Well, WE DID IT! We have officially started the crazy adventure of full-time RVing!!
This plan has been in the works for almost a year now…but it turns out it’s not that easy to sell your house, get rid of your things, and make the leap into the nomadic life. We are so happy to finally be on the road!
In case you’re new here, I’m Ash, the founder of Dirt In My Shoes. I worked as a park ranger in Alaska, Wyoming, and Utah and have a fanatical love for the national parks.
My husband John is just as outdoorsy and together {with our two little boys} we’ve traveled all over the country to hike through the national parks. We’re ecstatic to be able to travel full-time and we’re excited for you to join us on our adventure!
I’ve been thinking about what I want to share about our time on the road, so without further ado, here are 10 things we’ve learned during our first month of full-time RVing!
1. No Amount of Time is Ever Enough in a National Park
We had the great fortune to spend 2 weeks in Death Valley {you have no idea how many people we saw come and go from the campground haha}. I came into the park with a rather large list of things I wanted to see and do…..and I left the park with an even bigger list of places I’m now dying to explore.
No matter how much time we set aside for a national park, we always wish we had more time. I’ll never feel like I’ve seen enough!
2. Some of the Nicest People in the World are Campers
This world is full of fabulous people who are kind, welcoming, selfless, and trustworthy. We’ve had the great fortune to meet many of these people in campgrounds all across the Southwest.
We loved the bluegrass guitar music that filled the air in Death Valley {thanks Vic!}, the nice fellow who helped us navigate a tight turn with our trailer in Big Bend, the neighbors who’ve invited us to share their campfire, the kind folks who applauded for our son when he earned his junior ranger badge, and new friends that we truly hope to run into again {that’s you Rick and Maggie from Georgia and Marc and Francie from Germany}!
3. Our Connection With Nature is Strong — For Good or For Bad
I feel like I’ve never checked the weather forecast so many times in a month as I have during our first month of full-time RVing!
One of the best parts of being on the road full-time is spending so much time outside. We eat outside, we go on lots of walks, we explore our campground, we hike, we sight-see, we sit around the campfire, and we wildlife watch.
We also hunker down inside our small trailer as gale-force winds shake us back-and-forth, have sleepless nights as we listen to pounding rain and hail, and always seem to smell like bug spray, sunscreen, and dirt.
Life is good…Mother Nature just keeps us on our toes!
4. Sometimes Plans Just Get Thrown Right Out the Window
Planning things out thoroughly and efficiently brings me great joy. In my mind there is nothing better than having a good, solid plan and following through to reach my goals.
After a month on the road, I’ve decided that it’s unquestionably impossible to stick to a strict plan, no matter how carefully thought out and crafted it is.
Life is messy. Things go wrong. We have bad days — especially with our kids in tow!
Life is glorious. Things go right. Opportunities present themselves that you just can’t pass up.
Though we’ve had some setbacks, we’ve also seen some spectacular places because our plans had to change. Lost Dutchman State Park and Bandelier National Monument are just a few spots we were lucky to visit when we threw our original plans out the window!
5. Resources Are NOT Unlimited
I don’t know about you, but when I lived in a “sticks and bricks” home I never thought much about the resources I was using.
I never had to worry much about where my water, electricity, and food was coming from. I could just flush the toilet and never think a second thought about where my waste was going {I know, too much information haha}.
My eyes have been opened! We have to pay strict attention to how much water we are using….otherwise we run out. We have to watch our electricity and propane usage…otherwise we can’t cook, stay warm, or have light. We actually have to treat and dump our own waste…thank you to anyone who is in that line of work. Seriously.
I love that I get to teach my children that there isn’t an infinite supply of resources available to them. I wish that everyone could experience that first-hand.
Cutting back and being mindful of our use of resources has been empowering as we try to do our part to take care of this beautiful earth!
6. Do I Need It or Do I Just Want It?
Moving into a 24 foot trailer has forced us into a life of minimalism….which has actually been liberating! We no longer own things that don’t have a specific purpose.
When I go to the store, I almost always buy just the necessities. There just isn’t room for extras.
Our kids don’t have a million toys — they have about 5 toys each. When we get something new, we donate an old one to make room.
When we buy a new shirt, an old one gets donated. We only buy food that we need and that will get eaten.
At first I was worried about feeling like we don’t have enough, but the opposite has happened. I actually still feel like we have too much! We need very little to have a happy and comfortable life. And my kids don’t miss their toys :)
7. Not Every Moment is Social Media Worthy
Full-time RVing is not always made up of epic hikes and beautiful sunsets. Life still happens!
