Tips to Survive in RV Living when in bad weather

Living in an RV or any small space can have its challenges. The first year of full time RV life flew by in the blink of an eye. As we celebrate our three years of RVing, I want to share some tips that helped us survive the transition to RV living. Whether you’re a solo RVer, family of five or a couple with a dog, I hope you find these tips helpful.

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1. Communicate

The key to our survival is good communication. There is limited room in an RV and it will start to feel small fast. If you’re frustrated or angry with each other, that space will feel even smaller. Sure you can take a walk, sit outside for a while or jump in the car (if you tow one) and go for a drive, but temporary distance won’t solve the issues.

A lack of communication in the first month of transitioning to RV living put stress on our relationship. Once we figured out the communication breakdown and addressed it, life was much more enjoyable. Good communication is something we continue to work on everyday especially living full time in a camper van.

2. Have the Right Gear

Having the right gear will help prevent many headaches down the road. The best thing we did before transitioning to RV living was doing extensive research on the best gear. Having an electrical management system (EMS) and essential RVing apps made RV living a breeze.
For a list of our favorite gear, check out these posts or head to our store:

3. Know Your RV

When we took delivery of our first RV, it came with a suitcase full of user manuals. It contained a manual for every component in the RV. There was even a manual on Michelin RV tires. We read through every manual and downloaded the online versions as a backup. Having a PDF version will make searching for a specific topic faster and easier.

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There were also build sheets, diagrams for each fuse box and information on roadside assistance. We referenced all the information many times throughout our first year of RV living. When a fuse goes out at 1a.m., you’ll want to know which fuse box to check. Our first RV had four fuse/breaker boxes and two of them were outside. When it’s pouring rain outside, it’s not fun to run around wondering which breaker box to check.

4. Spring Cleaning

It can be a challenge to figure out what to bring for full time RV living. “Is one pair of sandals enough or do I need a second pair for campground showers?” We ended up having way too much stuff. After a month of RV living we decided to sell the bicycles because we never used them. A few months later, we performed a spring cleaning by re-evaluating everything in the RV. Many articles of clothing ended up in the donation pile because neither of us had touched them since we moved in.

“I’ve been looking for this!” The spring cleaning also reminded us of things we’d brought that we forgot about. This is also a great time to reorganize and optimize storage. After the initial cleaning, most of our bays, cupboards and drawers ended up half empty. That’s also about the time we realized a small Class A motorhome was too much space for us. Now we travel full time in a Class B camper van.

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5. Share the Drive

Looking back on the miles we drove in the first year, neither of us can imagine doing it by ourselves. Unless you don’t have plans to move very often or for long distances at a time, it’s good to share the drive. Whenever I pull up to a campground, the neighbors always stop by and say to Joe “I wish my wife drove.”

If you’re not comfortable driving an RV, there are driving classes available. The more you drive, the more confidence you will have. Before you know it, you’ll be thinking to yourself “this is a piece of cake”. You might even start looking forward to taking your turn behind the wheel.

6. Develop a Checklist

After too many items flying off the counter and drawers coming unlatched around a corner, we knew it was time to have a checklist. Just like pilots have a pre-flight checklist, it’s important to have a pre-departure checklist for your RV.

Every checklist will be different depending on the type of RV and the gear. The important thing is to make a comprehensive list and check it EVERY time you leave. We got complacent a few times and inevitably we would forget something.

7. Everything Has A Place

Just like the cupboards in your house, everything has a place in an RV. The difference is, when the RV is going down a bumpy road and that bottle of vinegar gets loose because it was put back in the wrong place, you might end up with a mess on your hands. It also makes packing up a much faster process because you know where all the pieces of the puzzle go.

8. One In, One Out

This rule applies to anyone looking to prevent a build up of “stuff” in the RV. The “one in, one out” mentality changed the way we shopped. A trip to Costco meant we bought what we needed at the time, not what we think we might need in six months. Just because there’s storage space doesn’t mean it needs to be filled.

