RV living might seem like a dream—endless travel, stunning views, and the freedom to go wherever you want. But as any seasoned RVer will tell you, it’s not all Instagram-perfect sunsets and cozy campfires. Between unexpected breakdowns, pricey repairs, and the constant hunt for a good campsite, life on the road has its challenges. In this article, we’ll break down the highs and lows of RV living based on a realistic day in the life of one adventurous family.

We found a great video below that perfectly captures the rollercoaster of RV life!

1. The Heartbreak of Losing a Hubcap (And the High Cost of RV Parts)

“Our beautiful bus has its very first blemish because yesterday on the highway at about 60 MPH, we lost our front right hubcap.”

The first lesson of RV life? Things break—often at the worst possible time. Losing a hubcap might seem minor, but when a replacement costs $100, it suddenly becomes a major annoyance. The solution? Zip ties (the universal RV repair tool).

If RV parts were priced fairly, we’d all be traveling in gold-plated buses by now.

2. The Never-Ending DIY Repairs (And Why Everything Turns Into a Cleaning Project)

“Oh boy… we’ve decided to rip apart the front of the bus.”

RV ownership means becoming an amateur mechanic, electrician, and HVAC specialist—whether you like it or not. What started as a simple AC fix turned into a full-on excavation mission, complete with discovering years of hidden grime.

 Nothing bonds a family like staring at a broken compressor and collectively pretending they know how to fix it.

3. The AC Disaster (And Why You Should Never Trust Previous Owners)

“The people before us must have overfilled the system… when we turned on the compressor, it realized it was overfull and the blowoff valve let a bunch of refrigerant out sort of everywhere in the bus.”*

RV repairs rarely go smoothly. After an AC mishap that sounded like the bus was about to explode, the family had to accept defeat—no rear AC for the rest of the trip.

If you’ve never had a vehicle try to kill you via refrigerant explosion, have you really lived the RV life?

4. The Hunt for a Campsite (And the Stress of First-Come, First-Served Spots)

“It’s first-come, first-serve… we’re not sure if we’re going to make it in time.”*

Finding the perfect campsite is like playing RV roulette. Will you get a beachfront spot, or end up in a Walmart parking lot? This family lucked out with a prime location—but not without some last-minute panic.

Nothing tests a family’s patience like the phrase “first-come, first-served.”

5. The Simple Joys (Beach Days, Barbecues, and Baby Jean Stealing the Show)

“Baby Jean’s ready for bed because… milk.”

Despite the chaos, RV life has its magical moments—sunset barbecues, pristine beaches, and a baby who somehow becomes the star of every vlog.

If your kid isn’t photogenically eating a banana while you grill, are you even RV parenting right?