A family of 4 lives in an RV full time. It's helping them pay off debt while traveling.

Haylea Rossi and her family live in an RV full time. The Roamin Rossis The Rossi family has been living in an RV full time for six years. Their lifestyle allows them to travel and spend more time together as a family. They hope to keep living the RV lifestyle until they pay off debt and feel more financially secure. The view from Haylea Rossi's bedroom is constantly changing. Sometimes, she can see snowy mountains. A week later, she could see waves crashing on the shore. No, Rossi doesn't have a green screen that rotates outside her home. She and her family live in an RV full time, traveling the country year-round. The mom of two told Business Insider that she loves RV life for lots of reasons, but especially because of the financial freedom it gives her family. The Rossi family was at a crossroads in 2020. The Roamin Rossis In 2020, Rossi, 31, didn't get to see her husband, Ryan Rossi, 34, much. Rossi was at home with their two children, Liam and Olivia, who are now 12 and 10, while her husband finished up his military service. "He deployed almost every single year," Rossi, who is a content creator and social media creator for brands, told Business Insider of her husband's time in the military. "He was constantly away." When her husband's service was finally done, the Rossis wanted to make up for lost time. When her husband got a remote job as an independent insurance adjuster, which required him to travel to Colorado for six months of training, Rossi was excited that her family could be together. However, they struggled to find a housing option they could afford as they relocated, particularly because they were trying to pay off debt at the same time. They decided to try RV life. The Roamin Rossis The Rossis took the expensive housing in Colorado as a sign to do something different: buy an RV. Rossi said an RV was more affordable for her family than buying or renting a house, and the six-month span seemed like a good way to test out the lifestyle, which was completely new to them. "We went into it knowing if it wasn't a good fit, we weren't going to stay in it," she said, adding that she had some trepidation about RV life. "Once I did some research before we actually did it, I was like, 'There's a whole group of people who do this, and they actually travel, and they experience life,'" she said. With all that in mind, they decided to give it a go, buying an RV and heading to Colorado. "We lived there up in the mountains for six months, and then said, 'This is kind of the best thing ever. Let's travel,'" Rossi said. They've been on the road ever since. The Rossis have had two RVs in their six years of traveling. The Roamin Rossis Their first RV was a 2020 Forest River Sabre. They renovated the interior for a more custom, tiny-home feel, as many RVers do. That RV got totaled, which led the Rossis to buy a newer Forest River Sabre 36DBB in January 2026. It's slightly larger and has separate bedrooms for their kids, unlike their first RV. The Rossis haven't customized their current RV, as the newer design is a good fit for their family. The new vehicle cost $70,000. When you enter the RV, you're greeted by the main living space. The Roamin Rossis The vehicle's main room houses a kitchen and a living area. The kitchen has a stove, oven, microwave, and refrigerator, but it doesn't have a dishwasher. There's also ample built-in storage, including a hidden pantry that sits behind their TV and fireplace. A large island sits in the center of the room, which Rossi said is a big upgrade for their family. "It's really spacious compared to a normal little dinette table," she said. The Rossi kids do most of their schoolwork at the kitchen island. The Roamin Rossis Rossi homeschools her children on the road, doing many of their lessons from the island and taking them to see the places they're learning about in their travels. They also took one seat out of their couch, so Rossi's husband has a dedicated desk in the living space and does not have to use the same surface as the kids. Liam Rossi's bedroom is visible from the living area, as it sits in the loft above the space. They also have a projector screen that pulls out from above the TV, so the family can have movie nights. The right side of the RV serves as the primary suite. The Roamin Rossis If you walk to the right when you enter the RV, the primary bathroom and bedroom sit a level above the living area, almost like a private suite. One wall of the bedroom is made entirely of closets, giving the Rossis built-in storage. Their washer and dryer also sit in one of the closets. The Rossis' daughter has the second private bedroom. The Roamin Rossis Although Olivia Rossi's bed takes up much of the space, the bedroom is actually packed with storage for the whole family. There's a closet for her clothes, a shelf for her and her brother's shoes, and space under