Live simply. Go camping, glamping, or RVing. Trendsetters and go-getters living on the edge. What may be a choice and lifestyle for some is a necessity for others.
Others like us.
We are a Line family, and we live in a camper. In a way, it is a choice, but in most ways, it is the only logical alternative. It is the simplest, most convenient, and honestly, the most foolproof way to live on the road as a family. The job travels almost anywhere, and because of our camper, so do we!
The Need for a Solution
Britt (my husband) used to stay in hotels when he worked away from home, yet the drive was short enough that he could come home on the weekends. Later on, once he was working 9 hours away instead of 3, he rented a house with some coworkers. This was a good, short-term solution, but it only worked while I was still living in Georgia and not near the job living with him.
That’s when we saw that moving into a camper was going to be the best way to build a life together. With his job often moving from one state to another, we could have everything we needed, including our own space, and still be able to move within a day or two of warning. We would also save big on housing costs. So, we made the stretch and saved the money to buy our first camper!
Welcome home! This picture was taken after setting up for the first time. We sold her after 7 months of loving use and upgraded to a much more spacious fifth wheel. I still miss the thing because she was our first home together, but I love having the extra elbow room of our current home!
So what exactly were our reasons for full-time camping? Here’s a breakdown of the ten biggest factors:
1. Hotels are expensive.
On the cheap side, hotels cost about $50 a night, which comes to $350/wk or $1400/mo. The price only goes up from there, unless you are super lucky to strike a deal with the hotel by renting on a weekly or monthly basis. Food costs would also go up because of not having a kitchen and eating out instead.
2. Renting a house could put you in a contract.
You might have to sign a lease for six months or more. Availability, application time, and security deposits are also negatives when you don’t know if you will be there for one month or many months.
On the contract side of Line work, we don’t know how long we will be in one location even if a job may run for a year or more. A lineman can leave for various reasons such as another job opening up or less-than-ideal crew placement. Jobs can also get shut down due to accidents or lack of funding. So to lock ourselves into a lease when we may leave within a matter of a few months and with same-day notice, we would be risking losing money and gaining the hassle of having to start all over.
3. Houses for rent are not reliably abundant.
I don’t even want to think about what it would take to find a house, either at the current job location or the next. And even if we did find one that could rent on a lease-free basis, we would still have to make sure housing conditions are decent enough for our needs.
4. Moving often is not fun.
Let’s face it. Moving to a different house or hotel room every few months just doesn’t sound appealing. It’s TOUGH. Boxes, loading, unloading, and inevitable mishaps. All a part of transferring from one stationary location to the next.
Britt and I both grew up as PK’s (preacher’s kids), so we moved many times. Now, if we were renting a house for our current lifestyle, we would try to have as little as possible that we had to move, but you can only cut down so small. Doing this would probably end up being similar to moving in and out of college dorms. And after figuring out how much and how quickly this job moves around, we just didn’t see this as an enjoyable option!
5. Campgrounds often offer monthly rates.
Did you know this? Overnight stays at campgrounds range from $30-$50, BUT they often offer weekly and even monthly rates. Weekly rates are $250 on average, and monthly rates are may be $500-$700. On the monthly rates, sometimes they have a separate charge for the electricity used, but the savings are well worth it!
6. A Camper is a home on wheels.
You get to have YOUR stuff in YOUR place. Plus you can bring more of the essentials and comfort items than you could otherwise. You will have to make sure everything is secure before hitting the road, but this process is much faster than boxing everything up. And since campers are made for moving, they are designed to keep most of your home goods in place! Breakdown time to moving is anywhere from 1-3 hours, depending on how efficient your process and storage is.
7. We have full amenities in our camper.
Campers have kitchens and bathrooms. Not large ones mind you, but they have them! They are just as functional as the ones in a full scale house, and in some of the newer campers, they are pretty nice. Sizing and options vary widely between campers, but the basic amenities are standard: refrigerator, oven, stove, kitchen sink, microwave, cabinets, shower, toilet, and bathroom sink. Plus, campers are generally equipped with antennas and/or cable hookups for your tv.
Just to give you an idea of what I mean by full amenities, here is a picture of our kitchen. Please look past the mess (I was getting ready to paint!) and see how much it resembles a real kitchen. It’s not overly large or updated, but it gets the job done! It’s all about priorities.
8. I get to be with my hubby.
For us, having a camper is just about the only way I can travel with my hubby. I have food intolerances (gluten, etc) that require me to have a kitchen (that rules out a hotel), and I can’t be around mold or mildew (rules out many houses for rent). I personally would not like spending all of my time in a hotel, and I’ve already mentioned the headaches that come with renting and moving from house to house.
Now, none of this would be quite as difficult for Britt if he were living on his own, but even so, many single men working on a mobile job prefer to have their own space. There is just a sense of independence that comes with it, and the freedom to travel wherever you want.
9. We get to bring our fur baby on the road.
Unlike the average hotel or rental, most campgrounds allow pets. We have yet to find one that doesn’t. However, please note that some campgrounds do not allow certain breeds, so check with the campground you plan on staying at for their specific rules! Pets also have to be on a leash at all times, and you have to pick up after them. For us, though, it’s a no-brainer!
We love having our Gypsy girl with us, and she LOVES getting to meet new people. Or meeting the same ones over and over again! She is great company for me and a good excuse to get out and about. I can’t imagine being on the road without her.
10. We can sleep in our own bed.
Since when have you been comfortable in a cheap hotel? Didn’t think so. When you have your own camper, it’s all yours. Don’t like your bed? Change it! Don’t like the interior? Change it! It’s yours. Customize it and make it yours. Make it HOME.
We’ve painted our walls, added a memory foam mattress topper to our bed, added shelves, and we’re even considering changing out the furniture. Britt also has his own recliner, which is his favorite place to go after a long day of hard work! And I’m pretty sure hotels don’t come standard with recliners!
Our Life, Our Home
Because Britt has lived in both hotels and a rented condo, we were able to make an educated decision about whether or not to make the jump to camper-living. I know it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, but it certainly makes sense for us. We travel too much to be worrying about a place to live. The biggest decision in that aspect is which campground to stay at! (More on that another time).
We have enjoyed our time living in a camper, and now it is just part of life. Do we wish we had a house? Yes! But even once we do, we will more than likely still live on the road for the majority of the time. After all, it’s not the house that makes a home! Our home is wherever we are together.
We have learned and really had the opportunity to test the meaning of “home is where the heart is.” Ultimately, Britt is my home, and I am his. Our house on wheels is just a commodity that helps make life on the road smoother. And in the two years that we have lived primarily in campers, our priorities have gone through many filters. I believe we are better off for it, and we hope we get to continue making this journey work!
Journeyman's Wife 
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