Family sells $400,000 house to live full-time in an RV

Jill and Derek Dooley sold their Florida house for about $400,000 and traded roughly 1,900 square feet for a roughly 450-square-foot RV. Jill, a former math and science teacher who felt burned out, now homeschools and plans the family’s travel, while Derek switched to remote work and set up a portable office he can use where it’s quiet.

Their RV includes a primary bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a daughters’ playroom with a sleeping loft. The smaller space is easier to clean, and the family says stress levels have dropped even as they learn new maintenance tasks and the logistics of life on the road.

They began their RV life in Florida — renting a boat in the Keys and visiting the Blowing Rocks Preserve — and are now traveling toward Maine with plans to return to Florida in mid-September. Jill calls herself the family’s “cruise director,” coordinating reservations and activities; homeschooling has allowed hands-on field trips that fit curriculum, though teaching two different ages can be challenging.

United States, Florida, Maine

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