Tiny Living can bring with it a slew of questions. Among all the questions we get asked about our decision to downsize and live on the road, these are the most common.
In this episode of The Field Trip Teacher Podcast, I will tackle some of the most common questions that we get asked about tiny living and being on the road as we travel!
Do you ever get tired of living in a small space?
In short, YES…and NO! Tiny living has its advantages and disadvantages but over all it’s a mindset that you make to live with what you need and not what you WANT!
It’s all stuff anyways and when you are living tiny you only have space for the necessities. Sure there are times when I wish I could buy all the decorative stuff and collect my Rae Dunn…but in the end…the rewards we get from tiny living and traveling are far greater than the joy I might feel from the stuff!
How do you get your mail? Internet? TV?
We actually have a P.O. Box back at our home base where we get mail. Most of our mail is junk mail but occasionally we might get something we need to have shipped to us where ever we may be at the time.
Tiny living and traveling doesn’t mean you don’t have normal life obstacles to overcome. It just means finding solutions. There are mail services out there for R.V.ers that can actually take your mail, scan it and you can view it online.
Other R.V. couples we know have their mail sent to a family member’s house and pick it up when they pass through. When we are ordering items offline and having them shipped, for example from Amazon, we can have them sent to an Amazon locker nearby or we can usually have packages shipped to the RV park we are staying at, assuming we will be there for enough days.
Do you only stay in RV Parks?
No! We frequent RV Parks but our goal is to get out and enjoy our world. We want to be off grid as much as possible and will actually be looking into solar options on our new smaller rig when we downsize again.
Being able to get into most state and national parks requires a rig under 35 foot and we are much larger. Our tiny living has proved to be a little challenging at our size so we need to go smaller to get to the places we want to go.
How long do you stay in one place?
This question all depends on what we are trying to accomplish. We may be somewhere only one night because we are on our way to a destination. We might stay for 3-4 nights if there is a lot to see in an area.
When working from the road, it might also be necessary to stop and stay in one place long enough to get some work done and meet deadlines. All these factors are taken into account when planning our travel.
How long did it take you to downsize?
It took about 3 weeks. But that is us! We didn’t actually take our time in making this decision as we were ready to hit the road. But not everyone is ready to just SELL IT ALL and assume a life of tiny living.
We had an estate sale and sold all the furnishings of our home and vehicles and even the coffee cup right out of my hand! It was a blast but stressful!
We recommend doing things at your own pace and what you are comfortable with. Remember, this life is yours…no one else’s!
Why an R.V. and not a Tiny Home?
In short…you can’t travel with a tiny home. Well, not really! We know some that have a SUPER TINY HOME and they do travel but they typically do what is known as chasing 70 where they travel around following the weather and staying for longer periods of time.
The type of traveling we wanted to do required us to have a much more mobile friendly rig that would allow us to be on the move as much as possible when we want.
How do you stay in shape?
There are so many trails, hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities to do when you are traveling. Because we prefer to be in nature, we usually have lots of outdoor activities to keep us active.
We also try to eat as healthy as possible and when traveling there are many options to find natural foods from farms and other resources.
We also travel with our pup ACE and he keeps us pretty active with his multiple daily walks. I also joined a gym at the beginning of this year (2019) that has locations all over the country so I can always find one near by to get a workout in.
Will you travel with the grandkids?
Yes!! Absolutely! We have been planning a big SUMMER trip with the grandkids and are looking forward to that journey soon!
When will you return to the real world?
The real world? What is that? This is our real world! We have made our own journey and what works for us at this season in life! You should do the same! There is no manual for life! It is what you make it!
Someday we might decide that we want to stop traveling and buy another house, but not yet! We are still being adventurous with our tiny living and exploring things that we have never seen!
How do you make a living on the road?
In short, we work from home running Mrs. Shipley’s Classroom, The Field Trip Teacher Podcast, and have a few online courses that will be launching soon.
We do have retirement income from Kevins law enforcement retirement but because he retired at 26 years instead of 30 that meant a cut of 1/2 his retirement each month. So yes! We still have to generate income in other ways!
What do you do with your poop? YES….that is the question!
The ultimate question! I know I know! You might be thinking EEEEWWW GROSS! But believe me, we get asked this question ALL. THE. TIME! When you’re on the tiny living path, you have to figure these things out!
You aren’t hooked up to a septic system where your human bodily functions disappear down a magic pipe never to be seen of (or smelled) again! Ok…OK…maybe that sounds gross but I assure you it isn’t that bad.
Most RVs come with three types of tanks (although the number of each will vary depending on the size of your rig)….grey, black, and freshwater!
Your freshwater tank holds your water for drinking and showering, your grey tank holds all that water that goes down the drain. The black tank holds what goes down the potty!
All three have to be emptied when necessary and there are many options. RV parks with hook ups mean you can dump when you are ready to leave to go to your next destination. State and national parks often have dump stations where you can dump as you leave. There are even some businesses that cater to outdoors activities that provide facilities for dumping your tanks and refilling your fresh water.
As long as you do it the correct way and don’t get in a hurry…its easy peasy lemon squeezy…although I can not guarantee it will smell like lemons…but it’s quick and doesn’t usually smell!
In Closing
Well that’s it…the top questions we get asked! If you have any additional questions you would like us to answer in a future episode, send us an email at hello@thefieldtripteacherpodcast.com.
Until next time FIELD TRIPPERS,
Links and Mentions:
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Passport America
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