For many intrepid travelers these days, the cost of housing is becoming so high that they’re choosing to live out their lives in tiny homes or RV’s. There’s no surprise in the appeal of living in such close quarters. Not only is it a more sustainable option, but the attractiveness of simple living is also abundant. Additionally, if you’re in an RV or a tiny home, you have more freedom and flexibility to move where you call “home” a lot easier than those tied to mortgages and leases. So, let’s take a look at some of the many benefits of living the RV life dream.
Freedom First
The first benefit is also the most obvious – freedom! Whether you renovated an old school bus or “schoolie” or you bought your first new or new-to-you RV, you are free to live wherever you want. You can travel from city to city and state to state and if you don’t like it, on to the next one. Not only that, the breathtaking scenery you experience along the ride gives a sense of mental peace and freedom in itself. Another area of freedom gained by this type of living is freedom from a mortgage or rent payment. If you are lucky enough to buy your new home outright, you’ll be that step closer to being debt-free. And not having to pay utilities and mortgages gives you more financial freedom to pay off credit card debt or student loans. Eventually, with some hard work and frugality, you can be living the most unrestrained life you can dream of.
Contributing To Sustainable Living
While one could argue that you’re using fuel getting from A to B in an RV, you spend a good deal of time stationary most of the time. Whether that’s in a national park or on someone’s property, it’s not like you’re constantly traveling. Most RV amenities are run through battery or solar power, which is incredibly beneficial to the environment. Not only that, your food waste is minimal since your kitchen accommodations are much smaller, so you eat everything you have more often than not. This doesn’t include tons of other add-ons like RV biodegradable toilet paper and LED lighting, plus many more sustainable things RV living entails.
Keeping Your Family Close
There is no doubt about it; RV living is close-quarters living. Maybe you started your RV experience solo, perhaps you and your partner just got a pregnancy calculator to determine the due date of your first bundle of joy, or perhaps you began RV living with a brood already in tow. Whatever your familial circumstance, it’s a quaint, cozy, and loving environment to raise a family in. While raising a family on the road can present challenges as far as schooling (many opt for homeschooling), in general, it’s the kind of educational experience that many parents who live in traditional homes can’t give their children. Your children will grow up with the confidence to meet and speak with new people, learn handy skills, learn kindness and patience (from sharing small spaces), responsibility, and so much more. So, don’t let the existence or dream of a family be what dashes your desires to live in an RV.
Forces Mindfulness
Living a more mindful life has been on most people’s minds for years now, with movements like minimalism, going green, and the apparent need to be more mindful in our consumption. Well, when your home can’t hold much, it forces you to be a conscious consumer. When you don’t have a giant living room to veg out and binge watch Netflix in, your hand is forced to more knowledgeable pursuits, which is healthy and mindful. When you are cooking the majority of your food instead of having it delivered, you are more intentional and conscious with your eating habits as well as your spending. In general, it awakens in you the desire to be more in tune with nature and yourself. So just relax and unwind at an RV park anywhere from San Diego to Maine!
While RV living isn’t for everyone, it’s worth giving it a shot if it’s been a dream of yours for some time now. If you are restricted by budgets and can’t buy a brand new, decked-out RV, there are so many DIY videos available online to show you step by step how to turn a van, school bus, or RV into a tiny home of your dream. So, get out there and make your dreams your reality. Happy Trails!
