When my husband and I became empty nesters, we sold our house and moved into an RV. We now live on the open road full time.
Courtesy of Courtney Bautista
- When Courtney Bautista's kids went off to college, she and her husband became empty nesters.
- Unsure what to do next, they decided to follow their dreams and try RV living.
- They eventually became full-time RV-ers and love their new life on the road.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Courtney Bautista, a full-time RV traveler. It's been edited for length and clarity.
Two years ago, my husband and I sold our home of 24 years to live full-time on the road in an RV. We've made our way from South Florida up to the Pacific Northwest, over to Maine, and back down to Georgia.
From learning what to do when things break on the road to seeing views that make me feel like I'm living in a calendar, I've loved every minute of this adventure.
Moving into an RV didn't start as a spontaneous decision, though. It grew over several years and experiences that forced us to look closely at what we wanted from life.
It took me a while to figure out what my life looked like as an empty nester
When my kids left for college, it was a bit of a shell-shock. I was lost as an empty nester. Sure, I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted, and that was exhilarating. It was also unsettling. I had to figure out who I was when I wasn't caring for my children.
Just before our children were heading off to college, we experienced a cascade of family losses. Most of the deaths were unexpected, and collectively they made us realize that life can change in a moment.
That realization became a catalyst for my husband and me to follow our dreams of traveling around the US. We thought that if we wanted to see the places we'd always talked about, we needed to do it now — while we were healthy.
We bought an RV
Our first life-on-the-road experience came in late 2020, when we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. With limited options, we decided to rent an RV and spent a week hopping between Florida campgrounds. It wasn't a big trip, but we loved it.
Courtesy of Courtney Bautista
After that, we tried several setups — a fifth wheel, a travel trailer, a Class A — paying attention to what worked and what didn't.
Then, on a drive home from visiting our oldest at college, we spotted the exact model with all the features we wanted at a dealership off the highway. It felt like the universe was nudging us forward, and we bought our RV that day.
Letting go of a permanent home base happened in stages
We started by taking one weekend trip a month. We then planned a 100-day trip, knowing we'd never really understand the lifestyle without immersing ourselves in it. Thanks to his career and our years of saving, my husband was able to step away from work for the first time in our marriage for that journey. It turned out that we loved that experience, too.
We still had hesitations, though. What if one of our kids wanted to move back home? What if we sold the house too soon?
Courtesy of Courtney Bautista
But after a second 90-day trip to see the fall colors, the answer became clear: This was the life we wanted.
Our kids didn't love South Florida, and we loved the road. So we sold our house, moved our keepsakes into storage, found remote work, and set off on our cross-country loop — the first of many.
We stay connected to our kids while redefining what home means
Technology has made staying close to our family easy. We have a group chat, talk, or text daily. I keep a spreadsheet updated so our kids always know where we are and where we're headed. They also know they're welcome to join us anytime.
Home, to me, isn't a fixed place any longer. Wherever we are will always be home to our kids — whether that's an RV parked near a mountain lake or somewhere more permanent — because we are their home.
I spent two decades centering my life around my children. Now, I'm letting them see me take risks, reimagine what life can be like, and choose my joy in unexpected adventures.
RV life has taught me that you're never too old to change your path. You just have to be brave enough to start. And I hope that's one more lesson we can leave our kids with.