There are many older women who own and travel in a variety of RV’s (Recreational Vehicles). Whether it’s a big Class A or a smaller Van, even if it’s not self contained.
 
Some of these older women live full time in their RV and are called Nomads. Other women only travel part-time and continue to maintain a home-base. You can learn more about why some choose this lifestyle, from this very popular new movie called Nomadland.

What is an RV Lifestyle?

An RV lifestyle is when one or more people live in an RV and travel from place to place either part-time or full-time. RV’s can be vans, small or large recreational vehicles, travel trailers, buses and even box vans that have been converted to become self contained.

What is a Nomad?

A nomad is someone who wanders, moves around, instead of living in one place. The nomad community compares having a “sticks and bricks” home versus having a home on wheels.

Many full time nomads follow the sun. They like to travel to locations that have constant temperatures in the 70’s.

What is a Nomad Lifestyle?

Living a nomad lifestyle is a choice. It usually starts with a person making a decision to live on the road. This requires a shift from living in a house to living out of an RV, a van or other vehicle. Some nomads even live out of cars.

Notice the words “out of”. Nomads will tell us that they don’t live in their RV’s they live outside. This provides them with a new back or front yard view every time they change locations. It is also one of the reasons they choose this lifestyle.

Are Nomads homeless?

A nomad is not homeless. They are houseless, without a fixed, physical address. Depending on where a nomad will travel to next, they often will use a mail forwarding service and have mail sent from their home state to where they are currently located.

Can you RV and not become a nomad?

The answer is yes, you certainly can. There are many senior women who like to travel in their RV but still maintain their sticks and bricks home. One such senior, named Terry, discovered that she likes to travel and follow the sun and then go back home. A full time nomad life is not for her.

What are the advantages to being a Nomad?

• Opportunities to travel
• Learning to live on less
• Usually cost less than rent
• Live a compact life  
• Make lots of new friends
• Can join many communities
• Enhanced living through new experiences
• Go anywhere the road takes you
• Learn new cultures
• Eat new foods
• Participate in festivals
• See beautiful wildlife
• Follow the sun

What are the disadvantages to being a Nomad?

• Moving all the time
• Sometimes a lack of private space
• Can become lonely
• Space inside is limited
• Price of gas fluctuates
• A budget is required
• Must save money for the unexpected
• Downsizing can cost
• Repairs may be needed
• Constant cleaning

What are the challenges of becoming a Nomad?

• Planning ahead for a move
• Establishing a routine
• Staying organized
• Choosing your community
• Researching your next location
• Eating healthy
• Getting exercise
• Becoming good at packing

What is the best RV for older women?

When choosing the best RV as an older woman, you must take into consideration access and movement. How much lifting, pulling, pushing and labor will be required of you as you live in that RV. Is there enough storage and can you reach it?

Some older women have said that they just cannot do any heavy tasks any longer. No worries. They know the importance of purchasing a very good maintenance plan and have access to people who can help them. That’s one positive about making friends in the nomad community. They help each other.

Another important consideration when choosing an RV is to choose one that you feel safe in. Can you get in the driver’s seat quickly and leave if necessary?

Check out Kathy’s rig and how she travels.

Resources For Solo Women RVers

Robin from Creativity RV shares why she became a nomad and shares some information about how to start an RV life. Her book and videos will help you decide if this lifestyle might be right for you.

Another Resource

Another YouTuber that has much to offer single, senior women who are interested in the RV, Nomad lifestyle is Amber of Story Chasing. Here she talks about her last 4 years on the road and the many experiences she’s had, good and bad. At the time of this writing she tells us that she just turned 50 (which she doesn’t look like). She is an inspiration to all women who want to travel solo and shows us how it can be done.

Ask yourself, do you want to become more active, now that you have the time? Perhaps you’d like to do some travel or visit friends and family. Are you considering a move, maybe to sun country? 

Retirement Lifestyle choices for single, senior women are not really any different than for couples. It just means that you are no longer working your full time job and now you can choose how you want to fill the hours of each day. 

Retirement Lifestyle choices may mean that you will have to decide wisely if you have less money to live on and you might need to do some kind of work. Many single, senior women like to have part-time jobs after retiring not only for the money but to keep themselves busy and around other people. Some ladies even start new businesses.

What does lifestyle mean for me as a senior woman?

According to Wikipedia, Lifestyle is defined as interests, opinions, behaviors, and behavioral orientations of an individual, group, or culture. … The broader sense of lifestyle means a “way or style of living” and has been documented since 1961. Lifestyle is a combination of determining intangible or tangible factors.

In simple terms, lifestyle is the choices you make for how and where you want to live as a single, senior woman in your retirement years.

What is an example of lifestyle?

