A-Z guide to full-time RV living: Rules of the road

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R is for Rules of the Road

When Mark and I first got our truck camper we were as excited as we were naive.  We had no idea what it took to have a fun, safe, and successful time on the road, we simply went for it and learned along the way.  Some days would be dreamy while other days would be filled with frustration and disinterest in the lifestyle.  That was until we started identifying what factors played a part in a good day vs. a bad day.  

The following is a list of rules that we’ve come to live by or, at the very least, let gently guide us.  With every bit of knowledge we acquire about ourselves and what works for us, the more enjoyable our travels become.  And, the better equipped we are to weather the lows when they inevitably come our way.

By no means do these rules need to become your rules too.  If something resonates, try putting it to use for yourself and see how it influences your quality of travel.  But, more than anything, I hope this list will prompt you to ask yourself questions.  What do you love about living on the road and how can you do more of that?  What don’t you love about living on the road and how can you do less of that?  What are common pain points and how might you be able to reduce them?  What’s the recipe for a good day?  What’s the recipe for a bad day?  Start answering these questions and you’ll slowly begin crafting your own rules of the road.

Avoid the interstate

Something we quickly learned is that the quality of our travel days improved when we favored secondary highways over interstate routes.  Interstate travel is all about getting from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible.  While sometimes that’s necessary, living on the road is as much about the journey as it is the destination.  

Traveling on two lane highways leaves room for spontaneity and unexpected delights.  If you spot a road that piques your interest, turn down it and see what you find.  If you end up in a quirky, little town, stop and do a little exploring on foot.  Hungry?  Grab a bite to eat in a local establishment and get to know a place.  

Interstate travel may be efficient but it’s boring.  Disregard google and try exploring the endless alternatives offered by our secondary highway system.

Never start a travel day hungry

For us, this may be the single most important rule on this list.  On travel days, we have a knack for wanting to get up and go.  And yet, it never fails, if we don’t feed ourselves first, morale inside our cab slowly deteriorates.  

Travel days rarely go as planned.  Our route may take longer than anticipated, we may need to make more stops than we realized, or finding our next campsite may take much longer than we’d hoped.  Whatever the case may be, starting the day hungry means we are all the more susceptible to stress and frustration when things don’t go as planned.  Enough bad days have been traced back to hunger that this rule is now non-negotiable for us.

Couples: Know your strengths and play to them

If you’re traveling as a couple, it’s important to know your strengths as they pertain to your mobile lifestyle.  If each person has their own roles, everything will go smoother for it and there will be less opportunity for a breakdown in communication.  For example, when we’re preparing to leave a campsite, Mark always packs up the outside while I pack up the inside.  He puts the pop-top of the camper down while I turn off the propane, secure the toilet, and close the vent.  When we get in the cab and start to drive away we’re not doubting what got done and what didn’t.

Perhaps the most crucial area to know your strengths and play to them is in regards to navigation.  Most nomad couples we know designate one person to drive and one person to navigate.  In stressful situations, this can really test the communication skills of a couple, not to mention your patience for one another.  For a short time I attempted to navigate but nagivator became the appropriate term to describe my lack of navigational skills.  Since Mark prefers to drive we determined that it was best for our marriage that he do both the driving and the navigating. 

It’s situations like these that it’s crucial to determine what works and what doesn’t in order to maintain a happy partnership on the road.

Overestimate how long a travel day will take

Travel days come with so many unknowns.  If you’re going somewhere new, simply finding the things you need (gas, propane, water, etc.) can take far longer than anticipated.  Grocery shopping always takes longer in a store you’ve never been in.  Laundromats are always hit or miss in terms of how busy they are.  Highway construction is always a possibility.  And so is breaking down.  Sometimes the campsite you had in mind isn’t available or isn’t accessible.  

Travel days aren’t the time to be ambitious.  Being conservative in what you think you can accomplish is the way to maintain your sanity and not grow to dread travel days.  

Document your travels

Whether it’s in the form of photos, journaling, or a spreadsheet, document your travels.  The gift you’re giving yourself is two-fold.  One, your future self will have the chance to look back and admire all the places you’ve been and experiences you’ve had.  Two, you’ll save yourself from going crazy when you can’t manage to remember where you were at this time last year or where that one spot was that you loved so much.

My most prized possessions are the journals and photos that document our years on the road.  When you travel perpetually at some point the memories will begin to blend seamlessly from one into the next.  Taking one photo a day is enough for me to remember where we were and what our life was like at that moment in time.  

