Getting Away

How to Become a Full-Time Traveler

On the open road!

Now that we’ve officially been on the road for about two months, I think that it’s safe to say that we are actually doing this! For a while it was hard to accept that we were undertaking such a journey and also difficult to imagine what this life would be like. As with any huge undertaking, there comes a massive amount of planning and research that needs to be done before beginning. So, I want to get into the thought process and timeline that we followed to get to where we are now — full-time traveling North America in an RV. I hope this inspires and educates anyone who wants to take on a similar lifestyle. The best advice I can give is research, research, and more research! You can’t know for sure if you’ll love or hate full-timing until you try, but by doing the research you’ll have a (somewhat) solid idea of what to expect. And of course, everyone is different and therefore has different needs and goals but here’s where Guntars and I began!

1. Make the decision. (Based on extensive research!)

This one might be a little obvious. If you have developed a craving for freedom from your current life, a longing for the open road, or you just want to get out there and see the world, you may have begun to think about how to satiate these feelings. In my previous posts, I touched on the reasons why Guntars and I wanted to take this trip and what we hope to achieve with it. Everyone will have their own unique reasoning for making a life-changing decision such as this. This lifestyle is definitely not for everyone but once you decide that it’s something you seriously want to do, you can begin to make it possible. What’s most important here is making sure that you’re mentally and financially prepared as to rid yourself of any unnecessary stress. The whole #vanlife movement on social media has led to a rise in interest for full-timing with countless Instagram accounts and Youtube channels making it seem so easy and dreamy. In reality, it’s not always going to be like those perfectly curated feeds. You have to give up a lot of luxuries and simple comforts.

So, to begin the decision making, you must research (yes, I know I keep saying “research” but trust me, you must!). We spent all of our free time reading full-timers’ blogs, delving into articles about everything from boondocking to RV maintenance, watching Youtube videos on installing solar panels and inverters, reaching out to people who have been at it for a while (Instagram is great for this), buying books on the places we want to visit, etc. Whatever you do to prepare — it’s very important to feel completely ready before you commit — doing whatever that means for you personally. Otherwise, it’s simple: if you want to do it, do it!

Setting up camp in Vermont.

2. Figure out your finances and MAKE A BUDGET!

I firmly believe that no matter your financial situation, if this is your dream, you can make it a reality. When researching, we read up on full-timer blogs by all kinds of people, from all walks of life — young, old, working, retired, single, married, families, etc. Some people work on the road, while others save up so they don’t have rely on income. We are a combination of both, which I feel is the most realistic especially if you’re younger like us, as you need some capital to invest in your rig and gear. If you plan on working, you should have your job before you make any moves. But no matter what your plan is, create a budget!! Make sure to do it before you make any large financial commitments or even small ones like buying gear. A budget will help you:

Find out how to make it possible for you to take on this adventure, with consideration of your assets, income, and savings goals. Like I said, people are finding all kinds of ways to support themselves to make this dream their reality. Honestly, your best bet is to find a job that allows you to work 100% from your computer. There are also websites like Workamper that help people on the road find work. I have not extensively researched this option so please feel free to do so if you’re interested.

See exactly what the lifestyle you want will cost. There is a large spectrum of “micro-lifestyles” in full-time traveling. You can really rough it or live like a rockstar on tour. Don’t be scared to make sacrifices!! (Goodbye perfect nails!)

Firmly establish your income source and live with it for a few months before taking to the road. This will help you get a sense of what you can afford and if you are comfortable with it. If you plan on living on your savings, a budget will be invaluable to figure out your month to month plan and most importantly, answer the question of how long you plan to travel. Guntars and I went from him working full-time and me freelancing to him working part time and me totally quitting my job!

North Carolina is very dreamy. We can see ourselves settling here.

Figure out what you’re doing after you’re done with the adventure — do you need to budget for it? I believe you should always have one eye on the future. For us, we plan to settle down somewhere and build a house and that means we gotta SAVE! However, some people, especially those who are older, plan to full-time indefinitely. No matter what your plans, make room in your budget for your future.

