The toughest part of RV Life is more than just a flat tire on the side of I-75 or a 6 hour traffic jam in Atlanta. Yeah. The ROAD SUCKS but the truth is, it’s more than a medium between two states. When a truly seasoned Full Time RV’r uses the word ” ROAD ” they are encapsulating PARKS, BLM Land, Highways cops bridges ……… But it’s more than that still. The ROAD, the Journey, the fundamental aspect of Full Time RV Life would really be best described with uncertainty – and respectively the travelers comfort level with it. I have lived the majority of my life not knowing what will happen tomorrow and its taught me to walk into every situation looking for an exit. It’s also made me strong, smart and resourceful. I love my life and I love the events which took place to define it because it became who I AM. I don’t look back. I Look forward, always. But Its about the moment, the journey. The Road. Its always about the Next_Chapter – a new horizon, the next hill to climb. In my own case its more than a logo or a catchy phrase – but rather a chosen lifestyle. IF you take a closer look at the logo on this website you’ll notice two things. Its made to resemble a speedometer of course and indicative of forward motion – but there are no units of measurement. Its not in MPH or KM/h, it doesn’t have little tick marks or tenths.. The measurement of movement is spiritual and the motion is that of forward momentum aka ” LIFE “. The idea of “Next_Chapter” means that every day I wake up and say ok what new thing can I accomplish today? We aren’t worried about yesterday or tomorrow, we are worried about the moment, and we are looking forward to the next Horizon, the next chapter… The next Adventure 🙂 This lifestyle and way of thinking in my opinion is critical to the success of living a life on the ” Road “.

Credit to CoolSignZ for making me this neon sign 🙂

One of the coolest aspects of living full time RV can also be its Achilles’ Heel. This sense of always being in motion, never settling down, never knowing what to expect from one day to the next and constantly changing circumstances. There are two ways to look at this. You can say nah, I like my stability and simple little existence – thats just too much chaos for me. OR you can see it as an opportunity. You can wake up and say you know what, I think I’ll move to another state today. Hey you know what I am tired of the evening sun coming in my bedroom window lets flip the house around. WITH this constant motion and chaos comes stability and control in which you crave. It just manifests itself a bit different and forces you to abandon the traditional thinking or ” American Dream ” of a white picket fence and a little place to call your own. Instead you learn to think of the whole world as your home and you learn to find comfort and stability in the fact that you are free to change your surroundings in a moments notice. Hurricane coming ? cool – hitch up and head north up into Tennessee for a few weeks. Sick of the park you are staying at ? cool – go find another one. Living on the Unforgiving Road is a blessing and a curse. But like so many other things we do in life it can be viewed in the light or the darkness. I choose to be that glass half full sort of guy – but let me assure you there was a time in my life where the idea of living in an RV would sound CRAZY. But now as I debate buying a permanent place in Florida to call home for the winter months – I find myself thinking man thats Crazy. Why would I buy a house that cant be moved. IDK – more to come on that one.

So lets unpack another aspect of life on the Road. Life in the parks. This is more than dealing with individual park rules or amenities or ” lack of “. I have been to parks that don’t even allow the use of washing machines because they are septic. Ive been to parks that don’t allow Children. I know a park that will literally kick you out – been there for years, until you have the audacity to have a Baby. But I am talking deeper still. These parks are a gathering of people and you have people in close proximity. Your neighbors are often feet away and love it or hate it they become part of your daily life. You get good ones and bad ones. You meet some that end up facebook friends and you follow eachother all over the country and run into again years later 7 states away. You meet some of the coolest people out here on the road. Even if you are an introvert and go out of your way to be alone – your not gonna get away with it living in an RV park. Its literally impossible not to meet people and make friends when you are living this lifestyle. And THEN comes the “Drama” 🙂 Your part of these peoples lives now – so are you going to be mad about it or are you going to be thankful that they trust you enough to share life with you. Thankful that you have friends who care about you. Thankful that you can be a part of others lives and maybe even make a difference in them. Its a blessing and an opportunity especially if you are someone like me who would if left to his own devices live alone in the wilderness and talk to a volleyball all day. I still can’t figure out why Tom Hanks left that island.

Nothing beats a nice quiet fire at night contemplating life. These are the things I dwell quietly on as I watch the flickering flames. I remember why I am out here. I remember to be thankful and joyful that I have found my “rock” my calling, my sense of peace in the form of freedom. The Road is a medium, a path a way to relocate but its also the freedom to do so. The road will test you, it will challenge you, it will drive a wedge between the most devoted couples and test even the most determined souls – but only when you forget why you are on the road does it win you over. Never forget why you are on this journey. Never let it get the best of you. You chose to be here because it offered you a chance to do things not many people get a chance to do. You chose this life because the hardships are a blessing not a curse. These bumps in the road are made to make you stronger and more faithful, to help you find yourself and maybe even something you weren’t looking for and didn’t know you needed in life. And above all else, yesterday is Gone and Tomorrow is uncertain so remember to live in the moment. Remember to stay agile, on your toes and in motion always reaching for the next horizon. Always in search of the Next Chapter. Does it really get any better than this ?

Godspeed my fellow Road Warrior RVers. We are living the dream of many out there, and thats exactly why I blog about it to be honest. There are people out there who would kill to be one of us and they follow us because they get to live the life they dream vicariously. For health reasons or employment or what ever situation they cannot do what we do and I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to share some of it with them. From Blueberry Hill RV park in Bushnell Florida – God Bless and happy trails !

-ADUBZ