living in a camper with a family

Benefits of Living in a Camper

• Save Money. One of the major benefits is saving money. With most families spending thousands of dollars each month on...
• Travel More. Another substantial benefit is the ability to travel more. A camper allows you to go anywhere and see...
• Live a Simpler Life. Many full-timers also enjoy the minimalist lifestyle. In a camper, you only have...

Full Answer

What it's like to live in a camper?

Living in an RV is an experience worth having at least once because it offers a wonderful way to live a life of freedom, work while traveling, and also be able to take the entire apartment wherever seems best. Just like the song from Aladdin, It is a whole new world. Living in an RV can also be said to be a mixture of pleasure and inconvenience.

How to survive living in a campervan?

Tips for Living in Your RV During the Winter

1. Disconnect Outside Water Line
2. Get a Smaller Propane Tank
3. Insulate Plumbing Lines
4. Portable Space Heaters
5. Add a Skirt Around Your RV

What is the cost of living in a camper?

The monthly expense will be anywhere between $900 and $1,500 if you live in these campsites year-round. Do bookdocking to save the costs. State Park campgrounds with partial hookups are available at $15 to $25 per night and no hookups sites charge $10 to $15.

How to live in a camper full time?

The ad wants someone to pay rent while working for free as a live-in nanny. The post states that the renter ... Only 1 Interview As many commenters pointed out, rent is at an all time high in San Diego so the advertisment appears to even further exploit ...

Can my family live in a camper?

Yes, you really can! Although, you do need to have a legal mailing address and pay taxes to a particular state. Yet, you absolutely can live and travel in an RV with your kids! Many of our members join Escapees with their first year of their Fulltime Families membership, which is FREE when they join Fulltime Families.

Can a family of 4 live in a camper?

As you can see, living in a camper with your family of 4 is definitely possible. The tips we've provided should help you get started thinking about how you can live well and affordably while traveling with your family.

Can I live in a travel trailer with my kids?

No laws in California prohibit living in an RV with a child, and CPS will not take a child for that reason alone. But do make sure to avoid violating custody agreements, and make sure basic needs are met – food, power, water, clothing, etc. For school-aged children, also make sure they are getting a proper education.

Is it OK to live in a camper?

Living in an RV can be plenty safe; you just have to prepare. Godownsize.com really pushes the point that if you aren't prepared for the long-term challenges of electricity, weather, animals, driving conditions, and access to health care, the RV life can quickly turn dark.

How can I live in a camper full time with kids?

Here are 12 ways to make RV living with kids less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone:Get a rig with a bunk room door. ... Opt for space-saving toys. ... Stay organized. ... Teach kids to conserve. ... Plan meals. ... School your way. ... Make new friends but keep the old. ... Slow down.More items...

Why you shouldn't live in an RV?

Lack of Privacy. Unless you're living the RV lifestyle alone, finding personal space can become an issue. With such a small living area and no walls to divide rooms, it's hard to find privacy. Since you live in a super-cool home, people will want to come and stay with you to get a taste of your RV lifestyle.

What to Know Before living in a camper?

10 Things to Know About Living in an RV Full-TimeDifferent Types of RV Dwellers. ... Choose the Right Travel Partner. ... Select an RV That Meets Your Needs. ... You'll Need to be a Minimalist. ... Roadside Assistance is Worth it. ... Campsites Range From Cheap to Pricey. ... You Can't Boondock Just Any Old Place. ... You Can Find Work on the Fly.More items...•

How do people afford to live in an RV full time?

Find ways to save.Campsites don't have to break the bank. State parks are a great low-cost option, as are many campgrounds. ... Travel slowly. Gas is usually one of the largest parts of an RVer's budget. ... Limit your purchases. It's somewhat easy to limit your purchases while traveling in an RV. ... Make meals of your own.

Can you live in an RV with a toddler?

Yes, it is legal to live in an RV with a child in California, and as long as the motorhome is a safe environment for the child, the CPS cannot take your children away. You must ensure your children's wellbeing whilst living in the RV.

