RV Living

When I was a child, my parents purchased a gently used travel trailer.  They took that trailer to a local RV park near Fenwick Island, Delaware, and we officially had a beach getaway.

In fact, that trailer was eventually replaced with a new one and I spent several summers living in and working at the local beaches in both Delaware and Maryland.  I spent my summers honing my waitressing skills and saving money for the winter months.

Living in an RV was easy for me.  I loved it, especially as I became a college student and was able to spend much of the time there on my own.

Fast, fast forward to present day.

Hubby and I have our own RV, however, this one we pull to different places along the east coast, enjoying retirement in our home away from home.

I want to take you on a little tour of our RV and show you just HOW EASY it is to "glamp."  Along the way, I'll tell you the reasons we love having our "getaway" on wheels.

Photo credit:  Grand Design

Photo Credit:  Grand Design

This is not the first RV we purchased.  We had a Class C (drivable camper with a truck front) for a little less than a year when we traded it in for this Fifth Wheel model.  We also purchased a Ford F250 to pull it.

As you can see from the image above, the RV is spacious, especially with the 3 slides that open up the living and sleeping areas.  Because the living area is in the back of the RV, the ceilings are also higher than up the stairs into the bedroom.

What drew me to this design especially was the island and hutch area in the kitchen.  I loved the finishes as well.  The rustic flooring and beaded paneling accents added to the charm and my design style.

Want to see inside

Welcome to our Home on Wheels!

Here is what you see when you first enter.  My large island, the bead-board paneling, and the hutch.  Yep, that's solid surface countertops and a 4-door refrigerator.  I have a 3 element gas stove and oven with a micro above.

I was able to shop my house for decor items, pulling in rustic accents and adding my little fox touches.  Of course, we have YL diffusers just for the RV as well.

The green glass cookie/snack jar was my grandmother's.  I love having it in the RV.

Years ago, I had found these companion pictures at a local antique store.  I had never hung them anywhere, so they stayed stashed in a cupboard.  When we bought the RV I knew they would look perfect on the wall of the hutch.  In fact, their colors set the tone for the colors in the rest of the RV.

I have found the Command hooks have held EVERYTHING very well in our RV.  We are heading into our 3rd year, and not once has anything fallen off our walls.

Another item that I pulled from my home was a few of the Longaberger baskets I had collected over the course of 20 years.  If you remember, these baskets were all the rage.  The company has since closed, and over the years I've sold and/or auctioned many of my baskets.  However, I did keep the ones that were very functional, like these here.  

When we are traveling down the road, these are stored under the sink.  They take the motion very well and done add any weight to the overall RV.

By the sink I keep lotion and dish detergent in these jars, sitting on top of a rustic cutting board I scored from Marshals.  

One of the best things about this model is the pantry.  Behind this door is a floor to ceiling pantry that holds so much stuff.  I often travel with a crock pot, foodstuff, trays, Ninja blender, toaster, etc...  This pantry has loads of storage and lipped shelves to keep things from rolling forward.  I have several different Dollar Tree bins and baskets inside which also help to steady things and keep them organized when camping.

Across from the kitchen is our dining area.  The table used to be turned the other way and there are 4 chairs available.  We decided to turn the table lengthwise and leave a pair of chairs at home.  When we are camping, we tend to eat lunches out and dinners at home.  If the weather permits, we always eat outside.  This table gets more use for writing than it does meals!

In the large living area is our seating.  This couch turns into a bed.  Stored underneath is the mattress topper (because most pull outs are not that comfortable).  Stored above are the extra sheets and a blanket.  

You can see that I do pull out several decorator items.  I found a storage ottoman at TJ Maxx.  It doubles as a coffee table, but more importantly, it stores most of the decorative items when traveling.  

Next to the sofa are a pair of reclining chairs.  I usually sit in the far one.  The pup usually lounges in the other.  We even have a fuzzy rug we place there for her to sleep on.

Next to the pantry is our large TV and electric fireplace.  Yep.  This RV has a fireplace.  

Many RV parks have cable hookup.  We also have a built-in DVD player.  We typically bring around 20 or so movies with us when we travel.  We have a traditional movie we watch each time (weird I know, but it's something we enjoy) and then we watch the others if the mood strikes us.

I use Dollar Tree bins to organize the movies and many other things in the cupboards and drawer here.

In the hallway, going up the 2 steps, I placed 2 wooden inlay box tops that were originally my sister-in-laws.  I love the rustic feel of these, and love that they have a family history.

The bathroom, though big by RV standards, is hard to photograph.  I did want to share a shot of the sink area with the peel and stick vinyl tiles above the sink. (I also used these above the stove.)  Many RVers have used these peel and stick as well as real tiles when "upgrading" their RV interiors.

Another aspect of this model that really caught my eye was the built-in dresser with 7 drawers.  Because space is limited in an RV, when you have the ability to store things in a compact way without adding too many additional pieces, you're golden.

I've added a few decor items, including this Goodwill brass lamp that I thrifted.

I wanted the lamp to be ambient lighting as there are lights built into the ceiling already.  This lamp stores easily when traveling and is the perfect height for the dresser.  What you cannot see here is a set of overhead cupboards - perfect additional storage for the bedroom.

In the front of the RV, in the part that has the hitch below and hangs over the truck bed is our walk-in closet.  We've used this hanging shoe unit (Wal*Mart) to organize our shoes; it provides easy access.  It also separates our clothes towards the sides.  

This closet is large because it also has hook-ups for an RV grade washer and dryer.  We don't plan to have one simply because there are usually very nice laundry facilities at the campgrounds where we've stayed.  This also leaves us copious amounts of storage to the right and left of the space.  There are removable shelves there and I also have some plastic containers with items like beach towels and extra blankets.

On the only wall available, I placed brown vinyl branches (Amazon) and a photograph of 2 fox cubs that we purchased at an art show while visiting Vermont last fall.

Finally, the bed (which is on a spring lever and has storage underneath) has a Wal*Mart duvet cover in a soft coral, complete with pillows that I made from fabric that I already had.

Traveling and living in an RV is one of my favorite things to do.  It allows us to vacation anywhere we want on the continent while saving loads of money at the same time.

Cost per night at campgrounds vary, but on average, it's around $50 per night.  You cannot find a hotel suite (because that would be the equivalent to an RV) for that kind of money.

I also get to pack and unpack my belongings right in my own driveway.

We can also save money on meals because we cook while camping.  Our meals are usually pre-planned, and we've developed some tried and true options that are our staple meals when on the road.

It's never "roughing it" when you have an RV.

Plus, I'd never break my own personal rule of sleeping on the ground in a tent...

I'm just not that kind of gal!

Happy Camping!