got the call. That entire week was a test of our patience and faith. The only choice we had was to be patient in this situation and make the best of it.
The lesson here: There are things that are outside of your control. Let them go. In the full-time RV lifestyle, you’ll be thrown curveballs from time to time. Work toward resolutions, but don’t beat yourself up over things you can’t change. This reminds me of the serenity prayer: “God, grant me the ability to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Life Lesson #2: Don’t regret the chances you didn’t take, the relationships you were afraid to have, or the decisions you waited too long to make.
I’m an extrovert, Brittany is an introvert. Together we’re a beautiful mess.
I like to take chances, but I’m not as bold as Brittany. I like to meet new people; Brittany is more reserved. I like to jump at decisions; Brittany is much more practical and methodical when it comes to decision making.
All that said, we do take chances, initiate relationships, and move forward on decisions. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We’ve made the leap into the full-time RV lifestyle without a parachute. We’ve met some wonderful people along our journey thus far and, because we’ve made decisions without waiting too long, we’ve started our full-time RV journey at a much younger age than most.
It hasn’t been without its challenges. It hasn’t been without those “Oh crap!” moments. It hasn’t been without learning the hard way. But we’re doing it, and that should count for something.
There is a window of opportunity we are afforded in life. Often times there is no telling how long that window will stay open.
The lesson here is: Live a life without regrets, take a chance, be willing to meet people (many of them have fascinating stories), and don’t take so long making a decision that you miss your window of opportunity.

Life Lesson #1: Time flies. Cherish every moment.
Recently, a friend of ours had her husband pass away unexpectedly. She was heartbroken and devastated. I just happened to be one of the last people to take a photo of them together. That image is emblazoned in my mind. It is a constant reminder that our days are numbered.
There are no re-dos on time. There is no reset button. I remember vividly that when we were living in our stick and brick and we were done work for the day, we’d often just turn on some Netflix and do nothing but watch shows the rest of the night. Not that there is anything wrong with watching Netflix (we still enjoy a show or two), but this had become a routine for us.
In the full-time RV life, you can also get into routines, but it is much harder to spend time watching Netflix when a new world of adventure sits just outside your doorstep every time you move locations.
In the past 10 days or so, we’ve toured a 738-acre plantation, listened to a Gullah woman sing and share the history of her people, sat on a swing overlooking a marina and harbor, walked underneath 250 year old oaks, sat at a rooftop bar overlooking Charleston harbor, and walked through old town holding hands and seeing what others only see on TV or in books and movies.
I hope that when my day comes, or when Brittany’s day comes, we’ll both look at one another and smile, knowing in our hearts that we didn’t waste a moment of time and our lives were worth cherishing.
The lesson here: Time waits for no man. You can’t get it back. Take a look at your routine. Is it really what you want out of life?
Leave us a comment!
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below and let us know what you think of these life lessons. Do you agree with them? Are there any you disagree with? Would you add any that you have learned?
Also, if you have any questions for us, please comment and ask. We’d love to hear from you and we’re happy to be transparent in our answers. No topic is off limits.
Always enjoy the updates. Nice to see two deserving people enjoying their lives.
Thanks Don. I’m not so sure about “deserving” but I appreciate the sentiment. Glad you are enjoying the updates.
Love this insight, especially about not having RV debt. Bravo! May the road go on forever for you two!
Brittany is responsible for that wise decision. I take no credit. Left to my own devices we might not have any credit. LOL. Thanks for the comment, and for following along with our adventures here on the blog.
Brittany & Eric when you get a chance, contact us, we’d love to interview you for our blog and possible print article.
We’d be happy to touch base with you. How would you like us to contact you?
Like you, we jumped without a parachute. It’s been a wild ride and we’ve learned so much in the past year. I always enjoy your posts!
I think we should all yell Geronimo when we start this adventure! Thank you for the kind words Shari and for joining us virtually on this adventure.
Always enjoying reading your travels… both of you stay safe and I will see you back in the Port Austin area when you are ready to come ashore.
We hope to be in Austin in December. Can’t wait to hug all of our friends out there!
Beautifully written! And yes, I laugh at you slowing down the pace, but only because as one of them ‘old veterans’ we totally didn’t adhere to our own advice recently and wore ourselves out too. Don’t give us so much credit… we all learn and adjust and whack ourselves upside the head. The important part is, we’re all doing it and creating lives on our own terms.
I saw you were giving up your spot at Burning Man this year. I think it was a wise decision. You both have to be some of the busiest RVers we’ve met. So happy you guys are going to get some rest. It is much deserved. Thanks for the kind words, hope to see you both again soon!
It truly is all about the journey, and it seems you two are out to make it a good one!
We have been enjoying the journey so much. And yes, the journey says a lot more about who we are as people (both good and bad) than any destination. Great point Erick.