Interact with the environment

Anytime we immerse ourselves in our surroundings our travels feel all the more richer for it.  Swim in streams, walk through the woods, dig your toes into the sand. Collect rocks and sea shells and pine cones.  Connecting with the environment around you is both grounding and satisfying.  It always reminds me why I chose a nature-centric lifestyle.

Plan on things breaking

Things break.  This is an unavoidable fact of life on the road.  Vehicles require maintenance.  And, no home on wheels can handle the rigors of constant movement without succumbing to the stress from time to time. That goes for any RV, whether new or old.  

Adopt a practice of looking over your RV inside and out on a regular basis.  Check your wiring for your solar system.  Has anything come loose? The same goes for nuts and bolts and screws throughout your entire rig.  Know what signs to look for that will point to a potential problem.  

Pay attention to the weight rating of your vehicle and how much you’re asking it to carry.  Being overweight can play a huge role in things failing and breaking.

Invest in quality tires & brakes

Your tires and brakes are some of the most vital components when it comes to safely moving your home on wheels from place to place. We believe it is worth investing in quality tires that can handle the weight and demand of our RV. Further, staying on top of the health of your brakes is worth the effort in order to avoid a devastating accident.

Carry a fire extinguisher

Always, always carry at least one fire extinguisher and make sure it’s easy to get to.  If you have a tow vehicle plus an RV, carry one in each.  We all carry around plenty of flammable items these days. A fire extinguisher is a simple tool that can prevent catastrophe.  

If the lifestyle isn’t living up to the dream, try mixing it up

There are a lot of different ways to go about life on the road.  Some people thrive living at RV parks for months at a time while others love criss-crossing the country at their heart’s desire.  When you first hit the road, you may not yet know what things light you up and what things drag you down.  If at first you’re not having fun with it, try a different approach.  If the weather is getting you down, relocate to a whole new region. If you’ve been moving frequently, try slowing down.  If you’re bored, try moving more often.  What kinds of places have you been staying?  If the answer is campgrounds, try wild camping.  If you’ve never stayed at an RV park, give one a shot, they can be great for easy access to resources and amenities.  Feeling lonely?  Make plans with a friend or family member and go stay in their driveway for a few days.  

Try different things in order to get a better feel for what aspects of the nomad lifestyle you like and what you don’t.  Once you acquire that knowledge, build a travel template that caters to your interests.

Always listen to your gut

Personal safety is a common concern for people leaving their traditional lives behind in exchange for a nomadic lifestyle.  Unfounded paranoia accompanied me for the first few months that we traveled in our truck camper, simply because there were so many unknowns.  What I’ve learned in the decade since then is that my gut is my most trusted line of defense.  There have been a handful of times when a place just didn’t feel right.  If my spidey senses are trying to say something to me, I always listen.  The same goes for Mark.  And if one of us feels something that the other doesn’t, we don’t question each other’s judgement.  A gut reaction to leave a place means that we leave.  

Fear, however, can get in the way when you’re trying to listen to your instincts.  So what’s the difference?  For me, fear rests at the surface.  Any new place we stay at is met with a new plate full of unknowns. Uncertainty is where fear breeds.  If I let myself imagine bad scenarios all I’m doing is breathing life into my fears.  Deep down in my bones is where my instincts lie.  That inner wisdom is what I’m looking to guide me when it comes to personal safety.  Over time, if you pay attention, you’ll notice the difference.  Always listen to your gut but try not to live in fear.

A-Z Guide to Full-Time RV Living: Bears, Bandits & Breakdowns

Embrace the dirt

Unless you’re planning on living exclusively at RV resorts, this is a dirty lifestyle.  If you want to conserve your fresh water stores so that you can stay somewhere off-grid for a longer duration, showering less is one of the easiest ways to achieve that.  If you have a dog, you should probably get used to them bringing the outdoors in.  If you’re faced with wind or rain, you’ll be hard-pressed to keep yourself and your space free of dirt, mud, and debris.  

This is the price we pay to live this life.  Mark and I long ago waved our white flag and learned to live with it.  What you learn in return is to appreciate a shower more than you ever thought possible.  And on the days that you dedicate to cleaning, you revel in the fact that it’s 10x faster to clean an RV than a house.

