If you and your significant other are considering moving from a house to an RV full-time one of the most basic things you must do is make sure that you are both on the same page before you do anything.

You must both have a clear understanding of what you are about to do, and what the pros and cons are of the move you are about to make.

This requires a very high level of communication and lots of  ’what if’. . .  scenarios thrown back and forth and worked out.  What if the money runs short?  What will we do if one of use decides that they really love it and the other one doesn’t?  How do we want this new life to be different from the one we have been living?

There is nothing more deadly to peaceful co-existance in a marriage than when Amy absolutely loves the life, but Joe has reached the point where he can’t stand looking at the RV anymore, but goes along because she’s so happy.  (Come to think of it, I guess that’s true whether you’re in an RV or not).  Each of you must undersand what compromises you will be willing to make to make sure you BOTH get what you want.

Initially I was going to use this video clip in connection with a talk about workkamping (workamping is term used to describe work that people do part time while traveling on the road.  It is a term coined, and registered by, the Workamper News group.

But in watching the clip, what really caught my interest is the revelation at the end of the interview (she hates it – he loves it) and the compromise that will have to be made if they are both going to be happy.

One common stereotype of the full-time RVer is that of the octogenarian in a 90-foot  motor home,  peering over the steering wheel as he creeps down the road – a trail of cars a mile long stuck behind him. 

The reality of the full time RV community is much different.  It is full of people of different ages from different social and economic backgrounds who are living the the lifestyle for many different reasons. 

And while there are certainly many retired people included in that number, there are also a growing number of younger people who have taken to the road as well; young couples, couples with families and singles, all who have decided not to wait to live their dream.

However a number the issues that must be taken into account in making the choice to move into the full time life are different for younger people than for people who have worked a full career and are now ready to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labors.

In this short video one younger fulltimer talks about her enjoyment of the life and some of the challenges that younger fulltimers face.

In today’s world costs are a major concern in every decision – and the decision to take to the road full-time is no exception.

There are many factors to be looked at, but the bottom line is that, once you get past the ‘must pays’ the full-time RV life can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you make it.  Being creative, looking at what it is you really have to have and making appropriate adjustments in your lifestyle can make something that seems financially out of reach eminently do-able.

In this video RV Cooking Show host Evanne talks about what one year of full-time RVing might cost you.

I think the most commonly asked question about our decision to become full-time RVers was “It’s so small – how will you get away from each other?” 

I would patiently explain that there was a new invention to solve that problem that had beome quite popular and was now standard equipment on every RV – it’s called a DOOR. And when you walk through it you find yourself in a world in which you can go anywhere you want, either together or separately.

The key is to understand that your RV isn’t someplace you are trapped in. Instead, think of it as the room that transports you from great big world to great big world – kind of like the Star Gates in the TV series. Once you arrive at the new world you are free to do as you please, until it’s time to move on to the next one.

For us even the fact that we don’t have the same tastes in TV shows isn’t a problem – there are two TVs in our coach – so I can watch one while he watches the other.  No problem

In this short video authors Vicki and Joe Kieva talk about their experience with this and how they deal with it.

When my partner and I announced to our friends and family that we were going to sell the house, get rid of stuff and move into an RV full-time, the decision was met with more than a little bit of skepticism.  Many of them could not imagine that we would leave a perfectly good house to move into a ‘tin can on wheels’.  And I’m sure our sanity was questioned behind closed doors.

In this short video, author Jaimie Hall talks about her experience and also about one of the benefits that she gained by making her decision.