A minimalist approach to RV living worked the best for us. Once we got the hang of it, life became much more enjoyable. We no longer had an “explosion” of stuff when we camped somewhere for a week or longer. It ended up becoming a “one in, two out” policy naturally and the bonus for us was saving money.

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9. Expect the Unexpected

Whether it’s severe weather, a flat tire or a windshield repair. Be ready for the unexpected. Have an RV repair fund to pay for that unexpected problem. Carry a spare in case there’s a flat tire. Develop an emergency plan for those unexpected situations.

If you have to evacuate the RV, do you have your essentials in one place with easy access? What’s your plan if there’s a flash flood and the river you’re camped next to is flooding? What happens if there’s a medical emergency and no cell phone signal?

This video shows a glimpse of the severe thunderstorm tornado warning we experienced in Florida.

10. Be Flexible

It’s good to have an idea of where to go, what to do and how long to stay but don’t have a rigid plan. Be flexible enough to have the option to stay a few extra nights or leave early. Every town we drive into is a new experience. Sometimes we love the town and sometimes it’s just not our cup of tea. Having a flexible schedule means we can stay longer in places we enjoy and take off early if we’re not feeling it.

11. Fun Fund

Have a “fun fund” for those spur of the moment adventures. If you decide that today is the day you want to go for that hot air ballon ride, do it! Having money set aside for these experiences will make that transition to RV living more enjoyable and fun. We always seek out free and cheap things to do in our travels, but there are some experiences that are worth the splurge.

For us, our big splurge was RV camping at Fort Wilderness and going to Walt Disney World.

12. Enjoy the Journey

Most importantly, enjoy the journey. There are headaches associated with RV living, but there are many more pleasures.

How to make money when living in an RV?

My wife and I were camping at a hot spring in Arizona when a small camper van pulled in. We watched a man get out and remove many large plastic bags, which he piled on the roof. He was making room, so he could spend the night in his home on the road.

Later, around a campfire, we asked him about the bags.

They were full of used stuffed animals he bought at thrift stores, and he said he made about $4,000 per month selling them alongside various highways and roads as he traveled.

It may be an unusual way to make a living, but many people live in and work from motor homes, trailers, truck campers and conversion vans.
“Workampers are adventurous individuals, couples and families who have chosen a wonderful lifestyle that combines ANY kind of part-time or full-time work with RV camping,” explains Workamper News, a website dedicated to people who make money from the road.
Are you ready to hit the road and make money while living in an RV?

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What Kind of Work Can You Do While Living in an RV?

Many campers get seasonal jobs working in campgrounds or parks, Workamper editor Steve Anderson told CBS News.

He notes businesses are also common. “We have literally hundreds of members running businesses out of their RVs and living in multiple places every year.”

Anderson mentions the following examples of businesses his

 subscribers operate while traveling in their recreational vehicles:
• Sales of RV-related products
• Consulting services
• Dating services
• Law practices
• Contract nursing
• Business consulting
• RV repair tutoring
“With the advent of the internet and especially now with the tools for bandwidth to connect to the internet, the door is open to do multiple things from an RV,” he explains.

Not even selling bulky items is out of the question, because you can drop ship them or carry them in a trailer behind a motorhome.

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Who Is Living in an RV, and How Much Can They Earn?

Many people who live in their RVs are retirees who supplement their retirement or Social Security income with jobs or businesses. But Anderson says, “We have people in their 30s and 40s who are successfully living the RV lifestyle and running businesses.”

And your income may not be as limited as you might think. For example, Steve McMahon told Entrepreneur he sold about 5,000 “high-gain cellular-telephone antennas” for $70 while traveling the country in his 37-foot motorhome. That’s $350,000 in total sales.

The same article says Richard Dahl made and sold more than 1,300 RV water filters at $30 each while traveling for a couple years.

He expanded his business to include hundreds of items, and started The RV Water Filter Store website, shipping items from any post office he passed as he traveled. In addition to covering his living and traveling expenses, the profits allow him to save $30,000 per year.
Terry Cooper was a college instructor before hitting the road with his Mobile RV Academy. Now he runs five-day courses teaching people how to maintain and repair RVs.

