We didn’t expect empty-nest full-time RVing to be life in a bed of roses. We knew to take the good roses with the not-so-good thorns, because this is still “real life”, even if it is less conventional than other ways of living. While many roses and thorns were anticipated, there are a few interesting, unexpected or less significant roses and thorns we have discovered. Here is a list of some that come to mind after five months on the road with just me, my Sweetums and our three furry pets.
- Murphy was right (again) – the flat tire won’t happen until after you buy $1734 in new RV tires. But rose-colored kudos to Goodyear who agreed to replace the ruined nearly new tire at half price. They didn’t need to do that but we appreciate that they did.
- You will grow a renewed appreciation for sunrises and sunsets. You have more opportunities to see them, and fewer distractions (#taketimetosmelltheroses). Gosh, they are awesome.
3. You can still be very busy as an empty-nester on the road. It is a different kind of busy, but there is still a lot to do. The difference is, the totality of the items are less “mission-critical” and are generally more fun than “before” (e.g. gather and send care packages to loved ones, download and organize photos, work on itinerary details, etc). Besides, you get to look outside the window at your workspace and see an ever-changing scene.
4. A cold, rainy day by the (electric) campfire in your RV can be cozy and warm and relaxing, but a tropical storm with sideways rain and 50 mph gusts can be a bit too much white knuckling as your rig sways and shakes.
5. You can cook anything in an RV kitchen. I thought I might not bake cookies or tackle a big batch of Thanksgiving dressing (AKA stuffing if you didn’t grow up in my family) once we moved into our tiny new RV home. It takes practice and sometimes some creativity (fewer specialty tools, utensils, and appliances), but anything I have tackled has been possible and enjoyable to make as well! Counterspace is always a challenge, and two people in the kitchen at once can be a tight fit, but it works!
6. You might just miss old-man winter. We headed from Maryland to Florida at the launch of FT RV living (taking a kiddo to college), and then made our way north again while summer was still in full swing. We weaved our way south again but seemed to always keep slightly ahead of the fall season to which we are accustomed. We actually MISSED the full, slow transition from summer to fall and I think we will miss the snow and cold weather as well. That is not to say that it wasn’t awesome to walk the warm Georgia beaches on Thanksgiving day, or that we will choose to spend January and February in Maryland any time soon. But I think that we might just plan our future travel so that we can enjoy some seasonal changes a little bit more (and avoid Florida every summer!).
7. If you enjoy a regular bath in your sticks and bricks home, you will really miss it in your RV home. Now I understand why bath-loving RVers see an occasional hotel stay, spa day or hot tub soak as “essential”.
8. It still feels good to make your bed each day – it is just a little more exhausting.
9. You really can live with only three of each type of clothing (three t-shirts, three shorts, three long pants, three long-sleeved shirts, etc). You really need fewer items of clothing than you packed in your rig.
10. You might just miss having your old yard. We miss our backyard for our dogs as much as our dogs miss their backyard. It was a far easier task to let them outside on their whim, without committing to a leash walk or trip to the dog park.
11. A shorter visit by your kids is best once you become an empty nester. We love to have our kids visit us (six of them, ages 19 – 28), and a couple of them have done so several times since we began living on the road – for a few hours and for overnight stays. We have discovered (and perhaps they did also), that a short stay is just about right. One recent 24-hour visit by our youngest resulted in one item left behind and three cups, a plate, silverware, a bag of cookies, a bottle of OJ and cookie wrappers being left lying around. This was all despite the fact that said adult child slept at least 14 of the 24 hours of her stay! Conversely, it was a real treat to cook for her and hear her appreciation for Mom’s food!
12. You might miss driving or you might not. I miss driving. My dear husband does not (because he is doing it all!). Backstory: I have a growing history of vision limitations that makes me uncomfortable driving in in the dark, in unfamiliar places or with unfamiliar vehicles. Therefore, driving a massive F350 long-bed, dually truck (after driving a small Volvo SUV for years), ALWAYS in a new, unfamiliar place, and sometimes towing a 35 foot trailer, leaves me with few options to drive. I have practiced, and will do so some more, with the hope that some of my vision problems of recent months can be improved over time. But in the end, I miss feeling as independent as I did previously when I could easily hop in a car and just go.
13. RV propane stoves and ovens aren’t so great. I have had a strong preference for gas stoves all my adult life, but not in the RV! Adjusting the flame is difficult (burning hotter than they need to and impossible to achieve a good “simmer”), they warm up the small space of the rig on already warm days, and the oven is so uneven in its heating that it is generally useless. On the rosier up-side, I LOVE our portable single burner induction cooktop and our convection microwave oven! I use the propane oven for pan storage and can often cover the stovetop to create additional mission critical counter space. I prefer to cook for the two of us on the induction burner (using free campground electricity instead of purchased propane) and I do nearly all my baking in our convection oven (microwave). Both took some learning, but the results are very satisfying.
14. The time between each freezer defrosting is shorter than you might expect. It seems that no sooner do we defrost the freezer, it is time to do so again (monthly, on average). This is a task we did not have with our previous electric residential fridge but it is a necessary evil of an RV (propane/electric) refrigerator.
15. The countertop ice maker makes ice that is ALMOST as good as Chickfila ice! It is also my favorite appliance (we use a lot of ice). I suppose if we had opted for the residential fridge in our RV (that is an option in camping now that didn’t exist years ago), we could eliminate the previously mentioned defrosting issue as well as the need for a counterspace-eating ice machine (the residential fridge comes with an ice-maker), but for now, this setup works for us.
16. The sound of a hard and steady rainfall on the camper roof feels sooooo peaceful and safe and relaxing. Yep, roof rainfall, especially in the evening, cuddling with my DH (and perhaps a dog or cat) evokes feelings of great comfort. It reminds me of the feelings I had during my childhood when our entire family would gather on the back porch of our home during thunderstorms, huddled under blankets, just to hear the roar of the rain on the porch’s plastic corrugated rooftop.
17. RV air conditioning is loud and temperatures are somewhat erratic. I miss the quiet consistency of traditional central air (and I only had central A/C twice in my life – in a townhouse I rented in my mid-20s, and in the last five years of our “sticks and bricks” living!)
17. You will miss your loved ones…but appreciate them so much more. Being apart from your children, after spending their entire childhood WITH them is perhaps one of life’s greatest changes we face as parents. It is expected and takes some time to adjust to a new way of living. When we added a nomadic lifestyle on top of our empty nest, I began missing them in a whole new way. It also has grown feelings of great appreciation for the young adults they are becoming. They make me so proud of where they are headed and how they got there. Additionally, I miss my mom, my sister, my brother, my stepkids and a whole host of people that I haven’t lived with for a really long time – or never lived with at all! To all our extended family and friends – WE MISS YOU and we CHERISH the time we get to spend with you.
Safe travels – roses and thorns included!
