Traveling in an RV since June first has been a learning experience to say the least. I am going to share ten things we have lived and learned during this time, along with a few random travel photos….because reading can be boring without pictures!
1. Shopping at Walmart is not fun.
This trip has solidified Darin’s feelings toward Walmart. Parking a mile away in the parking lot, dodging shopping carts and masses of people, only to find the specific item you want is out of stock, just to save a buck, is not worth it. No matter how bad you think your local Walmart can possibly be, trust me there are 10 times worse stores out there! Unfortunately, some small towns are held hostage by this giant retailer because they have no other option. And sadly, many times, neither did we…
One Walmart store in California posted a sign stating that they are no longer price matching effective May 31st. What? Why not?
2. Camping reservations for holiday weekends need to be confirmed way in advance.
More than once over the summer we had to call several places to find a spot to camp. Sometimes we had to settle on our 4th or 5th choice. This can definitely put a kink in your plans if you now have to add 30-50 miles to your day trip to see an attraction. Plan ahead, and save yourself a headache.
3. We miss long hot showers and the occasional bath in a soaking tub.
Our water heater holds 8 gallons of hot water. I can tell you that I can either shampoo and condition my hair OR shave my legs during a showering session. I can’t do both or I end up with a cold shower. Cold showers are not fun at all when it’s cold outside! We find ourselves using the public shower facilities in a campground when we want to take a powerful, hot, endless shower. Under one condition – they must be nice, clean, well maintained shower stalls. Overall, there appears to be more decent ones than bad ones.
4. It requires patience to be around your spouse 24/7.
In everyday life, most people get a break for 40 hours a week or more from their significant other. Being confined to a truck cab or a small camper, all the time, with anyone can be a challenge. Did I mention ALL THE TIME? You need to be able to shrug it off when one of you gets testy or tired or annoyed at the other. There is no place to run or hide to get some space or “me time”. Maybe a long walk outside in the fresh air?
5. Eating out all of the time and sitting in a truck for hours will add inches to your waistline.
This one is a no brainer. As tempting as it is to taste local food, my body can’t handle all the calories. I think I gained 10-15 pounds in Alaska. I don’t know for sure since I don’t have a scale in the RV, but my clothes were barely fitting. Now we are eating more salads and cooking more meals in our tiny kitchen (which is a challenge in itself). Long hikes always help too.
6. Staying in a campsite with only 30 amps of electricity or no sewer takes some compromising.
I think all big RV owners prefer to be plugged into 50 amps of power. That way you don’t have to worry about what is plugged in and for how long. For example, on 30 amps, you can’t run a space heater and a TV while using the microwave. Usually the space heaters are sacrificed for other items. Due to the geographic locations we have visited, our A/C units have barely been turned on, but this rule would apply to them as well.
When it comes to the sewer, we have to be careful about taking showers and using water in general. Our holding tanks are not very big and the gray tank barely contains six showers. Thus, we try not to be without a sewer hookup for more than two nights.
7. Always have something to occupy your spare time when you have no cell signal, wifi, or TV stations.
This one happens more than you would imagine. It is amazing how many places are so remote that you can’t even watch or read the news. When you are camping, you can’t just go tinker in the garage or play in your craft room. We stick to iPad games, reading, organizing, cleaning, or just laying around if we experienced some super active days.
8. Don’t trust your factory installed GPS system.
I wrote about getting stuck in the mud here. It happened because the GPS told us to go down a dirt road. It has also directed us to the totally wrong place more than once. My dad’s GPS completely stopped working in his five month old truck. My best advice- always have a back up plan. We use our phones if we have service. In the event we don’t have service, we use a trusty old school map or road atlas.
9. Check google maps for train tracks beside your campground.
Campgrounds are notorious for occupying real estate next to highways or railroad tracks. Well, it goes without saying, all the good locations are bought up by developers that want to sell pricy homes or build money making ventures like hotels or malls. Some cities have put bans in place against train whistles after 10pm, but some have not. We are light sleepers and any train noise can wake us up.
10. Be ready for the unexpected.
Things fail, usually at the most unopportune time. It’s bound to be karma. We experienced this first hand with a busted window (read about that day here) and a flat trailer tire that I talked about recently in this post. My dad’s TV and water pump both went out in Alaska. That’s why we always carry duct tape or gorilla tape. It can fix a lot of things.
Mother Nature can also be your enemy. We keep umbrellas, rain coats, and extra jackets in the truck. Whenever possible, we dress in layers that can be removed. And lastly, we now have folding chairs in the back seat of the truck because you never know when the road leads you to somewhere remote and you just want to sit and stay awhile. That’s what life is all about, right?
Heard all the cons. Waiting for the pros!
Darin says no yardwork, no property taxes, and if you don’t like your neighbors, you just move.