News vs. Reality

Over the past few weeks we have been tracking with interest what seems to be an increase of online articles and TV segments about people "opting out" of traditional lifestyles for full-time RV living. All have concentrated upon couples or families who, because of current economic conditions, decided it was time to "cash it in for a cheaper and more adventurous life". There are numerous quotes estimating as many as one million people are now living full-time in RVs and that "it is much cheaper than a maintaining a traditional sticks-and-bricks residence". Unfortunately, the facts presented in these news articles are much different than we have seen during the past five months.

Although we are far from being seasoned experts on the topic, here are some glaring differences in the facts presented in these media pieces from the front-line truths.

"As many as one million people are now living full-time in RVs": First of all, there have always been - and always will be - people who live in RVs. In all of the private campgrounds we have stayed, many people reside there either seasonally or year-round depending on the weather; but do not travel. Some of the permanent residents in these campgrounds have maintained their spots for generations and display elaborate lawns with wooden gazebos around their units. Others we have talked with travel anywhere from four to six months during any given year. We can honestly say that there are less than ten percent of the people we have talked with who both travel in and claim their RV as a primary residence 365 days a year. As the Baby Boom generation continues to increase and move into retirement, I'm sure there will be an increase of us actually living and traveling full-time in an RV. Right now though, we have not seen a reality that an increase of families or non-retired people are among us.

"It is cheaper than maintaining a traditional sticks-and-bricks residence": Depending upon the area of the country one is from the answer is maybe yes, maybe no. Renting or buying a one-bedroom unit near the Hollywood, FL beach area we came from would have cost much more than we currently spend on average monthly campground sites. But for the equal square-footage as our unit we could easily find a similar space in other areas of the country at about, or below, the same costs: and that doesn't even factor in the costs of fuel, maintenance or other regular expenses. There was a quote in one article where a family of five stated, "We calculated our costs of keeping our mortgage and related expenses at around $3,000.00 per month, now it is around $300.00 per month while living full-time in the RV." No way! The cheapest monthly rate we have found for a spot is $400.00 per month. Add in the additional costs of filling an 80 gallon gas tank, an LP supply, routine repairs, misc. expenses and other essentials and the numbers don't add up. As with any way of life, it's all about living within a realistic budget.

"Living full-time in an RV is an adventure": Yes, it is. However, perceptions are often much different than realities. Life on the road can prove to be tedious, demanding and tiring. Just because someone decides to radically change lifestyles does not mean life becomes easier. The full-time RV lifestyle is not meant for everyone. There are still daily demands; leaks develop in the roof, supplies need to be purchased, bills need to be paid, routine maintenance needs to be performed and one's ideas of space and time needs to drastically change. While everyone in the news articles have been presented as finding "the ultimate" change in lifestyle, we can attest that "the alternative" takes constant work and should only be undertaken after considering all the facts. It is not a permanent vacation. It should be openly and fully approached with a sense of innocent wonder. The best way we can explain it is through our favorite quote from Mark Twain, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed in the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover -".

copyright 2009 Lane A Geyer

photos by Deb