The 20 pros and cons of living in an RV you should know
With the cost of rent or of owning a home being so high, many people are looking at other modes of living, including tiny homes or mobile homes. For people who have the ability to work remotely and desire to travel often, living in an RV or renovated bus has become increasingly popular.
While RV living can be exciting and fun, there are some aspects that are less than ideal. Keep reading for some of the pros and cons of RV living.
Pro: It’s Easy To Travel And See The Country
Always wanted to see the mountains in Montana? Been dying to drive along California’s coastline? It’s easy for you to go from place to place and comfortably travel with your belongings using an RV.
Con: Stovetop Cooking Is No Easy Feat
The stovetop in a camper van is small, to say the least, making meals a little more difficult to prepare. In addition, using the stove will make the whole vehicle hot, which is not so great when you’re camping in warm areas.
Pro: You Can Relocate To Your Prefered Climate
Find the winters in the north a little too cold and gloomy? Just drive south to a warmer place. Find the southern summers unbearably hot? Just drive north. It’s easy to follow the weather you want at any time of year.
Con: Get Used To Cold Showers
The reserve of hot water in a camper only lasts for about the first five minutes of a shower. Either you get used to showering really quickly, or you get used to cold showers.
Pro: You Can Get Some Amazing Views From Your Bedroom Window
Whether you’re on the move or are parked at a specific location, your bedroom view is entirely up to you, and it’s constantly changing. You get to wake up to some of the most stunning natural landscapes on an average day.
Con: Constant Grocery Shopping
You don’t have a lot of storage space for food, and the fridges in RVs are generally very small, meaning you have to buy small amounts of food very often.
Pro: It’s A Cheaper Alternative To A House Or Apartment
Compared to the cost of renting a home or of mortgage payments, a mobile home costs significantly less per month despite the costs involved in maintaining the vehicle and parking at campsites.
Con: Relying Solely On Laundromats Can Be Irritating
Obviously, when traveling in a mobile home, you can’t exactly lug around a washing machine and dryer. Having to find and use laundromats all the time is not always the greatest experience, especially when traveling in desolate areas.
Pro: You Feel More In Touch With Nature
Compared to regular city or suburban living, your home is so small that you end up spending more time outside of it and immersing yourself in natural surroundings around campsites.
Con: Limited Access To The Internet
Depending on where you’re located at any given time, you might not have access to the internet. This can be a problem if you plan to work remotely or if you require internet access to navigate.
Pro: It Inspires A More Minimalist Lifestyle
Living in an RV, you don’t have a lot of storage, so you have to focus on what items you really need. It’s a great way to figure out what you truly find important versus what is just “stuff” to you.
Con: It Gets Noisy Very Easily
Since you’re living in such a small space with others, you can hear every noise people make inside and lots of noise from outside. If you’re a light sleeper, you’re going to need earplugs.
Pro: You Get To Meet A Lot Of New People
Campsites and national parks are often busy with other travelers staying a couple of nights and passing through, meaning you get to meet people from all over while you’re out in the world.
Con: Campsites Can Be Crowded
Campsites in the busy seasons are often packed, meaning that you’re constantly surrounded by other people and their noise. There’s no real way to sit outside without being surrounded by others.
Pro: You Feel Closer To Your Family
When spending time driving across the country with your family, you’re bound to have some quality bonding time and end up closer to each other. You’ll all learn to be more cooperative in the process.
Con: No Privacy From Others Living With You
While you’re bound to bond while lumped together in a mobile home, there’s also bound to be friction. You don’t really have any alone time or personal privacy in an RV.
Con: They Eat Gas Like It’s Nothing
Unfortunately, if you’re planning to drive around a lot, you have to prepare to spend a lot of money on gas. Camper vans, especially the larger ones, burn through fuel.
Pro: Cleaning Up Is A Piece Of Cake
Because the space is so small and you are lugging around fewer possessions, cleaning up is a breeze. You can vacuum out the whole place, wipe down the counters, and straighten up in less than an hour.
Con: Tiny Bathroom Problems
The bathroom in any RV or camper is pretty much the same size as your typical airplane bathroom, except it also has a shower in that same space. Trying to change your clothes in one is a recipe for disaster.
Pro: You Never Have To Worry About Mowing The Lawn
All of the lawn care and landscape maintenance demands that come with homeownership disappear when your home is mobile. Even if you stay in one place for a while, most campsites manage their own greenery.
