Considering Changing RVs? Top Reasons Owners Switch to a New Floorplan

Considering Changing RVs? Top Reasons Owners Switch to a New Floorplan
Learn why four Winnebago owners decided to move to a different motorhome.

By: Morgan Field

Choosing an RV isn't necessarily a once-and-done decision. Sometimes the people, pets, and priorities that affect our travels change. As life evolves, experienced RVers often find themselves asking the question again: What do I need from my RV now?

The floorplan that makes sense for weekend trips may feel entirely different when you're spending months at a time on the road. The RV chosen with kids or grandkids in mind may no longer fit when you're traveling solo. Retirement can open the door to longer, farther-away adventures, while needing to work remotely can necessitate having a space you can use as an office.

For the Winnebago owners who share their stories below, changing RVs wasn't necessarily about finding something "better." It was about finding the floorplan that supported the life they were actually living. Let their stories inspire you when seeking out the rolling home that fits your next chapter best!

When How You Travel Changes

Long before Mike and Susan Fleenor owned an RV, they caught the camping bug the old-fashioned way: with a tent.

Eventually, they upgraded to a 20-foot teardrop-style trailer to bring more comforts of home along. For seven years, the trailer fit their life beautifully. Most adventures were summer trips or three-to-five-day getaways with one destination in mind. They'd arrive, unhitch from their SUV, level the trailer, set up camp, grab their bikes and kayaks, and explore. (Learn more about travel trailer setup here.)

Then they retired. Suddenly, they weren't fitting travel into the spaces around work. They had time—and wanted a new way to make the most of it. They decided to invest in a Winnebago EKKO 22A, and soon discovered they'd changed more than their RV.

With the trailer, the campsite had been the destination. It required reservations, planning, and setup—including one traumatically humorous attempt to unhitch and level it in a sandstorm.

The EKKO transformed travel into something more fluid. With nothing to really set up or take down, they could arrive late, leave early, linger, or change their minds. The trailer had been their base camp; the EKKO became their nimble house on wheels.

One thing was non-negotiable when selecting their RV: the adventure gear had to come. Mike and Susan are outdoor adventurers through and through, and their folding kayaks, hiking gear, and bikes are part of how they experience the places they travel. The EKKO's rear gear garage holds the kayaks and hiking equipment, while their bikes ride on a rack behind them.

And they've put it all to use. This year alone, the Fleenors spent approximately two and a half months exploring the Southwest and another two and a half months RVing Alaska—hiking, biking, and paddling their way through the kind of bucket-list landscapes that make for swoon-worthy photos and even better memories. Their adventures included a journey to the Arctic Ocean, hiking on glaciers, kayaking amongst icebergs, and traversing roads they couldn't imagine attempting with their previous setup.

As a society, we often measure return on investment in money. But some investments return something harder to put on a spreadsheet: time well spent, places explored, stories collected, and memories made.

For the Fleenors, changing RVs helped turn the retirement they'd spent decades saving for into a life they could get out there and live.

When Who You Travel With Changes

When Marcy Gathy talks about her late husband, George, the love between them is palpable.

Over years of RVing together, their rigs evolved with their family—from a Class C with room for a grandchild or two to a small Class A that could accommodate all three grandkids.

RV life was always a team effort. Marcy packed, loaded, and decorated, while George drove, handled maintenance, and managed the exterior setup. They each had their roles, and together, they had RV life down.

Then George died unexpectedly. So, Marcy sold the Class A and thought RVing might have ended with that chapter. But in the fall of 2024, she felt a nudge to open her heart to it again.

This time, the RV needed to work for her. She chose a Winnebago Travato 59K—nimble to drive, simple to set up without a partner or tow vehicle, and easy to keep stocked so she could simply go when adventure called.

A year and a half later, Marcy has put roughly 19,000 miles on her Travato with her dogs, Greta and Hazel, along for the ride. And she's made the RV unmistakably her own, transforming it into one of the coziest little homes on wheels you'll ever see.

However, the biggest thing she gained isn't found on a floorplan diagram: confidence.

Going from one half of an experienced RVing team to managing life on the road herself came with a steep learning curve. But the right-sized RV helped make something she loved feel accessible again.

Marcy's experience raises a consideration that's easy to overlook when choosing an RV: not simply, how many people can it sleep? but who will actually operate it? It is important to consider who drives, sets up, maintains, and manages the logistics—and what would comfortably work if that answer changed?

