Jill Dooley said she’s her “family’s cruise director.” She’s been planning trips and homeschooling lessons on the road after her family of four decided to sell their house to live in an RV full-time.
“We did the normal life thing, where we both had a really good job, kids were in sports, they were going to school, all the right things,” Jill, a mom of two daughters, said.
Jill was a math and science teacher, but realized her love of teaching was being overshadowed by burnout. Because she was feeling exhausted, it felt hard to be fully present for her daughters after work. It also felt like the family wasn’t spending enough quality time together during the week.
Her husband Derek joked about moving into an RV as the solution; his retired dad had done some traveling that way, so Derek was intrigued by the lifestyle. However, the casual joke turned into a serious plan — researching RV models and dealerships, buying their new home and a truck, selling most of their items, and enlisting the help of a family member who’s a real estate agent to get their house on the market. They sold their Florida house for about $400,000.
So far, the children are loving the change, and Derek and Jill’s stress levels have dropped, even with all the new things they have had to learn.
The Dooleys are among the families and empty nesters who have sold their homes to live in an RV. Some are working from the road, while others are enjoying their retirement years. People have enjoyed figuring out how to make this new lifestyle work, saving on house expenses, and meeting new people.
Derek thinks there used to be more of a stigma about living in an RV, but that the lifestyle is viewed differently now. “Ours is very nice, but some of the ones that we’ve seen and some of the rigs that people have, it’s literally a small mansion. It’s unbelievable,” he said.
Moving from about 1,900 square feet to roughly 450 square feet
The Dooleys wanted to make sure they found something that had enough room for all of them, including space for the kids to play. The roughly 450-square-foot RV has a lot of areas that would be found in a house — a primary bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen. The daughters also have a playroom with a loft above it for sleeping. Jill said it’s easier to clean the RV than their previous roughly 1,900-square-foot house.
Jill has left teaching, while Derek works remotely and can do his job from a laptop outside, weather permitting, or use his portable office, where he stores his desk and chair. “When I’m working in the mornings, I pull it out and set up my office there in the bedroom,” he said. “It’s away from everything, it’s quiet, and so it makes it easy to be able to do that.”
He was a nurse during COVID and now works in healthcare data analytics. He added that his team has been supportive of his RV lifestyle, and if he does have to go into work, he will do so.
How RV life has been going
The family kicked off their RV life last year in Florida, seeing more of their home state than they had before. They rented a boat to hang out in the Florida Keys and also traveled to Jupiter, where they explored the Blowing Rocks Preserve.
The Dooleys feel more prepared about venturing further now that they have had time to figure out what the lifestyle is like and how to maintain their new home. They recently began their next adventure, traveling through the states to reach Maine, with an expected return to Florida in mid-September.
Their trips involve a lot of planning and coordination, including how long to stay at campgrounds and which activities to do. “I always call myself the cruise director because I’ve got to figure out where we’re going, is there a reservation, what are we going to do when we get there?” Jill said. “That part’s a little bit exhausting, but once we’re there, it’s fabulous.”
Spending less money
Derek said they have to factor in different locations’ cost of living and see where they can cut back. However, the couple added that they have started making better financial decisions since they’ve learned what’s really a need versus a want.
Overall, they think they’re spending less than before the RV lifestyle, partly because they were overspending to make up for family time during the week.
“We were doing everything all weekend long, and I think spending so much money just to feel like we were spending quality time with the family,” Jill said. “That was when we realized this was not actual quality time; we’re just spending a ton of money.”
Derek said there were some upfront costs, such as buying tools and other things he thought he would need to maintain the RV himself. He said taking care of little things like bearings helps save money in the long run.
Their recent biggest cost fluctuation has been gas. They’ve budgeted between $500 to $800 for fuel on their 14-week trip along the East Coast. They use fuel discount programs to help offset costs.
The Dooleys pay for memberships to maintain their fitness goals while traveling. Derek has a $159 a month Orangetheory Fitness membership, while Jill has a Club Pilates membership for $299 a month.
They have a Thousand Trails membership, which offers advance reservations at campgrounds and other perks, for more than $200 a month. They said it saves them money because water, electricity, and sewer are included and allows them to have long stays. “I calculated it out: We’re spending $9 a night this month to stay at the campgrounds,” Jill said.
Being a family on the road
Jill was worried about the transition to homeschool, but she said the children have been excited about learning on the road, partly because they get to do a lot of field trips that fit their curriculum. For instance, she said her oldest child is doing a civics unit, so she will get to see Washington, DC, up close when they visit. They also have a membership for science museums in the US, another way the kids get hands-on learning.
Still, homeschooling on the road has its challenges, such as teaching two different ages. “It takes a little bit longer for me to figure out what one needs versus what the other one needs,” Jill said.
Derek said he enjoys traveling and seeing new things, but a main benefit is getting to spend so much time together as a family. The RV lifestyle has helped him and Jill be more involved parents and see how their kids’ emotions and personalities change.
“Before we were missing it,” he said, because previously, “by the time we asked about their day, it was almost over, and they don’t remember things. So I think just all in all, overall, we’ve been able to really be there and be more involved.”
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