This post may contain affiliate links or mention our own products, please check out our disclosure policy.

Full-Time RV Experts Answer This 1 Simple Question

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

doityourselfrv roundup 1

If you’re thinking about setting off on your own full-time RVing adventure, you probably have a lot of questions.

We reached out to some full-time RVers and asked them one simple question,

Sign up for the newsletter today!

Please enter a valid email address.

An error occurred. Please try again later.

× logo

Thank you for subscribing to the Do It Yourself RV newsletter, keep your eye on your inbox for updates.

If you could change one thing about your full-time RVing lifestyle, what would it be and why?

Here’s what they had to say.

Nina and Paul from Wheelingit: Smaller RV

wheelingit“We would likely chose a slightly smaller RV mostly because we’ve discovered we enjoy camping in more remote and primitive areas.

Our “big” girl is sometimes tough to get into the kind of wilder sites that we like.

We make do, but it takes some detailed planning.

It’s hard to know this kind of thing up-front, especially if you’re not clear of what’s possible out there (for example I never knew about boondocking until we were about a year into fulltime RVing).

Otherwise, nothing else we’d change. We love (love, love) the lifestyle!”

– Nina and Paul from Wheelingit

Tiffani and Deke from Weaselmouth: Easier Hitching

tiffani and deke waters weaselmouth“I think if I (Tiffani) had anything to change, it would be to hitch up easier.

It’s hard sometimes for a smaller person like me to do! For Deke, he would like higher quality materials. We’d pay more for things that lasted longer.

We buy so few things, and sometimes they’re hard to find, and have found the quality of items is poor in a lot of cases. Things like portable fans, lanterns, and tech devices seem to be hard to find in high quality materials sometimes.

With a bit of research we’ve found some good items, but we’ve also wasted our fair share of money on terrible ones!”

– Tiffani and Deke from Weaselmouth

Cherie and Chris from Technomadia: Better Internet

chris-cherie-technomadia-rounded“Obviously, anything we have the power to change ourselves – we do, we love the flexibility of this lifestyle to do just that!

But if there was one thing we could change that would greatly improve our techno-connected mobility, it would be access to unlimited, affordable, mobile and fast internet bandwidth.

Things have greatly improved since we hit the road in 2006, but there’s still a long way to go!”

– Cherie and Chris from Technomadia

Rene and Jim from LiveWorkDream: Cheaper Internet Connectivity

rene jim agredano live work dream“As working-age entrepreneurs, the biggest drawback of being a full-timer is the high cost of reliable mobile Internet connectivity.

In order to work online from anywhere we please, we pay about $300 a month for satellite Internet and WiFi broadband connectivity with sometimes agonizingly slow speeds.

We often have to remind ourselves that the awesome office views we enjoy do come with a high price tag.

Still, we are willing to pay it, we love the lifestyle that much!”

– Rene and Jim from LiveWorkDream

Amanda and Tim from WatsonsWander: Slightly Larger Trailer

watsonswander“If I could change one thing about my full-time RV lifestyle it would be adding a few feet to our travel trailer.

We love our 25’Airstream Safari, but after two years of sitting next to each other while working eight-hour days in our tiny office-living-dining room combo, it’s become apparent that we could use a bit more space.

I am not talking about a giant leap to a 45’motorhome or anything crazy like that.

Just a few more feet would make all the difference.”

 – Amanda and Tim from WatsonsWander

Laura and Kevin from Riveted: Convenient Home Base

riveted blog“The biggest issues in full-timing (vs. most-timing, which is what we do) is having a home base for things that are still locked into a certain system, like mail and shipping, registrations for things, paying taxes, being a citizen, etc.

There are workarounds for those issues, yes, but it’s still pretty clunky from the road to do things like order stuff from amazon, get a license for your vehicle, vote.

There are other things like, if you’re dependent on the internet, even the very best options for mobile internet don’t come close to the speed, reliability, and cost of home-based broadband solutions.

As far as the RV itself, the issues are often much easier than home maintenance. Most homes don’t have a user’s manual and a one-stop place to go when you need something fixed, the way most RVs do.

We also think it’s important to “buy it right and buy it once.” Try to get the very best version available of what you’re buying. Trying to skimp or economize can come back to bite you on the road a lot fast and a lot harder than it can living in a traditional house.”