Yes, my 3 year old still has meltdowns. He totally lost it in a Death Valley parking lot for everyone to witness.
We still get sick and we still have bad days. We still have to work and pay bills.
A seemingly perfect day is never perfect, but I do count my blessings that if life is still going to happen, it happens in the national parks!
8. You Want to Know Where I’m From? Can I Have 10 Minutes of Your Time to Explain?
Now that we don’t have a traditional home, it’s a lot more difficult to answer the question “where are you from?”. Explaining that we are from Salt Lake City but our permanent address is in South Dakota but we are full-time RVing is often a more complex answer than people are expecting!
I’ve learned to answer this question based on the body language of the person asking. If they seem like they want to chat and are genuinely interested, I give them the whole story. If they are just making small talk, I tell them we are from Salt Lake City and leave it at that!
9. This Tent Camper Doesn’t Know How to Work a Fancy Home on Wheels
I’m a tent camper through and through and I have never had a desire to own a trailer. In fact, even though I love our rig I’m still sad that I’m not a tent camper right now!
Moving up into an RV has been a huge learning process for us. My husband has been learning how to drive and maneuver a long trailer. Before this I had no idea how to level a trailer or fill the water tanks. It’s humbling to start at the very beginning of the learning process — and to be willing to ask for help when needed.
10. It’s Family Time All the Time!
At the end of this first month of full-time RVing, I can honestly say that the best part of this whole journey has been watching my son learn about, explore, and experience nature in a whole new way.
Seeing him get excited about the plants, animals, mountains, rivers, and junior ranger badges has been incredibly rewarding. The other day he leaned over to me and said, “mom, that’s a beautiful sunset”. Yes it is.
Our time spent together as a family in this tiny home on the road is by far the best thing about full-time RVing. We are learning and growing together as we visit some of the most beautiful places on earth.
And for me, that’s what it’s all about. The time we spend full-time RVing will be just a small moment in the grand scheme of things, but I have a feeling it’s going to impact us for the rest of our lives.
I can’t wait to make more memories with the people I love the most!
In case you’re curious, here are a few of the places we’re headed to in the next few months:
- Grand Canyon
- Channel Islands
- Sequoia Kings
- Yosemite
- Mt. Rainier
- Olympic
- Glacier
Hi Ash –
I also envy you! I’m in love with the National Parks and will be visiting my 11th one in September (Acadia). My dream is to visit all of the National Parks in my lifetime. I have the free Dirt in my Shoes NP checklist on my refrigerator and a Dirt in my Shoes sticker on my vehicle. I’m a big fan :) I do have one question for you. How do you “work” or earn money besides selling your itineraries?
~Tara from Pittsburgh, PA
Very cool!! We may be in Acadia the same time :) My husband and I are very fortunate to both have jobs that allow us to work from anywhere…I think a lot of companies are starting to head in that direction!!
In Kings Canyon, the hike to Paradise Valley is along 2 rivers and I feel is a must do. I did it several times in my younger years and had to revisit after I retired a few years ago. It is a tough windy road to the Canyon so check ahead to see if you are up for it.
Thank you! I’ll take a look….I appreciate the recommendation!!
I love this! I’m so excited to read about your future travels!
Thanks Chelsea!
We are just beginning rvers we are senior citizens, just sold our home. Trying to figure out what to do with our stuff and selling, donating and giving away 44 years of treasures has me overwhelmed. My question is I met people in Quartzsite this winter full time rv ers and their address is South Dakota , I don’t understand that part, also please explain the mail, address etc associated with South Dakota I don’t get it.. help me get this part settled in my mind. Joan from Az for 2 more wks
Hey Joan,
We just needed a place to set up residency since we would no longer have an address in Utah. Some people use a family member’s address to receive their mail, but we did not want to burden our family with receiving our mail. It can get quite complicated, but there is some good information out on the web. I also found some answers to my questions in Facebook Groups for Full-time RVers. Hope that helps!
Ash
Looking forward to sharing your journey. This was always my dream when we retire but I am thinking more and more that I don’t want to wait that long. We live on the road for 5 to 6 weeks each summer in our 24′ TT. Our longest was a 7 week trip to Alaska. God bless you for doing this with children. Wish we had done it when we were young.
The more I’ve read, the more I’ve found people say that they are grateful they jumped in rather than wait! Very cool that you are on the road so much during the summer!
