Just Rolling With It: Keith and Raini

We chose this lifestyle because we love traveling, chasing new experiences, and connecting with people across the country! We were sick of the mundane 9-5 work week and the unchanging scenery that our old lives were providing. So, after a little research into a new and exciting option, we stumbled upon the lifestyle of full-time RVing and decided to just GO FOR IT. This adventure works perfectly for us because it has fueled our traveling souls, placed us within many new surroundings, and has created lasting friendships with the people that we have met within the community along the way!

Why We Went With A Fifth Wheel

We have a Grand Design Solitude 369RL fifth wheel! We chose this setup because Keith is the tallest man alive (ok, close…) and he did not feel comfortable inside of any other RV option that we toured. Fifth wheels, to us, offered the best high-ceiling options and also had a great residential-style “home-y” feel when we walked into them. Also, when we debated motorhomes vs fifth wheels, we figured that when it comes to an engine we would rather chance a separate vehicle ending up in a shop rather than our entire home!

Work Hard Play Hard

Keith has been an insurance adjuster for the past 7 years and our first year and a half of RVing was spent chasing storms across the country for his job. Now, in-between storm work, we focus on running our YouTube channel, Instagram page, and organizing our volunteer events called “volunteerups” that we put on as we travel across the states!

A Community Of Friends

Our favorite experience(s) have been the ones that we have made by connecting with people whom we have first chatted with online within the RV community! In Port Aransas, TX we had the opportunity to connect with a family who owns a fishing boat, and they took us out onto the ocean a few times to see dolphins and a few islands off of the shore! In Cleveland, TN we connected with a family that allowed us to park our RV on their property and then took us paddleboarding down the Ocoee river! In Atlanta, GA we connected with a group of RVers and boondocked on the grounds of NASCAR and spent the weekend watching the races within the company of some amazing people!

Don’t Put The Pedal To The Metal (Toilet Edition)

Our first RV was a 2010 Keystone Cougar fifth wheel that we completely renovated from top to bottom. Within the first year of RVing (roughly 7 months in), our toilet lever became stuck in the “open” position during the night, and water overflowed from the toilet into the ENTIRE RV for 8 hours while we slept. When we woke up the next day, there was water everywhere; including inside of all of our floor ducts. Needless to say, the RV was totaled… and we were fortunate enough to find another RV upon our return back to our home state! It all worked out just fine, in the end; but it’s certainly a cautionary tale for anyone with an RV toilet that seems to have a finicky foot pedal, though!

Finding Comfort For Everyone

We travel with two dogs and two cats, and we are often asked how well the pets have adjusted to the RV life. In truth, they all seem to really enjoy it! Every few weeks, the dogs get to walk and explore new areas and the cats have new scenery to look at through the windows! The hardest part is travel days; of which, of course, the cats were NOT a fan of, in the beginning. However, through our travels, we have discovered that placing the cats within their cages onto the floorboards of the backseat of our truck with the A/C blowing on them helps to keep them calm and comfortable for the duration of the ride!

Having A WiFi Backup Plan

We use a Pepwave router with an AT&T data plan as our primary connection, which makes our WIFI just like a typical home setup. However, one connection doesn’t always work everywhere, so we also have a T-Mobile hotspot through the Calyx Institute as a backup as well as our Verizon cell phones.

Learn How To Do Simple Repairs

We have done a TON of renovations and repairs to our RV(s), as we have documented in several of our YouTube videos! Our biggest suggestion to new RVers is to try to figure out how to do things (renovation and repairs, alike) yourself! We have found that, as RVing has become more and more popular, the waitlist and price for simple repairs/renovations have gone up exponentially; and the best way to prepare yourself for RV life is to expect to do a lot of it on your own!

Just Going With The Flow

The biggest adjustment to RVing has been dealing with the constant reality of “things are not going to go according to the plan” and being OK with that. More often than not, we have had something completely de-rail our plans (tire blowouts, leaf spring breaks, work cancellations, battery troubles, inability to find RV spots, etc.) and we have had to learn to “just roll with it” when it comes to the full time traveling lifestyle!

Giving Back While We Explore

This year’s adventures are completely focused on traveling and bringing the community together with our “volunteerups”! We encourage anyone and everyone to come out and have a good time with us while doing something good within the areas that we travel to! Our volunteer events include a ton of fun activities, ranging from things like cleaning trash up from parks and rivers, spending an afternoon helping out at food banks, and getting involved with local animal shelters! For us, there is no end in sight! We love living inside of the RV, we love the constant change, and we LOVE the community!