Travel Trailer vs Apartment Living
Deciding between a travel trailer vs apartment living can be hard. Honestly, both can be good options depending on your situation.
The first year of our travel PT careers involved us getting a new apartment every time we changed assignments. This worked out well enough but we eventually decided to try the travel trailer life.
· Related: Our Travel Trailer Tiny Home ·
We were glad we chose apartments at first but now we are very excited about our decision to put that life behind us. There was a lot of thought that went into this choice and our final decision.
There are pros and cons to both living in a travel trailer and living in an apartment. For those like us living a nomad lifestyle with constant relocation making the final choice is harder than it seems.
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Apartment Living
When we first graduated we decided to move into an apartment. We did this for three main reasons.
1. We were broke college kids
When we first started travel physical therapy we were recent grads with almost no money and a significant amount of student loan debt (close to $200,000). We did not have the money to purchase a trailer or RV. Plus, it would have been hard getting a reasonable loan.
We already had so much debt the last thing we wanted was to take out more loans. We also did not have cash on hand to buy anything outright.
· Related: Dealing with Student Loans·
2. It's what we were used to
We had lived in apartments for our entire college career. When we went to find our next place to live, apartment life was simply what we knew.
We knew a house didn't make sense since we were traveling nomads but other options didn't cross our minds. It wasn't until we met other travelers that lived in more mobile homes the thought even crossed our minds.
3. We were combining our belongings for the first time
The first time we joined all of our belongings together was when we started traveling. We married in grad school but because we both still had ongoing apartment leases we just split time between two locations.
Kelsey's lease ended the week before moving out. We boxed up her place and stored until a week later when we boxed up Phil's place.
When we made our way to our first assignment in New Mexico, we had to combine all these boxes and get rid of duplicates. We could only imagine how stressful it would have been to then also downsize non-duplicates at the same time.
We enjoyed our times living in apartments but we quickly discovered the good and the bad.
Pros to Apartment Living
- New scenery
- More space
- No large payment due all at once
- New decorations
Cons to Apartment Living
- Never know what you are going to get
- Have to sign a lease
- Bad Landlords
- Moving EVERYTHING
- Setting up Utilities
- Not always pet-friendly
Travel Trailer Living
After a year and a half, we finally decided to venture into the travel trailer world. Once again for three main reasons:
1. People gave rave reviews
We met several travelers who lived in RVs or 5th wheels and they all LOVED IT. Some even had families of 5 and they could not have been happier.
It's not that we have the worst FOMO (fear of missing out) but when everyone keeps telling you how amazing it is, you start to wonder if you should try it too.
2. Relocating by moving van is exhausting
Even though we were quite efficient with packing and moving, we were beginning to tire of it and the amount of time, money and work that went into it.
First, you have to pack up the entire apartment, then you have to get it onto the moving van. Next, you drive to the new location and repeat the process in reverse. Let's not forget you have to pick up/drop off the rental van.
When an option came up that would get rid of most of these steps it seemed like a pretty good idea.
3. Apartments can be harder to find than we thought
At first, we had a decent amount of luck with finding available apartments, offered a short term lease and allowed cats (since bringing our two cats was non-negotiable).
We found out quickly how much the price differed between apartments. Apartments can also be very hard to find depending on the location and the amount of time you need them for.
We also ran into a roadblock when we had difficulty even finding housing for a possible assignment. The location would have been wonderful but all we could find were apartments for low-income households and trailer parks. We started to see that the inability to find an apartment might stop us from taking a job we wanted.
Pros to Travel Trailer Living
- Easy to pick up and move
- Cheaper to rent
- Can always find a place for it
- Always pet-friendly
- Month-to-month renting options
- Know exactly what the inside will look like
- Don't have to call and set up/cancel utilities
Cons to Travel Trailer Living
- Less Space
- Need something that tows
- Harder to get internet
- More "chores" such as dumping of tanks, etc
After we recapped our situation, we both decided that living in a trailer would make our lives easier and maybe the best route for us.
We had a very particular idea of what we had in mind and we were ecstatic when we found a company that fit our needs perfectly. We made the leap and now we are proud owners of an eco-friendly travel trailer.
· Related: Finding Our Tiny Home ·
In the end, we decided to buy a trailer to live in because
- We had the money
- Needed an easier way to get around for job assignments
- Strived to live more eco-friendly
- Wanted to make our numerous vacations easier to go on
It's important to remember that what is best for us may not be what's best for you. We hope you can use our experience to help guide you when you try to decide between the two options.
We are also lucky enough to have well-paying jobs that allow us to vacation and rent AirBnB apartments if we want a little apartment experience.
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