How We Find Home on the Road

How do you make a home when you’re constantly pulling up stakes and moving on, when you have different neighbors, churches, stores, and restaurants every week? What do you do to feel “rooted” and comfortable wherever you are?

I remember our first night at a busy campground in Southern California when we set out on our 2022-23 RV journey. I was awake for hours as my mind raced: Are we crazy? Can we really do this?? What did we forget? And most importantly, Are we gonna be able to pull out of here without any disasters?

This time around, we know so much more than we did back then. Of course we do. I think.

But I still go through a sort of angsty mental checklist:

·       Are we okay?

·       Will our plans work out?

·       Have we prepared enough, practiced enough, prayed enough?

Feeling at home on the road involves more than just know-how and day-to-day emotions, though. Because it’s not a sticks-and-bricks home, moving around in an RV has a whole ‘nother set of challenges, from finding connections with real, live people to locating an honest mechanic or appropriate medical care.

Full-Time RVing Isn’t Full-Time Vacationing

During our first go-round, one of our most vital realizations was that RV life isn’t an endless vacation. When you’re on vacation, you can let the laundry go until you get home. You spend money on experiences and excursions every day, stay up late every night, and maybe eat out a lot. Your family and friends can be included in your adventures. And as long as you’re on vacation, you cram everything into whatever hours of vacation you’ve accumulated and budgeted for.

It took Roger and me a while to adjust to the idea that full-time RV life is our home life, just in a different place every week or two. Just as in a regular house, we have chores to do, a budget to follow, and bills to pay. We also eat at home more often than not, watch t.v. and our devices, and generally go to bed embarrassingly early.

What’s Different on the Road

But it would be naive to say living in an RV is the same as living in a sticks-and-bricks house. You don't have to level your house and hook up your own sewer when you have a fixed address. There's no need to conserve power (except as a money-saving measure) because there's never a time you don't have full hook-ups. And you don't have to check whether you turned off the propane, raised the jacks, put away the rugs, and latched the shower door before you drive away. All of this and much more are the routines of RV traveling.

For Roger, RV life involves more movement. The outside chores, like utility hookups and truck prep, are generally his. When the campground’s water main broke last week, it was up to him to switch our water source from “city” to our fresh water tank. Oh, and it’s his job to make sure in advance that we have several gallons of water in said fresh water tank in case of emergencies just like that one.

Also, because an RV is admittedly much smaller than your average home, there's a lot less housework, leaving times for us to get outside for walks, bike rides, and visits to places we’ve never been. Like when you’re camped at David Crockett State Park in Tennessee, you don’t choose vacuuming over visiting the waterwheel, museum, David Crockett Falls, the Trail of Tears, or eating at the restaurant overlooking a small fishing lake. (Order the Hiker's Wrap—it's the best.)

For me, RV life means accepting flexibility with grace. We might need to change our campground plans at the last minute. I might choose to tackle a maintenance or improvement project rather than do the laundry—oh, wait, that’s true no matter where we live. But I sometimes need reminders that a flexible attitude helps me avoid the grouchies.

So what’s the difference between an ordeal and an adventure? Your attitude. And adjusting well to RV life with all its differences and challenges boils down to the same requirement as adjusting to anything else life throws at you: what attitude will you choose?

What’s the Same in Full-Time RV Life

What doesn’t change is YOU. No matter where you are, there you are. So my favorite, familiar structures and routines are pretty much the same on the road. Bible reading, writing my blog, connecting with friends and family, working on book marketing (Turning Your Inner Bullies Into Allies is coming out in February 2026!!)—I still do it all. When it’s time to write, I still make myself a chai latte, light a candle, and play soft music. Okay, so I have to put a pillow on the dining chair to type comfortably at the table, but it’s fine.

What Constitutes “Home”?

I also freely admit RV life takes some creativity and intentionality to come up with new “normals” for maintaining whatever rhythms make you feel at home. I just mentioned my writing set-up, but what I’m really talking about here are the things that keep me from growling, “Ugh, I WISH we could just buy a house and settle down!”

Roger and I both find great satisfaction in conquering small and large challenges, such as using sticky putty to hold the Keurig in place so we don’t have to put it away in a cupboard on travel days. Or creating a mini-closet by using good-looking command hooks to hold our jackets in the tiny hallway leading to the “master suite.” I’m especially proud of the cute wire baskets I installed at the end of the kitchen island and near the door—perfect for the silverware caddy, tissues, snacks, current campground info, and walky-talkies. And Roger has mastered organization using plastic tubs in both the pass-through space and the truck bed.

For self-comfort, we each brought along a favorite throw for cold evenings watching tv. Roger chose his extra-long Los Angeles Lakers no-sew blanket while I have a forest-y looking down comforter. And even though it doesn’t match the rest of the decor, nothing beats my navy blue corduroy comforter on the bed.

Enjoying Relationships on the Road

New friends, old friends, family—Roger and I love staying connected. In campgrounds it’s easy to strike up conversations with other campers—everyone has stories to share, whether it’s their background, places they’ve visited, or camping disasters. Sometimes a restaurant or a mountain view reminds us of an old friend; other times it’s an anniversary or birthday. Long drives are perfect for phone chats. Best of all is getting to meet friends or family somewhere unusual to share a hour or two.

A Little Intentionality Helps Us All Find Home on the Road

Any way you look at it, finding home on the road is not only possible; it’s easier than ever with a little creativity and, of course, technology. As long as you take along an optimistic attitude and your favorite down comforter, you’ll be fine.

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

P.S. I just saw a fellow camper ride past on an e-bike pulling a cute wagon! Now I can’t wait to pull mine out of storage—why didn’t I think of that before?!! (For the backstory, check out my blog post, https://www.juliergreenwalt.com/post/before-we-knew-better-packing-for-rv-life)

When have you had to “find home” somewhere new? What routines or rhythms help you feel settled and comfortable wherever you are? Share in the comments below—I love hearing your stories.