Donna & Mike Kuper Share Their RV Lifestyle Story About Living Large In A Small Space, And Enjoying Life
Three years ago, when Mike Kuper took early retirement, with a pension and investment income, he and wife Donna decided to sell the house and everything in it, purchase a motor home and “hit the road” as full time RVers. However, as Donna states “The crazy thing is, we had no previous RV experience and didn't know much about the RV lifestyle”. But, inspired by others who were “living the dream” Donna and Mike set out in their new lifestyle and never looked back!
Along with the income Mike was bringing in, Donna was receiving royalties from her multiple books about organization/cleaning/decluttering and simplifying life, fitting subject matter for someone living the RV lifestyle, as well as writing for online publications, and spokesperson brand work. However, cost wise Donna states that “We actually find the full time RV lifestyle to be less expensive than our formal lifestyle.” She continues,” It makes a lot of sense for us because we have family and friends all over the U.S. And both of us have moved across the country several times during our careers” so, although the RV was a new experience, the traveling was something that Donna and Mike were not total strangers to.
As with all full timers, when asked, Donna and Mike have their favorite places, although they admit that it is a difficult question to answer. Says Donna, “This is a beautiful country we live in and I am so glad we decided to explore its scenic highways and byways. If pressed though, I'd have to say that Glacier National Park is one of the most spectacular places on earth.” She says another highlight for them was in 2015 when they volunteered to crew for a hot air balloon team at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival, saying that they are going back this year.... “because we can!” Donna also says “I love the great outdoors and I've been able to hike, bike and run in every state we've been in.” In fact, she even competed in the 2014 senior games in Montana and qualified to compete in the Nationals in Minnesota in 2015!
They have also discovered that there is a “vibrant full time RV community”, and one of the things that they love about it, is the fact that they are not alone. Donna says that “Many full time RVers write blogs about their travels and experiences that we follow. (Mike writes about their own day to day adventures on FlyingTheKoop.com) When we find ourselves in close proximity, we camp together, which give us the opportunity to get to know each other.” Donna says that they have made many wonderful friends this way. And she mentions Rvillage.com as a great resource for full timers where you can “friend” others and when you check in to a park, you can see who you know that may be checked in to the same park. But when talking further about their RV park experiences, she says that they don't always stay in parks. They also enjoy going off grid and dry camping for free on public lands. And they go off grid quite often.
Although when Mike and Donna began their adventure neither one had had any real experience with an RV on the weekend, let alone living full time in one, Donna says that “Thankfully, we love this life”. And she has a brief description for the lifestyle they have come to embrace and love. “I like to say that we are living large in a small space!”
Kim Pezza
A graduate of State University Of New York At Fredonia with a BA in Creative Writing, Kim is an author for Hatherleigh Press [Random House] and Seaside Publishing. She enjoys camping, cheese making and historic crafts.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Camping In The Smokies, nestled along a mountain stream and adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park is conveniently located within minutes of fine dining, shopping and amusements.