Andrew Steele does not fit the image of a full-time RVer.

He is single, 30 years old and self-employed. For the last two winters, he has called a 32-foot Airstream trailer home in Eagle View RV Resort, Asah Gweh Oou-o, home.

Around this time when Arizona temperatures head north, so does the 2002 Fountain Hills High School graduate. He spends summers at Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort in Spearfish, S.D.

Steele enjoys the freedom to go where he wants and stay as long as he chooses.

“The campground lifestyle is really neat. You get to meet your neighbors. You can live in a normal neighborhood and wave to your neighbors every day and never really know them. You spend two nights around a campfire and you know a guy’s life stories,” said Steele.

Five years ago, Steele started a business of detailing automobiles. In 2011, he expanded his services to include recreational vehicles.

Steele hand washes, waxes and cleans autos, recreational vehicles, boats and aircraft interiors and exteriors. His business website is www.ansautodetail.com.

After washing RVs for clients, he’d ask where their next destination would be. Many mentioned the Black Hills of South Dakota.

“On a whim, I went there,” he recalled. During his visit, he leased a basement apartment that was subsequently flooded. He had no place to live so he bought the Airstream that became his full-time residence.

“Once people see my business, they realize it is more a lifestyle than a business,” he said. “It’s a laid-back kind of life.”

He pulls the trailer behind his cargo van and averages about seven miles a gallon. He estimates his 1,200-mile trip to South Dakota will cost about $700 for fuel one-way.

He saves campground fees by pulling into Wal-Mart parking lots where RVers can stay free. RV parks and campgrounds charge about $700 a month.

Limited space to store belongings is about the only negative aspect of living full-time in a RV, said Steele. He is shopping for a larger fifth-wheel to replace the Airstream.

He remains in contact with his parents and friends via social media and email.

He doesn’t know how long the appeal of RV living will last.

“I kind of have made it a lifestyle, and there is really no turning back for at least awhile,” he concluded.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann Michaels is a RV “newbie” whose dream is to “visit as many beach towns as I can in the next five years.”

After losing her condo in a foreclosure, the single MCO Realtor and farmers market vendor has lived in a fifth-wheel travel trailer at McDowell Mountain Regional Park and Fort McDowell RV resort.

Her interest in RVing was first spiked by a television commercial that promoted the freedom and lifestyle of traveling in a recreational vehicle.

“I saw my peers having fun,” she recalled, and the idea appealed to her.

Through a newspaper advertisement, she located a local family selling a travel trailer to upgrade to a larger rig.

Michaels never had pulled a recreational vehicle before buying the 26-foot bunkhouse Jayco light travel trailer with a side slide-out two years ago. The two bunk beds were ideal for overnight visits by her two grandchildren.

Her plan then began to take shape. She sought out advice from vendor colleague Roy Armeyers, who taught her the basics and tricks of towing a trailer and setting up camp.

He coached her for four months, and then she broke her arm, postponing her trip for a year.

The delay provided time to consult social media expert Guy Downes of Deep Space Marketing to create a business Facebook page, Twitter account and Internet e-commerce website.

Michaels will use a Samsung mobile device to blog, update her business pages and stay in contact with her daughter/business partner, Natalie Varela.

“I am not financially independent,” said Michaels. “I need a revenue flow. Natalie will take care of the real estate business here while I receive cash flow from farmers’ markets.”

Michaels is known as the “Chia Lady” for selling Arizona chia seeds/products and bio wash items at the local market on the Avenue. While on the road, she intends to sell at farmers’ markets and online.

Michaels plans to pull put May 28 and head to Corpus Christi and Mustang Island. Her route will then follow the Gulf Coast east to Mississippi and Alabama. She does not expect to return to Fountain Hills until after Thanksgiving.

Before she even begins her trip, she is thinking about next year’s destination.

“Once I get 2,000 to 3,000 miles under my belt, I’ll go north next year to Oregon and Washington,” said Michaels.

Carol and John

“Volun-tourists” is the description that Carol and John Pletz invented for their retirement activities.

“We volunteer at a park we love for several months at a time, and then move to another,” explained Carol.

“We like staying in one area because we build new friendships, explore new places in our time off and learn all we can from the people we work with.”

During the past winter, they parked their 35-foot, fifth wheel with three slide-outs for the kitchen, bedroom and living room at McDowell Mountain Regional Park just north of town.

They joined nearly 20 other RV volunteers who register guests, manage the visitors’ center and gift shop and generally provide assistance at the gate house in exchange for a free camping site. Each volunteer devotes 24 to 29 hours on assigned jobs.

They left at the end of April for Smithville Lake Park near Kansas City, Mo., to be closer to their children and grandkids for the summer. They plan to return in autumn.

Carol and John researched full-time RVing for about 10 years after camping in a popup trailer for more than 40 years, said John.

After extended camping trips, “We realized more and more that we didn’t want to go home,” said John.

“There isn’t really a downside. If you run into a situation that you don’t like, you can get up and move. There’s so much freedom.”

Plus, John added, “You are not obligated to mow the lawn. You’re free to explore whatever you want.”

Expanded counter space and cabinets allow them to enjoy a favorite pastime of cooking together.

Carol advises that “it helps to marry your best friend” when confined to limited living quarters. Both enjoy hiking, biking and spending time outdoors.

“We love doing activities together,” said Carol. They explore areas and develop friendships with individuals who share their knowledge about birding, flora and fauna.

“For the moment, it is a lot of fun and provides the ability for us to explore various locations with no real obligations,” summarized John.