People are once again trying to sell the idea of RV living.
They’re all like "It’s so great! It’s wonderful!" without ever mentioning how they deal with black/gray water, maintenance issues, the hardships of having a blown tire on the side of the road, etc.
And honestly, you just know that a lot of those people are not dealing with their black/gray water issues in a responsible way. There’s a more than good chance that once they’re ready to leave an area, they just dump the tanks where they’re at and flee. Like a bird launching off the ground, emptying its bladder as it lifts off. Just a big ol’ seabird smelly crap splattered everywhere to mark that they were once there.
And I guess RVs can mostly only be parked on private property, as most RV parks have shifted to being non-RV parks. So if you have a piece of land, it might be a good idea. Though if you own a piece of land you’re going to live on long-term, maybe a trailer would be better.
But the idea of living in an RV and traveling around the country in it?
A lot of people are simply dreaming. They are watching these videos of people living in multimillion dollar RVs and they’re fantasizing that that’s going to be them, not realizing that in reality they would not be getting a fancy RV like that. And if they do get one, they won’t have a few extra million dollars in their bank to give them the "freedom" to not worry about breakdowns, sewage issues, inevitable parts replacement, and just the "Ugh!"-ness of living packed in 12 deep in a confined space with their quiverfull of children.
Van-lifers have become RV-lifers. Why? Because people moved into vans and found out there wasn’t enough space or safety. So like, "Bigger is better!" with no awareness that if your RV breaks down, that biggerness means it’s gonna cost a heck of a lot more to get that bitch towed.
At least with a van it will fit into a single parking space.
If your RV is over a certain size or weight, you might need to get a special license to drive it. So all those people making houselike modifications to their RVs? Do they weigh them after they do that to ensure they’re not going overweight for a standard driver’s license?
Are they aware that if they have a mechanical problem, they might not just be able to haul their RV to a regular local mechanic’s shop? ESPECIALLY if they custom ordered their RV and it’s fully loaded with nonstandard parts?
Like, how much does it cost to change the oil in an RV?
What happens if you get in a car accident with your RV and your passengers/children are not strapped in while you’re driving? I mean, even if they’re not hurt, it might be big legal trouble in a state you’re not a resident of.
Someone even mentioned that they hated vacationing in their RV because it always retained moisture. So you’re going to pack all your stuff into a sweaty metal box and just hope for the best?
And of course, RVs do not retain their value. AT ALL. And of course, people are going to be like, "If you buy it to live in it, who cares about the resale value of this massive money dump?" Well, I think anyone that might want to trade it in later for a newer/better model might care. Anyone that might want to switch to living in a house at some point might care if they’re going to have to get rid of that giant RV filling their parking spot, ESPECIALLY if it’s got a blown motor or other issues that result in it needing to be towed away.
And how much is licensing and tags for an RV? How does it work if you don’t have state residency? Can you lose state residency if you don’t have a registered street address? Can you lose your driver’s license if you lose state residency?
There’s so many considerations for people planning to move into vehicles so they can live on the road. And it’s not just the dangers of attack, robbery, or of having their vehicle/house stolen. It’s also the discomfort of living in a small space, especially if there’s other people, pets, and children involved.
We all dream of having a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air, it just seems so loverly.
But before making a massive life-changing financial decision like buying an RV… people need to do more planning than just watching some monetized YouTube videos.
Just saying.
~Harper Kingsley
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