Our full-time RV hopes
Moving into an RV full-time is a big decision, but we’re hopeful that these things will make it worth it!
We recently previewed the uncertainty we feel as we gear up to move into a camper full-time. While those hesitations are legitimate and guiding some of our preparation ahead of the big lifestyle shift, they aren’t what’s dominating our thoughts.
Instead, it’s our excitement that is setting the tone as the pickup day for our camper approaches. As nervous as we are about certain aspects of living in a tiny space on wheels, the feelings of anticipation and hope are much stronger.
That’s why we’re focusing on the hopes we have for the coming year(s). We have a feeling that this change is going to be good for us, and we’re sure we’ll have our share of memorable adventures along the way!
Things to know:
We’re going to be full-time RVers soon, and we couldn’t be more excited for that chapter of our lives to start. As we look forward to hitting the road full-time, these are the biggest hopes we have.
Full-time travel - What we’re looking forward to
Seeing friends and family
We have family scattered from Florida to Alaska, and plenty of friends and other family members everywhere in between. Traveling full-time will allow us to spend time with people we care about, make memories together, and have adventures we otherwise would never have the opportunity to share.
Gregg is one of our good friends. He often joins us for a week or two on trips. He also has a rad Jeep!
One of the best parts of this decision to be nomadic is that we can allocate as much time as we want to different areas of the country, giving us opportunities to see people for as long (or short) as they’ll have us. Now, that’s a blessing!
Visiting places new and old
Like most of you, we have an ever-expanding list of destinations we want to visit. From majestic views to quirky towns, our travel bucket list is filled to the brim with exciting places to see and exhilarating adventures to embrace. Becoming full-time RVers gives us the unique chance to start checking off a whole bunch of those must-see destinations and must-do activities.
Of course, it’s not all about the latest, greatest, and not-yet-seen. The more we travel and immerse ourselves in different parts of the world, the more we want to return to certain places. We have fallen in love with several small towns, mountain vistas, quaint campsites, and so on. Embracing the nomadic lifestyle lets us revisit those places and explore them to our heart’s content.
New destinations are always exciting, but we have plenty of past places we can’t wait to revisit—including the Oregon Coast!
Challenging ourselves
We have traveled enough–including in much more minimalist setups–to understand that life on the road is not always sunshine and rainbows. In fact, it can be downright miserable sometimes.
While we certainly hope that the majority of our days are positive, we want to face the bad ones head-on and view them as opportunities to grow, not as disappointments, deterrents, or failures.
That’s why we hope to challenge ourselves to become more resilient, self-reliant, optimistic, and adaptable. It may not be as rugged as settlers in wagons, but any great adventure is an opportunity to become a better, more rugged version of yourself, and we look forward to tackling ours together.
Breaking free from our norm
In late 2023, we made a commitment to our business. For years, we had been enjoying the fruits of our labors without pushing to expand or grow too much, but we knew we could only put off the inevitable for so long. So, we designated 2024 as the year to buckle down, put our noses to the grindstone, and really focus on giving our business a long overdue makeover.
A little more of this and a little less time spent in the office will do us some good.
Without going into too much detail, our efforts were rewarded, and the business excelled more than we could have hoped. That said, it consumed our lives. While intentional (and we’re certainly not complaining), our work-life balance skewed heavily toward work over the last 14 months.
We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish, and we’ll no doubt continue to push the momentum forward, but we’re ready to reestablish a bit of balance. Traveling full-time should help us do just that.
Embracing our creativity
Speaking of balancing the scales of work and fun, we are extremely excited to have more opportunities to embrace our creativity and the passions that stem from it. We’re both pretty bad at just chilling, so even our “fun” tends to have a touch of productivity to it. Our creative passions are no different.
Working outside ain’t half-bad when it’s something you want to do.
From documenting our adventures through photography to staying consistent on this blog, our YouTube channel, Patreon, Instagram, and all the other outlets where we can share our creative endeavors, we are ready to pour our hearts, talents, and time into things that we love.
Sharing it all with you
Our connected world has its downsides. Heck, we can’t tell you how many hours we’ve wasted consuming silly content or getting sucked into meaningless internet wormholes. That being said, there are some real advantages to social media and the like.
Apart from sharing our creative work and on-the-road experiences with all of you, platforms like YouTube and Instagram (and even this blog) allow us to meet, learn from, and share with all of you. It’s like having an expansive community of amazing people right at our fingertips, and that is pretty awesome.
