Can You Live and Survive in a Travel Trailer? by Megan Stewart for The Survivalist Blog
If you’ve ever taken a vacation where you traveled in or stayed in a recreational vehicle, you know that it is typically a carefree, peaceful feeling. In fact, it can be almost liberating to leave most of your belongings and all of your worries behind and hit the open road. Everything is new, exciting, and waking each morning feels like the start of a grand adventure.
If you’ve experienced this type of vacation in a recreational vehicle, you might have even wondered if you can live and survive in a travel trailer on a full-time basis.
The truth is, although RVs were designed for short-term use, many people have turned to these as a semi-permanent or permanent living situation. There are many people who do live semi permanently or permanently in a travel trailer successfully.
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But recreational vehicle living is not for everyone. One of the biggest obstacles to living and surviving in a travel trailer is the climate but there are other considerations as well which we will outline in later sections.
Why Would Anyone Want to Live and Survive in a Travel Trailer?
There are many reasons that someone may want to live and survive in a travel trailer including:
- The Adventure of Being Somewhere Different or New (Travel)
- Temporary Housing While Building a Traditional Home
- Housing While on an Extended Vacation
- Seasonal or Short-Term Housing for Recreational Activities (hunting, fishing, etc.)
- Freedom and Flexibility to Relocate More Easily When Desired
- Temporary Housing While Trying Out an Off-Grid Lifestyle
- Focus on Family Not Possessions
- Ability to Work Anywhere
- No More Monthly Rent or Utilities
Limited Space
One of the first factors to analyze before you decide if you can live and survive in a travel trailer is if you can transition from your current living space to a much more limited space.
A travel trailer is going to have very limited space for your belongings. You will need to either sell, give away, or store many of your home decor items, clothing, artwork, furniture, and general household goods. You just simply won’t have the space for all of your things in your travel trailer.
In order to be successful with travel trailer living, you will need to declutter and minimize your belongings down to only what can be stored in the travel trailer.
Storage in a travel trailer is limited which means that organization of your possessions and supplies will be a critical factor. The layout of your travel trailer and its features are also a critical consideration when it comes to the needs of your family.
It will also be important to keep your travel trailer as clean and organized as possible. Boots and shoes or other belongings that are left out will clutter up the trailer quickly and can also be a fall hazard if they are in the walkway. Explore creative ways to organize and store your belongings where they are accessible yet out of the way until you need them.
Legality of Parking
If you feel you will be able to cope with getting rid of many of your prized possessions, or at least storing them, the next thing to consider is the legality of parking for your travel trailer.
