Hey friends, thanks for stopping by again – ever since writing about what I’ve learned in 2 years on the road, I’ve been thinking it’d be good to share the downsides, too. People often ask what the struggles of life on the road are, and although there aren’t a lot of negatives to being a fulltimer, the negatives can be pretty brutal.
So here’s my list of the WORST THINGS about fulltime RV living. 🙂 There aren’t many – but some of them may surprise you, some of the ones that aren’t here may surprise you as well. Enjoy, and please share if you find this relatable or humorous!
 1. WIND
Surprising? It shouldn’t be! My #1 gripe with living in an RV is wind. This means 2 things: 1) living in an RV is pretty great if that’s my worst problem, and 2) weather is a beast when you live in a home on wheels.
Other inclement weather like rain can be pretty big downers, too, because you’re still stuck inside – but wind is the worst.
Why? Well, for one, you’re stuck inside especially if you’re somewhere dirty and sandy.
Your RV might rock and roll with the wind. Enough to scare you.
You can’t drive anywhere if the gusts are bad enough. Things on your RV might break.
You can’t open the windows if it’s windy AND hot… so you just suffer inside with the windows shut.
It’s noisy. It’s hard to sleep when you keep getting blasted with gusts of wind if your RV has anything that shakes or creaks, especially things like mudflaps or antennas.
Even when all of the windows are shut, the dust will still get in. When I spent a month in Moab earlier this year, we had a couple crazy 24+ hour windstorms that left every surface in my RV covered in fine red dust, despite all the windows being closed shut as hard as possible. And it was HOT!
[instagram hidecaption=true URL=https://www.instagram.com/p/BeGbyI_DNS1/?hl=en&taken-by=the.curly.nomad]2. PROXIMITY TO LOVED ONES
Maybe this gripe should be #1, but I put it at #2 because it’s totally optional (as is everything in road life.) Although it’s a huge bummer to be away from family and friends, it’s always a choice and the great thing about having a home on wheels is you can drive wherever you want to meet up with loved ones if you’re lonely. But, it really is a struggle as a solo RVer. I miss my boyfriend, I miss my family, and I miss my friends. This is all temporary though and the adventures I’m having while young and able-bodied are priceless!
The great thing is ever since joining the Xscapers, I have a huge community of great friends on the road and it’s much easier to bump into people now!
[instagram hidecaption=true URL=https://www.instagram.com/p/BftlNNPDbTY/?hl=en&taken-by=the.curly.nomad] [instagram hidecaption=true URL=https://www.instagram.com/p/BhXGlXkHp55/?hl=en&taken-by=the.curly.nomad]2.5….. Seeing incredible sights all alone and having nobody to share it with!
This one doesn’t get its own number because it fits in with proximity to loved ones, but it’s a little different, in that I’m not just far from the sticks-and-bricks-lives of the people I love, but I also usually have to enjoy my adventures alone.
[instagram hidecaption=true URL=https://www.instagram.com/p/BiXjOU4nGTJ/?hl=en&taken-by=the.curly.nomad]
That’s not always the case, though. Between the Xscapers and a few trips from my favorite people, I have gotten to see some amazing sights with loved ones… like Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon national parks with my mom, Austin, TX with my beau, and Mexico/Los Algodones with my Xscapers crew.
[instagram hidecaption=true URL=https://www.instagram.com/p/BiA00I1nlwN/?hl=en&taken-by=the.curly.nomad]3. LEGAL LIFE LOGISTICS
Have you ever tried to get a bank account as a nomad? Did you know that the Patriot Act REQUIRES everyone to have a legal residence address that the government can find you at as needed? This makes things like banking, voting, legal auto registration, & insurance issues a bunch of painful, annoying hoops to jump through.
[instagram hidecaption=true URL=https://www.instagram.com/p/BX30a0llq6i/?hl=en&taken-by=the.curly.nomad]While I could gripe about all of that all day, I’ll just say it’s best to figure out all of your logistics while you still have a permanent address, and all of those issues still don’t interfere with the beauty and freedom of RV life on the road.
Also, not to keep beating a dead horse, but this is another reason to join Xscapers/Escapees… they advocate for full-timers on these exact topics, as evidenced by the recent voting rights questions that St Brendan’s Isle is experiencing in Florida right now.
BONUS… your house is your vehicle!
This one isn’t annoying enough to get its own place in this post, but it is worth mentioning. The best thing about RVing is also the worst – if something goes wrong on your RV that you can’t fix yourself, your ability to stay in your living quarters during repair are dictated by who can do what repairs and where. If something breaks or you get stuck, you have to solve that problem to keep living your life.
I’ve been very lucky (and thankfully, handy enough, and surrounded by others who are even handier) so far that I’ve never had to be put up in a hotel or worry about what I’ll do with miss Trixi during RV repairs, but this is definitely an issue to accept as a reality you’ll have to deal with eventually on the road.
[instagram hidecaption=true URL=https://www.instagram.com/p/BYRu4J1FAVq/?hl=en&taken-by=the.curly.nomad]Do you think I’m spot on with these issues? Off the mark? Do you feel the same? Let me know in the comments! <3what I’ve learned in 2 years on the road
Barb Blehm
July 14, 2018We’ve never lost our bank account because of full timing. And if you have a mail order address like South Dakota then you have a real address of there’s a problem. There are many of these. So I’m confused why this is on your list?
Hannah
July 14, 2018Thanks for stopping by Barb! I didn’t lose any accounts but have been unable to open new business accounts. All banks require a physical address and forwarding services no longer fulfill this requirement due to the patriot act. I also have a number of residential addresses I can use (including my own domicile residence address), however throughout numerous tries, no business has been willing to accept any of them because I don’t have a) utilities, b) proof of a lease (and when I did send this they rejected it), or c) property tax proof. I found that every bank I tried to open an account with required pretty much the same items and accepted none of my proof. They wanted to know where I physically lived, would not accept my legal physical address, and would stop talking to me/close the app once I told them about my nomad status.
Andrea Cozette Hatfield
July 21, 2018Until my camper van is paid off, I live full-time as a truck driver in my sleeper cab. I totally get the wind issue. The truck will rock and move during high winds and sometimes can be unsafe to drive if the wind is too strong.
I also understand the loneliness of not having someone to share adventures with. I’ve been there although now I’m lucky enough to have a man who loves it as much as I do. Good luck.