30+ RV Living Pros and Cons from Full-Time RVers (5+ Years)

Full-time RV living sounds like a dream, right? No mortgage payments, no yard work, just wide open roads and the freedom to roam.

But if you’re seriously considering this lifestyle, it’s important to weigh both the RV living pros and cons before jumping in headfirst.

After experiencing the highs like sunsets in new places and having your dog always by your side, and the lows like a black tank that’s clogged and multiple tire blow-outs in one day, I’m here to give you the honest truth about full-time RV living, no sugarcoating and no fluff.

This post breaks down what it’s actually like to live full-time in an RV, from the freedom and flexibility to the frustration and fatigue, so you can decide if this life on wheels fits your reality, not just your daydreams.

RV life is freeing, flexible, and full of adventure, but it’s not without its challenges, like confined spaces, RV maintenance issues, and staying connected on the road.

So, here’s everything you need to know before committing to full-time travel!

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Full-Time RV Living Pros

First up, let’s go over the pros of RV living.

1. No mortgage or property tax on a home

If you sell your traditional home and don’t have any physical roots tied down anywhere, you aren’t going to have to worry about a mortgage or property taxes anymore.

These can both be big stressors for homeowners, and removing them from the picture can provide a huge sigh of relief.

2. Pay off debt quicker

Additionally, having fewer large financial burdens can give you the ability to pay off your debt quicker.

Of course, this depends on what type of RVer you turn out to be, but if you stick to a budget and don’t blow unnecessary money, you can definitely save money in the long run.

With fewer monthly bills like rent, utilities, or big house maintenance costs, you can redirect that money toward paying off student loans and credit cards much faster than you likely could have while living in a traditional house.

3. Work from anywhere

If you have a remote job, then RV life gives you even more flexibility to work from anywhere you want to!

Tucker and I both have jobs that allow us to work from wherever we are, and we often do just that.

National park hiking trails, Walmart parking lots, family members’ driveways…we’ve gotten work done just about everywhere you could think of, lol!

Of course, it’s nice to work from our RV office when we can, but it’s great to have the flexibility to work from anywhere.

4. Lower overall cost of living

Once again, if you are careful with how you spend money, the overall cost of living can be significantly reduced when you live in an RV.

You likely won’t have to pay for utilities (unless you’re in an RV park where it’s required), and you’ll also likely have fewer impulse purchases.

It’s far less tempting to order something on Amazon that you likely don’t even need when you don’t have the stability of a permanent address and a home base!

We found our monthly expenses dropped significantly once we were on the road as full-time RVers, though it took some trial and error to figure out how to live frugally on wheels.

5. Freedom and flexibility to travel when and where you want

This is perhaps one of my favorite RV living pros. The ability to go wherever we want, whenever we want to.

If we want to head to the mountains and spend a few weeks getting lost in national parks, we can!

If we want to visit one of the towns where we grew up and spend quality time with family, we can!

If we want to park our rig in one spot for 6 months, or if we want to move every other day, we can!

Ok, you get the point, haha! This RV lifestyle comes with a lot of flexibility that we like to take advantage of.

6. Adventurous lifestyle with new experiences

Another thing that I love about full-time RVing is that it has allowed us to branch out and try new things that we might not have done otherwise.

In the US alone, there are soooo many different cultures and new adventures to be had.

Living in an RV has opened my eyes to just how diverse and beautiful this country really is, and I will forever be grateful for that.

We’ve made countless memories while exploring some pretty incredible places that we might not have ever found if it hadn’t been for this lifestyle.

7. Waking up in new places often

While stability can be nice, it’s equally amazing to wake up in new places on a regular basis.

When I open the RV shades in the morning, I’m often greeted with a brand new view.

Sure, sometimes it’s a parking lot, but often it’s a stunning mountain range, or a babbling river, or a beautiful grassy meadow.

The new views just never get old to me!

8. Ability to follow good weather year-round

A big pro for many people is that they can chase the good weather year-round.

Too hot where you are? Pack up the rig and head somewhere cooler!

Too cold where you are? Head for a warmer climate!

With RV life, you have the flexibility to go where you will be the most comfortable, although we’ve often been known to break that trend and just go wherever we want to, regardless of the weather conditions, haha.

For us, winter RVing has been a fun challenge that we’ve actually enjoyed.

9. No more lawn care

For Tucker, this is one of the biggest pros…no more mowing, weed eating, landscaping, you name it.

Keeping up with a yard, especially if you live somewhere with a large area to maintain, can be exhausting!

With full-time RV living, you get to leave those responsibilities behind and trade in the time you would have spent on yard work for extra time spent in nature or doing the things you love.

10. Fewer household repairs and upkeep

Another great thing about living in a travel trailer is having no more home maintenance headaches (on a sticks and bricks house that is.)

You won’t be fixing broken fence posts, scheduling pest control visits, or stressing about water heaters flooding your basement, because none of that exists in an RV.

