With the view I have from our dinette/desk of the Badlands, it’s hard to say I miss anything enough to give up this RV lifestyle, but there are a few “comforts from home” that you just don’t get while traveling full-time in an RV.

Long, Hot Showers

Ask any RVer what’s something they miss and “real showers” will be near the top of that list. Yes, RV showers will get you clean with hot water, which is the point of showering (and I’m thankful for that). However, it’s not a relaxing shower. It’s rinse, turn the water off, lather, turn the water on to rinse, turn the water off, and repeat as fast as possible until you’re done.

There’s no escaping to a hot shower for 30 minutes of relaxation. Is that just me?!

At campgrounds and RV parks, we’ve seen all sorts of showers. From coin-operated where you get a few minutes for $0.50 to camp style shower stalls to the nicest state park showers ever (I’m looking at you Custer State Park. I could have cried I was so happy about those showers.), we’ve seen it all.

While at campgrounds and RV parks you can (usually) leave the water running the whole time, you’re wearing shower shoes and hoping there are enough hooks for your towels and shower bag and clothes. It doesn’t exactly feel like home.

So, yes, showering while traveling full-time isn’t the best, but for the most part, we can take hot showers, and we’re saving a lot of water.

A King-Sized Bed

I miss our old bed – a lot! We have a 1994 RV with a queen-sized bed, and who knows how old the mattress is. Don’t worry, it looked clean, and I bought an allergen, dust mite, bed bug proof mattress cover.

The overall space in the RV has been fine. We really don’t miss the space, but we do miss a king-sized bed. At home, we had a “no dogs in the bed” rule. Now, without a real door to keep them out, we wake up with two of them squeezed in between us or hanging off the side of the bed or, my favorite, right on top of me.

Can I add quality sleep to this list? I miss that, too.

Knowing which Grocery Store to Go To

Traveling full-time means we’re in a different spot about every 2 weeks. While we love this, it means we have to quickly get acquainted with a new town. Being on the other side of the country, we don’t have our normal regional grocery stores. Being on the other side of the country, we don’t have our normal regional grocery stores. And, unfortunately, there’s not a Trader Joes and Costco in every town.

I’m all for local, but you even know what kind of prices and quality you’re getting until you walk in the door. Sometimes, it’s great; sometimes, not so much.

I’m not a picky eater, but I do have celiac. Finding reasonably priced gluten-free food and good fruits and veggies can be a challenge at times.

Luckily, we’ve hit up some great farmers markets and found Safeway to be our go-to grocery store if there’s one close by. But I’m ready to be back in the land of Publix and Harris Teeter.

Local, Gluten-Free Restaurants

Like I said, being in a new place every few weeks makes it hard to “know where to go.” At home, we have our go-to local restaurants and hangouts, but without a local’s knowledge, it’s often hard to find those good local restaurants. Plus, needing gluten-free restaurants makes it even harder.

We’ve found some really great places thanks to Google and Find Me Gluten Free, but we miss our Wilmington favorites and being able to just go somewhere good without researching how “celiac-safe” they are.

Get our gluten-free restaurants in Boulder list here.

Friends

Speaking of our “go-to” places in Wilmington, we definitely miss our friends. You don’t get that girl-time or guy-time when you’re traveling full-time. Plus, we’ve had friends who have had babies and gotten married while we’ve been gone, so there’s a lot to celebrate when we get home.

Thankfully, we’ve had a few friends and family fly out to stay with us for a few days. We get some friend time, and they get a little vacation and taste of the RV life.

We’ve also met some awesome people on the road that we will stay friends with, and we are so thankful to have met up with people who are living the same life we are. However, we typically only get to hang out for a few hours, or if we’re lucky, we’re staying at the same campground and get to hang out for a few days.

While we love these new friendships and they are much needed, we don’t cross path with people all too often. It’s not like hanging out with friends every weekend and several weeknights. For the most part, it’s just us and the dogs. Don’t get me wrong, we love each other’s company and traveling together is the best.

I’m just saying some of us should sync up our routes, so we get more friend time. Who’s with me?

There are so many things we love about traveling and full-time RVing that it’s hard to “complain” about not having the comforts of home. It’s all about creating your new normal and being flexible with what life on the road throws your way.

What do you miss most while traveling full-time?