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Attendees pay $1,644 in tuition, and Cooper had courses scheduled in 10 locations around the country in 2015.

Not every job or business on the road has to be RV-related. Your RV can be just a way to move from job to job or move where you like if you have a business. Software developer and author Bill Myers says he’s talked to many people living in an RV, including:
• Internet entrepreneurs
• Campground hosts
• Construction workers
• Tourist area workers (They move with the seasons.)
• Aerospace engineers (working on a spaceport in New Mexico)

Michelle Brunner runs ReMiks Jewelry from her motorhome. “I crisscross the country full time in my RV in search of natural and organic elements, as well as recycled treasures,” she explains.

How to Work While Living in an RV

Selling everything and starting a vagabond lifestyle is a big transition, but it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Myers offers the example of a couple who bought a $5,000 used motorhome and cut their cost of living from $6,000 per month to about $400 per month. He also says he bought a 26-foot travel trailer for $4,000 and ran his newsletter business from it.

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How do you learn what you need to know? Try hanging out in the Workamper forums for a while.

Where to Find Work on the Road

Talk to others who are living and working from their RVs, or start with these resources:
• American Crystal Sugar Company: This company needs RV campers for the sugar beet harvest, which starts around the end of September in Montana and North Dakota. “Sugar Beet Employees can make up to $2,500 in a two-week time frame,” the company says.
• Camphost.org: Look for campground host positions on this job board.
• RVParkStore.com: You’ll find various job postings here. Examples include park management jobs, front desk positions and sales work.
• Workamper News: A subscription is $47 per year, but you can see featured companies for free. Under “Job Resources” click “Featured Employers” to find a list of companies and organizations that hire RVers.

Of course, jobs are not your only options. In fact, starting a business will give you the most freedom to go where you like. If you look over this list of ways you can make money from home, you’ll find dozens of businesses you could operate from an RV.

Do’s and Don’ts When Living in RV

 Do Watch Your Money

Just because you’re living in an RV and don’t have the typical monthly expenses of living in a stationary house doesn't mean you shouldn't be frugal. While we don’t have rent or a mortgage, utilities, or other monthly expenses like that, there are still costs that come along with this lifestyle. The biggest cost is typically fuel, but a close second in our life is food. We have found that we love to find local restaurants around the country, much more than we enjoyed eating out when we were in Arizona, but we’ve also discovered that grocery prices vary significantly from city to city. We also spend a chunk of money on sightseeing that we never had to budget for before.

Regardless of how you are spending your money, you need to make sure you are keeping a tight watch on your budget. We’ve met more than one couple who has had to make a more permanent home in a town because it’s where their RV broke down and they were out of money to fix it. Always make sure you have a rainy day account for fixes, and make sure you have money coming in quicker than you spend it.

Do Have a General Idea of Where You’re Going

Living in an RV allows for a lot of flexibility in travel plans. At any point in time, you can pick up and move to a new location. This is amazing, but it can also be overwhelming because there are so many great places to see. Plus, the more people you meet on the road, the more recommendations you get for amazing places. What we’ve found helps is having a general idea of where we are going, and goal dates to arrive in certain cities. It keeps us on track, and helps us prioritize the places and things we really want to see, but it gives us flexibility to deviate or stay longer if we really fall in love with a location.

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Don’t Freak Out When Things Go Wrong

Notice I didn’t say IF things go wrong, rather WHEN, because things will go wrong. Ask anyone who has been on the road for longer than a month, and they can tell you a list of things that have gone wrong. From leaks to engine trouble to accidents, there are so many things that can go wrong when you are driving your home down the road every day. What we’ve found helps is to get to an RV park or campground and start talking to the other RV owners. Chances are high that someone has had a similar challenge and can offer you advice or a helping hand. Stay calm and know that you’ll be able to work through almost any problem you encounter.

