It was a beautiful Colorado day – blue skies and warm sun. A perfect day to uproot my whole life by moving from my stable apartment to an adventurous life in an RV. In reality, though, most of the work was already done – this specific day was simply when it all became official. The process was long and overwhelming at times. There were even moments when I wondered if I was making the right decision. But, it was all so worth it in the end.
The First Step: Get Rid of Furniture
My first step towards moving into the RV was getting rid of my furniture. I obviously wouldn’t need it in the RV, nor would it have fit even if I had wanted to keep it. I didn’t have much furniture to begin with, as I have always rented out one-bedroom apartments. Most of it was also easy to sell and didn’t hold much emotional attachment. There were, however, a few things that were more difficult to part with. The toughest to part with were several pieces that I bought right after I started my first full-time job and really liked.
More than anything else, I was sad to see my couch go. It was a large and extremely comfortable couch, difficult to move but absolutely worth it. I have many good memories from hanging out on the couch with friends and family. To make matters worse, my neighborhood was suffering from a surplus of used couches for sale. Despite continuously lowering the price, I was unable to find a buyer. I ended up having to donate the couch to Salvation Army, and I can only hope that some other family has found it and will enjoy it for many years.
Step Two: Packing
Because I am headed to Alaska in my RV for the summer, I decided that rather than getting rid of everything personally important to me or renting out a storage unit here in Colorado, I would buy a small cargo trailer to pull behind the motorhome. This led to multiple packing piles in my apartment. Everything going into the RV went in one pile. Another pile held everything going into the cargo trailer. And, a third pile contained everything to sell or donate. Of course, these were more of metaphorical ‘piles’ – in reality, my whole apartment was a bit of a disaster zone for about a month. But, it all worked out and everything managed to get to its proper location. My awesome friends at Never Stop Adventuring came over for my final moving day and were a huge help with getting all the loose ends tied up.
Cargo trailer packing fun
Step 3: Set Up the RV
The third and final step of the moving process was to actually move into the RV. Again, this officially happened on a single day, but actually was quite lengthy. Over the last week or so before the big day, I slowly moved things into the RV and got them set up as well as I could. The day of the move involved all the big steps like getting the RV set up. Then, it still took another few weeks to get things situated and make it feel like home. In fact, the process is still ongoing even now! It was a lot of fun, though. And, I was so blessed to have my friends (and their little helpers) to assist!
Getting the RV all set up at its new spot!
Moving Complete – Time to Relax!
Although I still feel like there are a lot of things to be done and figured out, I have really enjoyed living in the motorhome so far. Even while sitting stationary in the RV park, it has definitely been an adventure. It has gotten both myself and Lyla the Adventure Cat outside more often. And, I am already more attuned to the weather! Thankfully, space hasn’t really been a factor, although I have longed for my comfy couch a couple of times. The tradeoffs are so worth it, though, and I can’t wait to get out on the road!
Lyla settling into her new home
If you want to know more about how I chose my motorhome, check out The Search for the Right RV. Or, if you want to read about my future plans, you can find more information here. Have you ever downsized or went through a lengthy moving process? Do you have your own dreams about the mobility and freedom of the RV life? Let me know more in the comments below!
