It’s hard to believe we left Portland just over a month ago, in between snow storms which are still going on. There is a lot to be said about the freedom of retirement and life on the road but we really feel like we are just starting to settle in to some new routines. Overall, we are both really enjoying our new lifestyle but I will list pros and cons for you to muse over!

Pro’s:

Way less stress (even with the car fiasco)
No need to hurry in the morning or get up early of you don’t want to
Spending more time outside ( Bentley is loving it too, he doesn’t want to be inside)
More time for exercise
More time to spend with friends
More time to spend making new friends
No house upkeep and less space to take care of, inside and out
Better sleep because I have less stress – go figure!
More time for hobbies – I love to cook so we are really eating well despite the tiny kitchen
More time to watch the sunset (yes, you actually see them when the sky is clear)

Con’s:

Living in a small space with pets = daily housekeeping chores (all of about 15 mins)
Living in a small pace with your spouse = you need a sense of humor and hobbies!
Being careful with water consumption when you are not on a full hookup
Managing grey and black water without a full hook up
Having to think about running the hair dryer, heater and the coffee maker at the same time

I am having a hard time finding more downsides to this lifestyle but I won’t lie to you, it does take some adjustment. I think for us it has been easier because we are boaters and have experienced similar things already on the water. I will say it is much easier RVing than boating as we are on land and have access to necessities like grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, doctors, etc. So far the adjustments are worth the trade off.

A big learning for us is that we brought way to much “stuff”. Too many clothes, too many shoes, too many storage containers ( seriously yes, you can have too many!), too many pets that shed, too much cat litter, too many cases of wine. I wonder how many less cases would have prevented a broken toe??? Hmm, that would be about 4 or maybe 5?? Really, the bottom line is that you can buy so much of that “stuff” you thought you couldn’t live with out on the road.

We are also learning that this is a lifestyle, not a vacation and moving too often is stressful for us and the pets. Two weeks in one area feels great at this point but realistically that probably won’t happen all the time. We are also trying different experiences where we stay in the RV. Right now we are in the Maricopa County Usery Pass Regional Park, surrounded by the Sonoran Desert with lots of space around us, great hiking/biking trails and the most incredible sunset views. The next 4 weeks we will try two more Maricopa County Regional Parks in the Phoenix area. Next month we are going to try a 55+ RV resort community with some friends that will have us on a 38×50 concrete pad (full hookup, yay) with a community swimming pool/rec center, tennis courts, off leash dog park, evening happy hour and a plethora of social activities such as a hiking club, dances, knitting group (not) to name a few.

We don’t know what we don’t know at this point so I will report back in and let you know what we decide. Right now it is fun to have so many options and places to go.