Great post! I went full time with my 4 greyhounds on June 3, this year. I had never camped and never towed a trailer. I have a 33 ft. travel trailer and like you learned as I (we) went. It’s been almost 2 months now and I’ve really enjoyed the places we’ve visited (mostly greyhound events) and the people we’ve met. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of facebook friends I’ve made over the years too. Keep enjoying the ride and living your adventure! Safe travels, Terri
Thanks Terri! If there was anything you would have done differently now that you’ve been on the road 2 months, what would it be?
Love this. I’m going to print out every blog post I find that mentions ‘slow down’ and hang them up in our Airstream as a reminder. I’ve already had to refocus and simplify our plan for when we leave in 3 weeks to be sure to really enjoy the places we visit. Thanks for sharing!
Haha WanderWasi, if you did that you could probably wallpaper your Airstream with the amount of wise people who say to slow down. 3 weeks? Yikes! How are you feeling right now? What are your raw emotions? (These things fascinate me)
I feel ‘good’ stress which I’ve never felt before and am surprised by how much it affects me physically and emotionally; I can hardly sleep or eat. I cry more than I thought I would. I can handle about 30 minutes of going through ‘stuff’ to get rid of before I have to take a long break. We have to spend at least one night at the Airstream a week (in a campground about an hour away) to recharge and reset. We are really trying to focus on ‘Be Here Now’ and remember our memories are in our hearts, not the house (or stuff) and enjoy the last few weeks we have in the house and neighborhood we love. But SO excited for August 21st!
If you aren’t blogging, definitely start journaling now while these emotions are raw. This is a beautiful paragraph.
Thank you for sharing. My husband and I are looking to build a Tumbleweed Tiny House in the next few years; right now we are in the SAVING portion of the 5 year plan, because our goal is to own the home debt free. We may not be on the road all the time in the tiny house, but many of your points will apply to us as we live in an 18×8 home.
Good for you on the debt free decision. I’ve heard so much about the Tiny Home movement. And you have a 5 year plan? That’s fantastic. Are you blogging about this? If not, I’d start now. I’m sure so many others who are joining that movement would be interested in the process.
Wow – as I sit here with my DH and our nightly routine of watching Netflix – reading #1 had me tearing up. It is THIS that made us decide to become full-time RVers. My husband was Dx with a brain tumor at age 36 and we said at that point we wanted to make the most of our lives. Ten years later we feel our window of opportunity is finally here. We made the decision a few months ago and we are half way through our planning steps to make it happen. Hope to be on the road this coming Spring. Thank you for sharing!
Slickmouse, this comment really moved me. I stopped and showed it to Brittany this morning. Glad you both our taking the leap. Our very best to you and your DH. Please stay in touch.
Thanks for the insights, really enjoy all your posts. My wife and I will be on the road full time starting on Labor Day, just a few weeks away. We have been planning for a little over two years and the day is finally about here! Keep up the good work, you both are a great inspiration.
Congrats to the two of you on the start of your own full-time adventure Kurt! Maybe we’ll see you on the road someday? Any idea where you are headed to first?
Actually we are going to try and take all the same advice you had (slow down and take it easy). We are going to slowly leave AZ and head up towards Colorado to do some biking, hiking and settling in the RV. Only hard date at the moment is to be in Salmon, ID for Thanksgiving. Keeping it pretty loose to start out with and see how it goes. It would be great to cross paths at some point. If you are interested we are at http://www.thekuhlodyssey.com.
Sounds like a great idea. Wish I had listened when we first started out. I’ll definitely check out your site. Thanks!
We are not full time, but we spend about 4 to 5 months a year in our RV. We campground host at a state park close to our home and spend a month at a time in the RV for 3 months, not consecutively! And then we camp for at least 8 to 10 days here and there throughout the year.
We have learned and followed most of these over the years, but I was laughing hysterically about the life lesson of REALLY knowing someone if you spend a month in an RV with them. My hubby and I have been married 29 years and we spend basically 24 hours a day together, but spending a month in the RV is the amount of time we have decided that we can handle our OCD tendencies before we need more than 208 sq ft and have to come back home for a month. Needless to say, we are not ready to give up our house, but we spend as much time as feasible in our RV and we also learned real quick after retirement that a trip shorter than 8 days was too aggravating. We count on one day for travel and setup, six at a park, and 1 for pick up and travel back home. Of course, that is ALWAYS flexible and so is the route.
Love reading your blog and thanks for a good laugh.
Enjoy and happy RVing!
Congrats on 29 years of marriage! You should write an article next year on the top 10 things you’ve learned about marriage after 30 years. I’d like to read that one! Thank you for the kind words about our blog and for following along in our adventures!
Great article. We started full timing 7 weeks ago. We too are learning life lessons. Like you we are younger than most (Well not that young… both in our late forties), but we too decided that we were not living the life we wanted. We were slaves to the corporate world because of our need to pay a sticks and bricks mortgage. As long time weekend RVers, we are relishing the lessons we are learning while traveling full time.
We are coming up to 20 years of marriage and many of the lessons you mention can be applied to a happy marriage too. It’s so great to find someone you are happy to spend so much time with, isn’t it.
We are also sharing our adventures on our blog, partly because our friends and family want to hear what we are doing and partly because we want to return the favor. We read so many others peoples stories along the way and that helped us a lot in preparing and starting our journey.
