Where The Heck Am I & Where Am I Going?

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So I’m sitting here boondocking in south west Arizona with no TV and barely any internet, so what better time to write a blog post.  

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We have been full time Rv’ers since November of 2021 (read the beginning of our story here: the-lazy-wanderers.webflow.io/blog/let-the-adventure-begin). We got into this lifestyle for pretty much the same reasons as everyone else, travel around the country, cross all the cool things off our bucket list, visit friends and family. But as cool as all those things are there’s more to this lifestyle than just great adventures and reacquainting with friends and family. I mean anyone who has done this for any length of time will tell you it’s not just one big vacation, there’s planning, logistics, maintenance, repairs, you know all the mundane stuff that makes up, well, life in general regardless of where or how you live.

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There is life after the recliner

We have had a lot of downtime this past week and I started thinking about what this lifestyle means to us and why we prefer it, at least so far as opposed to living in a traditional house. I began thinking about what our life would look like if we still had our house.  We would be stuck in the same grind we were in when we left. Get up in the morning, make a cup of coffee, plant my butt in my recliner and surf the internet for a couple of hours, then work on my business till lunch time. Then back to the recliner and more work (or internet surfing) till dinner time.  Watch TV/work on the computer (yes I like to multi-task because just watching TV is boring), go to bed and repeat the next day.  It was routine, mundane, boring and not exactly the best way to “live life to its fullest”.

Now, even in down time, my day consists of walking the dog in the morning, then coffee and breakfast then planning our next destination, looking at different routes, where do we want to go, what do we want to see and do, where are we going to stay, where do we have to be, etc. There is lot’s of thinking and planning involved which is a great workout for my old brain. You’d be amazed at how hard it is to manage your destinations when you have no specific place to be or timeframe to be there. Not to mention writing blog posts, working on videos for our soon-to-be-launched YouTube channel and my “normal” job as an Amazon Merch on Demand content creator.  

If we are at a destination we are usually hiking a trail or walking around a quaint little town or attraction. Regardless, It’s challenging, exciting and yes, fun. And not a recliner in sight! Since we don't have a fenced-in yard any more we have to walk the dog three to four times a day which is great for getting us off our butts and off of the couch, Einstein doesn’t mind either.  Every night after dinner Jeff and I take him for a nice long walk and enjoy the added bonus of a spectacular desert sunset or awesome mountain view.  If we are in a campground we get a chance to meet new people and look at all of the cool RV’s that are there.

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No recliner, no TV no problem

One of the best things about this lifestyle is that it has forced us to stay active.  Even though we have three TV’s in the rig we hardly watch TV anymore (mostly because in the remote areas we go to there are no TV signals so we have to stream everything and if the internet is marginal, well no TV for us)  and you know what…that’s ok. In fact, we haven’t watched any local or national news in months. And we are much less stressed and happier because of it.

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Sticks and Bricks vs RV Lifestyle

If you were to ask us what we miss about living in a sticks and bricks home I can honestly say, not much. I don’t miss the property taxes or the utilities. Surely don’t miss the closeness of our city neighbors (we try to stay mostly in the middle of nowhere). And being former New Yorkers, we definitely don’t miss the piles of snow that have to be moved every winter. This was our first winter in over 60 years that we did not have to deal with snow and it was awesome! In most ways life is easier in a sticks and bricks.

Our old house did have some advantages.

1. Having lived there our whole lives we could get anywhere without the use of Google maps or a GPS
2. We had a fenced in yard so I didn't have to physically go outside at 7:30 am in crappy weather to walk Einstein
3. Never had to worry about where we were parking at night or if there would be availability
4. Had my own laundry room
5. Didn't have to worry whether we had "full hookups" or not

Advantages of the RV Lifestyle.

1. The view out the window changes daily/weekly/monthly
2. reconnect with friends and family at any time
3. don't like the weather? ... move!
4. less possessions = more freedom
5. constantly meet new people and make new friends
6. Freedom to live your life your way on your terms

So did we miss anything on either list? What are your advantages/disadvantages of the RV lifestyle vs sticks and bricks?

The Bottom Line

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The bottom line is that this lifestyle is truly an adventure almost every day, because it challenges you to think, problem solve, plan and most importantly to live deliberately.  Rather than sit around in our easy chair and sleep our way through retirement we are choosing to remain active and make the most of the rest of our journey through life. Do you know where you’re sleeping tomorrow?  I don’t always know, but what I do know is that everyday is something new whether it’s an awesome view around the next bend or a problem with the RV that needs to be repaired or cleaned up.  It’s always a new challenge or a new site or a new sunset but I am home wherever I go.

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Be sure to follow our journey as we continue to wander around the country.

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