Hoping to realize my dream to visit as many National Parks as possible in our RV, 37′ motor home. I think some terraine may be difficult and we should trade for a smaller rig. Do you have any advice?
You’ll be limited in the national park campgrounds…we’ve found many of the sites are too small even for our trailer. The roads are often narrow as well. You could definitely make it work with what you have, you may just have to look at the gateway towns rather than the parks for camping!
What a bold, brave move and what a gift to your children. I can’t wait to read more about your adventure (and eagerly await my own when we go to Yosemite in September).
Thanks Yvon! Have fun in Yosemite!
So awesome! My husband (retired) and I (still working) just bought a 17 ft camper and did a 15 day trip in Texas visiting wildlife refuges along the Rio Grande, the Davis Mts. and Big Bend. I am brain storming ideas to work on the road do we can rv full time as well. Hope to see you in camp sometime!
I’d love that! Keep me updated!
You said, “we still have to work.” How do you earn an income on the road?
Hey Tammy,
We are lucky to both have jobs that allow us to work on the road. I think many companies are starting to move in that direction. I also know a lot of people look into Workamping to earn money while on the road…may be worth looking into :)
Ash
Hi Ash, Welcome to the full time RVing adventure. My wife and I are retired and have been full timing for 4 years now and loving it. Bringing up a small family in a trailer must be a bit challenging but very satisfying at the same time as you have said.
There is an organisation calling themselves “Fulltime Families” who offer much advice to RVing families like yourselves who may decide to home-school, etc and they can be contacted at info@fulltimefamilies.com.
Looking forward to following your adventures.
Best wishes and thanks for sharing
Cliff and Lorna
Thank you so much! 4 years is a long time….you must be ultimate experts by now :) I appreciate the Fulltime Families recommendation. I’m excited to look into it!!
Are you going to post itineraries for Guadalupe NP, Big Bend NP, & Carlsbad NP?
Probably just Big Bend for itineraries. The other parks are so small with limited options so I think I’ll just do “can’t-miss” lists for those :)
I envy you! This is our dream when we can finally quit our jobs.
It will be awesome when you can make it happen!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story! We have been considering becoming full time RVers as well so it’s always nice to hear other’s experiences. What a wonderful opportunity for you and your children!!
Thanks Lisa! It’s been an great experience so far….lots of adapting and learning but we’ve been having a lot of fun. Hope you’re able to make it happen if that’s what you want to do!
Anxious to hear about Grand Canyon. Hoping to head that way in near future…
Hey Jan,
I’ve got some info up already for the Grand Canyon. You can find it here: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/grand-canyon-national-park/ I’ll be adding information about the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails in the future though!
Thanks for the post Ash! We are getting ready for our “One Year One Family” to drop of the grid into our trailer with 2 boys. All your information is awesome and helps me plan!
Very cool!!!!
Thank you for telling us your story, and I will say you have been one of the reasons my husband and I are now planning to take an extended trip this Summer and Fall in OUR new travel trailer, using several of your very informative itineraries!
Yay!!! I’m so glad you are traveling this summer!! I’d love to hear about it :)
Congratulation! That’s a big life change.
Thanks!!
Ash – you are a kindred spirit! Love your stories. We have had similar experiences. Will be on the blue highways with our Casita in June :)
Yay! Maybe we’ll cross paths!
I love your story! I so look forward to being able to do this without time constraints! I do not have a job that is “portable”. I am trying to figure out what I want to be during my next phase. Traveling, exploring, and just “being”! We live in Washington, you will love it here too! Safe travels to you all! Look forward to hearing about all your upcoming adventures.
Thanks Kristi — I’m excited to make it up to your neck of the woods!
Congrats on making this giant step! May I ask, is it your blog that is letting you travel full time? I too dream of this life and hope that one day I can get there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Best of luck to all of you!
Hi Crystal! We are very fortunate to both have jobs that allow us to work remotely. Hope you can get to that point as well!!
Congratulations on the move to full time RVer’s. I am completely envious. You definitely chose the right time in life to pursue this with young children. This is an experience they will cherish and help develop them as people with an appreciation for the beauty this country has to offer. We purchased a 34′ travel trailer last year and we absolutely love it. We were tent campers for 30 years, and although I do miss some aspects, the trailer extends the season and makes life a little easier. Our youngest (8 years old) of 5 is the only one still at home so he is loving the travel we get to do. Keep your posts coming. I love to see them.
Thanks Ingrid! I definitely feel like camping in the trailer is easier than tent camping….especially with kids. Hope you’re able to go lots of places in your trailer this summer!!