So, we have probably mentioned a few times <a href="https://casualweirdness.life/articles/personal-updates/family-of-four-moved-to-full-time-camper-living" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> that we are living full-time in our camper, but that we are in our home state for a while until we are actually hitting the road to travel. It struck me tonight, that there is something to talk about in that fact.

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A camper parked on a gravel lot with a playpen, child's bike, and carious chairs set up in front of it.

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When we came into the camper lifestyle, it was almost happenstance, although we had a history of interest in this way of life. We bought our camper with the intention of parking it where we are currently living and visiting it casually throughout the season while we settled in to a new rental or long-term house. That was the plan. But, we were never in love with the idea of settling in our "home-town" area of Ohio. So, when it struck me that we could make this jump, we talked about it and decided to commit.

To make a long story short, we had already paid for a full season at the campground and would effectively have "no rent" for 6 months. So, instead of trying to weasel out of that agreement or rush onto the road and the allure of adventure, we decided to commit to staying put in Ohio. We thought about it and realized that this 6 month "lease" gave us a perfect, safe, opportunity to try out this lifestyle and see if it was going to be the right fit for us. Sure, it isn't exactly the same as traveling full-time, but that's part of the beauty of it, isn't it? If we can stay rooted for 6 months in one place (in a familiar place) and a) not lose our minds, b) not beg for a break, and c) find a comfortable rhythm, then there is no reason we can't make this lifestyle work AND travel at the same time.

a man and two young boys on a bed together. the man is looking at a laptop , the oldest boy is playing a videogame and the youngest is laying backward looking at the camera.

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The other benefit of doing it this way is that 1) we are still nearby to family and can get them used to the idea that we are leaving, 2) we can still check our mail and get packages from Amazon, and 3) we have an easy way out if it turns out we don't like this --- spoiler alert --- we love it.

We have particularly benefited from being about to order things from Amazon and have them safely delivered to family for us to pick up. We haven't made a ton of changes to what we have in the camper, but we are enjoying some extra time getting some "staples" that we love and will miss dearly once we hit the road.

The things I am going to struggle without being able to order from Amazon:

<ta linkid="716" href="https://casualweirdness.life/recommends/coffee/">Coffee Beans</ta> (We buy them in an 80 oz bag... no, we don't have a problem).

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<ta linkid="717" href="https://casualweirdness.life/recommends/syrup/">Coffee Syrup</ta> (Okay, YES. We have a coffee addiction, but when you have coffee like we have, at home, on the daily, then you would get really attached to it also!)

<ta linkid="718" href="https://casualweirdness.life/recommends/honest-wipes/">Baby wipes</ta> - we LOVE these wipes and having them in bulk pretty much guarantees that we have them for the stinky-one's diaper butt, and also for Alex and I to use from time-to-time when we need "freshened" up.

Anything I decide I need in any given moment... yes, this is a frivolous list-item, but I am a child of the late 80's and I have grown through my adulthood with access to Amazon, and I have had Amazon Prime for 14 years. Pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

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a young boy leaned back on the top bunk of a camper bunk bed. He's looking to the right at a video game and there is a tray of food in drink in the foreground.

This isn't a Vacation... it's a Lifestyle

From the very beginning of moving into the camper, we have never treated this experience as though it was a "fun trip" or a "special long vacation." I mention this specifically because Alex was recently asked, "Don't you think you'll get tired of being on vacation ALL the time? I just know that after a week of vacation I am DYING for my own house and my normal routine."

This is a fine observation, but it's entirely missing the point. This ISN'T a vacation. This isn't something apart from our normal life. This IS our normal life. Are we at a campground? Yes. But it's not like we are using the amenities every single day - that would make my life miserable. We are not making s'mores every single night. We are not hyping the kids up and ignoring responsibilities and kicking back and relaxing every single day. We can't! We live here.

We do all the normal things that people do at home. We work, we make food, we do dishes, we clean, we do school, we play with normal toys, and we get a healthy dose of entertainment and video games. We are just living life in a smaller space, that's all.

Absolutely... NOT. I truly don't experience an uptick in the amount of time I am around any of the members of my family. As the unemployed mother of a 5 year-old and a 1 year-old, I have NO CONCEPT of personal space and haven't for 5 years. I actually might have a greater sense of personal space now because I can leave all the boys in the camper and just be outside. In this experience, that closed door is a HUGE difference.

I know Alex has had to adjust his work-from-home experience in many ways to account for the lack of space from the rest of us. There is no denying that he has more distractions than he used to. But, (and I would recommend this to anyone else thinking about this life with a family) he spent <a href="https://designframesolutions.com/how-i-work-from-home-with-no-office-and-a-family/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">4 months adjusting to distractions</a> by working in the living-room of our last house. We had an open living-dining room area (maybe a 20x30 foot room) and Alex committed to setting up his desk at the dining room table every single day and figuring out how to make it work for him. Bless him for that diligence.

Additionally, while our living space is smaller, our living space is actually almost infinitely bigger. The concept of the home as a living space breaks down a little bit when you're living out of a camper. We have an extensive outdoor living space, and continuous access to the outdoors that effectively makes the entire country "my own backyard".

So, are we troubled by the small living space? No. We put tons of thought into how to use the limited indoor space and we are constantly discovering new ways to use both the indoor and outdoor space to meet our needs.

We are actually REALLY sick of being here. Not "here" in our camper, but "here" in this specific campground, in Ohio. We are still enjoying the benefits I have mentioned, without a doubt, but we feel that "I'm ready to move on..." drive deep down. We want to see something new. We want to not be in the comfortable place so close to home. We want to learn how to tear down and set up and be on the road together. But in that desire, we have gained a lot of insight.

Three or four months is probably going to be our upper limit on anywhere we "settle down" for a while. We have read from other full-timers online that taking your time, pacing yourself, is vital to being able to keep up this lifestyle because the constant movement can be exhausting. I imagine it's also a little but numbing to see beauty after beauty. With an inundation of beauty, you're bound to be like, "Huh... well, I've seen better," and not be able to truly appreciate the experience. I experienced that feeling myself in college when I visited Italy and we spent an afternoon in the Vatican. After a while I stopped even looking at the room we were in because I was so exhausted by being impressed with the beauty of the space and the relics it contained.

I NEVER want to feel that way about a place we travel to on this journey. If we get to a point where we are so travel fatigued that we can't value the experience, that is a major red flag in my opinion and a warning to hunker down for a while. If we go slow and take our normal lives with us, I hope that we will be able to take more from the experience because the special parts will stand out from the normalcy.

So, we are not on an endless vacation, because if we were, we wouldn't appreciate it. With the perspective of "normal life" and a slower pace I hope that we can find a way to make special moments stand out in our memories in the same way that I look back on special moments from big vacations. If the whole trip felt like a vacation or a departure from real life, then it wouldn't be worth as much.

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The view from our campground, in the morning.

This is Not a Vacation

Why We Haven't Left Ohio... Yet

Why, "I'm going to allow this..."

The Benefits of a Test Run

What I'm Not Looking Forward To

This isn't a Vacation... it's a Lifestyle

But Doesn't Living Small Drive You Nuts?

Why A Long Stay is an Asset to Us