Mom, Dad… I’m Buying an RV

Mom, Dad. We need to talk… Don’t, just…please, sit down.

Now I know I’ve been acting a little strange lately. Staying in your basement, crashing on Uncle Keith’s couch, unwilling to call about that apartment you saw on Zillow last week. Yeah Mom, I know. Walk-in closets, that’s awesome.

But there’s something I just gotta tell you. And before I go on I just wanna say that yes, I’ve thought this through and no, you can’t change my mind. Here goes…

Mom. Dad. I’m buying an RV! And I’m going to travel around the country.

Mom?! Are you okay! Dad!! I think she passed out. Whadawedo?! Mom? Mom?!

Okay, okay. Her eyes are open. Ma- ow! That hurts. Stop hitting me with that pillow. Geez. Calm down and let me explain!

You know what? Forget it. I don’t have to explain this to you. I’ve already made up my mind. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a Craigslist ad I need to call on.

Camping World? You’ve got to be joking, Dad. The first rule you guys need to know is friends don’t let friends buy from Camping World. The salesmen don’t know what they’re talking about and… why am I even telling you? You guys are just gonna harass me.

Alright, alright. Let’s talk. I’ll start from the beginning.

So you know how when I was a kid you were always telling me I could be whatever I wanted to be? That with hard work and dedication, the sky was the limit? You remember that? Yeah? Well now I really believe it. I believe it with my heart and soul and bones.

Hold your eye rolls til the end please.

Okay, so you were always telling me that. Then by the time senior year of high school rolled around, that theory, to be whatever I wanted to be, had to include college, right? RIGHT? Okay, that’s fine. So I go to college. I pick a major. I stick to it and I graduate. And don’t get me wrong, college was great. And I’m grateful for the experiences and the skills I’ve learned.

Mom! Let.me.finish.

So then after months of living with you guys, I finally got THE job. Remember? Remember how exciting it was?  Gosh, I was so excited to start that job, to make my own money, to be ADULTING.

Wha? Adulting? Oh, that’s just a new word, Dad. It means to be an adult…I don’t know why it has to be a verb Dad, it just is. Okay, well you don’t have to get it. Can we please get back to the… Thank you.

Okay, so I’m in this new job, I’m in my new place. I buy all this stuff for my new 2 bedroom apartment and I’m totally stoked. I come home from work to packages piled at the door with MY name on them. And I’m happy. For about a month.

Work turns out to suck.

The job isn’t what I thought it would be, my boss only rewards people that live at the office, and that apartment? It’s becoming a lot for me to handle, especially since I’m working so much. So like one day it just hit me, you know?

What is one person doing with 2 bedrooms? Why am I paying out the wazoo for this place when it’s too much space and hardly ever occupied? Why did I spend all this money to decorate an apartment that no one sees? Why am I in my 20s settling for a job I don’t love when there’s time to change my path?

That’s what I’m doing guys. I’m just changing my path!

There’s this new wave of people… People like me, buying and living in RVs, traveling around before retirement. They’re doing it because they don’t want to wait to live their lives. They want to see and do, not watch and listen. They call themselves RV Entrepreneurs and they’re building their lives, businesses, communities, and families all out of the RV!

Dad! I saw my whole life the way you broke your back for this family. Mom! The way you supported everyone was incredible. I admire that so much, that’s why I’m doing this. I want to show you that it’s true, that the sky really is the limit…that I’m not going to settle for a job and life I find “just okay.” You guys did the best you could with what you had. I 100% believe that. But look at the world we live in now!

Work and travel can be a reality for any one.

Mom, pull out your phone. The whole world rests in the palm of your hand, my hand, Dad’s hand. Any one can create their own successful business if they’re willing to believe in themselves and dedicate the time and effort. I know it sounds crazy to you, but it’s true. The internet has opened up the world, seriously.

Like I said, there are a ton of people that do this… No Dad, I wouldn’t jump off a bridge if everyone was doing it. I’m trying to be serious here, please!

They’re just people, normal like me… not crazy hippies or vagabond freeloaders. Just people, families even, with a simple desire to live life on their own terms, work for themselves so they can travel around and see anything, everything. Doesn’t that sound amazing!?

I know, right?! It does! That’s why I want the RV. I’ve been working for about a year on my online business and I’m finally seeing some fruit from it. This isn’t a decision I’ve taken lightly. I’ve worked super hard to get to the stage where I’m able to make this dream a reality. No, business isn’t incredible but if I don’t go right now, I might lose my nerve. I don’t want to live in regret. I won’t.

Yes, Dad. I’ll be the first to admit I may crash and burn and end up in your basement…again, but man! I’ve got to try. I’ve got to do things my own way. Isn’t that what you always wanted for me? To work hard at something I believe in? I believe in this so much, guys.

Uh..Mom? Dad?

Awww Mom. I love you too.

Thanks Dad. I’m proud of me too.

***

The “buying an RV” conversation is an interesting one for sure. No matter what age and stage of life you’re in, and who you are telling, people always seem to have mixed reactions. What has been people’s reaction to your decision?