Last Updated on January 2, 2022
When you step out of your comfort zone, you are most often awarded. Then why is it that so many people are afraid to take the leap and get to the RV lifestyle alone? After all, really do meet a plethora of people along the way. And so it shouldn’t be completely scary. But many people are stuck in their ruts waiting for those two for one sales. Just looking at the Black Friday madness, it makes me wonder, why things are more important for most than freedom?
The Beginning
When you go traveling alone, expect to start to become a different individual. You might have some experiences that bond you to strangers. But you will start to long for adventure instead of familiarity. You will begin to look at these experiences as novel rather than frightening. Normal will become boring.
You will get to know what real FREEDOM is
After living the RV life for a while, I am realizing that I would not want to go back to the “normal” life. (Of course, I never say never and maybe one day I will need to but I am not planning it). I believe living the “normal” life won’t give you freedom. Most believe they are free, but not really. Let’s say, you are working every day the hours your employer wants you to work, waking up early, getting ready, commuting all just because you need to pay your bills, your debt, and to buy more stuff. You don’t own your stuff, your stuff owns you. You most likely have other responsibilities that will tie you to some schedule. You have a certain amount of vacation days a year which you try to spend with travel and see as many things as possible. You most likely never have time and always busy. At least you feel that way.
Living in an RV and working remotely will slow you down. All that extra time that you don’t have to spend with a commute or unnecessary meetings, buying more stuff will give you more time for things you enjoy. You will stop to “smell the roses” more. You will enjoy being in the present more. Of course, depending on what you do, you will still have a schedule and I believe having a routine will help you achieve your goals but you might be able to set up this routine yourself instead of someone else’s schedule. You will start looking at your time as your most important asset. It is really hard to explain the feeling but I feel more free and more in control over my life now.
Personality Shifts
A solo RVer doesn’t value the same things as a person who mostly stays at home or travels with companions. If you are an introvert, then chances are, solo RVing will work on that part of you that is an extrovert and make that more dominant. After a few days, everyone will crave some social connection. You will need to get out there to find it. If you are an extrovert just like me, solo RVing will change you to accept being alone more. In the beginning, I wanted to call my friends more often but now it’s not important. I love being alone and don’t crave company but after a few days, I need to socialize. You start to prefer quality rather than quantity. I don’t really crave to go in the crowds, I prefer to hang out a friend or two at the same time, dinners and good talks. Solo RVing changed me.
Looking for Different Qualities in a Partner
Also, you will start to have different priorities. Whereas before you might have only wanted to date people who are stable and family orientated, now you might look for individuals with a free spirit and an open mind. You might know that sticking to one location and never leaving is not an ideal way to gain a worldview. And you might start to crave a companion who can relay interesting stories, or have the same travel mentality, not simply telling their favorite color.
Say Goodbye to Materialism
More importantly, you will find it difficult to relate to people who are focused on accumulating material possessions. After all, you live in a small size RV. You don’t really understand why your friends are wanting to buy houses and willing to be more in debt. After all, they won’t be able to just pick up and go and it costs way too much. You might want to get away from it all. So you’re not that interested in a mortgage. You friends might be fashionistas who buy Chanel and Louis Vuitton. You have simply given up on buying expensive clothes.
When you meet like-minded you tend to connect with them way quicker than in “real life”. You are likely to be able to relate to these qualities in others more than before. It is an interesting phenomenon what solo travel and RVing does to a person.
