What does it look and feel like to live life as a full time camper? It’s difficult to narrow this down and express because one of the great joys of road life is that every person can mould it to fit their own adventurous spirit! So with that in mind, here is a glimpse into what life looks like for me.
Being a Full Time Camper
I have been living on the road with my husband for a year and a half now in our little 17 foot Casita Travel Trailer. At different phases our daily life can take on a different appearance – sometimes we have to focus more on travelling for work, sometimes we get to play, play, play. Currently, my husband and I are boondocking in the beautiful state of Wyoming, and we would define this phase as a play-heavy. This is our favorite sort of road life living, the bulk of how we spend our time, and the whole reason we live the way we do.
Working
Our mornings are usually taken up with working. My husband has to keep his cell phone service available from 9-5 EST no matter our time zone because his company is based in our home state of Pennsylvania. I do freelance writing and editing, and usually spend a bit of my time on a few college courses, as well.
We do all of our work from mobile hotspots off of our Verizon cell phones. We don’t have much trouble finding service and use a Wilson Booster to ensure we have a good internet connection. It has boosted us from one bar of 1X to three bars of 3G for days on end!
Hiking / Swimming / Fishing
In the afternoons, we generally like to do some kind of fun activity. Often we will hike the area around where we are camped and look for local wildlife.
If there is any kind of water nearby – lakes, rivers, the ocean – we go like to hike to private areas and go swimming or build saunas, and my husband loves to catch something fresh for our evening meal if fishing is an option.
Reading / Writing
I particularly process through writing out my thoughts – both as an emotional process and as a manner of praying and expressing my faith. Both my husband and I are avid readers, and so this usually sneaks in throughout all of our days.
We often read in the evenings or on lazy afternoons. We also enjoy mutually listening to audiobooks (and occasionally a few podcasts) on long drives or in the evening around camp.
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Cooking
For breakfast, we usually have something simple like granola and fruit or oatmeal. A few mornings a week we usually cook up a larger breakfast of fried eggs and toast, and maybe some bacon. All of this is generally done on our propane stove inside our little kitchen.
For our main meals, we generally cook meats outside over our Double Flame fire pit or on our MiniMax Big Green Egg smoker. We like to eat very basic foods like a main meat, raw vegetables, and a simple side like rice or potatoes.
Showering
We have a little shower in our Casita which we usually use at least once or twice a week, but keeping enough water around to do dishes and take showers can be difficult. We sometimes fill and use a solar shower outside, as well. If there is any fresh water nearby, such as lakes or rivers, we always dive in with some biodegradable soap and use the world as our shower.
Trips to town
When we are out boondocking for whole weeks at a time, like we are now, trips to town usually come once a week. On a trip to town we generally: stock up on groceries, possibly stop at a laundromat, grab Wi-Fi from a library or café if we need to upload anything, and finally stop at a local gas station or truck stop to refill external jugs of water and the solar and throw away any trash.
If you would like to see any glimmers of our travels and life as a full time camper, you can follow us on Instagram @unboundnomads or my personal account @earthlyvagabond or our blog.
There is also a video below you might find interesting where I show you all around our Casita Travel Trailer.
Janessa Tice Miller
Janessa Tice Miller lives in a 17ft Casita Travel Trailer with her husband as they travel full time across North America. She loves making her home in beautiful places and exploring nature from a canoe or trail. When at camp or on the road, Janessa spends her time reading, writing, and completing college courses online. Follow her travels at www.unboundnomads.com and on Instagram.
I have always wondered how it would be if I were to be on the go all the time. My husband actually likes this idea whereas I am a little wary of it. I love to travel but I love my home also. But you do make it sound so beautiful and easy. I read this article and showed it to my hubby and now he is like “see, its easy. lets live like this”. I am sure you enjoy your time on the road along with work and play. I am almost convinced!
Such an amazing lifestyle! My boyfriend and I also talked about living in a camper before, but we haven’t done it yet. I’m always curious about showering in a mobile home, so it’s interesting to read about your experience. Working, cooking and relaxing in the nature sound exciting too! Thank you for your insight.
What a life, this is our dream! I love that you can still maintain a 9-5 job while having this sort of lifestyle. Being able to wake up in a new location or out in the middle of nature, work, then spend the rest of the evening swimming in lakes, exploring mountains, hiking, cooking over an open flame, etc. That all sounds so amazing. Good for you guys. Keep it up and keep inspiring. I love it 🙂
This is absolutely fascinating! I admire your choice for living sustainably and picking the most organic ways to live. Eating fresh vegetables, fresh fish and having a bathe in the river is amazing! You are truly in touch with mother nature. I am most inspired by the fact that your husband only needs an internet connection on his cell phone, meaning you have that freedom to travel anywhere as long as there is an internet connection.
I love that you have solar panels on the roof. It always surprises me that there’s not more people who use those panels as an energy source. We have them in our house in Turkey, and our electricity bills are minimal. Thanks for a peek inside your trailer. It looks so compact and well organized, we’ve been toying with the idea of doing some road trips in a camper van, so it’s good to get an insight into your adventure.
I cant imagine living in a camper van for a day or two but you and your
husband are doing it for a year and a half which is amazing. I love how you spend your afternoons, hiking and swimming in nearby lakes sounds like a lot of fun. I admire you and your husbands way of living!
What an interesting life you and your husband are living. Envious a little but very happy for you both. I used to think that camping is about going out once in a while and living in tents. But your Casita Travel Trailer is so interesting to look at and something to marvel too with all arrangements for breakfast cooking and shower too. Fishing, swimming, reading books and enjoying new places. What more could one wish for in life. Very happy to see and read.
I always wondered how one stays in a mobile home for so long. You make it sound so simple. Actually, after reading this, I realized it just needs a small change in your mindset – like what is normal. A shower and kitchen that is minimal, no major storehouses, and an open mind to adjust to new surroundings. Thanks for this insight. Enjoyed the read.
hi
I read your previous article on boondocking and was immediately hooked on as this article is a continuation of the previous article in terms of interest and curiosity. I feel it takes courage also in some level to live the way of life that you do at least in the initial start of it. Kudos to you and would love to read more on this aspect of life.