We have purchased a 2017 Tiffin Open Road Allegro 34PA. You can see details of our rig here. 

Our Motorhome

The number of people in the U.S. living full-time in an RV is not really known, but by some estimates the number ranges from 200,000 to 500,000. Whatever the number, though, it’s not difficult to find websites and blogs/vlogs of people who call their RV their permanent residence. Here are links to websites (which in turn link to additional video and other related sites which represent people I’ve been following for a while and gaining ideas of things I’d like to do, both from the standpoint of traveling and blogging/vlogging about those travels.

RVLove

Marc and Julie Bennett have a Motorhome and have been full-time RVers since 2014. They are very creative and personable in their videos and blogs, and offer great tips on the RV life. They introduce themselves on their website with “G’day! [Julie’s from Australia!] We’re Marc and Julie Bennett. We’re full-time RVers who are now into our 3rd year of living and traveling in our RV and our mission is to help YOU hit the road so you can live and love a life of freedom, fun and travel too.”

Wild on the Go

I have enjoyed watching the videos of Bernie and Susan Wild. Their story seems to have a lot of similarities to our situation and plans. As stated on their website, “In early 2015, we interrupted our “American Dream” routine and exchanged our mortgage for adventure.We donated, sold, or otherwise recycled our things down to a small storage unit of well-thought-out keepsakes and what fit into a 40-foot RV (our new home). We love exploring the Pacific Northwest and North America.  It’s exciting to travel around this beautiful country, and to make new friends along the way. We plan to share our ideas, experiences, and adventures in articles, audio broadcasts, and video productions.”

The Motorhome Experiment

I like watching the Charron’s videos for several reasons. First, they are living in a motorhome similar to the size and style that I am considering purchasing. I also like the format of the videos, mixing travel shots with information about the places they visit and just the personal touches that reveal more of who they are as a couple. As stated on their website, “We are Paul and Lorena Charron, a couple of suburbanites, who are used to all the comforts of home. We also love to get out and explore. Now we’re trading our 1,879 sq ft lifestyle for 240 sq ft, ON WHEELS! We want to share our story with the world and bring everyone along on our adventures, via our “rv living docu-vlog” on Youtube.”

Keep Your Daydream

Marc and Tricia and their 3 kids are traveling North America. Their website is centered on a podcast that they produce, but I’ve spent more time watching the videos on their YouTube channel. They have terrific energy and creativity in the way they produce their video-log (vlog). From their website – “From the outside looking in… we had everything. At a cost. It was stressful to keep up with everything we had rationalized as things we needed. Over time, we referred to working as “feeding the shredder”.… we would have never stopped if it wasn’t for October of 2008 there’s no doubt we would still be in the pursuit of more. That’s when the stock market fell out of the sky and what that meant for us…60% of our bookings canceled in two months. We were forced to start making big decisions about what was really going to be prioritized. And after two years of a lot stress… the final big decision was, we’re not going continue to feed the shredder. We unplugged the TV, we canceled credit cards, we bought a car based on our budget and not our imagination. Here’s what we discovered?… we became happier with less. We discovered that living our dream cost a whole let less than living a commercialized dream.”

Less Junk More Journey

Nathan and Marissa inspire me. They exemplify (from what I can see) a wholesome family of faith. They have been full-time RVing since 2015. From their website – “In May of 2015, after more than a year of planning, we sold our home and packed up what we had left into an RV. Living with less has been an exciting journey that has opened our eyes to what the world can offer if we are not hiding behind so much stuff. We are still stuffaholics, but hope this journey will help us focus on what matters most in life…relationships.”

Mortons on the Move

Tom and Cait Morton are significantly younger than we are but I still find them very inspirational for the full-time RV lifestyle. They describe themselves on their website in this way: “We live with our two dogs in an RV. We are exploring the United States looking for adventure, blogging about our experiences, and capturing it on camera!”

Long Long Honeymoon

Sean and Kristy Michael have been RVing (mostly full-time, but they do maintain a home base) since 2007. They maintain a blog and a YouTube channel about their adventures and have an impressive array of high-quality content. The name they’ve chosen for their story, as described on their website, is Long, Long Honeymoon. “When you think about it, honeymoons are usually “once in a lifetime” trips filled with excitement, romance, and magic. Why limit that spirit to a week, when you can live it every day? We’re happily stuck in “the honeymoon phase.”

Roads Less Traveled

This is a web page only site (e.g. no YouTube) that I think is pretty amazing. Emily and Mark Fagan have put together a huge resource site and travelogue documenting, through photos and text, their full-time RV life since 2007. I really appreciate the organization of the site and the wealth of information. They say, about themselves, “Are you dreaming of RV living or sailing the oceans, or perhaps wondering what it would be like to travel full-time and live a nomadic lifestyle? We are Emily and Mark Fagan, and we’ve been there and we are doing that! Back in 2007 we left convention behind to live a life of adventure on the road; and this website is filled with inspiring travel stories and articles about everything we’ve learned along the way.”