Speaking of saving, it’s unfortunate to think about, but when you’re on the road 24/7 you’re bound to run into car trouble, camper trouble, accidents, etc. Please, do yourself a favor and have a little cushion of savings to fall back on in case any of this happens. I recommend at least $1,000 of dispensable savings at any given time but ideally, much more.

By the way, we used Google Sheets (it’s like Excel) to create the budget spreadsheet. We use the Mint app to track our spending.

3. Acquire the rig.

This is obviously a very crucial step and deserves its own post. I still plan to write up all of the details of our rig and a video tour soon! Your adventure-mobile can be anything from a Ford Focus to a Class A RV. It really all comes down to what you will be most comfortable in and what you are able to afford. When we first started to research the various vehicles that could work for us we narrowed it down to a truck/camper combination because we didn’t feel like we needed all of the space that comes with a proper motorhome, nor did we think we could rough it in a van. As mentioned in previous posts, we also placed a lot of importance on a rig that can go off-road. So, we quickly settled on a 2017 Cirrus 820 truck camper coupled with a 2015 GMC Sierra 3500HD Denali.

Here’s the rig in North Carolina’s end of autumn.

The camper has ended up being the perfect size and has everything we could ever need and want (taking into account some pretty straightforward mods we made ourselves). With the camper weighing in at over 3000 lbs, we needed a truck with that minimum payload. Three-quarter ton trucks (2500s/250s) top out around 2900 so we leveled up to a one ton GMC 3500 (with a payload of around 4900, which is more than enough but with truck campers it’s always best to have that leeway to make sure you’re safe on the road and your truck handles properly!!).

That’s just us though. You have to go back to my point about the spectrum of comfort. Do you want to boondock for the majority of your days or do you want full water/electric hookups every night? Do you want a rig that can go off-road? How much space would you like to have in the camper? Do you want a wet camper with running water (sinks, toilet, shower) or would you be okay dry camping? Could you live in a truck camper? A van?

After going through this process, I highly recommend going to an RV dealer that sells every type of rig to tour them and get a real feel for them. But, remember your budget! ALSO: You could always consider buying an older used camper and refurbishing it if you have the time and money! I see a massive amount of Instagrams and blogs documenting their vintage RV rebuilds. This is nice, because you can then customize it to your exact wants and needs! The downside is the amount of time you’ll have to devote to it before you’re able to get on the road.

In regard to purchasing whichever rig you choose, you will either be paying in full or financing — this is all dependent on your financial abilities and goals. We saved up for a hefty down payment on both the truck and camper to meet our monthly budget objectives.

On the Blue Ridge Parkway, our favorite place so far!

4. The Purge

So, you now have a tiny home. And you’re probably moving from a much larger one (even if you’re coming from NYC sized quarters like us). If you’ve ever had the pleasure of moving, you know that you have too much STUFF. Downsizing is very therapeutic, at least it was for me. You’re going to have to get rid of 95% of your things (you could also store it, but why? That’s a huge waste of money. Just sell it/donate it/trash it and move on!). If you have large things like furniture pieces that you just can’t part with, see if a friend or relative will be able to use it while you’re gone. It’s a win-win. My lovely sister, Lauren, is currently babysitting a few of my prized pieces (and plants).

Here are some photos from our last apartment to give you an idea of ALL OF THE CRAP we had:

The sofa is with my sister. I will not part with that beauty.

I do miss having a proper kitchen…

That vintage credenza is one of the prized possessions also in the care of my sister.

Here are some tips when purging:

1. Make four piles: Keep, Sell, Donate, Trash

2. “Keep” should be composed of ABSOLUTE necessities. It’s going to be your smallest pile, hopefully. Keep only what you will be able to wear or use on your trip. It’s okay if this pile gets smaller over time. It is a process. I kept too much stuff from Brooklyn initially and upon moving into the camper realized it wouldn’t all fit, thus more purging.