Do Check for Leaks EVERY TIME It Rains

Every time you move your RV, it’s like taking your home through an earthquake. Things shift, and seals can come unsealed, especially if you have an older unit. Whenever you get to a new location, we’ve found it’s a good idea to take a quick peek at the roof and make sure that everything still looks good. Then, every time it rains, we check around for leaks. Leaks are pesky, and they are elusive, disappearing as soon as the rain stops, so check every time to figure out where the water is coming in. Catching leaks early is key to preserving both the integrity of your RV, as well as your sanity!

Don’t Sacrifice Comfort or Style

Just because you’re living on the road doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on comfort. In our RV, we added a plush memory foam topper to the mattress and use a great set of percale sheets. We also have nice towels, real dishes, and our favorite cooking pans and utensils. While it may be tempting to set up your RV like you are on an extended camping trip, think of this as your home on wheels instead of your camper. Having nice dishes instead of plastic ones, good towels instead of the ones that are almost rags, and luxury sheets helps make an RV feel like a real home. Don’t skimp on these items, but also know that you need to take care of them a little differently when you’re on the road.

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Do Secure EVERYTHING Before Moving

Speaking of caring for your items, the most important thing you can do to care for 90% of the things in your home on wheels is to secure them when you move. I’ve talked with people who have lost every dish in their cabinets when they took a corner too quickly. We’ve found that the squishy foam type of shelf liner works great for helping to make sure things don’t move or break during a move. We have all our shelves lined with it to prevent things from sliding, and we also use strips of the liner in between all our dishes to make sure they don’t rattle against each other. Whatever you choose to use in your RV, make sure things are secure, or you’ll be cleaning up messes each time you arrive to a new location.

Don’t Stay Inside All Day

One of the greatest things about this lifestyle is the ability to get out and see different parts of the country (or the world). At almost every stop we get to though, there is a couple who appears to hunker down in their motor home the entire day. We were recently at a beautiful beach campground, and there was a family there who spent almost every hour inside watching television. There are going to be days where the weather forces you to stay inside, so take every advantage you can of the sunny days and get outside and explore.

Don’t Buy in Bulk

When we moved in to our RV, I thought it would be smart to stock up on a few things that we use frequently. That’s what we had always done in our home, so why wouldn’t we do it in the motor home? Well, space is a very limited commodity in an RV, so those stashes of toilet paper, paper towels, and rice have taken us months to work through. The whole time we’ve been on the road, these bulk items have been taking up precious storage space. The lesson we’ve learned is to only buy enough items to keep you stocked for a few weeks at a time.

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Do Think Multipurpose

When stocking items in the limited space of an RV, it’s important that things have multiple uses. For example, we use our salad spinner to wash and spin greens, but also as our large serving bowl. We have a stick blender that has a food processor attachment to grind coffee beans and cheeses. We even recently changed out our plastic food storage containers for glass ones so we can use them in the oven as well. The more things that can have multiple uses, the less clutter you have in your tiny home on wheels.

Where to park and live in an RV?

Most people think RVs and travel go hand-in-hand, but depending on your life situation, you may not be able to travel full-time. You might have a job that requires you to go to an office every day (I do!), you might have kids that go to a local school or you might simply love your home base, that’s cool too.

If you are staying put, I want to lay out some helpful tips and tricks for where to park and live in an RV– legally!

I’m about to say something scary, okay? I AM NOT A LAWYER! And depending on the place you live, it may be illegal to live full-time in a RV. In the state where we live, it is illegal in many counties to live full-time in a RV. Different counties and different cities will have different rules. Sometimes it’s illegal to live in anything on wheels. Sometimes it’s illegal to live in something without a permanent foundation. Sometimes it’s a square foot thing and it’s illegal to live in something less than 1,200 square feet. You’ll want to check your county and cities requirements and decide if the risks are worth the rewards.

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Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to the places you might be able to park your RV.

Your own land

If you can afford it, buying a small piece of land can be ideal for a RV. If the land isn’t yet equipped for electric, water and sewer that could make your parking a bit more difficult. Some areas, even if you pay for it, won’t run power, sewer or water without building permits for a house and all the requirements that follow. If that’s the case, you could look for land that already has utilities or you could go off-grid completely!