Thanks for the thoughtful post and maybe we will meet a long the way.
Kate
(The Scenic Route http://www.TalesFromTheScenicRoute.com)
Looking forward to checking out your site Kate, (which I’ll do as soon as I’ve finished this reply) and congrats on 20 years of marriage!! We’d love to meet up along the way. Hope you’ll stay in touch!
We came across this article on Reddit. You are our dopplegangers. It is crazy. We just happen to be three years behind you. My wife and I have a similar disparity in age. We have 4 kids (about the same age) from my previous marriage and have been playing with the idea of becoming full-timers at some point. It has been a dream of ours, but we didn’t have any practical plans or an idea of how to start sooner than retirement. Wanting to and making it happen was a canyon apart until finding your blog. Thank you. Now we have actual plans in place. We can’t wait for this new adventure to begin. Sincerely, thank you!
Rock on Joey! Glad to hear it. Feel free to use us as a resource. Ask any questions you like. If you use Facebook, give us a follow there, we often post an AMA type of thing on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/RVWanderlust
Anyway, I’m glad you found our site and maybe we’ll see you on the road someday! ~ Eric
That would be great!
We also started in Austin. Too crazy.
I love your writing style. And your post was so helpful. I look forward to more of them.
We have our house up for sale and have been in the process of paring down for the past 6 months via yardsales, craigslist, golsn, etsy,etc. We’ve been married for 42 years and my DH is somewhat of a hoarder (did I say ‘somewhat’?) so it’s more difficult for him to let stuff go. To make me think he’s junking more stuff than he really is, he just changes storage places. 😉 I’m sure he’ll only realize how much he still has to let go when we begin loading an rv, which we don’t have yet.
We’re excited about this new lifestyle and opportunity to travel while taking our home with us. Thanks for all the good info.
Great article… My wife and I have made the decision to buy an RV and live in it full time. So it is great to read articles from people that are already living the life. We’re still researching and visiting every RV lot in South Florida. We figure a 6 month due diligence and learning cycle before we feel comfortable to take the plunge.
Thanks Again!
Hi Guys,
Met you on RVHH today.
You two are doing great and I applaud your energy and spirit. Looks like you’ve learned a lot about life already so all I can add is something I try to do. It’s a quote from one of my favorite philosophers, Will Rogers…”Do the best you can and don’t take life too serious.” I think you’ve got that down.
Cheers! May you always keep the dirty side down out there on the road.
Dave F. (RVHH)
Thanks David! Appreciate the kind words. It has been like drinking from a firehose, but we’re really happy we made the leap!
I just saw that you joined RV Happy Hour forum (RVhappyhour.com) so thought I would come visit. This was the first post I read and wanted to add my “two cents worth of” reinforcement to Lessons 9 and 10 and encouragement. Rather than repeat our story here you can read it at Ray’s Blog (Love Your RV) here: https://www.loveyourrv.com/?s=if+you+are+housebound
And at Anne McKinnell’s photography forum here:
https://annemckinnell.com/2013/09/10/breaking-away-from-the-paradigm-life/
As a followup to those posts, we discovered many benefits to using the rig to make doctor appointments in Reno (100 miles from us) and even to do the 3 hour road trip to visit my kids. We found that we can take this house with us to do all sorts of things that would be much more difficult (or impossible) in a car.
I am looking forward to following your adventures.
George
Beautifully written! And yes, I laugh at you slowing down the pace, but only because as one of them ‘old veterans’ we totally didn’t adhere to our own advice recently and wore ourselves out too. Don’t give us so much credit… we all learn and adjust and whack ourselves upside the head. The important part is, we’re all doing it and creating lives on our own terms.
Joseph Rose | florida RV repair
I just signed up for your wisdom. This article has to the best article on RV’ing I have read.
We just bought our new to us RV and will be fulltiming within the year
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/84cb008ee1fdca056ef7e6bcf509aaf345f2c2f47221abfdc2a69d229e3ef33b.jpg
Wanting to travel, my husband just passed away unexpectedly at 31 from a heart attack, leaving behind my 2 yr old daughter and myself. I also have a shih tzu. I know nothing about RVs, but honestly the idea has me up nights. I want to travel and live life to the fullest. When he passed, he left us with Social Security income due to his death. The widows benefits and our savings has me thinking it might be a possibility to do it. I’m 28 and I have lost my direction in life, my life partner. Is RVing difficult with a dog? I want to SCUBA dive again, to see the US coast to coast, to get the f*^$% out of Indiana, my daughter is slowly becoming a tv and junk food junky around her grandparents while I’m at work, I hate it. I want more for my child. I have always loved camping, We camped on our honeymoon too!
Lovely daughter, @heatherjester:disqus! So sorry to hear of your loss. There are other mothers traveling full-time with their children. I highly recommend you join the Full-time Families Facebook group, which is a huge support group for families on the road. Many, many people have dogs, too. If you want to chat more, feel free to send me a Contact form.