living in an rv
Julie Hambleton
Julie Hambleton
October 14, 2020 ·  5 min read

9 Reasons Living in an RV Is Better Than Living in a House

As the economy continues to struggle through the coronavirus pandemic and housing prices seem increasingly unattainable, many Americans are turning to an alternative way of life. More than one million Americans are living in an RV in search of adventure and financial freedom. 

Reasons Why Living in An RV is Better Than a House

That’s right, we said it: Living in an RV is simply put, the best. That is, of course, depending on what kind of lifestyle you want to live. If you are the type of person who doesn’t need much space or things to be happy, then living in an RV is something you may want to consider.

Here are our top reasons why living in an RV is better than living in a house. (1)

1. Swap things for experiences

Sure, material things can give you a rush in the moment, but almost always that rush wears off. Do you know what you never forget? The feeling you have waking up in the mountains for the first time, or the sense of accomplishment after a long hike. (1)

When you live in an RV, you have no choice but to ditch many of your material possessions. The result is that you are able to live in the moment, appreciate what you have, and of course, you give yourself the gift of freedom to roam and explore. (1)

Penni Brink and Chip Litchfield are relishing in the experiences that living in an RV is giving them.

“Being able to travel in my 60s and see all the things I missed in my younger years is the best part of this lifestyle,” Penni says. (2)

2. Follow the weather you want

After all, it is called a mobile home, so why stay in a climate that you don’t like? Living in an RV gives you the power to choose. If you feel like a winter wonderland you can go North to find snow, but if you’re sick of the cold and want warm, sunny skies you can find that, too. (1)

3. Incredible views

When you live in a traditional home, your view never changes. For most of us, that view is our neighbor’s place across the street. (1)

Living in an RV means that you can have incredible views for very little cost that you change whenever you want. Yearning for an ocean view? Drive to the coast. Want to be inspired by the grandeur of the mountains? Relocate. The RV means you can change up your view whenever you feel like, and that view will be far more incredible than suburbia has to offer. (1)

“[Living in an RV] gives us the freedom to be by the beach one day, a mountain the next or a lake. It’s made all the difference for us.” Jessica Meinhofer says. (2)

Read: The Coolest Custom VW Campervans Ever Built

4. No more annoying neighbors

We’ve all been there before: You have absolutely wonderful neighbors, and then they move. Their replacements are less-than-ideal, and you’re stuck with two options:

  1. Wait it out until they move.
  2. Move.

An RV, however, can move. So if you’re somewhere and someone loud, nosey, or annoying parks next to you, you can say sayonara and leave. (1)

“We rented our house and wound up getting a bigger RV and then we wound up living in it because we liked it so much,” Steven Sied, who lives in an RV with his wife, explains. “If we don’t like our neighbors, we just pack up and leave.” (2)

5. Meet new people

Making new friends is easy when you are a kid. As you get older, however, and you become locked into a routine of work and family obligations, this becomes much more difficult. (1)

Living in an RV it’s hard not to meet new people because many of the locations that you will park in will have other people who have chosen to live the same lifestyle as you. With people out sitting around campfires or walking their dogs around the site, it’s honestly hard not to make new friends. (1)

“This is a great life. We meet the nicest people,” Steven Seid says. (2)

6. No yard work

Living in an RV means that you really don’t have much yard work to do. Sure, if you choose to park somewhere long-term you might choose to have a small window garden, however, there’s still no grass cutting or weed pulling to do. (1)

Even if you’re at a campground, that work all gets done by park employees. (1) Of course, you will have to do maintenance on the RV to keep it in proper condition. (2)

“Instead of mowing the lawn, we do maintenance on the RV. Things don’t last as long as they do in a house. The level of chores is about the same,” says Jessica Meinhofer, who lives in an RV with her husband and two kids. (2)

7. Less cleaning

Yes, of course, you will still need to clean your RV (nothing is that good!), but it is certainly a lot less to clean than your average house. (1)

You can clean the interior of your RV in probably 30 minutes or less, and if it has a good design there will be plenty of storage to avoid clutter. (1)

8. More time spent outdoors

In traditional homes, we tend to spend the majority of our time inside. Living in an RV, however, you will naturally spend more time outdoors. The space is too small to sit inside the whole day, plus you’ll often be parked in such gorgeous locations that you’ll want to spend more time out enjoying them. (1)

9. Cost

Yes, RVs can be extremely expensive. They still don’t compare to the cost of buying and living in a regular home. What’s better is the freedom you get for that smaller price tag, and that can’t be bought. (1)

“We both had full-time jobs. We were doing the 9 to 5 grind. We had the house, but it just didn’t fit us quite right. We were just working, working working,” Jessica Meinhofer recalls. “We were longing for freedom.” (2)

Live Free

Of course, not everyone’s jobs allow them to work remotely in the way that living in an RV requires. That being said, many of the people who choose this lifestyle find alternatives that allow them to make money and have the freedom that they are craving. With more and more companies moving to remote offices, this might just be the sign you need to take the plunge, ditch the house, and embrace life on the road.

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