You're in the RV..... Now what???
- rvpalace22
- Aug 10, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 14, 2023
There are so many new things to tackle in the new adventure. Don't worry you've got this.
Everyone talks about all of the efforts put into making a change like getting out of a bricks and sticks and into the freedom of the RV life. But what happens once you are living your dream. Well, you never know until you’re in it. My husband and I spent the nights leading up to our "RV liftoff", watching youtube videos that range from "Top ten RV newbie must knows", "How to Dump your tanks", "How to work remotely", "Home school on the road", the list went on and on. All of these videos were a great way for us to get our minds ready for the new adventure. But, I know that for us, there were many little things we didn’t even think of, and even some big things! When we first started, we focused our attention on the tasks it takes to use and maintain our new home. Once we felt like we had a grasp on these, then we were able to focus on the tasks that make life run smoothly. Our approach helped us take our time with each tasks along the way and tackle everything one topic at a time. Let our experience be a guide on how to complete all the daunting tasks and still live the RV Dream!
RV Living: What it Takes
You did it! You and your family are RVers! But now you have so many things to figure out. As with any lifestyle, there are the regular responsibilities like cooking cleaning and laundry. Even though we get to travel and spend time in some amazing places, we must make time to take care of these things. Then there are the things that you never had to think about in a sticks and bricks. Like, will there be full electric, water, and sewer hook-ups? If so, will it be adaptable to your RV? Will you drink the water from the site or will you have your own drinking water? Then there is the mail situation. Will you keep a physical address or a domicile. Let's not forget School and work. It can feel daunting and overwhelming. Fortunately, there are so many resources and groups that can help you find an answer to it all. What we will do here is explain how to not feel overwhelmed and be able to tackle it all!
RV Living Priority
There is no question about it. RV Living is for the adventure seeker! However there are many little and big things to take care of to make the adventure happen. The first step you must make is decide what is a priority. It helps if you make a list. Then once you look at it you can decide which ones are "must do now" and which ones are "can wait for later" Things like drinking water, water for showers and dishes, electricity, food , and even internet, are must haves to run your RV life. If any of these are not in place, your efforts should definitely be oriented towards these. In all these subjects there are many YouTube videos available. Also, be on the look out for Our Take on each of these subjects on our YouTube episodes and here on the Our Take Blog.
Just focus on that one topic until you accomplish it. Once you have those in order you can move on to other things. We had partial hook-ups which meant we had electricity and water for showers, but no sewer hook-ups. What did this even mean? Well we soon learned that we either had to pay a waste removal service or dump it ourselves. At first we paid. Eventually we saw a fellow camper using a "portable bladder". It was basically a rolling cart that you hook up to your trailer to remove the waste and roll it to the dump station on site! We were amazed. Just like that we had one less item on our to do list.
Decide What tasks are a Priority
When all systems are a go for your RV you can now focus on more worldly priorities. Every family will have a very unique way of living, but we all must figure out a way to live within the laws and societal responsibilities of the place we call home . Where ever you fit in and which ever obstacle you need to overcome, the key is to pick one and take care of it. Do as much as you can toward achieving it. If you come across a bit of a block, take a break from that particular task and focus on another task. Thats the beauty of the list! When we first started our efforts were mainly focused on getting routines set up for everything! We were in a new state and a fun and exciting new home. To keep the fun rolling with a family of five we decided to focus on a few Big things at a time. For us the main efforts were trying to get all of the mailing address in order, my husbands work, and the school situation for the kids. On paper it seemed like it was easy. But when it comes down to it each one of those worldly priorities took more than a few tries.
Getting to work
For us the mailing address was a big one because we wanted to change our home state immediately. At first we used our family's and friends' help and borrowed a physical address to get new licenses, register our vehicles, and get insurance. That was a temporary fix. We tried a few different "forwarding services" but none that made it easy. We are well over a year of RV lining and have finally decided to create a domicile through escapees. It took us this long because we were unsure of the process and benefits it would offer. Up until recently we were not moving around too much so having a physical address was managable. Now we are about to start moving a little more so we definitely will benefit from the services and benefits that this awesome company has to offer.
That brings me to my husbands work. The only reason we were able to embark on this new journey was because of my husbands job. At the time of our big move my husband was an Electrical Inside Wireman. With his trade we were able to apply for jobs in different states and move based on which job we got. But that meant we were going to be there until we applied to a different company a did the whole thing again for every move. This was not ideal but it got us started. Fortunately my husband made a latteral move toward becoming a Lineman Electrician. One of the main criteria for a career like this is the willingness to travel! That is a perfect fit to our family dynamic. Now, through the new job we will get to work in different states without having to apply. There are so many ways to work and travel! This is just the way we chose to do it! There are many different youtube channels and blogs that can give you ideas. If you are interested in finding out more about the Lineman trade the internet is full of resources. Our favorite YouTuber on the topic is Powerline podcast.
Last but definitely not least, the kids' school......
My husband and I had decided to homeschool well before the idea of RV Living was even in the air. Come to think of it, I feel that part of the reason RV Living was even a consideration, was because we had the freedom to school from anywhere. I have found that a large majority of people hold back from adventures like RV Living, because of their kids school schedules. Deciding to homeschool is looked at as bold as deciding to live in an RV and travel. But like anything worth doing, it takes time, effort, dedication, and some guts. Once you get your foot in the door and take a look around, all you see are possibilities and opportunities. Before the Big Move we had been homeschooling through an online curriculum. This allowed all of us the necessary adjustment from a brick and mortar school to school at home. At first it was great. We were in charge of our kids education and schedules. The only downside was that our kiddos were spending alot of time in-front of the screen. Granted, all of the screen time was educational, but it didn’t sit well with us. The state we were in did not make it easy to completely homeschool so again this was a temporary fix. At the time it was our best option. Once we started RV Living we were able to see outside of the box. Again with the help from family and friends, we borrowed a physical address, and filed an intent to fully homeschool. That was it. We were finally free to have complete autonomy over our children's education! Now we had so many options. We had already researched homeschooling for so long, so we had an abundance of resources. Some of our favorites include Wild and free, Charolett Mason , and the Tuttle twins. The beautiful thing about homeschooling is that there is not one way to do it. You do your research you find what fits your family and you GO!
You've Got this!
You made it this far! Now it’s s time to keep the momentum going. You already have the tenacity to take the road less traveled and be free. Now all you have to do is apply this method on how to tackle all of the little and big tasks that come with the adventure. Don't get stressed. Make your list of all the little things and all the big things. Choose a couple for now and leave some for later. Just remember to keep crossing things off your list! There has never been a more perfect time to do exactly what you are doing. You are living the RV dream and taking life head on. Don't forget to click on all the links to further your understanding of each topic covered today. Also keep checking the Our take blog and our Instagram and YouTube for more on this and other RV Living fun, adventure, and help! Also get in touch. We love to hear from you! Leave a comment or send us a message.
-The Palacios
תגובות