Is it cheaper to live in an RV than a house?

So the initial cost of RV living is certainly lower than buying a house, and you'll save money by not having to stay at expensive RV parks every night. After all, the average cost of an RV park is around $30 a day.

Can you live year round in a travel trailer?

To put it simply, yes, you can live in an RV park all year. While there are often ordinances that restrict people from living in their RV (even on their own property), RV parks are usually exempt.

Can you live in a camper in the winter?

Most RVers prefer to travel with the seasons, sticking to mild temperatures to ensure they don't encounter extreme weather, especially considering that RVing in the winter is no easy feat. Most RVs are not well-insulated, and water pipes can freeze and cause damage once the temperatures drop too low.

How often do you move in an RV with kids?

We tend to travel a lot and move about every 4 days.

Is it easier to travel with kids?

Travel days can be hectic. Especially when the kids are little. Plan for this and don’t plan to do much else but travel on those days. As the kids get older it gets easier. Also we are the first to say just give the kids the electronics while traveling. It makes it easier on everyone.

Do RVs have washers and dryers?

RV Laundry – Yes we have a washer and dryer in our RV – but it is mini! So when you see one with industrial size washers and dryers that will dry everything in 25 minutes (instead of 2 hours like the RV one) you get really excited :)!

What is the best RV for a family of 4?

Sleeping Spaces. The best RV for family of 4 will include enough space for everyone to sleep. Ideally, it will have individual beds for each kid so that they don’t have to share. Typically, RVs have one dedicated bedroom or sleeping area and another space that converts into beds.

Why do you need a Class C motorhome?

One of the best reasons to buy Class C motorhomes for family road trips is that the cab’s overhead section is always a bunk bed. Kids will love to climb up and sleep so high, particularly because they can get a better view of the outside.

How do RVs get their name?

These RVs get their name from the fact that they can haul your motorized “toys,” such as dirt bikes, motorcycles, or ATVs. Toy haulers are great because they have a whole garage inside, which you can often convert to a living room when it’s not in use. Toy haulers also have a massive back door that functions as a ramp, making it easier to load supplies in and out. You can even convert the ramp to a makeshift deck if you want.

Why do you do a virtual tour of RVs?

The other benefit of doing a virtual tour is that you can spend less time on the showroom floor. While it is fun to peek at different RVs for family travel, the features can start to blend together, making it harder to remember which models you liked best.

Can you drive a motorhome with a trailer?

Sometimes, driving a motorhome is preferable to towing a trailer . For example, if you don’t have a sufficiently powerful tow vehicle, you’ll have to rent one for your next road trip. When it comes to motor homes, Class C RVs are typically best for a family of four.

Can you tow a fifth wheel RV?

The only way to tow these RVs is with a pickup truck, so if you only have an SUV, you’re out of luck. That said, fifth wheels are the largest trailer option, making them one of the best RV for family of 4. Some models even have slide-out portions to make them more accommodating with tons of interior space.

Do you have to use a fifth wheel tow truck?

If you want the ultimate in interior space, fifth wheels are the best way to go. That said, you do have to use a pickup truck tow vehicle because of how these rigs are shaped.

Launching Into The RV Life

Traveling in an RV around the country was never on our radar. Not even close. You see, we lived in a suburban home in Minnesota surrounded by extended family and friends. Yet, we felt like we never had enough time together as a family.

Finding Remote Work

Tony must have applied to over 50 positions online using many job resource websites such as https://remoteok.io/. It was a very exciting day when he interviewed with Platform.sh, a web hosting company. They have a staff of fully remote employees and were excited to not only bring him on full-time but they also offered us medical benefits.

Tiny House – Tiny Spaces

Once we had the RV bought and jobs secure, it was time to start living with ‘less’. Meaning, we needed to downsize big time!

Travel Planning and Our Favorite Destinations

Part of the excitement of RVing is picking out our next destinations. Now, if we’re not careful we can get overwhelmed by all of the travel planning that can go into this lifestyle.