A very popular lifestyle for retirees is to live in a community where there are others of the same age and interest. These retirement communities have lots of activities to choose from. One of the oldest is in Sun City, Arizona. There they offer many ways for you to get involved in activities and be around others. Choose; tennis, inside and outside board games, swimming, exercise, arts and crafts, travel, entertainment. Sometimes there are even have part-time jobs you can apply for.

What are types of lifestyle?

You choose your retirement lifestyle based on what inspires you and what makes you happy.

• Are you drawn to an active lifestyle?
• Is health and wellness a priority?
• Do you like living in the city or the country?
• Maybe you’re considering living abroad.
• Do you want to travel and become a nomad?
• Would you like to live in community (once called communes)
• Shared Housing may be a lifestyle you’d like to explore. 
• Sailing around the world could be your passion?
• Living in a Tiny House community is gaining popularity.
• Apartments for 55+ with security are attractive to some.
• Mobile home living. Perhaps becoming a snowbird.

There is no limit to the type of lifestyle available for you to choose. Knowing you can change your mind and choose something else at anytime will give you peace of mind. In this world nothing is exempt from change.

What are the best places for single, senior women to retire?

The best places for single, senior women to retire will depend on your likes and dislikes. Each state will offer you something different. So it becomes important for you to research and even visit the area before moving. Talk to local realtors, other local businesses and other single seniors to determine if it will be a fit for you and the lifestyle you desire.

How can I enjoy my retirement alone?

Retiring alone allows you to make decisions about the type of lifestyle you want to live. Embrace the changes that will occur when you stop your working life. This is the time to relax and not make any big decisions. Take some time to determine what makes you happy and where you want to live and the people you want to be around.

Is living alone expensive?

When you live alone you do not have another person to share in the cost. This includes basic living expenses; rent, utilities, cable, food, etc. It is because there is only one income coming in. 

Very often singles do pay more for things like cruises and hotels. For instance, if you’d like to have your own cabin on a cruise, you will pay more than a couple would. The justification is that the cruise line would make more money charging a couple for the same space. This is also true for hotels.

One way single, senior women are reducing their cost of living is by house sharing. The old “Golden Girls” lifestyle is becoming more popular today. It gives us peace of mind knowing that someone will be there when we get home or miss us if we don’t get home. We help each other when needed and have extra money to do the fun things in our retirement life.

Is living alone scary?

It can be scary when you live alone. Feeling safe and secure at home is at the top of the list for single, senior women. We want to live in a place that has low crime, very responsive emergency services and secure surroundings.

Safety First

If you are planning to relocate to another state, do some research first. The information is readily available online today and you can check things like services you will need to keep you safe. For more specific information do a search of the city and state you are interested in living. Also local realtors can help with detailed information.

Community Safety
https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/tools-resources/state-of-safety

Crime Reports
https://usafacts.org/state-of-the-union/crime/

Traveling Abroad
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

What are types of lifestyle?

Types of lifestyle examples are; active, solo, nomadic, rural, urban, healthy, bohemian, 

Types of lifestyle should include details about how you want to live.

• Living alone
• Shared Housing
• Living with family
• Living in community
• Retirement living

There are many other details you should include that will encompass what type of lifestyle you choose.

• Location
• Type of home
• Travel
• Activities
• Social life
• Spiritual life

What are the disadvantages of living alone?

Some senior women have said that they get very lonely living alone. This can lead to health problems and a shortened lifespan unless you make an effort to find and join a community. Get yourself lots of girl friends and other friends and participate in life. Do not isolate yourself. We need each other in good times and bad.

How long does it take to adjust to retirement?

Adjusting to retirement is different for everyone. Sometimes our identity is linked to our job or title and after we retire it’s normal to feel lost and forgotten. This may be a reason for you to start something new. As they say, reinvent yourself. 

There are women who have planned for the day and couldn’t wait to change everything about their lives. They purchased an RV, sold their home and took to the road. It was a passion for them and now they could actually live it.

If you’re not sure what you want in your retirement, the best advice I was given is to do nothing. Give yourself time, 6 months to a year, to decide, plan and then take action.

Is living alone bad for your health?

There are statistics that tell us that people who live alone and become sedentary do not live as healthy or as long as couples or people living in community.

What is a Retirement Lifestyle Plan?

A lifestyle plan is a written plan that covers the details for the type of life you want to live in retirement.

The purpose of the plan is to create a balance between what is important to you and what you can afford. You will then be able to search for opportunities to get the most out of your retirement life while satisfying most of your desires. 

Retirement lifestyle planning should not only include financial plans but also lifestyle choices. It takes time, thought and research. Write everything down as you go using our Retirement Lifestyle Planning Guide.