The Clayton family’s road map to living fully

A teacher, a veteran, and their son turned a moment of uncertainty into a full-time RV journey, and never looked back.

When Melodie and Kurt Clayton sold their house and hit the road full-time in early 2022, it wasn’t a spontaneous leap, but rather a deliberate decision to live fully. Kurt, a disabled Army veteran and cancer survivor, had once been told he might lose his mobility by age 65. Rather than wait for the “right time,” the couple embraced life on the road with their youngest son, Marcus, while their eldest, CJ, began his career serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Now known on Instagram as RV Plus 3, the Claytons have turned their 42-foot Forest River Cedar Creek fifth wheel into a true home on wheels. From managing homeschooling and health care on the move to finding community with other travelling families, their story is one of resilience, resourcefulness, and gratitude. 

We caught up with Melodie to find out more about their adventures.

What inspired you to sell your house and begin full-time RV life in early 2022?

What inspired us to hit the road full-time wasn’t just one thing, it was a mix of life experiences that pushed us to say, "Why wait?"

Kurt is a disabled Army veteran and cancer survivor. Years ago, a doctor told him he would likely be in a wheelchair by the time he was 65 years old. That moment really hit us hard. It was a reminder that life is short, unpredictable, and too precious to put on hold. So instead of waiting for the "right time," we decided to make the time now, to live life to the fullest while we can.

At the same time, COVID shifted our world. We began homeschooling Marcus, and to our surprise, he thrived. Our oldest, CJ, had just graduated high school and was heading off to the Air Force. It felt like the perfect window for change.

We sold our house in late 2021 and moved into our RV, staying close to home at first to help CJ get ready for his new journey. By early 2022, we were officially on the road, our very first big trip was to Texas to watch CJ graduate from Air Force Basic Training, which made it even more meaningful.

Kurt had been watching RV YouTube videos for years and had always dreamed of travelling this way. The housing market was hot, so I told him, "Sell me on this idea.’"And let’s just say, he did a pretty great job. The more we thought about it, the more it just felt right. So here we are living our dream and making memories on the road.

What were your biggest concerns before hitting the road, and how did you overcome them?

Our biggest concern was financial stability, covering campground fees, fuel, and living expenses on a fixed income. We solved that by buying a Thousand Trails membership for affordable stays and using Open Roads to save on diesel. We also remind ourselves we don’t live like we are on vacation, this is just our home, it just happens to have wheels and we end up in different places.

We were worried about our son meeting other kids, but that has not been an issue at all. In fact, he’s probably made more friends on the road than he ever did in traditional school! We did join Full-Time families  and that has opened the door to meeting other families and giving him a community of friends wherever we travel. I feel like just going and taking the plunge was what helped me overcome my concerns. 

What make/model of RV unit do you have?

We have a Forest River Cedar Creek 377BH.

I love that my son has two rooms, an upper loft, and a bottom room to call his own. The upper bunk is long enough to fit my husband at 6’4”, so we know our son has room to grow. I fell in love with the residential kitchen, and living area, to me it feels like a home. 

What helps you plan your destinations? 

We love chasing 70-degree weather, somewhere warm in the winter and cooler in the summer. Affordability plays a big role too, so we often stay near Thousand Trails parks to help stretch our budget. There are events we look forward to each year, like the Hershey and Tampa RV shows, which have become family traditions. Medical needs also play a role in where we choose to go. Kurt has a bad back, he actually just had cervical spine surgery, and needs a few more surgeries. So staying near where he can get medical care is important in our route planning.

Sometimes it’s simply about exploring new places and that is something we love to do. Right now, that’s the East Coast, Massachusetts, Maine. Next year we would love to head west to see states we have never visited before. The West takes a little more planning since Thousand Trails parks are fewer and farther between, but that just makes the adventure even more exciting.

So for us, it’s a mix of climate, budget, medical needs, events and new places. Every trip is a balance, but it always leads to new adventures.

