Things I’ve Learned from Living in a Travel Trailer
Life lessons on enjoying the simple things
My wife and I are travel physical therapists, meaning we move around a lot for work. After renting from Airbnb and Craigslist for a little too long, we decided to buy our own home on wheels.
My wife was pretty against it at first, maybe because I suggested a Sprinter van (something about not liking the fact that there wasn’t a bathroom), but she came around after touring a few travel trailers. We landed on a 33 foot long, 2019 Salem Forest River. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves and life itself over the past 6 months.
Humans are capable of a lot, like driving a massive vehicle on the highway
We didn’t have a truck, so our first step was purchasing a vehicle that could tow our 9,000-pound home. Our trailer + Tundra adds up to 55 feet, so we basically became semi-truck drivers overnight. Shouldn’t there be a class for this? Nope, we were handed the keys, given directions to an open parking lot, and sent on our way.
Thankfully, it wasn’t bad. Our first major road trip was from our home state of Indiana to our next job in central California. We bought towing mirrors to extend our field of vision and stabilizer bars to reduce swaying on the highway. Turning was a bit challenging at first, especially on back roads, but we quickly got the hang of it.
People don’t need as many material things as they think
We’d already downsized a lot from our large apartment in Indianapolis to what could fit in our two cars for travel physical therapy, but going to the travel trailer was another downsize. I wasn’t sure what to do with all our books, technology, and other random things we’d accumulated over time. My wife was concerned about her clothes, rightly so, as the closet is only about a foot wide.
It all worked out. We’ve learned which items we truly need and love and donated the rest. Instead of collecting a lot of kitchenware, we have one of each essential item (spatula, ladle, can opener) and 4 of each serving ware (bowls, knives, etc.). Because we have fewer things, it was easy to invest in better quality items that will last us a long time.
People can adapt to small spaces and bond over it
Our bathroom is small and gets crowded quickly. My wife and I go to work around the same time, and both wait until the last minute to get ready. The standing room in our bathroom is about 3 x 3 feet, so it gets cozy fast. The worst part is if we both have coffee in the morning and get our GI systems rolling. There are public bathrooms at our RV park, but the maintenance man is usually cleaning them around the time everything hits. Yikes.
This was frustrating at first, but now we laugh about it and expect it. It’s a unique shared experience that brings us closer. Aside from quality time in the bathroom, we spend more time together because there aren’t many places to go in the travel trailer. If we get tired of being inside, we’ll go on a walk around our RV park — tiny spaces force you to get creative on what to do.
Relationships are better when addressing arguments quickly
Our travel trailer is small, meaning there is nowhere to hide during a fight. We don’t get in yelling matches, but you know those times when you need some personal space? Well, there isn’t much of that in a travel trailer. Our bedroom does have a door, but it’s currently not closing without some effort (we’ll discuss things breaking later).
When we do fight, we make amends quicker in the travel trailer (mostly because we feel the awkward tension and give in). But for real, it has been good for our relationship. We’ve learned which tough conversations are worth having, and which ones are just arguments because of being hungry or tired.
Tiny living is budget-friendly
Living in a travel trailer is a considerable upfront cost but lucrative in the long run. Aside from the trailer payment, RV parks have monthly fees for the lot rental and electricity, which is usually $400-$600/month depending on where you are. We plan to live in our tiny home for a couple of years and are excited to either keep it for future family vacations or sell it.
Another way we’ve saved money is simply by not buying as many things. A smaller space means less room for objects. Our past apartments were more spacious, meaning more furniture, decorations, clothing, and room for other random items to accumulate. Travel trailers and RVs come furnished, so that takes out needing to purchase furniture. There is little room for decorations, so a few nice things can bring the place together. And overall, we can’t accumulate a surplus of items because there is no room.
People can fix their problems with a little help from YouTube and hardware stores
Things break in a home. Things break even more in a home that travels 65 mph on highways and through mountain ranges. On our trip from Indiana to California, we had some surprises. The refrigerator shelf broke off, the shower drainage system came unhooked, pipes under the kitchen sink popped off, and our front door locked us out. Our first thought was, “What did we get ourselves into” followed by, “Well, at least we have the insurance.”
Travel trailer insurance companies are smart in making it very difficult to get things fixed through them. The numbers to call weren’t constructive, and none of their affiliated shops were nearby. We quickly learned how to fix things ourselves. With a couple of trips to Lowe’s and some YouTube videos, our home was back up and running smoothly. We’ve been a little hesitant to tow it since, but better prepared for the next break.
Nature makes the heart happy
We love natural light, so one of our priorities when finding a trailer was lots of windows. Having them open on fall days, watching the rain through them, and merely seeing the sunlight makes us feel very connected with nature.
It’s sometimes easy to become anxious in a trailer — we find ourselves struggling with the desire to be productive or an ongoing thought loop. Spending 10 minutes outside is one of our most effective ways to ease anxious feelings and reconnect with the calmness that nature often provides.
Another perk of owning a home on wheels is being able to visit different RV parks and campgrounds. We checked out some awesome ones in Colorado and Utah during our road trip out to California that offered stunning views and features like a basketball court, fire pits, and spots for corn hole. The next parking spot calling our names is right along the coast of California.
A clean living space = A clear mind
The small space gets cluttered quickly. When first getting home from work, our favorite thing to do is rip off our work clothes and get into something comfier. We aren’t always the best at putting those work clothes in the laundry right away, so sometimes they stay on the floor. Just a few things out of place or some dirty dishes piled up makes the space look unkempt. We’ve learned that an untidy living space makes us feel frustrated, which can take a toll on our mood and productivity that day.
The good news is a smaller space is quicker to clean! “10 things” is a principle we use daily, meaning let’s just each pick up 10 things before we go to bed/eat/sit down. It doesn’t take long to clean up 10 items, but can make a world of difference, especially in a tiny home.
Every RV park is different, but our current one has a terrain of mostly dirt and rock. Dirt tracks into the RV, so we have a doormat at the front and a “no shoes” policy — nothing my wife hates more than dirty feet. I do have her to blame for the amount of hair that also builds up in random places. That woman sheds.
Conclusion
Full-time living in a travel trailer has had its challenges, but those are far outweighed by the experiences and knowledge we have gained. We are pleased with our first home and plan to stay in it for a while . . . as long as we can figure out the bathroom situation.
