The RV lifestyle … have you ever wondered what it’s really like?  I am a new resident to Vancouver Island, having moved here following a 14-month journey in my RV (recreational vehicle) motorhome, touring North America and during which I completed my Master of Arts degree in Tourism Management. My graduate paper was an ethnographic research project and included participants of fulltime RVing and those simply enjoying its vacation/travel aspect for extended periods of time. As I share with you these research observations, follow along with me in a 3-part series on the RV lifestyle, the first installment exploring how participants embrace a ‘less is more’ philosophy.

Minimalism and Agelessness – The New Consumerism

“Letting go your hold”, advocated by popular Zen master Hakuin Ekaku, was for some RVers exactly what they needed to do to realize a revitalized life of acquisition minimalism, a resurgence of long-forgotten traditional values and a life of deeper emotional satisfaction. This group is not easily categorized into a generalized understanding of motives and actions. Yet, this group of talented, sophisticated and responsible people have quietly discovered a life steeped in caring and connecting, emboldening others on the sidelines to follow in their footsteps.

Many RVers state it was the non-financial elements that attracted and retained their participation, including a simplification of the unending demands that former communities exacted of them. This lifestyle and its attendant product, the RV itself, provided an often more luxurious accommodation than the previous homes. The lifestyle provided opportunities to volunteer time and talents to charities, an activity difficult to participate in when home maintenance and employment demanded so much time. For some, it was the reduced carbon footprint, the endless socializing or the opportunity to finally indulge oneself with activities usually relegated to the idle rich such as more leisure time.

When making the decision to live fulltime in an RV, the discussion often turns to what to do with household possessions. Jeff and Linda, Sioux City, Iowa, declared “We committed the cardinal sin which was to throw out the family pictures. We put a few on the computer, and that’s enough.” They added “We threw out the guilt (of their actions) too.” Pamela from Rochester, New York, was raised in the country and, having moved to the city later in life, came to realize she wanted less traffic congestion and more simplicity and safety in her life as she raised her teenage daughter. She stated “It’s a bit crowded at times (in the RV) with all the pets too”, but family quality time has increased. Pamela purchases only what they need which has increased savings and, she claims, “You don’t worry about Grandma’s china anymore”. Alternatively, Valerie, from Coboconk, Ontario, a stylishly dressed pastor, admits “I can’t take all my clothes with me” but quality time and relationship building with her husband and time for golf and dances for which there was no time while enmeshed in a busy community, far outweighs a few outfits left behind.

For many, returning to a minimalist ideology heralded a decline in what was once a lifestyle of consumption. Fran from Dallas, Texas, is a photographer who lives, travels and works from her RV. She advised that to get to this way of thinking was not easy and she described the journey to release a lifetime’s worth of possession accumulation: “There was nothing simple about downsizing. Nothing! It was a grueling process and I did it in seven weeks’ time. I purged 4,300 square feet worth of home and studio – a lifetime’s collection of things.” Fran found this purging process emotionally difficult and physically arduous; however, she stated simply “I have all the memories I can carry along with me. The rest was just stuff.”

The argument for a minimalist lifestyle lends support to the fulfillment of one that eschews the non-essential in favour of a concentration on priorities that deliver quality of life. These participants abhor unnecessary complexity. They desire a truer way of living, resplendent in creativity and discovery, less cost and less maintenance. Carlotta, Yessammee, South Carolina, states simply of the minimalist lifestyle: “You’re a lot freer to travel and live this way. We’re like turtles! We take our home with us.”

This completes Part 1 of “The RV Lifestyle”.  Watch for Part 2 in a future posting.

Rose Nadon, MA
Tourism Management
250-228-5552

To read all three installments of The RV Livestyle: Part 2   Part 3

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