How to Live in an RV as Newlyweds

You find the one you want to spend your life with, you get married, and you take on life together one decision at a time…

One of the biggest choices a married couple encounter is where to live. Many newlyweds choose to rent an apartment or build a house, but it’s becoming increasingly popular for newlyweds to pursue a nomadic, minimalistic RV lifestyle. That’s exactly what we did, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Choosing to live in an RV has brought us constant excitement and adventure with a never-ending bucket list of places to explore.

A common misconception is that RVing is only for the retired community, but it has become an increasingly popular choice for young couples who wish to chase adventure. A recent survey of RVer demographics by RVIA shared that 22% of RVers are 18-24 years old and 51% are under 55 years old! Social media could be one aspect leading to the rise in young couples pursuing RV life.

The growth of social media over the last decade has made travel more desirable by opening a window to the world. Millions of us get to see places online that we otherwise wouldn’t know about, which leads us to want to visit those places and see them for ourselves! Aside from amazing destinations displayed all over social media, there are thousands of social media accounts that share a fairytale perspective of tiny living in an RV. If you are chasing wanderlust and want to pursue a more nomadic way of life, there are certain things you need to understand that will help you navigate RV life as newlyweds.

Enjoying morning coffee as a couple in the RV.

Choosing your RV

The first step is choosing your rig! Yes, it is common to call your RV a “rig,” in the RV community. When deciding on the right RV for you, there are many things that you must consider. It’s important to decide what kind of camping you intend to do, choose a layout that you love, and determine your “must-haves” in an RV.

Determine your Camping Style

There are two main styles of RV camping: off-grid camping and camping in RV resorts. Some RVers prefer one over the other, but some like to experience both. We love both styles. Since we work at hospitals across the country for three months at a time as travel nurses, most of our time RVing is spent in an RV resort with full-hook-ups. When we have time off from work or take weekend trips, we choose to camp off-grid in nature and escape city life. Thinking about your preferred camping style will help you determine what type and size of RV is best for you.

A truck camper is an agile RV for boondocking in remote locations.

Off-Grid Camping

Boondocking, dry camping, and off-grid camping are all common terms that describe a style of camping that allows you to easily get out in nature and stay in unique, picturesque locations. There are no hookups in nature, so it’s important that you can be self-sufficient by using the water you bring and utilizing solar energy or a generator for power. Depending on your cell service, you may also need a wifi hotspot for internet. When boondocking, you’ll also need to properly manage your garbage and sewage system. Smaller RVs such as truck campers, vans, class Cs, and RVs less than 25-30ft are going to be the best options for those really wanting to wander out.

RV Resort Camping

Camping in an RV resort or a campground means you will typically have partial or full hook-ups (water, electric, sewage, cable, wifi, and garbage). Campgrounds are located all over the country and we’ve always been able to find them within thirty minutes of big cities. It’s a great way to travel when you want to be close to specific destinations or a certain city. The amenities vary but certain resorts may have gyms, pools, hot tubs, restaurants, mail service, and many more activities on site. If this sounds like the more ideal camping style for you, then you have the ability to choose any size and style of RV without worry.

Chase & Lindsay are a young married couple working as traveling nurses and living in their RV full time.

Tour RVs

Some of the best advice we can give to new RVers when searching for a rig is to walk through as many RV classes, models, and layouts as you can. The more RVs you and your loved one tour, the more you will begin to realize what you really like. When we chose our RV, we started out by researching different RVs online, but we knew we needed to see them in person to really decide. Physically walking through the RV can make or break it for you. We sat at the table, stood in the shower, and envisioned ourselves living in the RV which helped us determine if it would be spacious and practical enough for us!

Make a Must-Have Checklist

Making a checklist together as a couple will help ensure that you will find an RV that you both love. When it comes to features and layouts, there seem to be endless options. It helps to organize your list based on “must-haves”, “bonus features”, and “deal breakers”. This will help out tremendously when trying to narrow down the right RV for you as a couple.

Do you need a lot of bathroom privacy? Check out models with two bathrooms. Do you value sleeping space? There are models with king beds. If you’re planning on starting a family right away, check out the RVs with bunkhouses. If you’re interested in having a little personal space, you may like the RV layouts with mid-bunk rooms or front living as opposed to a more open layout. For those of you that can’t get enough of each other, rear living or the more open-concept layouts might be your dream RV floor plan.

Regardless of what type of RV you choose, the key here is to recognize what you want in your RV floor plan and make your choice together as a couple. Choose the layout that checks the most of your boxes and makes both of you happy and comfortable.

Chase & Lindsay park their truck camper lakeside for an amazing sunset view.

Identify RV Responsibilities

Now that you’ve chosen your dream rig, you’re going to want to discuss RV-related responsibilities. RV life is such an adventure, but it comes with a lot of work! Don’t be fooled — a tiny home doesn’t necessarily mean a tiny chore list and a lot of times those fairytale posts on social media don’t reveal the work behind the scenes.

One of the easiest ways to successfully conquer RV life as a couple is to clearly determine each other’s roles and responsibilities. Sit down and discuss what tasks need done and choose which ones you and your significant other want to do. Creating an agreed upon list of who is responsible for certain chores will help you stay organized and avoid miscommunication.

Knowing who is in charge of doing the dishes, dumping the black tank, vacuuming the interior (the list goes on) will help you tremendously. It’s also common that some chores will be shared responsibilities. For instance, most of the time we prefer to cook meals, do laundry, and wash the RV together.

Regardless of who is responsible for a certain chore, it’s helpful to know how to do things in case the other person isn’t home. By both of you learning how to operate things, you will be an RV dream team and capable of managing all aspects of the RV basics. The ability to function as a team and having set roles will make living in an RV as newlyweds so much easier.

Chase & Lindsay in Colorado with their truck camper RV.

Financial Freedom

Living in an RV can not only be an amazing adventure, but it can also be such an incredible way to achieve financial freedom! New RVs vary greatly in price from an average of $10,000 to $100,000, but this is still way more affordable than building or buying a house. Monthly RV payments can be extremely low, which makes owning an RV a very achievable reality. Aside from your monthly RV payment, your expenses will vary based off of your camping style – whether you boondock or choose to stay in high end resorts.

Another cool thing is that more and more businesses are allowing their employees to work remotely or to travel for their profession. For instance, we work as traveling nurses which allows us to continue pursuing our careers while still living an adventurous, nomadic lifestyle. RVing as newlyweds has been a great opportunity for us to achieve financial freedom, and is just another perk of this amazing lifestyle.

Chase & Lindsay explore America’s most amazing landmarks while traveling the country working as nurses.

Endless Honeymoon

Now it’s time for the best part — the never-ending honeymoon. Choosing to live full-time in our RV was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We’ve been able to explore 26 states together (and counting) from the comfort of our own home on wheels. It never gets boring and the adventures are endless! We get to change our backyard whenever we’re ready for a change, and it brings us so much happiness to experience such a unique life together. We have spent countless beautiful evenings in places we otherwise would’ve never experienced without our RV.

It’s no surprise why RV life is becoming one of the most popular lifestyles for young couples. We’re coming up on our sixth wedding anniversary this fall and this will be the fourth one we’ll celebrate as full-time RVers. Since saying “I Do,” we’ve been able to live in the mountains of Colorado, among the red rocks of Sedona, and ocean-side in Florida among many other places and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chase and Lindsay enjoy the view at horseshoe bend in the southwest.