You may remember Rachael and Travis from a previous blog post, and I am so excited that I a) got to shoot another session for them, and b) get to share the photos with you today! You may remember that I met these two while Rachael and I were both working as travel nurses in Washington. We lived in the same RV park, and became lifelong friends. Since taking different assignments and moving around the country, we have kept in contact; Rachael and Travis have even visited my husband Keith and I in Arkansas a few times on their way from one end of the country to the other in the RV that they share with their two dogs, Bella and Hal. To go along with the photos from their most recent session while visiting us in Arkansas this spring, today’s blog post is an interview with Rachael and Travis about their experience living full-time in an RV. I hope you enjoy it!
Q: How long have you been living full-time in an RV?
Rachael: We have been living full time in an RV since February of 2021. So two and a half years? We were traveling for three months before moving into the RV. Hands down it has been the best experience; the only thing is that Travis wants a bigger RV.
Q: What led you to live full-time in an RV?
Rachael: Our spoiled dog Bella could not adjust well to a new apartment every three months. I am a travel nurse and we knew it would not be sustainable to keep traveling with her and keep moving every three months to a new house or apartment. It takes her about three months to adjust to a new place.
Q: How do you make a living while full-timing?
Rachael: Travel nursing! It’s a pretty good gig. Travis is a full-time stay-at-home dog dad. At our current RV park Travis is working as the maintenance/all around handyman, but this is the first time since we’ve been traveling that he’s had a job.
Q: How many RVs have you lived in?
Rachael: Our current RV is the only one we’ve lived in.
Travis: Until we buy a fifth wheel!
Q: What kind of RV do you own and how did you choose it/come to own it?
Travis: Our camper is a Keystone Premier 19FB and the living space is 19 feet long.
Rachael: We chose it because it is small enough that our Jeep Grand Cherokee that we already owned can tow it. We toured a lot of different models and tried to think through our daily habits and routines to make sure we could live in it. Travis was a lot more interested in the construction of the trailer and how easy it would be to work on it and access the roof in case of maintenance. On our trailer he likes that the front cap is all one piece and doesn’t have joints that could potentially leak water.
Q: What are some of the difficulties you’ve faced related to living in an RV?
Rachael: Travis does not like the lack of personal space (and counter/seating/space in general). Getting used to doing your daily normal routine in a smaller area was challenging at first. We had to make a conscious effort to recognize that and be respectful of each other’s space, however limited. We really had to have realistic expectations of an adjustment period. Living in a smaller space it’s easy for everything to get really dirty, so we have to be accountable to each other and keep our areas clean. As Travis will tell you, he’s much better at that than I am. I’m allowed one small corner for messy clothes.
Q: Have you done any renovations/upgrades to your RV? If so, did you do them yourselves or pay someone to?
Rachael: We added some shelving to our closets that Travis made out of netting because it’s lightweight. We also added permanent shelving to some of our cupboards in the kitchen area. We replaced the foam in our dinette cushions with thicker, stronger, and firmer foam for sitting and sleeping since the dinette converts to a bed. We did also add a few outlets for more accessible charging options, and cameras for security and dog monitoring when we’re not home. We also added lots of hooks to hang things so they’re not taking up our (very limited) counter space. Travis also made a shoe rack to go underneath the bed and we added a spice rack above the stove that Travis’s dad made special for us and stained to match the other wood in the trailer.
Travis: A few winters ago we spent part of the winter in South Dakota, and I used two inch foam to create some skirting to go around the outside of the trailer to keep it warm.
Q: How long do you plan to live in your RV full-time? Where are you headed next?
Travis: That’s a good question that I ask Rachael almost every day!
Rachael: There are some days that we really miss home (in Michigan) and are ready to move back – both of our families live there. The answer basically changes every day because travel nursing has been really rewarding for me. But realistically we’ll probably be traveling for at least another year and a half, but whether we live in the trailer that whole time or not depends on where I get a contract. There are a few places we want to go that we wouldn’t take the trailer – Hawaii or Alaska. For now we are living in Massachusetts close to Albany, NY and we plan to stay here for a few more months, and then who knows where we’ll end up!
Q: What are some pros & cons of living in an RV?
Rachael: Pros – being able to travel and see different places and have different experiences throughout the country while having your “home” and all your things with you. It’s a level of freedom that you don’t have with a house. I would not have done this in any different way. Cons – adjusting to the small living space. Along with adjusting to all the maintenance and upkeep that a trailer needs like the sewage system and the propane system. Also the noises are quite different than in a house – the A/C is very loud, and you can hear everything going on outside of your trailer.
Q: If you could give a piece of advice to someone who is considering buying/moving into an RV full-time, what would it be?
Travis: Personally I would buy an older RV and remodel it to be what you want it to be. You get what you pay for.
Rachael: It’s difficult for me to say because I don’t deal with the maintenance side of things because Travis does it all. Do lot’s of research and walk through several different models instead of just looking at them online. And don’t buy dishes or cooking utensils that are made of glass – they will break.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my friends Rachael and Travis! Show some love on this post if you’ve enjoyed it by leaving a comment, and hit the follow button below so that you don’t miss any of my future posts!
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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 and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and all my new (and old) freebies! 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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