Hailey is a full-time RV dweller, fiancée, teacher, cat mom to Furrnando & Ollifurr, and self-made at-home manicurist! She was born and raised in Illinois, went to college in Wisconsin where she doubles majored in elementary and special education.
From Wisconsin, Hailey moved to Arizona where she was a K through 3rd special education teacher, before leaving to hit the road full time! You can follow Hailey's RV adventures on Instagram and you can also connect with her on GAFFL.
How I Started RV Living
I actually had never heard of RV living prior to meeting my fiancé Michael. I knew people went on vacations via RV, but living in them was all new to me. My fiancé is a corporate bankruptcy director and travels 10+ months out of the year for work. So, we decided I would leave my teaching job and travel together for his job!
We have been on the road full-time for 2 years and 4 months, and we ideally think we will do this for another couple or few years before we buy a house in Arizona or Idaho.
Our RV Home & Considerations You Should Make Before Buying Yours
We have a grand design solitude 320x fifth wheel, and ours is 37ft long. We did not want a brand new RV since they depreciate in value the minute you drive off the lot, and we didn’t want to be underwater on our home at all. We paid cash for our RV.
We bought ours used for the sweetest old coupe that only used it for 8 days!!! It was 2 years old when we bought it. I highly recommend grand design and airstream. They have great customer service and fantastic quality products. I would search RV trader, Craigslist, private party, and other online sources before looking at an RV dealership. Plus, it saves you on taxes!
The usual price range for an RV is variable and depends on a lot of factors such as the class of the RV, year, remodel status, how well it was maintained, etc. We knew we did not want to spend over 38k for our RV, so we didn’t. As for buying new or used, that’s a personal preference but the avid budgeter mindset my fiancé and I have, say to buy used; especially if you have other debt in your life.
We Have Gone All Over The USA!
Michael’s work placements are typically 2-3 months, but sometimes they can be 2-3 weeks or 4-5 months. It’s all dependent on his work. We have been to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Oklahoma. Plus passing through many other states. We go wherever Michael is placed for work, and the only work placements we didn’t bring the RV to were Hawaii, Australia, Canada, Nova Scotia, and Fiji.
We would love to go to Idaho, Montana, and PNW next!
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Comments
The interior is gorgeous, Hailey! I love the truck! I am very amazed at all the places you’ve gone. What a cool life to lead.