You will not believe the RV newbie mistakes that we faced our 30 day RV life! But it’s official. We’ve been RVing Full Time for 30 Days. We’ve compiled a list of 4 unexpected surprises that we should have been better prepared for. And #4 is the one that gave us more brain damage but we ultimately found a solution.
Hi, We’re the RV Odd Couple. We sold our house & most all possessions to hit the road and live in an RV full-time with our toddler and dog. When we decided to RV Full Time, we knew it would be a challenge, but we could have better prepared!
RV Newbie Mistake #1: We weren’t Prepared for the Emotions
We thought the emotions of preparing for Full Time RV Living were intense. Let me tell you that for us, once we set out on the road, we each had a “melt down” day. A mix of emotions including fear, anxiety, and paralysis set in for both of us at different times.
We love this life. But even after we pulled the trigger, we had doubts. If you don’t ask yourself “What have I done?” at some point once you are a Full Time RV’er, you’re not honest. We just weren’t prepared.
Solution for Emotional “Downs”
Get out & explore! The more you enjoy your surroundings, the less fear you will feel. Besides, time is precious. We only have so much time, so we have to make the best of it.
RV Newbie Mistake #2: We Ran Out of Propane
In our defense, we started living in our RV in Florida and our propane lasted 4 months. But when we drove to colder climates and turned on the heater, we didn’t expect to go through so much propane.
After running out of Propane the first time and refilling, we ran out again 3 days later. Thats 60 pounds of propane in just a few days!
We asked about it in an online community and were given the following advice. Which brings us to another piece of advice for newbies:
Solution for Trouble Shooting RV Issues
Join an Online RV Community. Whether it’s in Facebook or a forum, joining RV Communities is a must. RV’ers love to help and when we posted about our Propane dilemma, we were given tons of great advice. Which brings us to our propane solution.
Solution for Keeping RV Warm
Redundancy is key. Having multiple sources of heat is a must. Don’t just rely on the furnace. Luckily our unit is equipped with the right gear with an electric fireplace, but Oil Radiators, Space Heaters (caution they can be dangerous), and electric blankets are a must. Because trust us, you don’t need to be up North or in snow to be cold in your RV!
RV Newbie Mistake #3: Organizing & Purging has taken longer than expected
We expected to have the RV fully organized by now. It hasn’t happened between the cold weather and constant moving, a young child, and exploring.
I thought that if cleaning the RV takes a fraction of the time that cleaning the house does, the organizing should be easy too.
Solution for Unmet Expectations
Remember that Easy Does it! It’s a Journey! It’s ok that it’s not perfect. Take your time organizing. Don’t worry about making everything perfect so quickly.
RV Newbie Mistake #4: We Didn’t prepare for lack of Internet & Technology struggles.
We got an unlimited wireless plan with Verizon and assumed that we would be covered. But surprisingly there were some spots where Verizon had no service. Finding out that our expensive plan was simply no good in some places was a bummer. And in other places, it would only work at certain times of the day! Ugh!
Solution for Lack of Internet
We did research and found out that redundancy applies to mobile plans too. You have to have At&t and Verizon. It’s not cheap, but with working online, this was not negotiable. But apparently we are not the only people to encounter this struggle.
We found the creators of the Mobile Internet Resource Center, Chris and Cherie. These fellow RVers have shared in the struggle of having reliable internet and they share all the latest and greatest in mobile plans, devices, etc. They have free videos and a paid program. We are not affiliates. We are sharing because they’ve been so helpful to us!
So we want to know if you are an RV’er- What where your Newbie Mistakes? Please share and comment. This article will be more helpful to new rv’ers with comments from you veterans!
Why are RV Newbie Mistakes?
When we decided to take this huge leap of faith and RV full time with our family, so many people offered us help. We’d like to pay it forward. Join our “Odd Family” and be the first to know about our new adventures, products, and RV living hacks!
Thank’s for Joining our Odd Family,
John, Mercedes, Sage & Skippy