Three Bad Things About Full-time RVing:
- Privacy can be Limited Everybody knows your business when you live in your RV when at a RV park. Your neighbors know...
- Grime and Clutter is more Obvious It literally takes less than 30 minutes to clean your RV. But if you go RVing with...
- Packing your RV Refrigerator Takes Practice
- Traveling too far and too fast. ...
- Our RV weight issues. ...
- We should have invested in a TPMS system right away. ...
- Putting too much faith in the accuracy of our RV GPS. ...
- Our biggest regret is taking on too much = out of balance.
How to start RVing full time?
Your first, simple to-do list might look something like this:
- Research campers
- Research domicile residency
- Start decluttering
- Organize a garage sale
- Research how to earn a mobile income
- Research health care options
- Research where to camp
- Choose a mail service
- Cancel utilities
Is full time RVing worth it?
RVing is hot right now. More people are getting into it than ever before. If you are wondering if RVing is worth it, here are my top advantages and disadvantages of RVing. By the time you finish reading this, you’ll understand why I’m a fan. Yes, RVing is Worth It! Here’s Why. So is RV camping fun and worth it?
What does we regret about full time RVing?
Unfortunately, full-timers who express this regret never really wanted to go full-time in the first place and they wish that they had known that before they made such a dramatic life change. People who begin full time RVing when they’re young, often express regret for not thinking about home appreciation.
What is the best RV for living full time?
What Makes a Class A Motorhome Great for Full-Time Living?
- Space. Class A motorhomes are often the larger of all the types of RVs available and offer more living space.
- Freedom to Travel. Having a motorhome is ideal if you enjoy traveling as you can quickly pack up your entire living space.
- Cost of Living. ...
- Easy to Sell. ...
Is it worth living in a RV full time?
Whether you plan to explore beautiful destinations or settle into a convenient park, RV living can be economical and satisfying. There are more than a million Americans who live in their RV full-time. Many say they are happier and that the full-time RV lifestyle has improved their relationships.
What are the negatives of living in an RV?
CONSFatigue. We'd be lying if we didn't say that living a nomadic lifestyle doesn't get tiring. ... Lack of routine. ... unexpected issues. ... WiFi connectivity and reliability. ... cost. ... connection to friends and family. ... travel days. ... distance to things (mail, grocery, laundry)More items...•
What to Know Before living in an RV full time?
There are several things to keep in mind before buying land for your RV. Sewer: Most areas that allow you to live full-time in an RV will not have access to a public sewer. So, just like living in an off-grid home, you will need to make sure your lot can support a septic system (and pass a percolation test).
What is the 3 3 3 rule for RVing?
By adhering to this simple rule of thumb, you can make traveling easier for your whole family. What is this? First, limit your travel to no more than 300 miles in one day. Second, arrive no later than 3 p.m. Finally, stay at your destination for at least three days.
Is it financially smart to live in an RV?
It is financially smart to live in an RV. Living in an RV means living a lot smaller with a lot less stuff. You have less room for everything – clothes, toys, tools and more saving you a lot of money. Along with less space, you save on utilities and home-improvement projects if you own your home.
How hard is full time RV living?
RVs are small inside, so it helps to really like all the people around you. It's impossible to get much privacy living in one. It's also hard to entertain other people in a recreational vehicle given the space constraints. Because of the limited space, it helps to keep the inside well organized.
How do people make a living while RVing full time?
6 Clever Ways To Make Money While RVingTelecommuting. Many businesses allow people to work online full-time. ... Freelancing Online. Do you know why I love freelancing? ... Workamping. ... Start a Blog. ... Amazon CamperForce. ... Become an RV Technician.
What are the pros and CONs of living in an RV?
20 PROs and CONs of Living in an RV1 Pros of Living in an RV. 1.1 Unlimited Adventure. 1.2 Quality Time with Friends and Family. 1.3 Traveling with your Home. 1.4 Pets can Travel Too. ... 2 Cons of Living in an RV. 2.1 Ongoing Maintenance. 2.2 Missing Friends and Family. 2.3 Lack of Community Services. 2.4 Complex Budgeting.
What do full time RVers do for an address?
In many states that are popular domiciles, there are services specifically setup to support us full time travelers. They act as both a legal address for use on driver's license, federal & local taxes, vehicle registration, voting, insurance and more — and a mailing address that can forward your mail to you.
What is the 222 rule in RVing?
The RVing 2/2/2 rule is a safe and effective way to plan your travel. It means drive no more than 200 miles a day, stop every 2 hours, and stay 2 nights in each place. Some RVers also put an appendix on the rule encouraging drivers to arrive at an overnight destination by 2:00 p.m.