What routines or traditions have you maintained or created while travelling?

We have found ways to keep some traditions alive on the road while also creating a few new ones. We still celebrate the main holidays just on the road, and if our oldest son’s schedule allows, we plan celebrations when he is available.

As for routines, two big ones have stuck: we never arrive at a campsite after dark, and we always do a double walk around the RV before leaving a campsite. Those little habits have saved us a lot of stress and help keep our travels smoother and safer.

Has the dynamic of being a family of three on the road shaped your travel choices?

Yes and no. We do lean toward family friendly and educational stops since we’re homeschooling, but we don’t limit ourselves. Even in places like Key West, often seen as a couples’ spot, our son had a blast learning history at the fort and swimming in the crystal blue waters. We have found that almost anywhere can be meaningful as a family if you make it your own.

What is one of the most meaningful memories you've made so far?

It’s so hard to pick just one favourite memory! Every stop has given us meaningful memories as we experience new places together for the first time. Watching Marcus grow on this journey has been amazing, from swimming in the beautiful blue waters of Fort Zachary Taylor Beach to climbing and running around the rock formations in Acadia National Park. Celebrating my 45th birthday on the beach with both my boys was unforgettable, and seeing our oldest graduate from Air Force basic training filled me with pride. Along the way, Kurt and I have shared countless sunsets, stargazing nights, and special milestones. With so many cherished moments, every stop has given us something to treasure and I cannot pick just one.

What does a typical day look like for you—work, meals, leisure, exploring?

A typical day for us really is not too different from anyone else’s. Kurt and I usually start the morning with coffee while catching up on emails, and I’ll check in on social media. Then we wake Marcus and have breakfast together before he starts his online school and I dive into my own work. For a while, I did the social media for the RV LIFE Podcast with Patti Hunt, and now I am focusing on RV Plus 3's social media, and seeing what other opportunities are out there. 

Some days we head out to explore, but plenty of days are filled with the usual routines such as laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, and all the everyday tasks that keep life moving. Most meals we cook at the RV, though we like to treat ourselves and eat out about once a week or every other week.

What creative hacks have you developed to optimize life in a fifth wheel?

Living in a fifth wheel has definitely taught us to get creative with space and routines. We cut our king bed down to a queen to make more walk-around room, and we removed the glass sliding doors in the bathroom, which instantly made the space feel bigger. One of the best upgrades was getting Marcus a 3D printer for Christmas. Not only has it been great for his education, but he’s also helped us by printing things we actually need like shelves for our medicine cabinet, a projector mount so we could replace our TV, and even holders for our wall chargers and toothbrushes. It’s been a game-changer for making our tiny home more functional.

How do you balance online presence with enjoying the moment in real life?

When we are out exploring or having family time, we make sure to experience it fully, take it in, enjoy the moment, and then capture what we want to share online. I also don’t post everything we do, some moments are just for us. To keep balance, I set aside specific times for posting or editing so it doesn’t take over our days. For us, the memories always come first, and the online presence is a way to document and share them after we have lived them.

What are your goals and dreams for the future?

Our biggest goal is to keep living this lifestyle of freedom and exploration, creating memories together as a family. We would love to continue partnering with brands and destinations that fit our journey, and eventually grow our platforms enough to inspire and help more families see that life on the road is possible. A dream of ours is to eventually visit every state together, including Hawaii. Eventually we would love to take a cruise and try that. At the heart of it, though, our dream is simple, keep exploring, keep making memories and keep making the most of the time we have as a family.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Just that we’re truly grateful for this lifestyle and the opportunities it’s given us as a family. It’s taught us to slow down, appreciate the little things, and find joy in places we may have never discovered otherwise. Along the way, we have made so many wonderful friends who have become like family. Sharing our journey has been such a gift, and we hope it inspires other families to follow their own path, whether that’s full-time RVing or simply making more room for adventure together.