7 Unexpected Benefits I Found By Living in an RV

(This is a guest post by  Carol Antoinette, a Midwesterner living the digital nomad life through the RV lifestyle with her husband.)

After four years of being in a long-distance relationship with my husband due to his traveling job, we made the decision to start RV living in 2023. 

The number of times my husband came home was sporadic and not being able to see each other or spend any time together was difficult on our relationship.

With inflation and rent prices going up, it made no sense to us to continue renting our apartment when we could easily get a camper and make our cost of living MUCH cheaper for the both of us while also being together again as a newly married couple. 

Also, since my husband already had a traveling job, living in an RV allowed me to travel the world with my husband.

Since taking on the RV lifestyle, I’ve found some surprising things about RV living that I never would have expected.

1. RVing is More Affordable

Whether you get a camper that you’re either paying off or buying outright, RV living is still a more affordable cost of living.

Let’s break down bit by bit what we were paying versus what we pay for the RV lifestyle:

Before we started RVing, we were paying about $950 a month, which included our cat rent for our two cats. Also, add $50-$120 for electricity on top of that and $74 per month for internet.

With the RV, we pay $480-$800 per month, depending on pet rent and the electricity bill. We pay $90 per month for Starlink internet.

 So, for a rough estimate:

Apartment living: $1,074-$1,144

RV living: $480-$900

My husband and I were surprised to see how much money we were able to save through RV living. 

Because of this lifestyle, we can build our future home for our future family! Without this lifestyle, it would have taken us way longer to get to our dream home!

2. It’s Way Easier to Maintain the Space

Let’s be real. 

Living in a motorhome has limited space but will be FAR easier to maintain.

You’d be surprised how much junk you keep in your living space and RV living has made us realize that many of the things we have are not necessary. 

Because RV living heavily focuses on minimalism, you won’t be tempted to buy unnecessary items and hoard up your space!

This is especially great for those who are limited in mobility.

Now, I don’t have to take all day to clean my space because it takes me only a few hours to pick up around the camper! 

3. We Can Bring Our Pets

As a fellow cat mom, it’s my responsibility and my utmost IMPORTANCE to bring my cats wherever I go.

Before RV living, we tried to stay in hotels but quickly realized that many hotels won’t accept cats due to people with cat allergies.

And I wasn’t going to abandon my cats because of that. I was determined to make something work for all of us, so RV living was the best way to go for my family.

Nowadays, there are far too many people abandoning their fur babies due to places not accepting pets; however, RV living makes it entirely possible to bring your pets.

For us, that was a no-brainer.

4. Fewer Headaches with Neighbors

Being in your own space in your own motorhome is far better than living within the thin walls of an apartment building.

With RV living, I was quite surprised at how quiet living it was. There was a massive difference between hearing our neighbor’s party or loud taking next door.

Sure, you may still hear people partying in an RV park, but most enforce quiet hours.

For the most part, RV living allows you to live within your own space and not be bothered by others around you!

5. A Landlord-Free Zone

Since you’re living in your own RV home, you can do whatever you want with it without a landlord telling you what you can and cannot do!

RV living is a landlord-free zone and we were SO glad to be done with landlords when we took on RV living full-time! 

At the very least, when we go to RV parks, we usually only have a month commitment, so if we really don’t want to stay at certain RV parks, we can just pack up and move our camper versus a year commitment in an apartment complex! 

No more landlords bombarding you with home inspections!

6. There’s Better Scenery

I don’t know about you, but seeing the beauty of nature is far better scenery than a trashy parking lot, endless cars, and who knows what else you find on the streets these days.

RV living is like a nice getaway vacation every time we go to a new RV park.

Even if there isn’t much around you in your current RV park, you’re more likely near nature centers, trails, and other beautiful scenic parks.

RV living will make you feel like you are always on a getaway vacation!

7. There Are Endless Travel Opportunities

Like I’ve mentioned before, RV living has truly given us endless travel opportunities to see different parts of the world!

With a motorhome, you have a place to stay at all times that allows you to go wherever you please.

So, no matter where you want to go next, you’ll always have a place to call home with you.

We have had so many cool experiences where we’ve visited many well-known National Parks and we are always looking for the next travel adventure to come.

Instead of one place being our home, the whole world is our home.

Before RV living, I never would have imagined the endless number of opportunities to see the world with my husband.

I truly encourage RV living, at least for a year, because you’ll be surprised at how much this lifestyle offers!  

MORE ARTICLES TO READ:

• 10 Misconceptions About Living Full-Time in an RV – Debunked!
• 40+ Ways to Make Money on the Road
• Top 13 Small RVs Perfect for Full-Time Nomads