Don’t get me wrong, RVs still require care (things like checking seals, repairing your RV roof, and routine mechanical checks), but the list is shorter and simpler.

11. Smaller space to keep clean

I’ll be honest. Living in a tiny space means that things can get dirty or need to be picked up much quicker, but it’s also so much faster to clean up!

You have less space for things to take over, which forces you to clean up more often, but it’s much easier to manage in my opinion.

12. Minimalist lifestyle with less clutter

Additionally, with less space to put things, you likely don’t have as many objects to get out of place.

Less stuff = less clutter = less cleaning = more time doing the things you love to do!

We learned to let go of ‘just in case’ items and prioritize what we use, and honestly, it feels incredibly freeing!

It also helps if you can keep things very well organized, like finding the best spot to organize all of the shoes in your RV that would otherwise pile up.

13. More quality time together with your spouse and/or family

My husband and I moved into our RV right after we got back from our honeymoon.

A lot of people told us we were crazy for doing so, but honestly, it was one of the best decisions we ever made!

Living this lifestyle, especially from the very beginning, allowed us to get to know each other very well, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

14. Meeting new people and being part of the RV community

One of the unexpected benefits of RV life for us was the RV community that we discovered along the way.

I, very foolishly, assumed that we were some of the only people crazy enough to tackle this lifestyle, haha!

Turns out, I was very wrong. There are sooo many other people out there living this same life, and we discovered that most of them are genuinely amazing humans.

Some of my closest friendships from this time in my life were found through the RV community, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

RV life can be lonely if you let it, but if you look for new friends in this space, you will more than likely find them.

15. Dogs and pets can travel with you

We have two dogs, Marvel and Cap, who are both Mini Aussies, and they’ve been full-time RV dogs since we brought them home at 8 weeks old!

If you are sick of leaving your dogs at home while you travel, RVing with dogs can be a great solution to allow you to bring them with you.

In fact, a lot of people choose to get an RV for this very reason… no more boarding pups while you explore, instead you can just enjoy all of the dog-friendly things to do!

16. More time spent outdoors and in nature

I’ve saved perhaps the very best for last. One of my absolute favorite things about this lifestyle is that it’s provided us with way more opportunities to spend time in the great outdoors.

I grew up in a place where there honestly wasn’t much to do, so RVing opened up a whole new world to me.

Hiking, exploring slot canyons, mountain biking, kayaking, you name it.

Full-time RV living has provided us with so many more opportunities to explore God’s beautiful Creation, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

Full-Time RV Living Cons

Now, it’s important to remember that RV life is not all sunshine and roses.

There are definitely some cons that come with RVing, and I want to make sure that you’re fully prepared for what you could experience, because I honestly wasn’t.

1. Regular maintenance and repairs on your rig

Things break on RVs almost constantly.

If you think about it, your home on wheels is frequently bouncing down the road, and things are going to rattle loose and go wrong on a regular basis.

If you are a handy person, then taking care of the necessary maintenance (like cleaning your hot water tank out or lubing your leveling jacks) isn’t going to be a big deal.

But if you’re not able to handle these things, then you’re likely going to end up with costly maintenance bills and large periods of time with your rig in the shop (and you may be homeless!)

2. Dumping the black tank is messy and frequent

It’s not a glamorous task at all, but your black tank is going to need to be dumped and cleaned on a regular basis.

Make sure you do the proper research to ensure you don’t end up with a stinky poop pyramid as well!

With a house, you usually just flush and forget, but with an RV, you’re gonna have to deal with it later, so just keep that in mind.

3. Managing mail, healthcare, and permanent addresses can be complicated

Make sure that you have a plan in place for how you’ll manage certain things in life while you’re still traveling.

Do you have a health condition that needs regular treatments or doctor visits? That might limit how often and how far you can travel.

Do you have somewhere you can get mail while you’re on the road?

What are you going to use as a physical address for things like driver’s licenses and insurance?

These are all questions that can be figured out, but you need to have a plan in place before you hit the road.

4. Very limited space for storage or privacy

If you are a very private person who values personal space, then RVing might not be the best choice for you, haha!

Sure, there are things you can do for some alone time (such as solo hikes, going for a walk, or sitting outside under the awning), but space in an RV is limited, and it can sometimes feel claustrophobic to be stuck inside with your family nonstop.

5. Downsizing your belongings can be emotionally tough

If you are a person who struggles to get rid of things, then RV life might be tough for you.

Space in an RV is very limited, which means you either need to pare it down to the bare necessities or rent a storage unit, which can be costly.

6. New and not always great neighbors at every stop

Some RVers are great, others are more challenging to deal with.

If you frequently move to a new campground or even boondocking spot, you can find yourself having to deal with very annoying people everywhere you go.

7. Lack of a consistent routine or schedule

This is one thing that is a bit difficult for me to adjust to.

It can be much harder to maintain a consistent routine when you live in an RV.

If you’re the type of person who can easily go with the flow, then you should be fine.

But if you crave a strict schedule, you might struggle more.

