An RV home represents the gateway to a life filled with adventure, freedom, and the ability to wander wherever you see fit. It’s a great lifestyle, allowing you to live in places that you’ve never dreamed of before. However, you should be aware the RV living is not without pitfalls and challenges, especially for beginners. The key to success and happiness on the road is to do your research properly before you commit fully to RV living. Here’s some advice to keep in mind before you start your RV adventure:
RV Living For Beginners Top Tip: Bigger is Not Always Better
Choose an RV to suit your needs. When transitioning from home to RV living, it’s tempting for beginners to just go for the top of the line RV model with all the fancy comforts and large size. However, there are a number of drawbacks to this. Firstly, if you buy a large RV, you might struggle to find campsites that can accommodate that size.
When you first start looking for an RV, write down a list of what you expect on your road trips. Will you be camping in the wilderness or in small communities? How many creature comforts do you need and what are you willing to live without? Having a list of needs will help you sort through the multitude of RVs out there and help you find the one that best suits your beginner RV living needs.
RV Living for Beginners: Life on the Road
Practice driving an RV before going on a long trip. It might sound obvious, but RVs drive entirely differently from normal cars. Take a few small practice drives to familiarise yourself with the handling of an RV, particularly with parking, leveling and going up and down hills. Take the time to become comfortable with backing up, because there will come a time where you’ll need to do it, regardless of what RV you own.
Time to Get Educated!
Understand RV systems. Keep in mind that while RVs may feel like a house, they work a bit differently in a number of ways. For instance, you’ll have to connect up your greywater pipe to a camping site in order to properly dispose of your grey waste. You’ll have to learn how to dispose of other waste as well. And RVs usually have two power systems, one for appliances and plugs, and one for lights and fans. If you’re planning on camping in the wilderness, you’ll have to buy extra gear to run your appliances. RV living for beginners can be a little daunting because a home shields you from the rough and tough of things like greywater!
Parking & Storing
Consider storage. If you’re planning on using your RV for a couple of months a year, remember that you need to budget in motorhome storage for the rest of the year. Beginners planning to make the drastic change from fixed home to RV living permanently, you’ll quickly realize that RV storage is a lot less capacious than a house. You’ll have to go through all your items and see what you can donate, recycle or throw away, and what needs to be stored in a permanent storage unit.
An RV can add to your quality of life by giving you the freedom to wander and explore the country in the comfort of your own home. The key to success with RV living is to go in with realistic expectations and to do your research before you commit completely. Planning and organization go a long way to ensure that your RV adventure is all that you want it to be, and more.