Follow the weather

The ability to follow good weather is one of the primary reasons we live on the road.  I am happiest when it’s seventy-five and sunny out and a house on wheels allows me to be wherever that is.  Not only is it more enjoyable but mild weather makes RV living cheaper and easier.  Rather than pay to heat or cool our space, we spend our money on fuel to take us to the ideal climate.  Once we’re there, we’re not paying to temperature regulate our home.  Further, being in the desert in the winter and the mountains in the summer means we’re not fighting the elements that those ecosystems dole out in their less ideal seasons such as monsoons and snow storms.

If yon’t like where you are, move

Don’t like the weather?  Move.  Don’t like your neighbors? Move.  Don’t like how noisy it is?  Move.  Your house has wheels, use that to your advantage.  Sometimes a simple move a mile down the road will be all it takes to be in a more desirable environment.

Always take the time to get level, stable, and secure

An unlevel and unstable RV is no fun to live in.  For one, it only takes a small amount of inversion (your feet being higher than your head) to wreak havoc on your sleep.  Two, cooking can be a pain in the butt when everything in your pan is sliding to one side because you’re not level.  But, for me, being stable and level is important because it’s what makes my RV feel like less of a vehicle and more like a home.  

Leveling your RV may feel like an annoying task at first but the more you do it the better you’ll get at it.  We carry leveling blocks but there are a few different gadgets out there to get the job done.  

Lastly, if you have a trailer or fifth-wheel, never forget to secure it with wheel chocks.  It can be difficult to sleep peacefully if you’re worried about your RV rolling down the hillside or off a cliff.

When in doubt, scout

Getting stuck somewhere with your RV is no fun. Whether it be soft sand, a muddy section, low overhead clearance, or a dead-end road with no room to turnaround, the road always has obstacles to overcome.  Depending on the situation, an easily avoided mistake could end up costing you heaps in towing fees or damage repairs.  Any time you’re in doubt, get out and scout out the situation.  A simple walk around could be all it takes to avoid a bad day.

Secure your stuff

Anytime you’re about to drive your home down the road, make sure everything inside and outside your RV is secure.  Once you’re done, double-check the critical things.  After a long drive day, discovering that your sewer hose got lost on the highway or maple syrup spilled all over the counter and floor is a surefire way to sour your mood.

Carry paper maps

Google maps is an excellent resource and invaluable tool for the full-time RVer.  However, I find that I still love a good paper map.  When we zoom in and out on our phones, it’s impossible to gauge scale.  It’s also really easy to miss things.  A paper map offers the chance to really study an area, gauge distances, and plan out future travel days.  My preferred paper map, DeLorme Atlases, are also a great source for finding public land.  The DeLorme Atlas also offer a list of attractions and unique features for each state.

A-Z Guide to Full-Time RV Living: Finding places to stay

Slow down

When Mark and I first hit the road our enthusiasm got the best of us.  We were so excited to see all the places and do all the things we’d dreamed of and it caused us to set too fast of a pace.  Our mindset was in vacation mode – do all the things before time runs out – rather than being in a mindset of this is our new life and we need to pace it so that it’s sustainable over the long-term.  By the end of our first year on the road we were exhausted.  The turning point came for us when we decided to make two-week stays in one place a routine practice.  All of a sudden it felt like we were getting to live in a variety of places rather than just travel through them.

• Slowing down saves money.
• Slowing down allows time for routine.  Routine is at the root of a healthy lifestyle.
• Slowing down gives you more time to do other things besides plan, prep, and drive.
• Slowing down allows you to get to know a place.
• Slowing down keeps you from becoming saturated in experience.  You’re able to process and savor the moment before moving on to the next thing.

Slowing down has turned out to be the single most important thing that keeps this lifestyle sustainable for us.  When we moved more frequently, my sanity and thirst for adventure had a shelf-life.  Thanks to a slower pace, I now believe I can continue to be happy in my nomadic lifestyle for an indefinite amount of time.

Invest in quality clothing for a variety of weather scenarios

Being out in the elements is sometimes impossible to avoid when living in an RV.  The right gear can make all the difference in your level of comfort and enjoyment of wherever you are.  Some of our key items include: rain jackets, rain paints, shoes for muddy conditions, wool base layers, down jackets, windbreakers, 100% linen clothing (for hot & humid conditions). 

Invest in solar and get off-grid

In my opinion, solar power is the key component to freedom in this lifestyle.  When you’re generating your own power from the sun, you no longer need to rely on being plugged in somewhere for your electrical needs.  Sure, alternatively you could carry around a generator but they’re bulky, noisy, and require fuel.  (Nothing kills the peace quite like being camped in a picturesque location only to be left having to listen to your camp neighbor’s generator for hours on end.)  A solar system requires an upfront investment but once you’re set up all you need is sunshine to keep your RV up and running.  When you don’t have to rely on electrical hook-ups, you unlock a whole new world for options of where you can camp.

