8 Life Lessons from 8 Years Living on the Road

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In 2016, my husband and I (along with a cat and a dog) moved into a fifth wheel and became nomadic. In my 8 years living on the road, I have learned many lessons about relationships, materialism, and happiness. Here are the top 8 things I have learned from being a full-time RVer.

Less is More

When we moved into an RV, we knew we would have to downsize our possessions to fit into our approximately 300-square-foot fifth wheel. However, we did not know that we would come to embrace the minimalist lifestyle and move into an even smaller RV 8 years later.

That’s right, after 8 years in our 34-foot fifth wheel, we downsized to a 23-foot travel trailer. Living with less stuff forced us to evaluate what we needed, and by the time we moved out of our fifth wheel, there were empty cabinets.

We still have everything we need and occasionally splurge on a new toy. Still, we’ve become much better at evaluating what we will actually use and making fewer wasteful purchases.

In addition to allowing us to save more towards early retirement, having less also creates a more peaceful living space and encourages us to appreciate what we have.

Experiences Over Things

While living on the road means we have fewer things, we have many more novel experiences. Every week or two, we move our home, so we get to hike new trails, learn things at new museums, and eat new food at new restaurants.

Getting out of a daily routine makes us more mindful and grateful for all the small things in life. Taking my morning jog on a new trail, I am much more likely to notice a beautiful flower than when I was going in circles around the same block every day.

Even if you aren’t lucky enough to travel full-time, seeking out new experiences in your hometown can make your life more fun!

Life is Short

Life on the road has also reminded us of the short amount of time we have on this earth. We have met several older RVers, who waited for retirement to go full-time. They all told us they wished they had done it when they were younger and more active.

We’ve also heard countless stories, about older couples buying an RV and barely getting to enjoy it before health problems cut their journey short.

If you have been considering living on the road or even just traveling more, don’t wait for retirement. It might be too late.

Communication is Key

When you live in a couple hundred square feet, it can be difficult to get away from your spouse. In our 8 years on the road, we’ve learned that communication is the only way to quickly resolve conflicts.

Living and working together in one tiny space and spending hours in our truck together, arguments arise. However, we’ve learned just to honestly express what made us feel angry, apologize, and move on.

Instead of going to our separate corners and pretending the fight did not happen, we have had to learn how to communicate what the issue is, which allows us to avoid having the same fights over and over again.

Friends Can Be Any Age

As I noted above, many of our fellow full-time RVers are at retirement age. We were 29 and 34 when we started our nomadic life. At first, I felt frustrated that we weren’t meeting many new friends.

Then, I started chatting with all the 70+ year-olds at the campgrounds and quickly discovered that friends can be of any age. Older friends have more experiences to share and are just as fun as their younger counterparts.

We’ve met many campers twice our age, who have become great travel friends. When you meet older folks, don’t look them over, talk to them and enjoy their wisdom.

The Early Bird Avoids Crowds

After 8 years of traveling full-time, I have one piece of travel advice. Always get up early on your vacation. Whether we are visiting a national park or tourist attractions in a big city, we’ve found that we can almost always avoid crowds by getting up early.

We were able to hike into the Narrows in Zion National Park at the peak of summer without another soul in sight. That’s because we arrived at the park at 6 AM and took the first shuttle into the park. By the time we returned around midday, the trail was crowded and there was an hour wait to even get on the shuttle.

If you want to experience attractions without the crowds, get up before the sun.

Sh*t Happens; Go with the Flow

Throughout my life, I have been described as “Type A” and “a planner.” When we hit the road, I continued to plan and I scheduled our route months in advance.

But then, sh*t happened. We were invited to weddings, people died, we got sick, leaf springs broke, and our plans had to be rearranged. After our first few years on the road, I got better at only making advanced bookings for places that sell out (or are fully refundable).

I now try to pencil in plans instead of writing them down in permanent marker. I am still not the most spontaneous person, but I’ve learned that detours are often more fun than the original plan.

An Untraditional Life Can Be a Great Life

When I moved into an RV, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy living on the road. I knew I was tired of routine and craving new experiences, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to miss out on something else by renouncing the typical life plan.

After 8 years of living in our RV, I no longer wonder if a traditional life is for me. I have no desire to buy a house, plant roots, have kids, or settle down. I do long to travel abroad and have more novel experiences and adventures.

There is no wrong way to live. Close your eyes and picture your dream existence. Then work to make your life look like that vision. Whether your dream is to raise 2.5 kids in a quiet, suburban neighborhood or to travel the world, the only life you should be living is the one you dream about.

Interested in RV Life?

If living on the road is your dream, we are here to help you make that dream a reality. Check out our guide to starting RV life for the first steps.