For Marcy, going smaller didn't mean making her life smaller. It gave her a way to carry something she loved about her life with George into a new chapter—one filled with quality time with her dogs, new friends, and miles of road still waiting ahead.

When Living in Your RV Reveals What You Really Need

Justin Christie loved the nimbleness and layout of his Winnebago Travato GL. But long-term RVing revealed something he couldn't have known from a showroom.

At 6’3’’, Justin could stand comfortably inside, but he couldn't fully stretch without stepping outside. And his 100-plus-pound Rottweiler, Bernie, also needed room to sprawl. A modification created more space for Bernie, but left Justin feeling increasingly cramped.

It was remarkably close to perfect, but after thousands of ordinary moments inside, those few inches began to matter.

Then one evening, Justin stepped inside a friend's Winnebago EKKO 22A for dinner—and suddenly saw how much more room he could have without giving up the compact RV lifestyle he loved. Even with several adults gathered around the dinette, he was struck by how spacious it felt. Compared with his van, he joked that it felt like a mansion.

The EKKO offered more interior height and width, and still had the distinct spaces for sleeping, dining, cooking, and bathing that he'd loved about his Travato GL. That experience changed how Justin saw the EKKO, and eventually he made the switch.

The EKKO gave Justin and Bernie more room to live … and more freedom to roam. All-wheel drive, higher ground clearance, and four-season capability opened the door to backroads and snowy adventures, while the cassette toilet freed him from relying on traditional dump stations. He could venture away from campground infrastructure and let the adventure—not the logistics—shape the journey.

Justin's Travato GL wasn't the wrong RV. Living in it simply taught him things about himself, his dog, and his preferred way of traveling that he couldn't have known when he bought it.

Sometimes finding the next right floorplan begins by noticing the few inches, assumptions, and everyday friction points standing between almost perfect and the way you really want to live.

When the Reason You Chose Your RV Changes

For eight years, Margie Woodall traveled in a 2018 Winnebago Travato 59K. Its compact size came with a major perk at home: her HOA allowed her to park it right in the driveway.

But when Margie and her husband moved to Tennessee to be closer to family, their new HOA required the RV to be stored elsewhere. Suddenly, one of her biggest reasons for staying small had disappeared. If she was storing the RV anyway, she began wondering what a few extra feet might give her.

That question led her to a 2025 Winnebago View 24T. At 25 feet and 6 inches compared with the roughly 21-foot Travato, the View gave Margie something she returned to again and again during our conversation: comfort.

Of all the owners I spoke with, Margie may have been the most delighted by the floorplan itself. She lit up describing its nooks, crannies, and thoughtful details … and the way they make everyday life inside the RV feel so good.

The slideout opens the living area, where Margie and Cody—her 5.5-pound Pomeranian copilot—can settle into two recliners. At bedtime, a Murphy bed transforms the space at the push of a button. She loves the walk-in shower and rear bathroom closet, but especially raves about the exterior gear garage: anything dirty, damp, or destined for outdoor use can stay outside the living space.

Even with the slide retracted, the floorplan remains functional: she can access the refrigerator, bathroom, and bed. She can even still use the recliners with only slightly limited range. For Margie, those extra feet aren't simply about having more space. It's how thoughtfully that space is used that makes the difference.

And interestingly, her travel style hasn't fundamentally changed. Meetups, rallies, Winnie B’s, and Winnebago gatherings remain favorite destinations. Margie enjoyed her Travato for eight years; she simply didn't realize how much she'd enjoy the added comforts of a larger floorplan until she experienced it.

Margie's experience is a reminder that sometimes the circumstances that made one compromise worthwhile can change. And when they do, it's worth asking: What could a few extra feet make possible?

Finding the RV That Fits the Life You're Living

Before comparing specs, imagine the ordinary moments:

• Where will you work on a rainy day?
• Where will the dog sprawl?
• Who handles setup?
• Where does your gear go?
• Do you want a base camp or the freedom to keep moving?

And if you already own an RV, you have something even more valuable than a spec sheet: lived experience. Notice what you love, what creates friction, and what you wish worked differently.

Sometimes life changes. Sometimes priorities change. And sometimes miles on the road simply teach you to ask better questions.

Ultimately, the right floorplan is the one that makes more of the life you want to live possible.

—Morgan Field (Follow along on Instagram @themorganfield or on Facebook.)

For more tips on choosing the right RV for you, read this article from another long-time RVer!