Homeschooling Our Kids Along The Way

Homeschooling itself presents a big enough challenge when trying to educate your kids at home that we were nervous about trying to teach them while in an RV. How can you do a chemistry experiment in an RV? What about art classes?

The Best Part of RV living with Kids

Everyone wants to be with their parents and siblings for 24-hours a day, right? It may sound corny, but we do!

Permanent Full-Time Travel?

To us, RV living with our kids is something we see ourselves doing with no end in sight. When we first started there was a thought it was more for city-shopping and where to find a new home-base.

Preparing for RV Life

Preparing for RV life with kids isn’t just about getting your equipment together and making sure you have plenty of snacks for the road. One of the big things you have to think about is getting everyone in the family mentally and emotionally prepared.

What Do You Do When the Kids Become School Age?

Many people have kids that aren’t school-aged yet, but some of you are up for the challenge of homeschooling. We homeschooled four kiddos on the road and since I was also homeschooled as a kid, it wasn’t that big of a deal—but it still was hard figuring out your school schedule and what you want to teach.

Where Do You Stay When You Live in an RV Full Time?

There are a lot of cool places you can stay when you start RVing full time. Many people start out by hanging out on a loved ones’ land so they can get used to it or they go to a local campground.

How to Become a Full Time RV Family

If you want to become a full time RV family, it’s just a matter of taking the leap and getting your RV. Some people even choose to live in a van to get started if they’re nervous about hauling an RV.

Are You Ready to Start the Full Time RV Lifestyle with Kids?

If you’re ready to be one of the full time families and see so many amazing places, the best thing you can do is dip your toe in the water. I kind of had a little headstart since my parents took me on the road for about 7 years of my life. From 5 to 12, we RVed mainly up and down the east coast seeing family and friends.

The Good Bad & the Ugly of Full Time RVing with Kids

Now that I’ve lulled you into a false sense of security, it’s time to share the good, bad and the ugly of full time RVing with kids. Some of these things you might not even think about and others you might have heard rumors about.

Taking Kids RVing Full Time – Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: If your kids are used to a certain area, it’s likely they will miss it and the people there but if you keep them busy, they barely notice it.

What is grey water?

As you probably know, grey water includes anything from the shower, bathroom sink or kitchen sink. When you’re camping this probably isn’t a huge deal if the weather is warm and you’re showering and / or cooking outside. When you live in your trailer fulltime and the weather is chilly, this is a bigger issue.

How big is a fresh water tank for a 19' trailer?

Needless to say, but fresh water tanks vary in size from RV to RV. Our 19’ travel trailer has a 25 gallon fresh water tank. As we love water for showering, staying hydrated, making coffee, cooking and doing dishes, we seem to go through this quickly. We’ve blown through this in 3 days before and at max, if we don’t supplement, it will last 5 days or so. If you have a well you can hook into then great, but if not, here are our tips for conserving water.

Why do we need pull outs?

Because everything is laid out as well as possible, we feel like we have all the space we need and everything is fairly ergonomic. Pull outs: One think you can look for is a trailer with a pull out. These are typically designed so that they enlarge the living room, but they are pushed in during travel.

Why don't we have a bin in the bathroom sink?

Use as little water as possible when you don’t have a bin to catch it: We don’t have a bin in the bathroom sink because the sink is so tiny. We barely use any water when we brush our teeth, and I try to use as little as possible when I wash my face before bed.

How often do you dump black water in a camper trailer?

As you may know, black water is anything that comes down from the toilet. Right now, we are having to dump our black water maybe every 5-7 days.

Can you clean a trailer with a wet rag?

A general rule of thumb is to try to clean dry, otherwise you just make mud! Have a lot of rags on hand for cleaning: What we can’t clean dry, we clean up using a simple wet rag. We use these to clean up after dinner, and to wipe off random marks off the trailer walls and doors.

Can you live in a travel trailer?

If you’re living in your travel trailer long-term, it may be a good idea to give some thought to the outside of your RV. In our case, it seemed that nature was just TOO CLOSE to our trailer, and we wanted to do some things to keep tidy and give us some outdoor living space!