Empty nesters moved out of their Florida home to travel in an RV full time. They're in year five and loving it.

Barry and Darlene Nicholson at Glacier National Park in Montana. Courtesy of Barry and Darlene Nicholson Barry and Darlene Nicholson, who met as teenagers in Indiana, spent most of their lives raising their two kids in Florida, not traveling much out of state.Since downsizing from their Florida house to become full-time RVers in 2022, they've been to around 30 states. They'd been to places they never considered visiting before, which turned out to be some of their favorites. With their daughter soon starting college, they realized they wouldn't need their large Florida home anymore. Since home prices were rising during the pandemic, they decided it was time to start a life on the road. The couple met as teenagers. Courtesy of Barry and Darlene Nicholson The couple, who are in their 50s, wanted to experience RV life while they were still young and physically able. "My inspiration for doing it early and making it work is that you're not guaranteed tomorrow," Darlene said. "You're not guaranteed a retirement." Navigating life on the roadTheir first year involved learning to drive an RV and getting used to living in a smaller space as a couple.Even though they've been married for decades, Barry said the switch can be "a shock to both of your systems" because everyone has a routine they've been used to. Barry used to play in a band, but that stopped when they hit the road. They also learned while going through the Smoky Mountains that Darlene has travel anxiety. Their RV includes a lot of the features you would find in a house. Courtesy of Barry and Darlene Nicholson They said if you're doing this lifestyle with someone else, you both have to be all in or it won't work out."We told people, if you can survive the first six months, you'll be fine," Darlene said.They didn't sell their home right away; they wanted to use it as a backup plan if they ended up hating this pivot. They rented it out their first year, but after the tenants left, it was hard to find someone to rent for the same amount. They sold it in 2023. While they didn't sell their home before traveling, they did sell and give away a lot of their belongings. They recommend starting to downsize two years early if you can, because for them it came down to the last few days."It really forces you to become a minimalist," Barry said.Expenses on the roadWhile they said RV life isn't as expensive as owning a home, they still spent a lot of money on experiences in the places they visit."We didn't want to change our lifestyle," Darlene said. "We still wanted to go out to eat. We wanted to experience things. We wanted to take tours. We wanted to do all this stuff. So we kind of just subbed one thing for the other." Read more stories like this Darlene planned out the entire first year in advance, booking RV park stays. They ended up, Barry said, staying in a lot of high-end RV resorts and campgrounds, spending at least $1,000 a month. But since then, they have lowered their costs as they pivoted more to boondocking, or being off-grid and providing your own electricity and water.They installed solar panels on the RV in 2023, which helped them cut costs and live more off-grid after Darlene was let go from her job the following year. Barry said it's hard to justify the cost of a solar panel setup if you're not going to do RV life full time or do boondocking.They don't have a washer and dryer by choice, and they pay for a service to still get mail. The couple likes going off-grid. Courtesy of Barry and Darlene Nicholson While boondocking came out of necessity, Darlene said going off-grid camping has been better for them anyway, and it's helping them cut down on costs."We just love the peace and quiet," Barry said. "We've stayed in some places where we're surrounded by this beauty, and there's no sound other than the wind and the trees."They're on their second RV, a 40-foot fifth wheel. October was the most they've spent on diesel; they estimate they spent more than $1,000 last month, and less than $400 a month in early 2026.Darlene said people should have a few thousand dollars on hand in case of "what if" situations, such as needing to replace tires or needing more money for diesel."You got to have that backup flexibility for when these weird things happen, and you can be ready for it, and it doesn't wreck your whole plan, but that's part of this lifestyle," Darlene said. "You have to know that it's going to have all those fluctuations."They still stay at campgrounds and RV parks from time to time. Campground costs can vary depending on where you stay and how many nights you stay. For instance, their 40-night stay at one campground cost over $2,000. Meanwhile, seven nights at an RV park elsewhere cost $288; they were off-grid the rest of that month.Going all in on content creationDarlene searched for a new job but decided to stop given the tough job market."It was just trying to find a job in my 50s competing against people in their 20s and 30s who are hungry and young, and I just was really hitting my head against the wall," she said. They've been to various national parks, including Zion in Utah. Courtesy of Barry and Darlene Nicholson They have a YouTube channel they started in December 2023 called "Like There's No Tomorrow," where they talk about RV life and what they've learned as a couple who have never done this lifestyle before. The channel became monetized slightly before Darlene's job cut. Darlene said she would give the channel three months to see if they could bring in enough money to replace at least half of her income, and if not, she would go back to work. Barry left his job in 2025 and does YouTube and other content creation full time with Darlene.Trying to stay prepared for the unexpectedWhen they sold their house in 2023, they invested the proceeds and don't touch it."I always tell people, you got to have an exit plan if you're going to do something like this because you never know what can happen," Darlene said.That could include unexpected repairs or unexpected health problems.When they were parked on a hillside, Darlene was dumping water in the dark one night, caught her toe on something, fell forward to push open the side patio gates, and hit her head on the ground 10 feet below. She lost feeling in her hands for about a month, had a concussion, whiplash, and fractured her skull. Another time, their dog Hugo ate something he shouldn't have and got really sick. The couple travels with their dog, Hugo. Courtesy of Barry and Darlene Nicholson "Not only do you have to think about you're also not close to your local doctor, you're not close to your local vet either," Barry said.They also want to be prepared for when their full-time RV journey ends. "We have money put away for when we decide we are going to leave the road, and we meet with our financial planner a lot to try to make sure we're continuing to put back enough money," Darlene said. "We have goals someday of coming off the road or being a part-time traveler and not a full-time traveler with some sort of home base eventually, but it's not right now." Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Madison Hoff is a reporter on Business Insider’s economy team. She covers the labor market, inflation, spending, and other data. In addition to covering new estimates and trends, her workforce reporting includes career pivots, job searching, and side hustles.She also covers downsizing, particularly people selling their houses to pursue RV living. She has also reported on how much teachers spend out of pocket and what it’s like being a caregiver.Her stories often cover the state of the economy, what experts are saying, and how people are navigating the workplace or their careers.Previously, she was a junior reporter and data editorial fellow on the Strategy team. RV