What We Wish We Knew After Hitting the Road

The first step to RV life isn’t buying the RV someday. It’s learning to live small where you are today.

That was our motto from the summer of 2014 to the summer of 2015. Sparked by the birth of our daughter Hensley (and a few too many YouTube videos), we were dead-set on selling our house and hitting the road.

We thought once we hit the highway, it would be smooth sailing. Boy, were we wrong.

Last week, I shared what we wish we’d known before the launch in our RV:

1. Live in your home like you’re already in an RV

2. Tour multiple RVs (or go to a show)

3. Rent before you buy

4. Don’t go all-in on your first RV purchase

5. If your house isn’t your “forever home,” sell it

6. Keep a home base

7. Take a shakedown trip

This week, I’m digging into what we wish we’d known after the launch in our RV — when “It’s all part of the journey” became a little too real.

1. Stay Put for 2-4 Weeks

Decision fatigue is one of the biggest reasons people burn out in RV life. We just didn’t realize how many decisions there were.

• Where do we refill propane?

• Why have the last three stores not carried our usual bread?

• The RV broke — how do I even get a part shipped to here?

• Why does the slide make that noise every time it goes out?

Everyday life has a hundred decisions. RV life has a thousand — especially if you’re moving every 3–5 days like we were. If we could start over, we’d stay in one familiar spot for a few weeks, fix the quirks, and get our systems down before chasing the horizon.

2. Don’t Buy Everything at Once

We felt pressure to own every RV gadget and membership on day one. To this day, we still don’t have a sewer hose support — and we’ve survived just fine.

Look at this thing? Have you ever seen one at a campground looking this way in the wild? 99% of them are dragging on the ground by day two.

If you don’t have all the “must-haves,” you’ll be okay. You can always buy it later… if you can figure out the delivery thing. 😉

3. Go to a Rally (Even If Crowds Scare You)

We skipped rallies our first year — too tired, too overwhelmed. But when we finally showed up to one, everything changed.

Connection was the missing piece. We met people struggling like we were, and it reignited our fire to keep going. Even one rally a year can be enough.

Just find your one person — if you leave with one new friend, it’s a win.

4. You Don’t Need to Know Everything - Just How to Google It

Around a campfire one night, friends compared their “must-have” repair tools. Drills, jacks… then Sean held up his phone and said, “All I need is this.”

Sean wins.

There’s almost no RV problem that can’t be solved with a phone — videos, forums, mobile techs, even satellite texts in the middle of nowhere.

It’s not always cheap (and it makes me feel like less of a man), but it’s reassuring to know help is one call away.

15 minutes into our first trip in our first RV 🫣

5. Don’t Do it to Save Money

Can RV life save money? Maybe. But not the way most YouTube thumbnails promise. If you move more than once a month, you’ll likely spend more than you did in a house.

Do it for the memories, not the math.

6. Arrive Before Dark

If your mom ever said, “Nothing good happens after dark,” she was also talking about RVing. Driving, arriving, and setting up at night multiplies stress (and repair bills).

Daylight is your friend — use it.

7. You Have Wheels - Use Them

One of the biggest perks of RV life is freedom.

• If the campground’s loud, move.

• If the neighbor’s dog won’t stop barking, roll out.

• If the weather turns ugly, chase the sun.

Every time you remember that you can move, confidence grows.

The Real Lesson

RV life isn’t about perfection — it’s about persistence. Every breakdown, wrong turn, and awkward setup becomes part of the story that builds your confidence.

You’ll never have it all figured out. But that’s the beauty of it.

Get to 95%, and leap. Your dreams are worth the risk.

Until next time, see you down the road!

Nathan