4. Realize you’re going to have to make room for things you don’t yet own. You’re going to be purchasing a lot of gear that is specific to your new lifestyle and it’s all going to have to find a home in your camper. Speaking of that…

5. Purchase supplies: the bare minimum.

Starting out, please don’t go to LL Bean and buy the whole store. I know it is VERY tempting, if you’re anything like me, but one of the appeals of this lifestyle is learning to live with the bare necessities! You’re going to find in your small space, that you really only have room for the things you need and the things you absolutely love. For example, our little pupperino, Wayne. No way were we leaving him behind even though he’s not technically necessary haha.

You have to become the anti-hoarder. Here’s a rough list of what we bought initially to get us started on our “test-run” trips. To give you an idea, these are things we deemed as necessary before even taking our first trip. I’m providing links of the exact products we purchased where possible. (Not in order of importance.)

1. Verizon Jetpack

2. Portable camping furniture. We chose this table, two chairs, this area rug, and an LL Bean Waterhog doormat. You’ll find the doormat to be invaluable in helping keep dirt and sand out of the camper!

3. Basic camping supplies like a flashlight, lantern, axe, lighter, knife, rope, etc.

4. Portable tools. In our apartment we had a proper tool chest with a massive collection of tools. For the camper, we purchased a small tool bag and filled it with the basic tools (screwdriver, tape measure, level, etc.) only purchasing new tools when the need arises.

new enamelware in action.

5. Unbreakable dinnerware. We went with a collection of Crow Canyon enamelware.

6. New bedding (we went from a full size bed to a queen (yay) in our camper so we needed new sheets, a comforter, duvet, etc.). I also deemed it necessary to purchase a feather bed for the sad excuse of a mattress that usually accompanies campers. This one from The Company Store is lovely, and cruelty free. Our bed is now a cloud.

7. First aid kit and basic medicine.

8. Water filtration system that attaches to our incoming water supply. We went with this one.

9. Water pressure regulator.

10. Hoses: Fresh and black. (Don’t forget disposable gloves.)

11. Surge guard (VERY IMPORTANT!) and any necessary amp adapters. You’re going to run into 30 amp and 50 amp connections when connecting to shore power. Our RV is outfitted with a 30 amp plug (this is the norm) so we bought a 50 amp adapter in case we ever need it.

12. Storage solutions to organize your shelves, cabinets, and bathroom for optimal use of your limited space. I purchased quite a few baskets and bins. I found organizing to be an integral part in making the camper livable. I’ll write a separate post on this later with the specific items I got.

13. Leveling blocks

14. Basic cleaning supplies. One thing to note here is the importance of using biodegradable/natural products to protect the sensitive waste system in your RV. I love Method’s line of supplies! I also purchased their ultra concentrated laundry detergent since it doesn’t take up a lot of space. Got it all at Target.

15. Dyson Handheld vacuum

Our “dining room”.

6. Plan it: Your rough route.

Now that you have all of your supplies, you’re probably eager to get going. But, it’s important to first have a rough idea of your overall itinerary. I spent the months before our take-off researching all of the places we would love to visit and in the process finding infinitely more that I didn’t even know about! To begin, there is no way you can make an exact route, planned down to the day, nor should you. I strongly recommend against this. Part of the freedom is going to places on a whim, staying in places longer than planned, or going to newly found ones along the way. Your journey is going to be very different than anything you plan! Trust me. What I found useful though, was planning a very rough outline of a route, pretty much based on chasing good weather and must-sees. We are now in Florida in January and it is pretty darn nice! I use Furkot, a road trip planning website to help me plot points of interest. I also use Outdoor Project, a website which helps us find all kinds of cool things to see as well as places to camp nearby.

Screenshot of the Furkot app. This is in progress! Still adding stops for the middle of America. In case you couldn’t tell, we’re excited for the West :)

7. Get out there!

If you feel ready, then you probably are. You can take off right away or do as we did and make some local test runs while you still have a home base to return to. It’s all up to what you’re most comfortable doing. We’ve had many ups and downs since our first day on the road, sometimes asking ourselves if we want to continue. But the answer is always yes. This amazing journey has been surprising, refreshing, and mindset altering. What a gift it is, to explore so many different regions, cities, towns, and communities of this remarkable country. It’s not always easy, and it’s not always comfortable, but it’s certainly worth it!