Life in Wildebeest: What a Typical Travel Week Actually Looks Like

 🚐 Life in Wildebeest: What a Typical Travel Week Actually Looks Like

Craftin’ Wife’s Creations Blog

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: RV life is not one long scenic montage of sunsets, coffee views, and perfectly staged picnic tables.

It’s also… forgetting where you put the leveling blocks while standing in a gravel lot questioning all your life choices. 😅

Wildebeest doesn’t do “routine” in the traditional sense—but there is a rhythm to how our travel weeks usually flow. It’s just a rhythm that occasionally skips a beat, changes tempo, and demands snacks.

So here’s a realistic look at what life actually looks like inside our 1990 Ford E350 shuttle bus conversion (former county EMS command unit turned chaos-cozy home on wheels).

---

🚦 Driving Days: “Everything Must Be Stowed and Nobody Touch Anything”

Driving days are their own category of organized chaos.

Chris is behind the wheel, fully locked into driver mode—music on, caffeine in hand, mentally calculating fuel stops and road grades like it’s a video game level. I’m usually in the navigator seat, GPS queen duties activated, watching exits, weather shifts, and random “why is that road closed?” surprises.

Inside Wildebeest? Everything is secured like we’re preparing for mild turbulence on a very unpredictable airplane.

• Cabinets double-checked
• Loose items tucked away
•  safe route through the living space established 
• Snacks strategically positioned for morale

Driving days are equal parts excitement and “please let this lane change go smoothly.”

---

🏕️ Arrival & Setup: The Controlled Chaos Phase

Pulling into a site always feels like the beginning of a mini project.

First comes the scan:

• Is it level-ish?
• Can we actually fit here without becoming a neighborhood landmark?
• Where’s the sun going to be in three hours?

Then Wildebeest settles in.

Because we’re a former EMS shuttle conversion, we don’t have the typical RV hookups situation—no black tank, no gray tank, and no traditional water hookup system. Translation: everything we do is a little more intentional and a lot more “figure it out as you go.”

Setup usually looks like:

• Parking and leveling
• Power setup (when available)
• Propane check for cooking
• Interior reset so it feels like home again instead of a moving puzzle box

It’s not complicated, but it is a dance we’ve learned through trial, error, and at least one “why is the cabinet doing that” moment.

---

☀️ Midweek Life: The “This Is Actually Living” Part

Once everything is set, the pace slows down in the best way.

This is where Wildebeest becomes home instead of a vehicle.

Chris usually takes on:

• Cooking (yes, still impressively functional in a tiny propane setup)
• Editing content or working on writing projects
• Gaming sessions when the day allows it

Meanwhile, I rotate through:

• Blogging and social media updates
• Planning our next stops (hello, spreadsheet chaos)
• Reading, crafting, or getting lost in photography ideas
• General “why is this bin overflowing again” organization resets

This is also the stretch where small routines matter most:

• Morning coffee feels sacred
• Evenings feel quieter, slower
• We both start referring to “outside” and “inside” like they’re separate countries

---

🔧 The Reality Layer: Maintenance Never Sleeps

Even on “easy” weeks, something always needs attention.

• Checking seals, latches, and anything that rattled too aggressively on the last drive
• Managing propane levels like it’s a strategic resource
• Rearranging storage when gravity decides to win
• Keeping an eye on wear-and-tear from constant movement

Wildebeest is sturdy, but she’s also honest. She lets us know when something needs attention—usually through a noise that sounds mildly judgmental.

---

🌙 Downtime: The Part Social Media Doesn’t Show Enough

This is the part that makes the whole lifestyle worth it.

Sitting outside at dusk.
Listening to the world quiet down.
Cooking something simple and calling it dinner.
Laughing over things that would probably confuse anyone looking in.

There’s a weird kind of peace in living small and mobile—like life gets stripped down to what actually matters in the moment.

And yes… sometimes that moment is “where did we put the scissors this time?” but still. Growth. 😄

---

🚐 The Truth About a “Typical Week”

There really isn’t one.

Some weeks we move every couple of days. Some weeks we barely touch the keys. Some weeks feel smooth, and others feel like we’re solving a never-ending puzzle with missing pieces.

*Currently we're semi permanently parked in NE Ohio.

But the rhythm is always the same underneath it all:

• Drive
• Settle
• Live
• Adjust
• Repeat

And somehow, Wildebeest keeps rolling through all of it—messy, functional, weirdly cozy, and absolutely ours.

---

Until next time,
— Amanda 🚐✨