Short answer — yes.
Even people who live full-time in an RV and travel the country can take it for granted and get into a rut. Many of us started this lifestyle specifically to escape the suburban routine. Some young people even hit the road before a rut forms, hoping the constant movement would prevent it entirely. However, the irony is that no matter your lifestyle, eventually it becomes routine.
We started our life on the road in 2018. Everyone we knew could not imagine giving up our stuff, our house, and our community to travel full-time. To them, it sounded like a permanent vacation. We were adventurers! Free spirits! People who no longer had to worry about mowing the lawn.
However… real life still shows up.
Money still needs to be made. Groceries need to be bought, meals made, laundry done, and bathrooms cleaned. Many of the same tasks from a brick-and-mortar home still happen whether you live in a house, an RV, or travel the world staying in hotels.
In fact, a RV actually adds new chores to the mix. I never had to think about where my house was “parking” for the night and keep up with campground reservations. It was a shock to realize how long finding the next campground can take. After figuring out the area to visit, then you have to research possible campgrounds for price, reviews, hookups, cell signal, and whether the site is actually big enough for your rig. Then call or go online to see if they have site available.
Plus, there are the glamorous RV tasks like emptying black tanks — something no one talks about when you are dreaming about life on the open road. And depending on your RV, now you have trips to the laundromat and things like propane to keep filled.
So yes, real life goes on, even on “permanent vacations.”
Reality Sets In
When we first started full-time RV Life, it was all an adventure. Definitely a learning experience. Then you settle in and realize it isn’t all that different than life in a house. Your view and weather are just different day to day. One day, though, you get a cold dose of reality where it is obvious that life is very different than in a house.
The first time you get sick and your normal doctor and your favorite smoothie place are hundreds of miles away. Or you are waiting for an important package and realize that the campground office refuses to accept packages. So now it is a scavenger hunt to figure out how to get this package before you leave town.
Then there is the inevitable moment when when you have a breakdown. Instead of just putting your vehicle in the repair shop, you have to pack a bag and check into a hotel because your vehicle is also your home!
These are the moments that don’t usually show up in the dreamy Instagram photos of RV life.
Your Mindset
The key is your attitude and mindset. Do I consider this “adventure” to be a learning experience or does it start to feel like work? There will be days when it does feel like work, when chores have to be done and routine sets in. No matter where or how you live.
The question is… how do you want to live. Like life is a wonder or like it is a chore?
Grocery Runs
A great (and routine) example is the grocery run. Sometimes, you just want to automatically drive to a grocery store without GPS, walk straight to the aisle with your favorite tortilla chips and salsa and be done in 20 minutes. But if you change towns frequently, you are encountering a new grocery chain or local store with its own system of organization. Its own brands and local specialities.
You might not ever learn the way without GPS and they might not have your brand. But you also might find a new brand or a new item that you love. And then you remember why you are doing this.
Because when you travel, even the mundane can be an adventure.
Shaking Up Our Own Routine
When things start to feel a routine, we have to remind ourselves to shake it up and reset our attitude.
Recently we made a big change. After years in our Class A motorhome, we moved into a travel trailer. Our Class A was like living in a small apartment that happened to have wheels. It had plenty of room and included a washer/dryer as well as a residential refrigerator. Comfortable, familiar, and easy to lull us into just hanging out and vegging in front of the TV – just like at our house.
The trailer feels different. It’s smaller and requires a little more thought about how we use the space. But strangely, it also feels refreshed our sense of adventure. Maybe it is the smaller refrigerator or the lack of a washer/dryer, but it feels more like we are really RVing. It has brought back a sense of adventure
We’re also making a conscious effort to adjust how we travel.
Instead of moving every two to three weeks, we’re staying in places a little longer. Our goal is to really experience them without feeling like we’re always researching the next stop. And, we’re leaning into more adventurous destinations — including a trip into Canada this summer.
Because at the end of the day, avoiding the “rut” isn’t really about living in an RV versus a house.
It’s about staying curious.
Sometimes that curiosity means driving to a new country. And sometimes it means trying the bakery in the small town down the road rather than going to the same old place for lunch.
The Truth About the RV Rut
The truth is, life doesn’t magically become extraordinary just because you put it on wheels.
There are still dishes to wash, groceries to buy, and days where you wonder why finding a campground feels like a part-time job.
But there are also mountain views out your window, neighbors from three different states, and the freedom to point your home toward somewhere new when the mood strikes or you want a new weather pattern.
It turns out you can get into a rut anywhere — even while traveling full-time in an RV.
But the nice thing about living in a house on wheels?
When the routine starts to feel a little too routine… you can always move the house.
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