RV Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

The Honest Truth About Van Dwelling: Answers To The Most Common Van Life Questions

September 24, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 15 Comments

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Van dwelling, or the lifestyle of living in a van, is becoming more and more popular as a way to travel full-time. Since we bought a van a few months ago to live in, I have received a lot of questions about van dwelling.

While they seem funny to us now, I know that we had some of these same questions before we started RVing.

Some of the questions we are asked are from those who think we are crazy for living in a van. Whereas, others are from people who are interested in van dwelling but are unsure about certain things. Either way, I hope to clear up a lot of the common questions we receive about living in a van.

You never know, maybe I'll convert some of you. 🙂

Below are questions that I've been asked by friends, family, readers, and even strangers. It's always interesting trying to explain RVing/van dwelling to strangers who stop me at the store after they've seen me get out of our van.

It's a lot of fun, though. I love answering questions about what it’s like living in a van full-time and getting others hooked on this lifestyle! [Read more…]

We’re Going To Start Living In A Van!

June 17, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 59 Comments

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We bought a van last month! You’re probably wondering “You quit sailing and started living in a van?!”

No, we did not quit, and we are still sailing! We still have lots and lots of plans with the boat, and we enjoy having it. We are still on it right now, in fact, and couldn't be happier.

So then, why did we get a van?

Last hurricane season, we mainly stayed on our boat. We did several short sails, but we wanted to do something different this hurricane season.

We talked to so many sailors, and we have quickly realized that many take a few months away from their boat each year during hurricane season, and we completely get it.

To have the best of both worlds (in our minds), mountains and beaches, we quickly realized that having a 4×4 van along with the boat is exactly what we want. ⁣⁣ [Read more…]

Is Full-Time Traveling As Good As It Sounds?

April 22, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 27 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Do you want to travel long-term? In this article, I talk about the downsides of full-time traveling, and whether full-time travel is for you. #fulltimetravel #travel I know that traveling full-time sounds fascinating – you get to explore new places, bring your home everywhere you go, try new foods, meet new people, and more.

But, it's not always beaches, mountains, and other beautiful landscapes.

I’m definitely not complaining and I am very thankful for the life I get to live. However, while I once believed that full-time travel was the greatest thing ever, lately I have been feeling oh so tired!

Over the last few months, I have seen countless friends and travelers that I know stop traveling full-time, all for various reasons. And, each time someone quits, I have stopped and thought about my own life and full-time traveling journey. [Read more…]

How We Made the Switch to Full-Time Travelers and Planning a Life of Adventure

April 17, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

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Hello! I had the pleasure of hanging out with Steve and Courtney several times while we were all in Tucson with our RVs. Steve and Courtney retired from full-time work at the ages of 35 and 33 and travel the country for a living in their 30′ Airstream travel trailer, named Charlie. They blog about financial independence and early retirement at ThinkSaveRetire.com and publish travel videos on a growing YouTube channel, A Streamin' Life.

Listening to the birds and the rush of the creek behind us, we sit beside a morning campfire.

We are watching the sun rise over the mountains in the distance as we sip on our morning coffee. The conversation turns to what hike we are going to attempt this morning and the local brewery we want to try out this afternoon as a reward.

Did I mention this is a typical Tuesday?

My husband and I live and travel full-time in a 30’ ft Airstream travel trailer and try to make mornings like this one more of our norm than the exception.

But three years ago, our life was anything but adventurous.

I had barely stepped inside an RV, had never camped in my life, and if you had asked me where to go for a morning campfire, I would have looked at you blankly! [Read more…]

How my family of five went from the “American Dream” to nomads

March 8, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 13 Comments

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Hello! Today, I have a great guest post from Ashley. She guides parents through identifying their strengths – and also their triggers – to live with intention and not simply reaction to the chaos of an ever-growing family. Through her podcast, blogging, coaching and personality “snapshots”, she provides tools and action steps to aid families in creating a life they love to come home to. Find out more at 90 Day Family Roadtrip.

Ah, success – that thing we all aim for, and yet…

Have you dreamed of success, yet so far have felt like it’s not quite attainable? Sometimes, our vision of success isn’t even fully discovered, much less something that is simply an end goal. My story of success is my own; unique to my personal situation. Yet the six principles that shifted my mindset may help you, too, see success in a new light. [Read more…]

Work, Live, and Travel Where You Want

February 22, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Remote Work 101: Work, Live, and Travel Where You Want #remotework Today, I want to introduce you to my friend, Camille Attell. Camille travels and works full-time in an RV with her husband and cat! She also runs a website called More Than A Wheelin’ dedicated to RV Life, Travel, and Remote Work.

Camille worked in corporate America for 20 years, and her husband, Bryce, spent 20 years working in finance. These two traded in their corporate jobs and traditional lifestyle for RV life when they found themselves facing the question: “Why are we doing this?”

Since choosing RV life in 2016, Camille and her husband have traveled over 20,000 miles in their RV, have visited 27 states, and 32 national parks and monuments. While on the road, she has worked as a Pinterest virtual assistant, course creator, blogger, project manager, and more.

Knowing that there are many others out there choosing this non-traditional lifestyle, Camille wanted to help others find success and happiness as they live and work on the road. [Read more…]

My Year In Review – Looking Back at 2018 and Looking Forward to 2019!

January 7, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 32 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Looking back on the previous year is always a lot of fun, and it’s interesting to see everything laid out in a one year period. I get to see what I did and didn’t do, reflect on everything, etc. So, I am happy to present my 2018 year in review.

2018 was a crazy year. But don’t worry, it was good crazy!

One of the biggest reasons for the chaos is that we made a major change in 2018 – we went from RVing to living on a sailboat.

That big change made for an amazing year.

Before that switch, we traveled to many new areas in the RV. We also climbed mountains, rode our bikes a TON, hosted several family vacations, then we sold the RV, bought a sailboat, and more.

On top of all of that, Wes traveled even more than I did – he logged over 5,000 nautical miles, sailed all over Europe, as well as sailed the Caribbean. [Read more…]

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