Can You Live in an RV and Call It a Home

There’s no place like home. In RV life, everywhere is home.

“Wouldn’t you rather own property and build equity?” Then you would have a place to go when you are done traveling.” That is such a common snip from people when they are judging RV lifers. 

Here’s the thing.

Not every person wants to live YOUR life. What works for you may not work for others.

I’ve owned three houses (or sticks and bricks, as we RVers call them). There is nothing wrong with owning a home, condo, or apartment. But that is where most people stop when they think of home ownership. If you do not want to own the aforementioned, you are not living to your full potential. Most people classify you as homeless. RVers say houseless.

Life Goals and lifestyle obligations

Children are not brought up to have a successful life with the goal of living in a trailer. You are brought up to achieve the highest level in your job, home, and lifestyle.

A majority of people I meet, read about, and follow on socials all refer to “living the American dream” they had it all. Great job, a house, the stuff the lifestyle brings you AND they were miserable. Day in and day out doing the same thing all to save up for 2-3 weeks a year to get away from it all and splurge on those once-in-a-lifetime vacations. Oohhh sounds so good. Doesn’t it? Yeah, been there and done that, and I hated every minute of it.

I wanted to know how the people living in those dream destinations lived. You know them, the people doing those futile jobs (they are far from futile) of serving cocktails and cleaning your room. Those healthy looking laid-back friendly people, with happy souls. I always admired them. It wasn’t about the job. It was a job. A job that paid them to live in a beautiful paradise. I always thought they were onto something. They had it figured out. They are well-trained seasonal workers. They go where the jobs take them. In my opinion, they figured out how to live the good life. I have to admit. I don’t like working. I’m not afraid of work, I am one of those people who doesn’t do well in a controlled office environment. I had many years of working in offices and I was so uncomfortable. I felt like I had to be someone I wasn’t. I wanted to go home.

I met a gal at a campground en route to her next job. She worked on an island during the summer season for vacationers and then went to the mountains and worked at a posh ski resort for those who splurge their 2 weeks on a ski trip. Just a side note – girl-made bank. She stashed her savings from tips and consistent work. But that was not her goal. Her goal was to travel. Like me, she got bored with the same daily routine. The same scenery, same location, and riding the Ferris wheel and going nowhere.

I asked her, what are you saving for? A house? She said, “Oh no. Why would I do that? I have no one place I want to live. Someday, my health or age may not let me work anymore. Then I will have enough money to live into my older years. Where I will live when the time comes I don’t know.”

She wasn’t tied down with lifestyle obligations and waiting for the dream to travel one day. She was living her dream. It’s not everyone’s dream and that’s okay.

Home is where you are happy. Where you are comfortable and content. Regardless of how your walls are assembled. Maybe it’s the daily ride on the Ferris wheel or maybe it’s a trailer that you drag around the country. No one should ever judge another person for how they choose to live. It’s not your life. Or as I like to say, “Not my journey, not my circus.”

Alternative Housing

Alternative is a word that has thrust to the top of the vocabulary in recent years. Alternative lifestyle. Alternative fiction. Alternative gender (I will never understand why this is a thing) Make a flipping decision. 🙄

Anyways. Alternative housing is also a thing. Generally, this has referred to tiny homes. Those log cabin-style homes that are very small and have wheels. They are awkward to pull and travel around and they don’t come cheap. Travel trailers and motorhomes are made to move around. Is it a cheaper way to live? Not really, it can cost a few bucks BUT, it can be less money than the fixed home finances. Depends on how you want to live.

What about an address? And Medical needs.

A permanent home address. Well, there are ways around this. In the US you can go through companies that provide mail services. Basically, you hire a company. They receive your mail, open it, and send you electronically what they have received. Or, they hold your mail until you contact them and give them an address to send it all to you. I don’t use them so I can’t list the options. South Dakota has worked it, that you can domicile in South Dakota without actually owning a place. The government doesn’t like it, because you only have to spend 30 days “residing” in the state to claim residency.

Let’s look outside of the box on this. People who own several homes in different states – which address do they use? Out-of-country businesses who have a US business license – what address do they use? Do they actually live in the US? We all pay federal taxes, no way around that. So, what difference does it make in how you pay them? Most use a family member’s address. If you were renting a room from a homeowner, you would use theirs as your permanent address. If you are renting a room, a home, or an apartment you are not paying property taxes so what claim do you have to say you are not homeless? It doesn’t belong to you. In my eyes, it’s the same as living in an RV except I own it. When the question comes up do I rent or own? I own. 😊

Medical, this is a common question. I think it’s irrelevant. You travel and swing around to your “home” state for business once a year. Schedule your doctor, dentist, and so forth visits and knock them all out in a two-week or a month-long stay. Medications? Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens are in almost every major city and state. Let your doctor know you are traveling and need refills from different states. What do you do if you go on vacation and have an accident or lose your prescription? Insurance companies have out-of-area coverage – maybe you have to pay a little extra for it, as I have discovered, it’s cheaper to pay cash for an unexpected medical visit and you usually get a discount.

Don’t forget your pets. Yes, this is probably the easiest. I have had first-hand experience with a pet emergency. Vets will see you. There are emergency vets and local vets that can help you. Sasha, our German Shepherd had to make an emergency vet visit in Oregon. Saw the vet with no issues and sent a copy of the services to my home vet for their records. Carry your pet’s vaccination records with you. Streamlines the check-in process so you are not kept waiting for the will never happen call back from your home vet for an update on shots.

Until next time. Stay safe and have great adventures.

Teresa