her bed for storage. The mattress also lifts completely to reveal a hidden storage compartment where the family keeps items such as winter clothes, extra toys, and holiday decor. "You have to live pretty minimally if you live in an RV. You have to be strategic," Rossi said. "It's definitely a challenge at times to cut everything, but we make it work." There's also a second bathroom attached to the bedroom, which Olivia and her brother use. The Rossis do most of their travel in the fall and spring. The Roamin Rossis Ryan Rossi's work can sometimes dictate where the family travels, as he gets sent to different locations after storms. Most of the time, though, they can travel where they want when he's working remotely. Rossi said her family usually stays in a new place for about two weeks, giving them time to explore. They do most of their traveling in the fall and spring, spending summers in Kansas City with family and winters in Florida. Many RV families spend time in Florida during the colder months, so they have a community of friends to spend time with in the winter. Rossi loves the freedom of life on the road. The Roamin Rossis Rossi said that the quality time she gets with her family because of RV life is the biggest benefit of her lifestyle. "We had such a big section of our life where we did life away from each other," Rossi said, adding that being able to actually experience everything with their kids is a gift for her and her husband. She also thinks the experience has changed her family's perspective on material goods for the better. "When we had a house, my kids had so many toys, and they played with maybe a quarter of those toys," she said. "They would much rather be outside riding their bikes or doing something out there." Living in the RV isn't always easy, though. The Roamin Rossis Rossi loves that the RV makes it easy to spend time outdoors, but it can be challenging on days when that isn't an option. "On days where the weather's bad or it's raining, you can feel like you're closed in a little bit," she said. "Our kids will sometimes argue, just like normal kids, and then it sometimes feels like you can't escape that. I can go to my room, but I can still hear them if they're playing a game and they're arguing. That part really is the hardest for me." Rossi also said she sometimes struggles with the space feeling cramped. "It can get very cluttered very quickly," she said. "The upside is it doesn't take long to clean up. It's a small space. But that sometimes drives me a little crazy." The Rossis will continue living on the road for the foreseeable future, in part because it's the most affordable option for their family. The Roamin Rossis Rossi said she doesn't think her family will always live in an RV, but it doesn't make financial sense for them to buy a house right now. "We definitely could buy a house, but then we would feel so much more limited on what we could do financially," she said. Right now, their monthly household expenses are often under $1,000, Rossi said. The RV payments are around $600 a month, and they're often paying $200 in RV park fees with their Thousand Trails membership, which provides access to a network of campgrounds and resorts. Between the cost of homes and high interest rates, Rossi said her family wouldn't be able to travel or pay off their debt if they had to pay a pricey mortgage each month. "We're at the place where we want to pay off our debt," she added. "We want to actually have some experiences while our kids are at home and not feel like we're stuck in the house, just trying to get by." Still, Rossi said they won't continue living on the road if her kids aren't happy. The Roamin Rossis Rossi said it's important to her and her husband that their kids are happy with RV life, especially as they get older. "I know a lot of people have different opinions on this, but I feel like your kids should want to do the lifestyle as well," she said. "We do have frequent check-ins with my kids. We're like, 'Do you feel ready to stop and stay?' But they're both like, 'No, this is the best thing ever. We want to travel.'" They'll continue checking in with their kids, but Rossi said it's been empowering to know their nontraditional lifestyle makes her children happy. "Sometimes, it's easy as a parent to feel like you have to make your life look like everyone else's to give your kid the childhood that you think that they should have," she said. "And for us, we have found that our kids are so much happier just having time with us and experiences with us versus things." At some point, they will likely stop living on the road. For now, though, they're glad to keep the adventure going. "As long as our kids are happy and we're working toward our goals, we'd rather reach our financial goals first before we think about [moving into a house]," Rossi said. Read the original article on Business Insider

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