Not so long ago I wrote a blog post about the top ten things I’m looking forward to in our new life on the road. Of course transitioning from one lifestyle to another means there will be some compromises. This is neither a good nor bad thing but it’s just something to be acknowledged.
So, while I couldn’t come up with ten things, here is a top seven list of what I will miss about my current sticks and bricks life (in no particular order):
1. Long Showers
Long showers in my own bathroom, that is. I’m sure we’ll still be able to take long showers using campsite facilities but it’s just not the same as my own space. Okay, that sounds like a First World problem but, come to think of it, most of them are 🙂
2. Mail/Shipments
We plan on converting all of our physical mail to digital before we leave. Most of what we get in the mail is either bills or junk so there’s no love lost there. But let’s say I break a camera part and need a replacement, having no fixed address can cause problems with having something shipped. Unless, of course, we are planning to be at one place for a while. I’m sure we will figure it out but it’s a pain in the butt.
3. Proximity to Friends
I don’t see friends often but when I want to, it’s nice to have them relatively near. Being on the road does not afford that same luxury. Oh, and about that picture, seems like these friends are exercising together. I don’t do that.
4. Reliable Cell/Internet Service
While I wouldn’t exactly call our current non-stellar Internet service reliable, it gets the job done most of the time. I am a heavy multimedia user, watching videos, downloading and uploading photos, etc. Using traditional wifi enables me to do all this without any care about my data usage. It’s going to take quite an adjustment to get used to counting data bytes. I know I will need to dramatically adjust my habits.
Also, because we have three kids (okay, adults), it’s important that we are almost always available by phone. Luckily we have Verizon which really does have the greatest coverage for our needs.
5. King Bed
Another First World problem I realize but Linda and I like a big bed. We have a queen sized bed in Scoopy and it feels significantly smaller than the king we have right now. Again, I believe we can get used to it. Right, honey?
6. No Wall Space
This is a curious one for me. I only realized how much I enjoy having artwork on our walls. We have collected some paintings over the years and I have some large prints of my photographs. There is no place to hang anything on this scale in Scoopy. My iPad will have to suffice.
7. High Pressure Toilet
What can I say? This one speaks for itself 😀
All of these things are relatively easy to get used to as soon as we hit the road and learn how to live in this new space called fulltiming. In fact, we’ll probably have a brand new list of the things we will miss about our house but change is good.
UP NEXT: A different pace.
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Hi Jessica, I guess I'm referring to our hot water heater only being able to work so hard. It certainly can't compete with the one I have at home right now 🙂 Hmm, buttered broiled bagel?? That sounds delicious!
You'll see most of these lose importance once you get used to it. In our experience, the only ones we still would agree with are the wall space and toilet.
But, on the other side, the joys far outweigh any negatives.
Even during our limited experience in Scoopy I have to agree that all that stuff really doesn't matter. It's funny to think about the things I take for granted, thuough…but I can't wait to simplify my life and not be reliant on these little conveniences anyway 🙂
The only one of those things I had any problem adjusting to was # 1. Because we spent the majority of our time over the years boondocking water was always a precious commodity & I never did adjust to the smallness of the shower. Hot water was also limited to the size of the hot water tank too. Internet nowadays is basically no problem compared to the way it was when we started Snow Birding back in 06. We found most things were easily adaptable except when we tried to downsize to a smaller rig. That did not work but with Scoopy you folks won't have that problem. You are starting off on the right foot by understanding the space you will need…..
Al, I'm pretty sure that all of the things I've listed above are relatively whimsical. When I consider the amazing technology that is available to us in this modern age, I never lose sight of how lucky we are. So I know we will have no problems adjusting but as I'm sitting here at home preparing for this great life, it's interesting to just look around and realize that a lot of the things I just take for granted will no longer exist…and that's okay!!
I think my number one thing I miss is being able to broil my buttered bagel in our oven! You can still take long showers though, as long as you are in a place with a sewer hookup – we leave the gray tank valve open and shower away!! 🙂
We have been full timing for 7 years now and love the life. We hope to never go back to a sticks and bricks home. Several of your concerns may be related to your specific RV. For example, some RVs have king size beds. Some have nice large showers. Ours has the option to run both the electric water heater and the propane heater at the same time. It is also 10 gallons. My wife can take a long shower and wash her hair twice without running out of hot water. In fact we typically take one shower, wait 20 minutes and take another shower, or do the dishes, without running out of hot water. Our motorhome does not have a closet on the back wall so we removed the large mirror that was there and used that area as our picture wall. We have 31 pictures hanging there. We also have a prized Thomas Kinkaid print hanging on the entry wall (we have a mid entry RV). We also have a sprayer, like for a kitchen sink, at our toilet. It is used regularly to clean the toilet. You can add one of these if you don't already have one. Until this last winter we had a Motosat automatic Internet dish on our motorhome. This gave us broadband Internet across the entire US. We have dropped that now because Verizon mi-fi works nearly as well and we don't have to worry about always having an unobstructed view of the southern sky. Of course our Verison phones keep us pretty well connected with friends and relatives. I do agree about the proximity to friends. My only answer to that is that we have made new friends. We keep connected with them through e-mail and Facebook and meet up each year. Generally we spend the winter in Arizona and see them there. Then we all scatter for the summer. We also use Facetime to talk to our kids and grandkids. Regarding mail shipments, we have a mail forwarding service. They hold our mail and send it Priority Mail which generally reaches us in 3 – 4 days. We plan ahead so that if we are only going to be in one place for a week we check with the campground about them receiving our mail and then order it so that it will arrive about the first day or two after we arrive. Then, if it is a bit late, it still gets there before we have to leave. We also use Amazon a lot! You can sign up for their Amazon Prime service which sends out items on a 2 day delivery.
Thanks for the substantial reply Doug. I never grow tired of fulltimg success stories and I can add yours to the list. Some good information in there. We are looking forward to adapting our rig to our fulltiming needs as soon as we hit the road in August.
I'm not sure how large the different water heaters are. Ours is 12 gallons and only a few times have I felt the water starting to cool down towards the end. 🙂
Broiled bagels are yummy!! My faves are plain, garlic and onion. Just butter and broil. Easy and SO good.
I would venture to guess that by this time next year, all the amenities that you have in your 'house' will be but a distant memory and you will have adjusted to life in 'Scoopy'!
Hi Doug. I'm curious about what you used to hang pictures on your walls. I've read mixed reviews about the Command strips on amazon.
We have a Breville Smart Oven in our RV and it does broil. We do not have a propane oven, just a microwave/convection, so the Smart Oven is a great addition.
We used one small nail under the hook to hold it in position and then about 1" square velcro pieces on the bottom corners. This keeps the frame from swinging or flipping away from the wall. It has worked well for 7 years now.
We head out next Spring and this is our list as well – actually it's "are-you-lurking-in-our-attic?" exactly our list :-). Like you, we are confident that none of them are real issues and since we haven't bought the rig yet we'll make sure the bed thing is off the list – we will own the First World-ness on this one. The rest of them we have numerous resolutions for – but how lucky that we could only come up with seven (did I mention they're the exact same ones?). Looking forward to following your last few months of preparation. I'll attempt support while reading through the green eyes of envy :-)))))).
Yes Jodee, I am actually living in your attic right now. Sorry, I meant to tell you 🙂 Congratulations on your upcoming Spring departure!
Awesome. Please go through those boxes by the window and anything worth less that $1k should to Goodwill – thanks!
P.S. You can use the shower when we're not here :-).
Will do! 🙂