‘MODERN NOMADS’
Four American families trade in traditional stationary homes for life on the road
When Robert and Jessica Meinhofer told friends they were moving into an RV in 2015, most thought they were crazy.
The questions poured in: How could they go from living in a 2,000-square-foot (186-square-metre) home to living in a 250-square-foot (37.2-square-metre) trailer? What would they do with their stuff? What would their children, ages 6 and 9, do for school? Was this a mid-life crisis? The hardest people to convince were Jessica’s parents, who grew up in an impoverished Latino neighbourhood in the Bronx and worked hard so their daughter could have a better life. They couldn’t understand why the couple wanted to live like migrant labourers.
The Meinhofers are doing this by choice, not financial desperation. They are part of a movement of people ditching “sticks and bricks” homes that have long embodied the American dream and embracing a life of travel, minimal belongings and working when they want.
“We’re a family of four redefining what the American dream means. It’s happiness, not a four-bedroom house with a two-car garage,” said Robert Meinhofer.
The Meinhofers (more on them later) and others who spoke about this modern nomadic lifestyle said living in 200 to 400 square feet (18.6 to 37.2 square metres) has improved their marriages and made them happier, even if they’re earning less. There’s no official term for this lifestyle, but most refer to themselves as “full-time RVers,” “digital nomads” or “workampers.”
Interest in “RVing” — either full time or on weekends — appears to be picking up, especially among young couples. Half of new sales are going to Americans under 45, and purchases by people of colour are rising, RVIA found in its 2016 surveys, a change from the 20th century, when white retirees dominated campsites.
Four families — with members ranging in age from two to 84 — share their experience of life on the road.
1
Penni Brink, 62, and Chip Litchfield, 59. Current location: Tennessee. Vehicle: 2004 Tiffin Phaeton (They bought it used for US$67,000)
The couple has a Welcome to Margaritaville sign outside the RV and the kind of easygoing spirit that immediately draws you in. Penni and Chip met in the late 1980s when they were working in the same business complex in Vermont, but Chip was married to someone else at the time. Their paths crossed again a few years ago at a craft fair and as their relationship blossomed, Chip suggested they travel in an RV. Penni was apprehensive at first.
“I made it clear I needed a big fridge in the RV because I like to cook,” Penni said. “And I needed more than a tiny little bathroom.”
Chip took Penni to a used RV lot just to “check it out” in 2015, but they ended up buying a 395-square-foot camper they call “Daisy.” They say they love this lifestyle now and have no plans to return to a typical home. Penni is selling her condo in Montpelier because they don’t think they’ll need it anymore. They track how many states they have been to on a map on the side of their RV. The current tally is 25.
“Our goal is to be able to travel and work at the places we travel to so we can stay in areas long enough to get to know a place and see America,” Chip said. “There is so much work out there for us, and we don’t have to make a lot of money.”
Penni hung a “less is more” sign in the RV and has become an expert at cooking on a stove top that’s about a third the size of a typical range. She used to run a small business in Vermont making drapes, blinds and other home decor.
As they travel, they often pick up jobs to earn money since they don’t want to tap their modest retirement savings, which they dipped into to buy the RV. Right now, they are working in the Amazon CamperForce program that hires about 700 people for warehouse jobs and pays their campsite fees. It’s hard labour — they often go to bed rubbing each other’s feet — but the money they earn from September to Dec. 23 is enough to allow them to take the winter and spring off.
“Being able to travel in my 60s and see all the things I missed in my younger years is the best part of this lifestyle,” Penni said.
2
Robert Meinhofer, 45, and Jessica Meinhofer, 40. Current location: Georgia. Vehicle: 2016 Forest River Grey Wolf 26DBH Travel Trailer. (They bought it for US$22,000 and tow it behind a truck).
The Meinhofers have been living in their RV for three years and don’t have any plans to return to their old life in suburbia.
As they started having kids, Robert and Jessica wanted more time with them than a typical day job would allow. They watched a YouTube video of a family that travelled the country in an RV and thought, why not us?
“We both had full-time jobs. We were doing the 9-to-5 grind. We had the house, but it just didn’t fit us quite right. We were just working, working, working,” Jessica said. “We were longing for freedom.”
When Robert was offered a job in Atlanta working for an airline, they didn’t think they had enough money to buy a “proper house” for their two kids, their dog and their cats. So they decided to take the plunge on the RV lifestyle. Jessica convinced her company to let her work remotely so she could homeschool their children and work in the RV anywhere in America. Robert works four days at the airline and then gets four days off, which he spends with his family in the RV.
3 Joyce Ann Seid, 84, and Steven Seid, 77. Current location: Wichita Vehicle: 2012 Tiffin Allegro RED Diesel. (They paid US$150,000 at an RV show in 2014).
The Seids bought their first RV in 2001 to travel on weekends to see the grandkids and visit casinos and parks. By 2010, they moved into the RV full time.
The couple drive around the country in the warm months and spend the winter in Arizona where they own a lot in a gated RV community.
They mostly live off their retirement money, but they pick up various jobs to help pay for vehicle insurance and RV repairs. Steven worked several years in the Amazon CamperForce program, priding himself on being one of the oldest in the warehouse.
“We’re old people, but we hate being retired. We like working,” Steven said. “This is a great life. We meet the nicest people.”
4 Richard Booher, 58, and Miranda Booher. Current location: Tennessee. Vehicle: 1999 NuWa Hitchhiker Premier (Bought for US$10,000).
The Boohers were debating doing the “small home” lifestyle when a friend advised them, “you don’t want a small home, you want an RV.” They had never even been in an RV before, but they bought a Hitchhiker in 2016 that attaches to their pickup truck and took their family — five kids and a 10-year-old dog — on the road.
“It’s been awesome,” Richard said as he watched his five-year-old son Teddy bike around the campsite waving at new neighbours. Later the kids, ranging from two to 10, went to the campsite pool and quickly made friends with other families.
The Boohers wanted to show their kids more of America and get closer as a family. Miranda teaches the kids and is a coach for a Christian organization called Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) that helps bring moms of young children together for support and fellowship. The Boohers get plugged into a church wherever they go and find lots of activities for the kids between church and the campsites. Teddy and Amy, 7, are eager to show off the Macarena dance skills they picked up at a recent kids party at a campsite.
Richard is working at with the Amazon CamperForce program for the second year. He’ll be at the warehouse from September to December. It’s very different from his career in IT, but the income allows the family to live this nomadic lifestyle. He earned US$11.50 an hour at a fulfilment centre in Murfreesboro, Tenn., which went to US$15 an hour in November.
When the job ended on Christmas Eve, the family headed to Dade City, Fla., to be near old friends for a few weeks before figuring out their next steps.