Spoiler alert: we’ll even be at some industry events in the coming months where we might meet some of y’all for real–you know, like in person!
So, please feel free to engage with us, offer pointers, share your stories, and interact with ours. We’re new to the whole full-time travel thing, and we’ll take all the guidance you offer. If we’re lucky, we’ll make some good friends along the way!
- Riley + Hanna
January Roundup
January was a wild month full of highs and lows. We may not have a camper yet, but we sure haven’t been sitting still.
The first month of 2025 has come and gone, and while we didn't spend it in a camper as we had planned, it was still an eventful and productive kickoff to the new year.
When we say there were highs and lows, we mean there were a lot of highs and lows for just 31 days. We expected January to be a laid-back time to transition into 2025 and bide our time as we waited for our camper to be completed.
Boy, were we wrong!
Things to know:
2025 is off to a hot start. Despite not being full-time RVers as we had planned, January was an eventful month full of highs and lows. From camper updates to traumatic injuries, the start of 2025 has been a rollercoaster of emotion and unexpected financial swings.
January roundup for (soon-to-be) full-time travelers
Full-time camper build updates
We are extremely disappointed that our camper is now two months delayed. However, we are tempering that disappointment with the hope that the wait will be worth it. We’re trying to think long-term, and we will gladly practice a little patience in exchange for an exceptional and quality camper.
Our truck is begging for a camper! Also, this is a shot from our first ever roll of film!
Thankfully, there have been a handful of updates that have helped us maintain our excitement and hope. Seeing even small amounts of progress lifts our spirits and keeps us focused on the good that is to come.
This month, we picked out colors for the cabinets, materials for the countertops, and fabrics for the cushions. We also settled on an integrated Starlink solution that should help us work full-time from the camper.
We can’t wait to share more updates (including actual photos and detailed information) very soon!
Our copywriting business booms
January 2025 was the most lucrative month of business we’ve ever had, and it was entirely unexpected. As you’ll see in a moment, this was a blessing we didn’t know we would benefit from so soon.
Not only did the business grow and thrive, but we also managed to sell our beloved two-door Jeep–a bittersweet necessity that unburdens us for the lifestyle shift on the horizon. Having this weight off our shoulders as our impending move to full-time RVing draws closer has been quite the relief.
Our two-door Wrangler is no more.
All in all, January was a phenomenal month for us in terms of income, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
Unforeseen expenses add up
We mentioned traumatic injuries earlier, and as you undoubtedly know, those can be expensive.
Toward the end of the month, our pup, Chowder, tore his CCL. This ligament is most easily compared to the ACL in humans, meaning that it’s pretty darn important to his health and mobility.
Because he’s a young dog–not even three years old–it makes sense to have his knee surgically repaired. Between x-rays, consults, surgery, and recovery, this poses a huge financial burden in the coming weeks. Thank God for our big January, right?!
Lil Chowder boy done hurt himself.
On top of this particularly large and unexpected slew of expenses, we also had to pay our quarterly business taxes and purchase a new work laptop. We don’t typically include business expenses in our monthly roundups (not even on Patreon), but all of these things piled on at once!
We continued to explore our backyard
When we decided to move back to Tennessee, we committed ourselves to exploring the area often. It’s such a beautiful state that is absolutely packed with opportunities to hike, swim, off-road, and otherwise bask in the great outdoors.
It’s easy for us to fall into a routine and allow the mundane (work, the gym, etc.) to become all that we do. We didn’t want that to happen, especially because we planned to only live here for a year (you can throw in some bonus months as we wait for the camper).
So far, we’ve done a pretty good job of sticking to this goal, and January was no exception. Up until Chowder got hurt (near the end of the month), we were getting out and exploring, attending events, and seeing friends as often as feasible.
There’s nothing like a nice date night.
We went to the Garden of Lights at Rock City in Lookout Mountain, GA, tried new restaurants, and enjoyed a few of our favorite hikes. With Chowder’s recovery taking him out of the game for a while, we’ll see how we can adjust to stay active and adventurous.
It’s hard to believe the first month of 2025 is already over. Somehow, it both flew past and crawled by. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of the camper and Chowder’s health going forward, especially if you drop us a follow on Instagram!
In the meantime, feel free to engage with us in the comments below. We’d love to get to know you, learn from experienced full-time RVers, and grow our little community of adventurous souls.
- Riley + Hanna