So you just bought your RV and maybe you’re not sure what to do with it just yet? Become an RV weekend warrior!
While Glynn and I would VERY MUCH LOVE to become full-time RVers, the cold, hard truth for us is that it ain’t happnin’ yet! We’re working on it…saving, paying off debt, thinking of more creative ways to make money (like starting a blog!). But for now, we have to live in our own reality and that is:
WE ARE RV WEEKEND WARRIORS
What exactly does that mean? Well, to me it means that we are hauling this thing near and far within reason EVERY CHANCE WE GET!
I’ve mentioned in other posts that our non-rving friends think we’ve LOST OUR MINDS! Heck, even some of our RVing friends probably do!
But here’s the deal, we didn’t buy this thing to DECORATE THE YARD! We bought it to ENJOY, to ESCAPE ADULTING if even just for a few days at a time!
Glynn and I are fortunate that both of our jobs allow us to have a three day weekend EVERY WEEK. We are also fortunate that most of our kids are gone and our bills have dropped allowing us to travel more (you’d be surprised how much utilities drop when the kids move out!).
A small group of friends of ours is also RV weekend warriors. In fact, one of them RVs EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. They actually bought a boat and put it in at Choctaw Marina on Greers Ferry Lake here in Arkansas, and camp at Choctaw Campground when they aren’t going somewhere else with their RV.
If I’m being completely honest, they are more intense about camping than we are!
SO WHAT DO RV WEEKEND WARRIORS DO?
This is the great part…WE DO NOTHING! We pack and hook up the camper, go to our destination, setup, then RELAX! Since we are often with our friends, we usually cook and eat meals together, we go on walks, swim, play cards, or sometimes I’ll pull out the guitar and we sing…the point is, WE UNWIND!
Sleeping in is ALWAYS on the docket (unless I’m getting up with the sun for great sunrise pics for you guys. Our friends wake up at different times than we do, so we just meet up with them when we hear their dogs outside. In the summer, some type of water activity is in order because Arkansas is TOO HOT to enjoy just sitting outdoors.
Occasionally, we have been known to explore local life (usually when we’re camping alone…and usually when we’re hunting a karaoke bar). My friend has a knack for finding small hole-in-the-wall restaurants that serve up INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS meals! One restaurant in Biloxi had a CRAZY AWESOME live blues band (check Things to Do in Biloxi)!
GREAT FOR YOU, BUT I HAVE KIDS!
I feel your pain, trust me…I’ve paid my dues!!! Of course, if you have small kids with you, you’ll have to be a little more structured than us empty nesters (…but keep in mind this day is coming for you!!!).
Things I’d recommend for the kids: ride bicycles, play board games, do coloring pages, go for nature walks or hikes, go for a swim, float on rafts, take a canoe trip, have a picnic somewhere scenic, play horseshoes or cornhole games.
You know your kids and family best, plan accordingly and BE CREATIVE, but really focus on UNPLUGGING! Do your best to keep your RV weekend device free. Being an RV weekend warrior is all about RELAXING and taking in nature and enjoying your time together!
Kids are a part of EVERY camping trip, whether you have them or not! Your kids BELONG at campgrounds!
In fact, our daughter Alyssa made a friend in Pensacola one year (probably about 2002). She kept up with this friend for years through email (give us a break…it was before Facebook and texting).
HECK, I can even remember playing with other kids at campgrounds when I was a kid…and that was like a hundred years ago!
DO I NEED A HUGE RV TO BE AN RV WEEKEND WARRIOR?
Heavens, no! I sure hope not, I’d be out of the club immediately with my 21′ camper!
Almost every time I go camping, I see MANY different types of RVs and campers. I often see every kind of camper imaginable ranging from tents (not really RVs, but kudos for getting out of the house to these peeps), pop-ups, and travel trailers to GIGANTIC class A motorhomes.
The whole point is to UNPLUG from your 9-5 and see something different besides your four walls!
Experience something DIFFERENT, meet new people, do something UNEXPECTED!
BUT ISN’T RVING FOR OLD OR RICH PEOPLE?
Again, I CERTAINLY hope not…even though I’m knocking on the door of being an old person! Haha!