Beware of the planner’s mindset

The planner’s mindset puts you into a future-thinking headspace.  When you’re traveling perpetually, if you’re in a planning mindset, you’re always and forever planning the next thing rather than enjoying where you are and what you’re doing right now.  The planner’s mindset is a trap I fell prey to for our entire first year on the road.  I didn’t enjoy road life nearly as much then as I do now.  

If decision fatigue strikes, slow down and reevaluate

Decision fatigue is real and can have a detrimental effect on your quality of life when traveling full-time.  When your home has wheels there’s a long list of things that constantly need figuring out.  Where are you sleeping tonight? How are you getting there? How long will you stay? How much water will you need to stay that long? Where are you refilling water & propane? Where are you disposing of your trash and emptying your black tank? Where are you doing laundry? Where are you getting groceries? What if you need to refill a prescription, find your pet’s food that they like, or pick up a package?  It can take some time to settle into a rhythm of constantly having to address these needs.  

I think decision-fatigue is a primary cause for travel burnout.  Some solutions to decision-fatigue include:

• Slowing down and remaining in the same area for several weeks.
• Renting an AirBnB where you can enjoy some creature comforts and a mini-break from the road.
• Picking up the slack when your partner is in need of a break or asking for grace from your partner when you need a break.
• Staying at an RV park where you can enjoy full hook-ups, laundry facilities, and other amenities.
• Returning to a familiar place that you like where you already know the lay of the land.

Lastly, decision-fatigue can lead to tension within a partnership.  Mark and I pay attention for signs of decision-fatigue and act accordingly.  We always vocalize to the other when we need a break.  This helps avoid an unpleasant spiral where you begin to resent the road all while causing your partner to resent you for not enjoying the lifestyle.

Don’t expect your life to look like Instagram or feel like a vlog

Have you heard the quote “don’t expect your behind-the-scenes to look like someone else’s highlight reel”?  This is really important to remember when living on the road.  Following other people’s travels online may be what inspired you to get out on the road in the first place, but know that actually living the life will be very different.  While you’ll definitely experience Instagram-worthy moments, you’ll still be met by the stresses and mundanity of everyday life.  

Meet fellow nomads

Mark and I have always considered ourselves introverts and loners.  Meeting strangers certainly doesn’t come easily for us.  To my complete surprise, the friends we have made on the road have caused me to fall more deeply in love with this lifestyle than I ever thought I would.  Knowing what I know now, I think our preference for being alone largely had to do with the fact that when living in a house we rarely met people that we had much in common with.  That all changed once we started meeting fellow nomads.  When you meet another person who has chosen to live on the road, you automatically have a fundamental life choice in common.  A lot of times, conversation will flow from there.  The road can get lonely because it’s easy to isolate yourself if you choose to do so.  If you’re craving friendships, seek out meet-ups or areas where nomads congregate.  Some of our closest friends were once strangers that we randomly crossed paths with at campgrounds.

A-Z Guide to Full-time RV living: Community & Companionship

Respect the land

Whether you’re at a campground, in the middle of the forest, or parked on the side of a friend’s house, be respectful of the land you’re on.  No matter where we are as nomads, we’re always guests.  Trashing public land or damaging the ecosystem is the fastest way to get a place shut down.  I get to camp in the same places my grandparents did thanks to our public lands.  Let’s do our part to keep these incredible places available for future generations.

For more guidelines around how to camp responsibly, check out the following article in our A to Z guide:

A-Z Guide to Full-time RV Living: Learn how to camp responsibly

Prioritize the Go not the Gear

In our consumer-driven culture it’s easy to get caught up in thinking you need all the right stuff before you can actually get going.  The thing is, you largely won’t even know what you want or need until you’re on the road, living the life.  Sure, there are essentials that you’ll need to get started but be aware of all the excess that the RV industry will lead you to believe you need.  Save your money for putting gas in your tank, get going, and figure out what it is you actually need along the way.

Life on the road has a learning curve.  It’s important to give it time and be patient along the way.  If you put some of these rules of the road into practice from the jump, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of where we started.  May all the lessons we’ve learned along the way set you up for success in your new life as a modern-day nomad.