I had never camped a day in my life. Ever. Not in an RV, not in a tent and barely in a cabin. The number one reason…BUGS! I hate them and they like me. On top of that, staying in 5 star hotels and having someone drive you around was more up my ally. So how did I land in a fifth wheel RV being pulled by a huge truck and trekking from site to site as a full-time RV family?
For many families going full-time RV is a long process. They plan for it way out, debate if it would work for their family, transition to jobs that would allow them to travel…so many things to consider. We decided in one month! We didn’t set out to find this adventure. It found us.
You have to understand from the start that The Baileys are extreme. We are known for it. We love adventure and when we find it we go hard. We were seeking adventure and we wanted our girls involved. There had to be something out there that was beyond what the “normal life” brought. The stress, anxiety, hustle, lack of sleep…all of that was what even my girls experienced. I wanted out. But it was deeper than just looking for a different life. There was something in my heart calling out for presence and oddly enough, nature.
So there came a day when my husband and I decided that we would open our minds to any possibility. We would throw open our arms to God and the universe and just let life come to us rather than desperately seek for it ourselves.
And wow…did it ever show up…and fast!
You know how sometimes random things start popping up on your Instagram feed? All the sudden I was seeing feeds of families that lived full-time traveling lives in RVs. It was so interesting so of course I had to follow them. I started to get the itch to find out more and begin booking a trip in a rental RV. I wanted to see what it was all about, but I especially wanted our family to try out camping since we had never done it before. But that never happened. We never tried it out and never rented an RV.
So enters our lifelong friends. We had not seen them in years. But two years ago, they decided to take on the full-time RV lifestyle. They left everything and headed out. The timing of their return to our hometown was definitely not a coincidence.
We had so many questions and they had all the answers. All their experiences, highlights and bad days. They were brutally honest and any other time in my life I would’ve thought the idea was crazy. But I soaked it in.
Not to mention coincidence, but right after seeing them we found out that an organization called Full-Time Families was putting on a summit. There would be days of sharing out all the details and how-tos of living the full-time RV lifestyle. It answered everything I needed to know. From how to organize the inside, what kitchenware to have and how to have sex with your kids close by and the RV shaking. Yep, that’s a thing.
I was in! I knew that this was the challenge we needed and if we didn’t take it up at that moment, we would miss out.
4000 square feet. Finished basement. Makeup room. Podcast studio. Home gym. My dream home. It was the yard I had always wanted with the cul da sac I knew was perfect for my girls. And once again, not a coincidence, we moved into this house right before the COVID quarantine. It was our safe haven and gave us everything we needed to survive in isolation.
My husband worked out of an office and conducted webinars from a studio and I was a personal trainer. We had built out a full Rogue gym and I trained clients on my own schedule. It was the perfect scenario. I did what I loved and even got to continue working out during COVID. I couldn’t have asked for more!
Our kids were in great schools. The county where I had taught and been an administrator for 13 years. We had great friends and every store and restaurant within 10 miles of our home. It was a suburb of Atlanta so we could hit the city and be there in 30 minutes.
My husband and I went on vacation several times a year and left the girls with our nanny. On top of that we typically had a date night each weekend. Being alone together was never an issue. So were we going to leave all this behind, be full-time parents, homeschool, live in 400 square feet and give up a dream location?
Yep! We did.
The transition was HARD. We cried, I cried…ALOT! Some of our friends and family did not support us initially. Everyone thought we were crazy, yet brave and so many people would tell us that they wished they had done this in their younger years. That was always encouraging.
Our house sold and we were scheduled to leave town a few days after. But the RV jacks stopped working. The delay to get it fixed had us spending over a week in a hotel right in town. It was miserable. We had to go back and forth to the RV from the hotel to get clothes. Our family washed clothes for us and took the girls for sleep overs. I didn’t think I was going to make it and switched to complete regret over this decision. It seemed like Instagram told amazing stories and mine was not working out.
Finally, after a week of misery, everything was fixed. We had eaten a week of fast-food and lived in a mess, but we were going to be able to leave. I was ready. Just ready to be somewhere to finally know why we made this decision. After a lot of help from friends, family and mechanics we hit the road and said goodbye to the beautiful life we had lived.
Once again, not a coincidence, we left on July 4th. I mean what a symbol of America’s freedom and here go getting to travel this country. It was a day that was marked forever. We left Atlanta, Georgia and made our first stop in Tennessee. I followed behind my husband, driving my Hyundia Sante Fe. Did we really do this? Did we just leave our home and now I’m watching my new home drive down the highway?
That drive was a cycle of emotions. Feeling speechless, happy and crying. Such mixed emotions. We wanted to live a life of adventure and the unknown, but the unknown was now a little scary. But, I’m a girl that takes on a challenge, may fall down, but will always get back up. My mind was set on this journey so I shook off the emotions and was determined to see every inch of what this life brought. Americas freedom equaled our freedom.
Everywhere! Left the south and headed to the west. Because we have two young girls, we decided the best thing to do would be to take each trip slow. Travel only 4-5 hours on each trip and stay for at least 5-7 nights when we got there. We wanted plenty of time to see each stop, but also keep life restful. This travel plan isn’t for everyone. Some families hop around fast. When you take on this full-time RV lifestyle, you definitely have to find what is right for you.
How do I feel now about this decision? Not one regret. If we had to turn back now, settle somewhere and get jobs I would feel so sad to have missed out. Some days are really, really hard. But other days are amazing. The best thing about this entire experience is that I get to do it with my best friend, my soulmate and my amazing girls that are growing up way too fast. I wouldn’t change a thing about this decision.
I would love to know if you are considering this full-time RV lifestyle. Let me share all my experiences and answer questions. Comment below or reach out to me on Instagram or email. Let’s connect and see where this life takes you!