OLD PEOPLE seem to be a part of every camping trip! I like seeing older people out there. It gives me hope that this lifestyle is sustainable for a VERY long time. I also love chatting with older RV weekend warriors (although they stay longer than a weekend). They seem to have all the time in the world, and wisdom is usually overflowing! 🙂
As far as rich goes, our first camper was a little pop-up camper. I want to say we spent about $1000 on it…super cheap! We took that little thing EVERYWHERE!!!
Although I’m not a HUGE fan of financing (financing eats up your camping money!), dealers will find financing terms for you that make for incredibly cheap payments.
If you’re not a fan of financing either, check out Pinterest for ideas on finding the perfect used camper. I’ve been stalking a used 5th wheel and truck for $15k for a while. My sensible hubby says the time isn’t right just yet. He’s right…HATE to admit that (not that he’s right, but that we don’t need to spend the money right now)…it’s a GREAT deal!
…and yes, rich people DO camp, but they are almost always down to earth and friendly. One guy offered us to come over to his “camper,” have drinks with him and his wife and watch March Madness.
We made fast friends and I still interact with his wife on Facebook pretty regularly! Great people!
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
My point is this, being an RV weekend warrior is for all types of people: young/old, rich/poor, chubby/thin, fast/slow etc. It’s LITERALLY something just about anyone can do.
It’s SUPER relaxing, and LOTS of fun!
I WANNA BE AN RV WEEKEND WARRIOR! WHAT NOW?
Calm down there, friend!
Obviously, the first step is to get an RV/camper/motorhome. Whatever you want to call it…you need a portable home (yes, tents, too…even hammock camping is permitted here!).
Once you have your RV, pack it up with essentials and non-essentials, look at your calendar and find some weekends available for camping. Next, find the nearest campgrounds and read some RV park reviews and decide where to go first.
BOOK CAMPGROUNDS EARLY!!! I cannot stress this enough! 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring EACH DAY…I think they are ALL buying RVs and camping in Arkansas! Haha! Really, though, if the campground you want is full, you can always call them to see if someone has canceled. We did this one time and ended up getting in…BE PERSISTENT! 🙂
FIND A COMMUNITY OF LIKE-MINDED FRIENDS
Ask around to see if you have any friends that have campers of any sorts. Chances are pretty good you know one or two folks that have an RV. Camping is SUPER FUN with friends (especially with kids)!
OTHER DETAILS
Don’t forget to plan a house sitter if you can.
DO NOT advertise on Facebook or other social media platforms that you won’t be home all weekend! Make sure a family member knows where you’re going (but not your mother who is armed with a MyRadar app on a stormy weekend!).
Fuel up BEFORE you hook up the camper if you’re pulling a camper.
Check tire pressure in all vehicles involved, and check tow lights to make sure they’re working.
HAVE TONS OF FUN AND RELAX!
Two of my camping friends and me! 🙂
Welcome to the RV weekend warrior club! Did I miss any of your favorite RV weekend warrior tips? Be sure to tell me in the comments…I really do love to hear from you guys!!!
If you’re looking for ways to afford RVing, check out this post!
My husband and I have been looking at RV’s for over a year now, but we haven’t had our “Eureka I found it!” moment yet. He wants a motorhome, so I guess we’ll be looking for a used one that is more budget friendly and hopefully in good shape. But I can’t wait to step out into the weekend warrior lifestyle! Been doing tons of research, which I guess is fun in itself, and gives me something to look forward to. Can’t wait to have my own RV that I can decorate to my taste and make it our home on wheels. I look forward to meeting all kinds of nice and fun people along the way. If we can’t find an RV this year, I hope we will find something by Spring of 2019, so we can get out there! Hope to see ya out there when we do….happy trails!
Aww…that’s so much fun! Remember you can always rent one to try it out! I know it’s A LOT more expensive to rent, but it’s better to spend the money ahead of time before biting the bullet and buying one you don’t like. We knew in advance that we probably wouldn’t keep ours long, but we’ve learned a lot about what we do and don’t need. Also, if you already have friends with campers, maybe someone could loan you theirs for a weekend. You could also look on RVshare.com to see if there are any available for rent in your area! Keep in touch, I can’t wait to see what you end up with!!!
I should warn you though, you get to where life is all mixed up when you RV! You start to live for the weekends and begin to feel like THAT is your reality!!! It’s ADDICTIVE!!! LOL! #fulltimervgoals