How far should you drive an RV in one day?
4. Never drive more than 500 miles per day.
Where do you sit when an RV is moving?
the backClass A, Class B and Class C motorhomes offer passengers the ability to sit in the back while the vehicle is in motion. This is because these types of motorhomes are equipped to withstand driving accidents.
What is the best thing about living in an RV?
One of the best things about living in an RV full-time is the incredible freedom it offers you. If you don’t like where you’re staying, you can move on. If you love where you’re at, you can choose to stay another day, week, or month. If you have family you suddenly want to visit, all you have to do is hit the road.
What happens if things don't go as planned?
There are going to be plenty of days when things don’t go as planned. You’ll run over the fire-pit grate and pop a tire while racing to get out of a campsite before checkout. You’ll stumble into a darkened shower stall at a state park, only to realize you’re sharing it with a wolf spider the size of a tarantula and dozens of centipedes the size of your palm. Your GPS will mistakenly steer you into a major downtown area with streets so narrow you have mere inches between your trailer and the other cars.
What does "RV" mean in a used RV?
First, it’s important to remember that the term “RV” stands for “recreational vehicle. ”. Most RVs are not designed or built for full-time living.
Is RV camping good?
RV campgrounds can be wonderful. Many campgrounds we stayed in were clean, quiet, well-staffed, and had gorgeous views. Of course, there were also many campgrounds that we’d rather forget. These campgrounds were dirty, crowded, and didn’t live up to the many promises they made online before we got there.
Do you have to maintain a yard?
You don’t have a yard to maintain, which further frees up your time. Yes, you’ll spend some of that time driving and doing other maintenance tasks like dumping your tanks. But after your initial learning curve is over, you will have a lot more free time to pursue other interests.
Do you stay at someone else's house when you travel?
Most of the time when you travel, you have to stay at someone else’s house, or at a monotonous hotel. In a camper, you’re always home. It makes traveling so much easier when you have a comfortable, familiar home base that comes with you.
Can you cook in an RV?
Cooking in an RV can be challenging, so it can be tempting to head out to a restaurant more often than you would at home. Because of limited storage space, you can’t buy food in bulk, which means frequent trips to the grocery store (and more temptation to impulse buy).
What are the good things about RVing?
Three Good Things About Full-time RVing: 1. Say goodbye to Yard Work. Drive around on a springtime Saturday morning and you’ll see people cutting grass and pulling weeds. But not you, because you’re out having fun instead. Your RV requires no fertilizer, a John Deere lawn mower or leaf blowing.
What are the nicest things about RVs?
2. Your Neighbors are Great. RVers are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet – usually. The few times that your neighbor is a jerk, you can pull up stakes and find a new neighbor by lunchtime. Just make sure you get your annual RV maintenance jobs done so you can actually leave. 3. Vacationing is a Way of Life.
How long does it take to clean an RV?
It literally takes less than 30 minutes to clean your RV. But if you go RVing with pets, enjoy dry camping or have a smaller RV like I do, you’ll quickly realize that dirt and clutter has no place to hide. The more compact nature of RV living quarters magnifies every spec of dirt and clutter.
How long is the average vacation?
According to CBS News, “the average American worker is entitled to 16 days of paid leave. But the length of the average vacation lasts just over four days!”. As a full-timer your vacation lasts as long as you want it to.
Can you live in an RV every day?
Although RV designs are more sophisticated than ever, only select enthusiasts like me will live in them every day. With few exceptions, the common pros and cons of full-time RVing living are shared among all of us.
Choosing the Best RV to Live In Full Time
First things first, you have to determine which RV is best for you. There are really two ways to look at this question.
Living in an RV Full Time Costs
Knowing how much it costs to live in an RV full time is an important step in making your next decisions. But RV budgets can vary as much as your choices in RVs.
Full Time RV Living Tips
The longer you RV and the more RVers you meet along the way the more tips and tricks you will learn to make life on the road safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable.
RV Memberships
Among full-time RVers there really aren’t any loners. You’ll find that one thing that unites all full-timers, aside from a love of the freedom of the road, is their membership to a few important RV clubs.
RV Apps and Technology
Aside from RV memberships, having access to the right apps and technology will make life on the road as a full time RVer that much better. These are the top apps we recommend.
Insurance (Life, Health, RV, Roadside)
Full-Time RV life is great until something bad happens. And if you’ve lived long enough you know that something bad is always lurking around the corner in life. Fortunately, the insurance industry exists to help us exchange some payment (premiums) for peace of mind in the event the worst happens.
