Life On the Road: 12 Things I Miss Living In An RV

Disclosure: A big shout out to Always Online Wireless for keeping me connected while we are living in an RV. Without their data services, I wouldn’t have been able to share our beautiful pictures from Blue Spring Park yesterday. Check out this FB post for pics! As always, all opinions are my own.

Evan and I have now been on the road for over 4 monthes. We have seen so many amazing things on our cross country jaunt. Living in an RV has given us the ability to change our plans on the fly and really experience many places that we had only heard about. However, as much fun as we’ve had, this trip has not been all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. I have been missing home terribly and considering trying to head home soon.

Before you say “WHAT?! You’re crazy! What could you miss? You are visiting so many cool places and Disney!” know that I realize I am extremely lucky. I will always be grateful for everything we’ve been able to do. However, there are a lot of things I miss. Here are just a few:

• My husband. Dewey has been great about dropping in to visit with us at least once per month but it really isn’t the same. Being the parent on tap at all times is HARD. I realize many of you do it all  the time, but it is new to me. I also miss being able to meet him for lunch, go out for a date or just snuggle up and watch Netflix. (And you wouldn’t believe how many people thought we were getting a divorce or something. For everyone who wondered…we are doing great!)
• Unlimited Internet. I know, next to missing my husband, this is a first world problem but it is still a PROBLEM. RV park wifi SUCKS. I can’t remember the last time I actually watched a show on Netflix (and not because I don’t want to). Always Online Wireless has kept me connected with their service but that is just a drop in the bucket of what we use when we are at home. My Always Online Wireless service has been invaluable for sharing all our pictures on social media and sharing blog posts like this one!
• My friends. I will admit that I see my friends on the internet more than in real life even when we are in the same town. However, we still have the option of getting together. Plus, I see my friends at the lake every weekend when I’m home. 4 months has been a very long time without catching up with my girlfriends!
• Clean, private bathrooms – Our RV has a teeny, tiny “wet room” for a bathroom. That means that it has a toilet and a shower but to use the shower you actually have to sit on the toilet. We don’t use the shower at all and the bathroom is so tiny that you can’t really even turn around. I shower in the campground bath houses. The niceness and cleanliness of these bathhouses vary greatly. Even the great ones are kind of gross. People are gross. It sounds awful but it is true. And when it is your families hair and soap scum, you just don’t care as much. Strangers? Gag.

• A real kitchen. The galley in Daisy is compact and mostly user friendly. However, it is teeny tiny. I can make meals in there but it heats up the entire trailer. I can also cook outside but that is much more doable on a weekend trip than it is when you live in an RV. You don’t want to schelp everything in and out on a daily basis. I want to cook a glorious multi-pan, multi-dish recipe and then eat it sitting at a real table with a real chair!
• A couch. Daisy is basically a portable bed room. We have a bed and a tiny couch. Unfortunately, we also have too much stuff to use the couch properly. So every waking minute at the trailer is spent sitting on the bed or sleeping in the bed. I do try to sit outside some too but since it is winter, it gets dark really early. I want to sit on a couch and then move to another part of a house (that I cannot see from said couch) to go to sleep.
• A full-size sink. The sink in Daisy is teeny tiny (do you see a theme?). Washing dishes can be done but washing the dog? Nope. I have learned to get creative but it is not easy.

• My favourite restaurants. I love barbecue and all the Southern foods I can’t usually get at home but I miss my Calgary favourites. I am craving Vietnamese and Dim Sum terribly!
• Clothing options. I brought more clothes than I should have but I still feel like I wear the same thing every day. I want options!
• Getting mail. Traveling means that I can’t get mail every day. I am mostly okay with that because who wants bills! However, there are those times that someone sends me something other than a bill. And I miss Amazon shipments. There are no Amazon shipments!
• Evan going to school. Homeschooling has not been the magical bonding experience I hoped it would be. We are surviving but I think Evan and I will both be happy when he goes back to school next year. We both need a break.
• Having someone else to watch Cooper. Evan and I can’t go anywhere for more than 6 hours. We have to walk Cooper and there isn’t anyone else to do it. It has really cut down on our excursion options. I am glad the little fluff ball came with us but it has definitely put a wrench in things.

There it is…the whining, the crazy and the relatable. I’m sure once I’m home I will have a list of things I miss about traveling full time. Hopefully, I will have a chance to write that post in the next few months.

What do you think you would miss living in an RV?

Until next time!

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