Our Better Practices for Life on the Road!

 

“Better is good!”  

Barak Obama

 

Former President Obama reminded us several years ago that “Better is good!”  Those words have stuck with me ever since. Full-time RV living is a “learn as you go” experience. Life on the road takes what we already know and fills in the rest. We have learned a great deal over the last 6 months. But is this the best way to retire? Is the way we journey the best way to travel? Do we have the best lives possible? To say yes to any of these would be more about my ego than the reality of our lifestyle. Is our present life better than it was a year ago? Yes, for us, it is much better. And better is good! But we still have much to learn. I hope to be able to say that in a year, our lives will be even better.

 

This week I want to share our “Better Practices” for life on the road that we have picked up-up in the last month. These ideas grew from our experiences and reflected a desire for a good outcome rather than finding the way it is “supposed to be done.” There is no one way that it should be done. Instead, these better practices point us toward the goal of wandering, to find a better way of life for us.

 

Formerly, we had our Rules for the road that we learned when we started traveling. A lifetime of travel taught us these three things.

1.         When possible, we planned our daily activities the night before.

2.         We traveled “Blue Highways” as much as possible.

3.         We ate only at locally owned Restaurants or chains we did not have back home.

 

These served us well as long as we were travelers. But there was so much more to learn to become wanderers. 

 

Here is a baker’s dozen of additions and modifications that I call Our Better Practices for Wandering

 

Better Practice # 1 – Safety First

Wandering involves living between the known and the unknown. We do not have much control over our life on the road. Therefore, the first and foremost Better Practice is to be safe. We avoid unnecessary risks. We keep our safety gear up-to-date and readily available. We drive smart. We keep the speed down and avoid driving in dangerous conditions. Being safe allows the road to be a friend rather than an enemy.  

 

Better Practice #2 – Stay Healthy

We also keep ourselves healthy. Getting older means paying attention to our mind, body, and soul. We return to Houston each year to get our annual health exams. We do our best to get plenty of exercise. We ensure we get a good night’s sleep and eat healthy meals. We explore regional cuisines but keep them in balance with homecooked, more nutritious meals. We read and learn about the places we visit. We hope these efforts will keep us on the road for many years.

 

Better Practice #3 – Maintenance, Maintenance, and Repair

There is no way to avoid all breakdowns or repairs on the road. But we can keep them to a minimum by keeping Koko and Nakai in shape. We do not delay necessary repairs. We fix the little things before they multiply. I maintain a maintenance log to ensure I care for everyday items. We are especially mindful of maintaining our tires. I check pressure before every trip and monitor pressure and temperature while driving. We also replace the tires on Koko every four years. (See Better Practice #1)

 

Better Practice #4 – Only Plan Ahead Far Enough to Meet our Goals 

To secure campsites in good parks and see popular attractions, we need to book as far in advance as possible. This is especially true for holidays and weekends when schools are not in session. I will book sites between these destinations but leave room in the schedule to change plans if we need or want to do so. One significant exception to this is planning our gas stops. Google Maps allows us to plan our gas stops. Koko will not fit into most stations, and when we tow Nakai, we can only back up with unhooking. With these exceptions, we let each day, week, and month unfold as it will, remembering the importance of flexibility.

 

Better Practice #5 – Memories are Easier to Store than Curios.

We collected curios from every gift shop we visited on our traveling days. We displayed them in our home or apartment. Now that we are full-time in Koko, our space is very limited. We do collect fridge magnets as reminders. I also like tee shirts to replace ones that no longer fit or are worn out. Otherwise, we take lots of pictures, and I keep a travel journal, i.e., this blog.

 

Better Practice #6 – The Checklist Is Our Friend

During our traveling days, we started using a checklist to break and set up camp. Now, we use a checklist for every move. The checklist only works if I use it every single time. There are too many little items that, when forgotten, can lead to significant issues, so I do not trust my memory. Even if nothing terrible happens when I forget a small item, it can easily fall out of the routine. And, in time, something terrible will happen. Lastly, we review our checklist occasionally to make updates and reflect our evolving routines. 

