You’ve camped in an RV before or maybe you’ve never even stepped foot into an RV but this lifestyle of fulltime traveling has you curious about researching a new way of life.
We sold everything in 2019 and started our journey of fulltime rving. Not long after we hit the road, a pandemic hit and we were taken a little off guard. Some of the expectations of how to make money, what our “field trips” for the kids were and where we were staying took us for a spin. We had to reconfigure how and if we were still going to travel in our rv fulltime.
The end result was, heck yeah we’re going to do whatever it took to make it work! We LOVE life on the road!
While transitioning from a 2500 sq ft house with 7 acres to a 42 foot 5th wheel, we learned a lot. Here are some of the things we’ve learned along the way.
Get used to downsizing everything BEFORE you hit the road. Get rid of any decorations you can live without, pair down to a dozen outfits (at most), get rid of all but 3-5 pots/pans, realize you don’t need 50 different tupperwares in all sizes, and simply downsize as much as possible. Wait a few days, then downsize again. Keep doing that while you search for the perfect RV. Donate items so you feel good about their rehoming and don’t go through the bags again!
Accept a new routine. Life outside of the 9-5 sticks and bricks will be a new challenge and just adapt to a whole new routine. You’ll forget the days of the week or let time fly without paying attention. Many times we wake up and have to look out of our window to remember where we are parked!
Fulltime traveling isn’t cheap! Repairs are expensive and often time the repairs need done NOW, there’s no waiting until you can get to it. Sometimes that means dropping a few hundred to thousands of dollars the same week you find the problem (sometimes the same day!). We had 2 black tanks fall out, a truck engine blow, sink just fall off of the wall, slide rot out due to unknown water leaking, electical system give out, transfer case on the truck blow and LOTS more in less than 3 years! It happens! Yes, you may have a warranty but if you’re fulltime traveling then you may have to wait 6-8 months for your warranty company to get around to working on your rig. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!
Find work BEFORE you start traveling. It’s easy to assume that workamping is enough to get you by if you’re debt free but it’s not. Find remote work if possible. I have a whole section dedicated to this on this website. If you don’t want to find virtual work then work seasonally somewhere. Unless you have a retirement coming in each month then workamping doesn’t pay the bills if you want to really visit the area you’re traveling to.
Invest in AAA or another roadside program. You will break down, it’s nearly a fact. Spend the extra few bucks each month and buy a roadside assistance program that will tow your rig when needed. These RV’s aren’t meant to fulltime travel.
How will you get mail? A lot of fulltimers invest in a digital mailbox. Your USPS mail gets sent to an address and the service you pay for will scan your mail for you so you can see it digitally. There’s several programs that do this.
This one is controversial! Tell your insurance agent that you’re fulltiming. If your insurance company finds out that you’ve been fulltiming and it’s not written into your policy then you are screwed! Just suck it up and pay the extra money for peace of mind! Some people will tell you to lie but it’s the worst advice!
Know which campground you’re going to before you make the drive! I still see people complaining in the fb groups about showing up to RV parks assuming that they have extra sites. This is a no-no unless you have a small rig. Call before you make the drive so you’re not wasting fuel and daylight!
Invest in a generator and/or solar. This is HUGE! Often times power will go out at the campgrounds and you need a backup. Sometimes it’s due to a storm and then you don’t know when you’ll have power again. Ensure you set aside some money to get a generator and/or solar. This will also be helpful when you’re traveling long distances and use Harvest Host or a large store like Walmart, Bass Pro and such to stop at overnight. It’s a HUGE bonus if you plan to boonedock!
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning how you have to discard/dump your own waste! Buy a box of disposable gloves and get ready to dump your tanks often! Remember, everything you do revolves around water so the more people in the RV, the more times you have to dump per week.
We just love fulltime rving but it’s not for the weak! Hopefully these tips will help you decide if traveling in an rv fulltime is right for you!
If this helps at all, we’d love a cup of coffee! Coffee helps keep me sane! Have a great week!