– Laura and Kevin from Riveted

Curtis Carper: Easier Medication Delivery

curtis carper 1“The one thing that is an issue for me as a full time RVer is making sure I can get my medications.

I’m Diabetic, and insulin dependent.

My health care is provided by the V.A., and they have been extremely good at making sure I have the best possible help in keeping my blood sugar under control.

My insulin is delivered by UPS, which means it must be shipped refrigerated to a physical address and not a P.O. Box.

To accomplish that, I maintain a few friends addresses as mail drops around the country.

It would be nice to not have to rely on others for this effort, but it does work.”

– Curtis Carper from PoorMansRVLife

Becky Schade from Interstellar Orchard: Health Insurance

becky schade interstellar orchard rv“While RV upkeep costs, gas prices, unpredictability, inconsiderate campground neighbors, and having to work to be able to afford to travel can all be counted as negatives to this lifestyle in my case, those things can all be controlled and minimized with some effort.

I’d have to list the number one thing I wish I could change as the health insurance situation for younger full-timers like myself.
It’s one block that’s really hard to get around if you have no fixed home and are too young for Medicare.

Right now I hold a personal high deductible plan that may or may not still be a valid choice when it comes up for renewal in September now that the ACA has taken effect.”

– Becky Schade from Interstellar Orchard

Kristin and Jason Snow from Snowmads: Faster Internet

kristin and jason snow snowmads“The biggest thing we would change about full-time RVing would be improving access to affordable and fast internet for those of us who work on the road.

We have internet-based jobs that require us to use a lot of data, so while cell phone data speeds and coverage have come a long way, it’s extremely expensive compared to what someone can get in a stationary home.

Campground wi-fi is rarely adequate with the large number of people using it.

Being more adventurous RVers who are living the lifestyle to see as much of the continent as we can, we tend to not stay in one place long enough to have cable internet service installed at our campsite.

That’s our only complaint though – other than changing our plans and routes sometimes to accommodate work, we find that the RV lifestyle is just as worthwhile for those of us who aren’t yet retired!” 

– Kristin and Jason Snow from Snowmads

Alyssa and Heath Padgett: Electric RVs

padgetts

“If I could change one thing, I’d create the first electric RV so I never have to pay at the pump again. Gas prices are the biggest deterrent for full-time RV travel.

We already have electric cars, let’s make our travel easier and more affordable with electric RVs.”

– Alyssa and Heath Padgett from alyssapadgett.com and heathpadgett.com




7 thoughts on “Full-Time RV Experts Answer This 1 Simple Question”

  1. I can relate to an all-electric RV too! I’m in the process of ditching my propane fridge and water heater. Too sensitive to the outside temperature means that I have to limit the time I can stay in a functioning RV. Current fridge has to be shut down when outside temperate gets below 55 degrees!! Pilot light on the water heater blows out when the wind blows in the right direction. Propane flames have to be vented, they are dangerous in the right circumstances, and they keep heat near by in the summer. If they had all electric RVs, I would be in line to buy one!!

  2. Electric RVs? YOU can’t FIND A SMARTER BETTER COMMENTOR THAN THAT ONE?

    Batteries? Horsepower and torque? SIZE? WEIGHT? Why not just a nuclear powered RV, or a spaceship RV?

    I have read some uneducated posts in the past – this one takes the cake.

  3. That we would have invested in a Bigger RV. Even though I love our big bathroom and all of our kitchen cabinets, I wish we would have bought a bigger RV that had a 2 bedroom layout. When our kids were younger it was fine, but now that our children are getting older, we are finding that we need more space.

  4. I feel that our 19 years has been almost textbook perfect. We just hope that when the day comes to get off the road, the transition is as easy as moving from a big house with 25 years of accumulated stuff into a 32′ motorhome.

Leave a Comment

Welcome! Please follow these guidelines:

  • Be kind and respectful.
  • Keep comments relevant to the article.
  • Avoid insults, threats, profanity, and offensive remarks.
  • Refrain from discussing gun rights, politics, or religion.
  • Do not post misleading information, personal details, or spam.

We may hide or remove comments at our discretion.