Why We Chose Nomadic RV Life in Ontario, Canada

This didn’t start with a dream to live in an RV. It started with life shifting, slowly at first, and then all at once.

Mark and I met online. There wasn’t a big, dramatic story behind it. We were simply two people connecting and seeing where things would go. To be honest, he was the only guy around my age that I didn’t already know from school or life, so I figured I would give it a shot.

At the time, neither of us were starting from perfect places. Mark was working as a night manager and was committed to his recovery journey after struggling with addiction earlier in life. I was going through a difficult divorce and trying to figure out what my life was going to look like moving forward. What came next was not flashy, but it was real, and together we built a life.

We spent over ten years living in the same apartment on Kennedy Road in Scarborough. We both had established careers, two vehicles, our pets, and a place that truly felt like home. It was not anything extravagant, but it was ours. We were not struggling, and we were genuinely enjoying life.

Then the pandemic hit, and like it did for so many people, things began to change. Mark’s job remained steady, but mine did not. After more than twenty-five years working in marketing in multiple roles, including management, graphic design, social media, event planning, and website design, I reached a point where the stress finally caught up to me. Work changed, stability changed, and my perspective began to shift.

Around that time, we took on a superintendent position in a condo building right next door to where we were living. It felt like a step forward for us. The position came with a two-bedroom unit, utilities included, internet and cable, and a washer and dryer. On paper, it looked like exactly what we needed to create more stability and stay ahead.

Mark continued working full-time as a heavy equipment operator while we took on the superintendent role, and together we were doing everything we could to make it work.

Unfortunately, that situation did not unfold the way it was supposed to, and I was wrongfully terminated.

While I did win my case, it is not something we go into detail about. What matters is what came next, because that moment is what changed everything for us.

When we went back to look for a place again on the same street we had called home for over a decade, everything had changed. The same apartment we had lived in was now over $2,100 a month, plus approximately $150 per car for parking, and utilities were no longer included.

Rent had doubled, and in many cases even tripled, across the GTA within a single year.

That was the moment it became clear to us that we needed to make a different decision.

We could continue chasing rising costs that no longer made sense, or we could choose a completely different path.

We chose something different.

We had talked about RV life before, but only in a casual way. It had always been more of a future idea, something for weekend trips, RC events, or occasional travel. We had watched others live this lifestyle for years. Some people made it work long-term, while others eventually returned to traditional living. For us, it was never something we had seriously planned to do full-time.

In July 2022, we went to look at an RV, which is the same one we are still living in today. The owner had it listed for about a year, and Mark had been watching it the entire time, noticing the price gradually coming down. Eventually, we decided to go take a look in person.

At that point, we were still thinking about using it for weekends. However, when we stepped inside, something shifted. The RV was not perfect and it was not brand new, but it felt solid, practical, and possible. What started as a casual idea quickly began to feel like something we could actually make work. That same month, we purchased the RV, a 1999 Newmar Mountain Aire.

In August 2022, we moved in full-time. There was no long transition and no backup plan.

We spent three nights in a hotel while finishing the roof, one night in a friend’s driveway, and then we stepped directly into RV life.

Our first stop was Indian Line Conservation, where we began learning everything from scratch, including how to manage water, power, tanks, and space, all while adjusting to a completely new way of living.

In October 2022, we lost our dog Abigale, who had been battling a brain tumor. She was not just one of our dogs, she was my first dog and the one who started my love for Jack Russell's. Losing her affected me deeply, and it is something that stayed with me for a long time. She will always be part of our story.

From late 2022 into 2023, we lived fully nomadic across North York, Scarborough, and Toronto. We stayed in parking lots, quiet streets, and industrial areas, moving frequently and learning as we went. I made many mistakes in the beginning, but over time, this lifestyle started to feel more natural.

In the spring of 2023, Ladybird joined our family and brought a new energy into our home. We tried campground living again for a short period, but it did not feel like the right fit for us, so we returned to a fully nomadic approach. During this time Mark had changed jobs and started Tow Truck driving.

Through 2023 and into early 2024, things began to fall into place. Mark switched back to heavy equipment operating and we then moved toward Mississauga for Mark’s new job.

In May 2024, our son Cameron was born by emergency c-section , and our priorities shifted once again. It was no longer just about us, but about building a life for him.

We made a conscious decision that we wanted to raise him ourselves, with more time together and more presence in his day-to-day life. We stayed for the season at Indianline Campground which was a nightmare experience.

Later that year, October Cameron was only 6 months old when Ladybird and Chase had five puppies, which added even more activity and responsibility to our already small living space. It brought more noise, more mess, and more challenges, but also more love.

After our nightmare seasonal stay, we made the decision to return to fully nomadic living without a permanent site, continuing to move, adapt, and figure things out in real time.

Today, we are several years into this lifestyle. We are raising a toddler, managing multiple pets, navigating Ontario winters, and continuing to move regularly.

Some days feel calm, while others feel chaotic, but this life is ours. We did not run away. We made a conscious decision. We chose to step away from a system that no longer made sense for us, especially when rent had doubled and tripled so quickly. We chose more time together, more presence as a family, and a different way of living.