RV laundry is another little challenge that becomes a part of your routine.

Depending on your setup, you may rely on campground laundromats, laundromats in town, or even install a washer/dryer unit in your rig.

8. Shopping at a new grocery store almost every week

This might sound like a silly con, but when you travel full-time, you’re always shopping in new places.

And, unfortunately for us, not all stores are laid out the same way.

That means it can take you much longer to do your grocery shopping, as you have to search up and down the aisles to find what you’re looking for.

It’s really not a major deal; it can just be a bit annoying.

9. Decision fatigue

If you’re anything like me and Tucker, then this might be a big one for you.

Neither one of us really enjoys making decisions, and with full-time RV life, there are a lot of decisions to be made on a regular basis.

Where are we going to go next?

How long are we going to stay there?

What are we going to do/not going to do?

It gets exhausting quickly.

10. Travel anxiety, especially when driving a large rig

This is one thing that I personally think is not mentioned often enough in the RV space online.

Many people (myself included) deal with bad travel anxiety. I know that can sound really silly to some people since that’s our whole lifestyle, but it can be very difficult to deal with.

If you are someone who has trouble with anxiety on car roadtrips from other (sometimes reckless) drivers, construction zones, mountain passes, etc., then think about how much that can be amplified when you add a big RV with most of your earthly possessions and your closest loved ones to the mix.

There are things that I do to try to help ease my travel anxieties, but it’s definitely something that impacts our travels at times.

11. Unpredictable weather

When we first started RVing, it was spring, and we made the mistake of starting through Missouri – right in the heart of tornado alley! Ahhh!

After several really nasty storms that involved us having to take shelter with strangers in nearby safe structures, we booked it out of there as fast as we could and ended up in New Mexico.

There are many different types of natural disasters that you might not be familiar with based on where you’re used to living, but it’s important to keep an eye on the time of year and what dangers could be present.

A few common things might be severe storms, tornadoes, wildfires, extreme temperatures, and hurricanes, just to name a few.

Make sure to research the area you’re headed to and know what you might need to prepare for.

12. Fuel costs can be high, especially with larger RVs

Ugh, fuel costs! This is one of the largest expenses for many RVers and can add up soooo fast!

There are many different factors to consider, such as where you’re RVing, how good your fuel mileage is, and how often you’re moving.

Many RVers choose to stay put for a few weeks or even months at a time to cut down on fuel costs and fully explore each area before moving on.

13. The cost of RV parks adds up quickly

Another big expense for many RVers is the cost of RV parks. We learned very quickly how fast this one can add up.

There are several things that you can do to cut down costs, but the biggest ones for us were boondocking as often as possible, and we bought a Passport America membership that allowed us to save 50% on participating campgrounds between our boondocking stays.

(If you decide to try Passport America, you can use our affiliate link here to get an extra 7 months free!)

14. Unexpected repairs can blow your budget

As we already mentioned, things can and will go wrong with RV life.

For us personally, one of the biggest problems we’ve had was an insane drive day that ended up taking two days instead of one and involved multiple blown tires and a loooot of stress.

I highly recommend having an emergency fund saved up for those unexpected repairs and problems you might run into, as well as investing in really good RV insurance.

15. Internet can be unreliable and frustrating for remote work

If you’re not retired and plan to work from the road like we do, then having a good internet connection can be really important.

Unfortunately, it’s not always the easiest thing to stay connected when you’re constantly going to new places and find yourself in remote areas.

I recommend having more than one internet source as a backup in case you find yourself in a pickle.

Personally, we have an RV Starlink, as well as hot spots on our phones (and different cell service carriers).

And just so you know, RV campground wifi is almost never reliable!

16. Being far from friends, family, and a stable social circle

Another thing that can be really tough is being far away from friends and family on a regular basis.

You’ll likely miss out on things that you would normally be a part of, such as birthday parties, family get-togethers, and sometimes even major life events.

Yes, do you have the flexibility to pick up and go wherever you want, but it’s not always feasible to go back “home” every time something is happening that you want to be part of.

So, Is Full-Time RV Life Right for You?

I know I just threw a lot of full-time RV living pros and cons at you…trust me, it’s a lot to take in when you’re trying to figure out if this lifestyle is truly for you.

So here’s a quick takeaway to help make your decision a little easier:

RV Life Might Be Perfect for You If…

• You thrive on change and adventure
• You’re comfortable living in a small space
• You crave more time outdoors
• You want more meaningful time with your spouse or family

But It Might Drive You Nuts If…

• You need a consistent routine and structure
• You dread planning, logistics, or decision-making
• You don’t enjoy hands-on maintenance or unexpected repairs
• You struggle with travel anxiety, especially on the road

Every lifestyle has its pros and cons, and RV living is no different.

My goal isn’t to sell you on it, but rather to give you the honest, unfiltered truth so you can make the best choice for you!

And hey, if you still have questions, feel free to drop them in my Facebook group.

I’m always happy to chat more about life on the road!

Safe travels!