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Making a Dream Home on Wheels – A Growing Trend

Ian Harvey

It is no secret that millennials are influencing the RV industry and the hot “home on wheels” trend. The millennial generation makes up an astonishing 31 percent of the adult population.

With numbers like that, it can be expected that the age of RV ownership is getting younger as millennials are investing and coming into peak buying power. This group now has the finances necessary to make large purchases. In 2017, they made up nearly 40 percent of RV sales.

Trailers
Trailers

These numbers can be linked to the fact that many of the older millennials were raised in families that enjoyed RVs, thanks to their Baby Boomer parents. With all this in mind, people are asking: besides the nostalgic feel, what is the appeal of living on wheels?

Travel trailers make up 87 percent of RV sales across the nation and appeal to young adults because of their lightweight frames, affordability, and their options for making travel and camping easy. Instead of buying homes with huge mortgages, the younger generation is often deciding to downsize and live in smaller homes.

This is a path many choose so that they can spend their extra money on paying off outstanding debts and student loans. It also encourages a minimalist lifestyle that involves learning to live modestly and choosing to live for experience rather than materialistic things.

A woman sits in her motor home lounge, warm cup of coffee in her hands, looking out the rear window at the beautiful forest that surround her, lit by the morning sunlight.
A woman sits in her motor home lounge, warm cup of coffee in her hands, looking out the rear window at the beautiful forest that surround her, lit by the morning sunlight.

Besides being able to travel and sight-see from your very own house, trailers make a good home for many reasons. You will learn not to take things like wifi and dishwashers for granted, while getting to experience the natural beauty of the world around you first hand.

And imagine not having to worry about a mortgage or utility bills. Chances are you will pay off a travel trailer a lot quicker than you would a house. Choosing to live an RV lifestyle will keep you off the couch and force you to spend more time outdoors.

1973 GMC Motorhome
1973 GMC Motorhome

Living within such small dimensions will teach you to be clean and organized. A plate left out in a three bedroom home won’t drive you nearly as crazy as a plate left out in a travel trailer.

The best part may be the fact that you can travel and still make money as sites from experienced travelers such as Heath & Alyssa explain. This is easy to do for established artists such as writers and filmographers or anyone who makes good money doing freelance work.

1970s Hanomag-Henschel Orion
1970s Hanomag-Henschel Orion

The most important advice that can be given someone considering purchasing a travel trailer as a home is to purchase a trailer that is big enough for you to live it.

This may seem obvious, but it’s not so easy to know the exact dimensions you will need, especially if you are a first time trailer owner. Make sure you do a lot of window shopping and have a good idea of what kinds of features you absolutely cannot live without.

1933 car and tourist observation trailer
1933 car and tourist observation trailer

You may want to have land purchased so you can park your trailer in a permanent location. If you intend to do a lot of traveling, make sure you have the right permits and permissions from local campgrounds in the areas that you are visiting.

As far as accommodations within your trailer, you will want to be sure that you have a stove that runs on propane. It is the cheapest and easiest method of cooking in your home on wheels. Talk to experts about optional features, and make sure the bathroom and kitchen inside your trailer meet your needs.

Read another story from us: Old Japanese Monks Went on Solitary Boat Voyages to Paradise – Never to Return

Most importantly, do your research and get advice on living in a trailer from people who’ve done it and from sites such as purelivingforlife.com.

Not everyone has the same wants or needs so it is important that you make the purchase that is perfect for you.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News