-Organization is Key. You have a finite amount of space, and need to place things in a way to maximize the space and access. We have found that using the plastic airtight OXO containers and drawer dividers is very helpful.
- You need much fewer clothes than you think. I truly understand the capsule wardrobe phenomenon. J and I each have 4 clothes drawers, and even that is too many. (Although we’ve only been in hot climates so far).
– There is much less privacy. We are living in a 24′ trailer where the kitchen is right next to our beds which is right next to the bathroom. So you will need to carve out quiet time for yourself. My quiet time is not so quiet- I have been practicing the ukulele (not very successfully).
-Things will go wrong. We love our trailer, but every few days, we have a small issue that we have to take care of. Small water leak, doors that don’t latch, etc. You just have to tackle issues and move on, and be thankful when things are going well!
-Books on Tape is key! Part of the journey is enjoying the time in the car, while traveling from state to state. This is made more enjoyable by listening to a great story. Thank you to my awesome MIL for sharing her audible subscription with us! Thank you Kir for the awesome Road Trip topics and mix CD!
-Twin beds make sense for daily travel. In our trailer’s previous iteration, there was a pull-out gaucho bed that you had to make every night. This was annoying at the end of a long day. Also, if one person had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, the other person would automatically be woken up. Having twin beds makes life a lot easier! But we still have our convertible queen dinette bed for snuggling!
-You don’t have to sacrifice style when living in an RV. I love our trailer. The white walls make it look a lot bigger. And the striped flooring and black accents are so chic.
- I can live without TV. In the past 3 weeks, we have not watched a single minute of TV in our trailer. We did hook up the Atari one night, but that was a bust. Anyone want to buy an Atari console with 40 games?
- Emptying the blackwater tank (pee and poo tank) sucks. Using disposable latex gloves is essential.
-An inordinate amount of space in your trailer and car will be dedicated to furry creatures. Between their leashes, toys, food, treats, puppy wipes, poo bags, clothes… it is surprising! Wiping their feet each time before coming into the trailer also keeps it much cleaner.
But all in all, we love living in the trailer, and the freedom it brings is priceless!
xo
Celine
It’s so so pretty Celine! That pegboard… oy I love it. I’ve been trying to think of how to nicely add one to the end of our kitchen cupboards but I need to paint first. Love the exterior too… Wishin ours was more photogenic 😉
So happy that you’re enjoying your trip. Now you’re making me want a sabbatical! (mustpayoffmedschoolloansfirst)
-Ashley
My parents found that using a dust buster (something my dad really seems to be into doing) helps with the outdoor stuff tracked in by puppy paws. They lived out of their RV for 3 years before buying a home post retirement and moving into it…they still live in their RV come winter.
I regularly point out that they don’t need all their ‘stuff’ since they lived without it for years…and the house could be much smaller without all that stuff.
Microfiber clothes would work well too for dusting and wiping the floors, but since you have to wash those on their own and laundry loads are at a premium that probably won’t work very well…so regular plain white washcloths are a great compromise (absorbent, multi-taskers – think wash cloth, cleaning cloth, hand towel, floor mopper, etc. – easy to clean/wash and don’t take up much space).
I absolutely ADORE your trailer!! Retro, kitschy without over the top kitschy!! But me and my 7 dogs wouldn’t fit into it even to travel since they (and I) can’t live without their crates. 🙂
Hi Celine!
I found you on instagram and have been adoring your airstream ever since. I’m a blogger, DIY, treehouse and airstream luvahhhh. We just bought an airstream a couple of months ago and have been renovating it ever since. It’s on my instagram too @lynneknowlton …
I just wanted to tell you that your airstream is the only other one that I love! Maybe we will bump into each other on the road 🙂 We will be on the road with ours from Feb – April next year. Woot woot!
Cheers and congrats on the great job !
Lynne from Design The Life You Want To Live
Seems like you and the goonies are living the dream! Happy RV life suits you two. Cheers to the many more adventures to come…and convertible queen beds, bomchickawowwow.
Saw you in Marquette, Michigan today. Not sure if passing through or stopping for awhile. Welcome to the U.P. and enjoy!