My husband Bill and I have been full time RVers for about three years now and love the lifestyle. We do not, at this time, want to go back to the more traditional way of life which we had for over 33 years. We lived rather typically, with a nice house (which took almost every spare penny we had in life to improve, maintain, repair or pay taxes on). Our life was filled with the constant job of raising children, working to earn a living and having maybe one day a week to relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

For some unknown reason, our vacations were always filled with disaster. Like the year we rented a motorhome to travel to Texas to see family. It was mid July, 118 degrees in the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, and the air conditioner in the motorhome went out at the California and Arizona border, the refrigerator quit in New Mexico, and the generator caught on fire at the Texas border. The kids (2 of them at the time) and I entertained ourselves in the motorhome by killing at least 10,861 flies which had invaded the motorhome at the first rest stop we came to in Arizona. We were okay until we lost the brakes in Texas, then it got a little hairy.

After spending 1 whole day of our 3 days in Texas repairing the brakes, we enjoyed 2 days with the family and headed home. You will not believe this, but I swear it is true. Everything that quit on the way to Texas began working again as we reversed our trip. When we got to the dealership in California to return the motorhome we told him our story. He told us something even more strange. The same thing had happened to another family in this same motorhome! (I have Goosebumps....how about you?)

Well, those years are behind us now and we are truly loving the life of the full time RVer. Everyday is a new adventure. We love the fact that we are free to move in a few hours if we don't like neighborhood, we really love being able to see this beautiful country of ours from the inside out, and meeting new people is one of the most wonderful joys of our life.

We have, what we think, is the best of both worlds. We can travel and still have our home and our belongings with us, and we can park it for a while if we don't feel like moving around.

There are a few pitfalls which, if you are entertaining the thought of becoming full time RVers, you must be aware of.

When you leave a house for vacation or a trip, all you normally have to do is take care of securing the house so that you avoid being robbed or burned down while you are gone.

In a motorhome, fifth wheel or trailer, you have the preparation for travel to take care of. Breakables must be put away someplace safe, and cupboards, TV's, computers and furniture, etc. must be well secured prior to your picking up your house and placing it on a fast moving freeway or bumpy country road. You also need to remember to put down that TV antennae so that you don't chop it off at the next overhead bridge. And if you forget to empty the water out of your toilet prior to leaving, you may spend the next few days trying to dry out your carpeting. The RV park where you have been staying would also appreciate it if you don't drive off with their electrical boxes in tow. We use a checklist for all of the items we need to take care of, but there is a small amount of stress related to the moving process.

Also, remember how you used to be able to be a part of the fast moving traffic on the freeway? Well, be prepared. You may now be one of the slowest vehicles on this fast moving, potholed, always under construction, racetrack of a highway, filled with people whose brains are at the bottom of their shoes.

Another advantage of living the life of the full time RVer is that if the weather is bad you don't have to travel. You can just sit in your little home on wheels and wait until the weather clears up. No reservations or deadlines to worry about. However, if you have never been in 50 mile an hour winds in your RV, you haven't lived.

The first time we had this experience I was sitting at our dining table in our slideout and the wind whipped up to gale force speeds. One burst of wind came up, lifting the slideout up a couple of inches, and throwing an H20 train set we have at the top of the slide clear across the room (landing in a 100 pieces all over the floor). I was out of there and was looking for the nearest building that was firmly attached to the earth below. Since we were staying at a park that tended to get strong winds, and I did not want to leave the park and I soon learned to live with the sounds of the wind on our fifth wheels fiberglass sides and awnings. The wind doesn't bother me as much now, although I do get a bit jumpy when it kicks up.

If you enjoy cooking you can still accomplish all of the things you want to while living in an RV. Just choose the appliances you want to carry with you with space in mind. Everything should be in miniature form including some of your furniture. You would not want to place a 12 foot sofa in the living room of your 30 foot trailer. And, your refrigerator is too small to keep a large stock of food on hand. You cannot fit a watermelon into a 8 or 10 cubic foot refrigerator no matter how hard you try!

If you enjoy gardening then you will have to understand that your garden may consist of nothing more than a few potted plants or herbs. If this is your garden on wheels, don't forget to place them on a towel in your bathtub while traveling or you will soon be feeling the earth under your feet while inside of your RV. Do remember, however, that most of the RV parks you will be staying in have a lot more greenery than your old back yard. And, no more lawns to mow!

Life on the road is very peaceful most of the time. Sometimes a little too peaceful. Especially if you have children and grandchildren that live far away. I would say that the worst thing, for me, about traveling the USA, is that sometimes we go for several months without seeing our family. I miss the noises, the touches, the hugs and kisses that are showered upon us when visiting our grandchildren.

And, when you are not traveling and sightseeing, you must keep yourself busy, or life will become one book after another or one TV program after another. Get out, meet your neighbors, volunteer your time for something worthwhile, or write a book like I did. Bill and I have created a whole new career with the publication of "Your Home On Wheels".

One of the advantages of living in an RV, is that everything, if you do it right, is right at your fingertips, including your spouse. Bill and I love being close and knowing what our partner is up to at any given moment. However, you must also prepare yourself for the difficulties of living together with someone in such small quarters as an RV. If you are not considerate of each other's space, you will find that you will be frustrated and sad for the loss of your own space. No matter how much you enjoy being with your partner, you must spend some time away from each other if you live in the small confines of an RV.

A few of the other pitfalls to be aware of are the inconsistencies of your service related needs. Phone and television are not always available to you. You may have to visit a different mechanic or beauty shop every month and not have a chance to build a relationship with your service people. Health issues also must be addressed because you can no longer visit your regular physician when a problem arises.

All in all, the lifestyle of the RVer is exciting, adventuresome and stress is almost non-existent. If you are careful, do your homework, maintain a well organized home and prepare yourself for travel in an intelligent manner, you will find it to be one of the greatest rewards of your life.

Journey Safely and watch the road signs along the way. Carol Ray is a Club member and author of "Your Home On Wheels: A Beginners Guide to Becoming a Part-Time or Full-Time RVer." For information on ordering her booklet, visit Amazon.

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