RV Essentials for Full-Time RVing
We have a handful of RV essentials we recommend you have regardless of whether you are full-time RVing or not.
Why do we have one table in an RV?
1. Every bit of space needs to have multiple purposes. Throughout our RV we have one table, and it has to work for a ton of different purposes , which means that coffee and laptops and groceries are usually on the table at the same time, among other random items, which gets old fast.
Is YouTube flooded with people living in their mobile homes?
RVs are becoming popular again, and YouTube is flooded with people living and working right from their mobile homes. However, many of these YouTubers tend to gloss over some of the big negatives of living in a home the size of most people’s back porches.
What is the difference between RVing and boating?
RVing and boating have a lot in common. They both consist of tiny living and they both offer an almost unlimited amount of freedom. Getting into boating can be difficult but so can getting into full-time RVing.
Why do people quit their RV?
1) They Run Out of Funds. One of the main reasons people end up quitting full-time life is because they simply run out of funds. Living life in an RV can be cheaper than living life in a house but this isn’t always the case. In fact, oftentimes, living in an RV is more expensive than living in a home.
What to do when your motorhome breaks down?
When something breaks down in a motorhome, it is often an emergency and you have to fix it right away. For example, a small roof leak in a house can be covered with a tarp or stopped with a bucket.
Can RVers go to boating?
For this reason, many RVers eventually transition into boating. After all, the world consists of more water than it does land so boaters have access to even more opportunities for exploring than RVers do. Young people are especially prone to going from RVing to boating.
What to do after pet passes away?
After their beloved pet passes away, they have the option to pursue other methods of travel. These people then move on to international travel, backpacking, biking, boating, or some other form of travel that just doesn’t involve living in an RV.
Why do people become full timers?
Some people become full-timers because they do not have a lot of money. They find that they can live inexpensively in an RV and they end up getting to travel too.
How much space does a small RV have?
Even a large class A RV is only going to provide a person with about 300 – 400 square feet of living space.
Full-Time RV Pros
I went into my full-time life with an open mind and am still at it nearly a decade later.
Full-Time RV Cons
There are drawbacks to full-time RV life, and here are my biggest cons:
Final Thoughts
The full-time RV life will have its ups and downs, but most agree that the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
4 Costly Mistakes We Made Our First Year Of Full Time RV Living
Staying in town for the summer after selling the house was a smart move.
Which RV Is Best For Full Time RV Living?
At the end of our early RV trips, we reached the conclusion that if your full time experience has you on the road more than sitting still, then a large motorhome would be the most comfortable way to travel.
Other RV Mistakes To Avoid
I’ve been involved in RVing for over 50 years — including camping, building, repairing, and even selling RVs and motorhomes. I’ve owned, used, and repaired almost every class and style of RV ever made. I do all of my own repair work. My other interests include cooking, living with an aging dog, and dealing with diabetic issues.
Before we dive in
While we have tracked our annual camping expenses since we began RVing, we never got around to doing annual summary blog posts. We did, however, do an overall annual snapshot of our RV life expenses, for the years 2015 and 2016. How and where we camp – and what we pay for it – changes.
What factors affect RV camping rates?
First up, it’s important to know that RV camping rates depend on many factors, including: Where you stay – geographic location, type, campground standard and amenities When you stay – during peak season, holidays or off-season How you stay – campground with hookups, or boondocking off the grid How long you stay – overnight, for a week, month, season, or annual Camping memberships – access various discounts and savings Your RV – type of RV, size, power needs and other amenities (eg.
Where do we camp in our RV?
To put all of our RV camping expenses in context, let’s start off with an overview of the many different types of RV camping we enjoy. We know some RVers who almost exclusively stay in RV parks, campgrounds and RV resorts. And others who almost exclusively boondock, off the grid without hookups.
Where have we been?
Geographically, we have visited all 50 USA states, 48 of them with our RV. So our camping fees are based on visiting the entire country – not just a particular region. We have visited popular touristy areas at peak times, quiet rural towns, and many places during shoulder and off-peak times too.
What about other travel?
We typically also like to do other types of travel – like air travel, hotels and cruises – but not in 2020, of course! That means some years, we’ll spend money on RV storage, while we’re out of our RV, in addition to our non-RV related travel costs.
So, what has our RV camping cost us over 6 years?
Let’s dive right into the total cost of our full time RV camping as full-time RVers, then break it down for you, to provide more context and detail on HOW we camped each year.
How did we save on our nightly camping fees?
We have a few camping memberships that have helped us save on camping fees. But the two biggest factors that contributed to our overall campground savings are: