Life Just Keeps Getting Better

I originally wrote and pubished this article on another site. As that site has recently ceased their online business, I  thought it would be a nice addition to my site. This is a slightly updated version of the original.

We’ve never really been satisfied staying in one location for any length of time. Needless to say, we’ve moved a lot. I like to think that we are adventurous, with a thirst for seeing new places and new things.

I always thought the restlessness was due to living the military lifestyle (my husband was in the Air Force), but we continued to move every few years even after he retired. I find that once I’d lived somewhere for a year or so, we got the itch to move on. Always thinking about the next great place.

A long-time dream of ours was to live full-time in our RV and travel. A little over two years ago we decided to put our dream into action. In September 2012, after more than six months of decluttering, we moved into our motor home and drove away to start our newest adventure.

We drove across Canada (Ontario to British Columbia) where we spent the winter in Victoria. Victoria is one of the warmest places to winter in Canada; quite wet, but warm. It was six months in our RV, together (me, my husband, and our three greyhounds) without a problem.

It probably helped that we were not new to this lifestyle. We have owned our motor home for more than six years and had gone on a number of extended trips.

So far, so good. The RV lifestyle seems to suit us perfectly.

Our new lifestyle is free from the normal stresses of life. We were not debt free when we started this adventure, but we are very close now.

We have the freedom to go where we want, when we want – almost. My husband, would probably go stir-crazy if he didn’t have something to do so when he was asked by the company that he last worked for to stay on in a part-time, work-from-home position, he accepted. The only problem with that is that we have to remain in Canada while he works for this company because the work he does is proprietary (meaning that it can’t leave the country). Not a biggie! There are many places in Canada that we haven’t seen yet.

With the life of a nomad, we get to chase the sunshine and warmth. We can live wherever the warm weather and sunshine is – mostly. Plus, our cost of living is much less than when we lived in a house. We don’t have any property tax, our rent is less than half of what our mortgage was, and our utility costs are extremely low.

And best of all, the beautiful view from our windows changes as often as we want. If the weather is not to our liking, we have the option to move somewhere where the weather is good. I like that!

Full time RVing is becoming more and more popular. And it’s not just for retirees anymore. We’ve found some adventurous families that are living the good life. They home school their children while giving them adventure and life experiences.

It is an alternative lifestyle that is not for everyone.

We are living a life of freedom with a little work thrown in.

In my opinion, it is better to live a life that is filled with happiness and with as little stress as possible rather than spending a life searching for monetary richness to the detriment of your health and happiness.

I believe that happiness comes from within, not from how much stuff you have.

I believe that money isn’t the most important thing to live a happy and full life.

One of the worst things in life is to live with regret that you didn’t take a chance and do something you love.

We have finally achieved the elusive work life balance. Because our new way of life is less expensive, we don’t have to work as much which means that we have more time to do what we really love to do – spend time with our dogs, visit friends and family, see places that we may never have had the opportunity to see, and do things that we weren’t able to do before. We were lucky because we are able to work whenever we want, from wherever we happen to be. Not everyone is given this opportunity, but with technology as it is today there are many jobs that can be done remotely.

If you are technologically challenged, there are many other options for earning an income while on the road. One of the most common jobs with RVers is – where you trade labor for all or part of the cost of rent.

Another common job is to work craft fairs, festivals, flea markets, and events. If you are crafty, you can make things and sell them at various shows throughout the country. They can be lots of work and lots of fun.

We’ve met some trades’ people that travel from one job to another with their family, living in their RV. That way, they get to go where the work is and not have to leave their family for extended periods of time.

Meeting People

Admittedly, I am not a social butterfly type of person. I am quite happy with myself and by myself. My husband is the opposite – he loves people, and wants to (needs to) get out and about every day. He is happiest when he gets to meet new people, talk to anyone and everyone, and socialize. With this life, he gets to satisfy his need for socialization. Many times he drags me along which has turned out to be nice because we have met some really nice, friendly people from all walks of life and many different locations. And we’ve made a few new friends. It’s actually fun!

Many people say that they would love to live the life we live now but then come up with a list of excuses when we tell them they should just go for it if that’s what they want. It’s the excuses that hold you back from doing what you really want to do. Excuses are just your fears talking back at you.

Other people think we are crazy to have given up our stationary lifestyle – they don’t understand and are letting their fears take over.

All that really matters is that this is the  life we have chosen and we are happy.