 

Better Practice #7 – Clutter Is Not Our Friend

Every RV has a weight limit. They also have limited space for storage. It is tempting to fill every nook and cranny. But, exceeding either can make life very difficult, if not dangerous. We have learned to maximize our storage with genuinely essential things. As a rule, we only add something if we can eliminate something. Further, we do our best to keep stuff stowed away when not using it. Moving every few days makes this much more manageable.

 

Best Practice #8 – Chill and Chore Days

Life on the road means taking care of all those life chores. It is not a perpetual vacation. Clothes need to be washed. Groceries need to be bought. The floors need cleaning. Dust needs collecting, and dishes must be cleaned. When our traveling was limited to vacations, we had to cram all the attractions and experiences available to us in the time available. We have learned that when living full-time becomes tiring, we need time to recuperate from sightseeing and adventuring. We set aside days for relaxing and caring for chores each week or 10 days. I enjoy a sense of routine amid our constantly changing lives.

 

Better Practice #9 – 2-2-2 Rule (when Possible) 

The 2-2-2 Rule is a modification of the 3-3-3 Rule many Youtubers use to guide their travel days. For us, it is driving an average of 200 miles, with a break at least every two hours, and we plan on arriving by 2:00 PM. As a wanderer, I can make shorter drives since time is generally unimportant. Since I drive no faster than 65 mph in Koko, this makes for a 4–5-hour drive. We are usually not worn out from the previous day’s drive when we have to go longer. We tend to take a break every two hours. If lucky, we can plan one as a lunch break in the coach or at a convenient restaurant. We will schedule a gas stop on longer drive days as one of our breaks. The scheduled 2:00 PM arrival allows us to enjoy a new location and does not sacrifice a whole day for the move. It also allows us flexibility if something we see deserves exploration. Lastly, it avoids checking in after dark, even if an issue prevents us from making our ETA. This Best Practice makes for safer and more enjoyable drive days.

 

Better Practice #10 – Longer Stays When Possible

Another benefit of wandering is staying longer at a particular campground. Our standard booking usually lasts one week, allowing time to explore and save on weekly rates. Will set fewer days to cover more ground or because a venue is not very exciting to us. But our usual is to give ourselves at least a week to more fully explore and allow for a Chill and Chore day.

 

Better Practices #11 – Walk – Walk – Walk

We try and walk when we can. Beyond the obvious health benefits, walking around the campground helps us connect with neighbors. Hiking and window-shopping through touristy small towns help us learn more about our location. Marlene is better at getting her steps in than I am. She tries for 10,000 a day while I am satisfied with 5,000. But walking is a big part of our daily lives when we are on the road.

 

Better Practices #12 – Don’t sweat It! Stuff Happens!

One of the facts of life on the road is that the unplanned happens. Sometimes these surprises are pleasant, and sometimes not so much. The first response is predictable, and I will leave it to your imagination. But the second response is crucial. I must take care of business. We need to remind ourselves that things will work out. Besides, as a mentor of mine used to say, “Look for the possibilities in the problems!” Every unfortunate circumstance has taught me something important. After six months of tire problems last year, I learned much about tire maintenance and troubleshooting. Stuff happens! Take care of it and learn from it!

 

Better Practices #13 – Stay in touch!

The last of our Better practices is simple: maintain contact with friends and family. This generally means checking in on Facebook when the internet is available. But it also includes email, phone calls, ZOOM, facetime, and routing the trip to visit family and friends. Life on the road can be lonely, so we must stay connected.

 

These 13 better practices make our wandering more enjoyable and fulfilling. Many of them would not work for travelers or vacationers. But, for us and for now, they make our full-time life better than our formerly settled lives. And better is good!

 

Bob