It’s raining, and it’s Monday, but I’m not going to let it get me down.

Some might get that reference 😊

Just sitting here at my computer watching the neighbor wash his bus, in the rain. For the longest time, he squatted under one of the slides so he wouldn’t get wet. Now he is rubbing his neck and back instead of the motorhome.

I’m having an easy day today because I worked pretty hard on Sunday. Today I did a little reading, video game playing, and about an hour talking to my daughter on FaceTime.

Keeping connections with family and friends is essential in this RV life.

I am even more connected than before we started this trip six years ago, because I have a ton of things to share. Nothing worse than that phone call with dead air because not much has gone on that week.

Reminds me of asking a middle schooler how school was that day. “Fine.”

But the trick is listening.

I mean, I could talk about our adventures for hours, but that sours the conversation. Me, Me, Me.

When I’m away from my loved ones, I want to know every little detail of their day. I really care.

Tell me about the confrontation you had at work. The jerk in line at the grocery store. The song that came on the radio on the ride home that made you smile.

Keeping the conversation alive makes our occasional get-togethers seamless.

Going to a new location every 2-6 weeks has presented some fabulous opportunities for them to come for mini-adventures.

In the past couple of years, we have met in Carmel, California, and explored Big Sur. Landed in Sedona during the Day of the Dead celebration. Listened to music around the square in Prescott, Arizona. Drove every road in Yosemite National Park. Did a white-water rafting trip on the Colorado River. Hiked around the red rocks in Moab. My daughter even flew into San Antonio and made the drive to Utah with me, stopping at Carlsbad Caverns and Roswell along the way.

Aliens everywhere!

None of this would have happened if we had not been living our best life – the RV life. Instead of growing distant from our loved ones, we are building lasting memories.

I hear it all the time.

“When I retire…”

But we all know that that dream dies when the adrenalin of work goes away and the comfy bed calls to us longer each day.

Here is the truth.

If you are between the ages of 30-55, your peak earning years are now. Not when you are 65+.

Now you can work remotely and travel while earning full income. Match this with lower cost of living and you also increase your investment potential.

Most retirees live on a fixed income which won’t keep pace with rising RV costs, which has been about 10% per year. If you start earlier, you can lock in lower costs.

The RV lifestyle takes a lot of energy for driving, setting up camp, and then exploring the new places.

Personally, I have noticed myself slowing down and not being able to do the hiking trails or longer walks like I used to. We started this life when we were in our early 40s. It has kept us feeling young and sharp, but the old knees have another agenda.

Earlier you follow your dream the better!

Why wait? It just makes sense to jump in while you have the energy and can create your multiple income streams that will sustain you when you are in your 60s and 70s. We met couples in their 80s out here still going strong.

I think it all depends on when you start the journey as to how much you get out of it later in life.

For us, we don’t see ourselves retiring in the traditional sense. We will always have those multiple streams of income that we are passionate about.

How about you?

Some people are afraid to leap towards their dream of adventure and freedom because they fear not having financial security.

Financial security can be defined in many ways.

Many fear not having security to pay the mortgage.

We were told throughout our lives that buying a house is the thing to do. Go into debt for the rest of your life, stuff it with meaningless things, and then leave your family 5-6 days per week to work at a job you hate so you can pay for it all.

Can you hear it?

Some people enjoy spending their days off with a bit of shopping therapy. I know because I did it.

Then you come home to your closet and cram in the new stuff where it is forgotten until the credit card bill arrives.

The two-car garage does not hold one of your three vehicles due to all the stuff you thought you needed to make you happy. Plus, all the lawn and home care items you use a handful of times a year – if you can find them.

You love this stuff so much that you get up 5 days a week and commute an hour or more per day, missing that special morning time with your family.  You come home too tired to have quality time in the evening, but still try to fake it.

You know this is not good for your health.

Take a breath. Heck, take six deep breaths.

Let’s really think about your dream of adventure and how you can make it work.

Financial security can mean not having to pay for all that stuff and for places to store it. Look around you. Look inside closets. Open the garage door. Open your credit card bill.

As Marie Kondo says, “Does it spark joy?”

Now, close your eyes and see what a day would be like if you were free from all of that.

See yourself in your RV. You are parked in a state park that sits along the Oregon coast. You woke up with the sun, not an alarm clock. Your family is getting ready for a morning walk down to the beach to learn about tides and what lives in tidal pools.

When you sold your house, you made sure you were debt-free. Credit cards are stashed away for emergencies. If you make enough and do your due diligence, your RV is also paid for.

You have remote work that gives you flexibility to work when you can. This means you had 3 hours of productive time after the kids went to bed. You can complete the work in half the time it takes in an office environment.

Sometimes, you grab your laptop and head to a local library if you need some extra focus time.

Homeschool today means learning about the ocean biome, meal planning, and hiking.

Your debt is cut in half. This means you are freed up to invest more and spend way less. Eliminating your commute and reducing the number of vehicles can give you a nice raise.

You stay at the state park for a weekly rate of $275, which includes all the utilities. You shop at the local farmers’ market and can bypass buying all the other ‘stuff’ because it will not fit into your new home. After a while, you are healed from the addiction of shopping and embrace the minimalist lifestyle of RV living.

Come back to your current reality.

Do you still fear that accepting your dream of adventure and freedom is risking financial security?

I say no. It creates financial insecurity for many of us.

The RV lifestyle can put you more in control.

You live life by design, not by the design of others.

Let’s connect.  I help people embrace the full-time RV lifestyle. Are you ready to join the community?

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AUGUST 25, 2025

Every time a newbie pulls into an RV park, I try to capture some of their enthusiasm.

I can feel the excitement of newfound freedom. The kind that allows you to go where the weather suits your clothes. And remembering that winter gear does not usually fit into the small cubbies.

Many are still feeling the joy of retirement and having time to take the dog for a walk, rather than just opening the back door to let them out. Or being able to work on their own schedule instead of commuting and punching a clock.

It’s that fun time of resetting the internal clock and finding the flow that brings a smile to every morning, where there may have been dread.

Newbies also usually have a new rig, new outdoor chairs, and a few other patio items. We all do it. After downsizing for weeks before hitting the road full-time, you still pack a few knick-knacks you think you can’t live without.

Our new neighbors are a good example. They spent quite a while putting out a huge rug and then surrounded it with a dog pen. A new tablecloth covers the picnic table, and a metal rooster sits in the middle. Then comes the grill and propane fire pit. Bikes are taken off the rack and stored in the back.

Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t have some comforts of home, if that’s how you define “things.”

But things can own you instead of the other way around.

In their case, now they have to worry about all those things. Are the bikes safe? Will the rug blow away in the wind? Will critters get into my BBQ grill overnight?

After you are on the road a while, you realize that those things are not helping.

Downsizing continues throughout the journey.

In our case, I go through all our spaces about 4 times per year and purge. The less I have, the better I feel. There are empty spots in cupboards that I don’t feel I need to fill.

All we need are our two folding chairs, which usually live in the car, so that we can pull them out next to a mountain stream or when we come across music in the park.

The transition to a true minimalistic lifestyle, which RV life is, can take years for some. That depends on how you lived before.

If you had a garage full of everything but the car, then a life change might be a little more difficult.

But once that freedom sinks in, there is no going back. Our life fits into less than 300 square feet. The real living takes place outside.

Today, those chairs are coming out in the canyon, in a picnic area next to a clear mountain stream. And I will not have any “thing” at home to worry about.

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AUGUST 24, 2025