Life as Full Time RVers: Kim & TJ (part 1)

Today I am so excited to introduce our friends, Kim and TJ! They are long time friends of mine (I’ve known TJ for 14 years and Kim for seven!), and in a few years they will be long time friends of Keith as well 😛

Recently, they bought and moved into a travel trailer of their own, and they were gracious enough to allow me to interview them about their experience living full-time in an RV!

Enjoy!

How long have you been living full-time in an RV?

Kim: Just six weeks.

What lead you to live full-time in an RV?

TJ: We want flexibility and don’t want to rent an apartment anymore or buy a house. 
Kim: I’m in nurse practitioner school and we didn’t want to buy a house just to live in for a few years until I graduate. Plus the housing market is so bad. 

How do you make a living while full-timing?

Kim: I’m an ICU nurse and TJ is an exercise physiologist. We both work at hospitals here in the DFW area. 

How many RVs have you lived in?

Kim: This is our first one. 

What kind of RV do you own and how did you choose it/come to own it?

TJ: We live in a travel trailer. We chose it because of the weight and the price fit our budget. 
Kim: One of the reasons we moved into an RV was to save money. 

What are some of the difficulties you’ve faced related to living in an RV?

Kim: You can’t run more than one appliance at one time, which is frustrating. Also RV toilet paper is surprisingly hard to find. I don’t use the RV stove as much as I did in our apartment (it’s gas). 
TJ: The shower height (I’m 6’2”) and a leaking window. I’m sure there are more difficulties to come. 

Have you done any renovations/upgrades to your RV? If so, did you do them yourselves or pay someone to?

Kim: No, we bought it brand new. 

How long do you plan to live in your RV full time? Where are you headed next?

Kim: For sure 2 years, but it could be longer. Probably 2-3 years. Until I finish nurse practitioner school, find a job, and we buy a house. 
TJ: Probably between 3-5 years. 

What are some pros & cons of living in an RV?

Kim: Pros would be less space to clean, living a more simple lifestyle (you literally can’t have as much clutter). Cons is worrying about bad weather – about a month ago there was a really bad storm and we had to stay in a hotel because there was a tornado in the area. Also you can’t buy all the food in the world because there’s not a lot of cabinet space. 
TJ: Less stuff is always better. And having the flexibility to move if you need or want to. A con is less space to yourself. Also always worrying that your home might fly away in storms. 

If you could give a piece of advice to someone who is considering buying/moving into an RV full-time, what would it be?

Kim: Really calculate out if you’re actually going to be saving money (if that’s the reason you’re wanting to do it). Some of it is investing in the RV, which if you’re moving from an apartment is a plus. 
TJ: Make sure you do all your research and have a general idea of how things work because if you don’t things can go very wrong. 

I hope you enjoyed this interview, and stay tuned for more amazing blog posts about these two. PS, how amazing are these pictures of them from their proposal three years ago?! I’m so glad I got the opportunity to capture two of my best friends on such a magical day in their lives. 

I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook to get updates on future blog posts, see sneak peeks of my amazing couples, and so much more! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!

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