Realtor.com is a great place to start looking for land to buy. You can search by land in your area and review the properties to determine if they’d be a good fit for your RV.

Zillow.com works similarly to Realtor.com, but has a more graphic interface with an interactive map of houses for sale and land.

RV Parks and Mobile Home Communities

If you can’t afford your own land, don’t fret, there’s options out there. I’d suggest looking into local RV parks and mobile home communities. Some RV parks will let you stay long-term if you periodically move your home and/or leave the park for a couple of days. That’s a small price to pay for the freedom of living in an RV.

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RVparking.com is a website where you can search or browse for an RV park in your area. Each park will have different rules, so be sure to check with the management for long-term parking.

Campendium is a searchable RV parking website. Campendium is great for short-term parking as well. In addition to RV parks, Campendium shows National Park/Forest camping and free camping.
MH Village is a marketplace to buy, sell or rent manufactured homes and RVs. The website also includes a searchable mobile home community database.

Remember to also do a Google search for RV parks or mobile home villages in your area that might not show up on the sites previously mentioned.

Tiny House Options

If living in an RV park or a mobile home community isn’t your style, that’s ok. Tiny Housers have difficulty parking their homes too. Those crafty tiny housers have created the following websites can help you locate an alternative place to park your home.

TinyHouseCommunity.com is a resource that connects tiny house owners with builders, communities, and fellow tiny housers. The Places page on TinyHouseCommunity details counties that allow tiny houses, as well as communities that welcome tinyhouses or RVs.
TinyHouseMap.com is an interactive map that you can use to search for fellow tiny housers, tiny house builders and tiny house communities for parking.

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TinyHouseParking.com is also an interactive map, which can be configured to display parking places available for rent or purchase. On TinyHouseParking you can even create a “parking wanted” ad.

Backyard Livin’

If all else fails, you can always ask if friends or relatives will let you stay in their backyard in exchange for chores or a small rental fee. Dee Williams, one of the tiny house pioneers, began her tiny living journey in a friend’s backyard. Again, according to those pesky zoning laws, living full-time in an RV in someone’s backyard might not be legal. I am not a lawyer and I can’t give legal advice. It’s up to you to decide if you are willing to skirt the law.

How to live full in RV?

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of people giving up the daily grind to live and travel in vans, RVs, and other nontraditional abodes. While traveling in an RV has been something people have been doing for decades, new sharing economy websites, better resources online, more modern vans, and a growing community that can provide support have made it easier for anyone to travel full-time in an RV.

What used to be traditionally and predominantly an activity for older, retired, or family travelers is now something people of all ages are trying to do.

 “How do you travel in an RV?” is one of the questions I’m most asked.
So today, we’re going to the experts and talking full-time RV with nomads Marc and Julie from RV Love. This couple joined my blogging program a few years ago, hoping to find a way to spread the gospel of living and traveling in an RV to the wider world. (Spoiler: they did. And they just published a book with Simon & Schuster about it too!)
They’ve been driving around in their RV for nearly five years and, today, they share their wisdom about how to travel by RV:
Nomadic Matt: Tell us about yourselves! How did you get into this?
Marc and Julie: We’re Marc and Julie Bennett, full-time RVers since 2014, living, working, and traveling in our motorhome as we explore North America and the world! We met on the dating website eHarmony while both living in Colorado in 2010, married in 2011, and hit the road three years later!

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Why did you pick traveling in an RV as your way to get around?

We knew we wanted to do a lot more extended travel while we were still working. We get such little vacation time here in the USA, and we didn’t want that to limit our lives. So we started exploring different ways to bring more travel and adventure into our everyday life without Marc having to give up his job as project manager of operations, which he was able to do from home.

We considered international travel, but there were two main reasons why wasn’t a fit: the challenge of time zones, and more specifically, we wanted to travel with our dog Coda. Plus, we love to drive, so RVing was really the ideal solution for us. We love that wherever we go, we’re always home, and we’re not living out of suitcases.
We’re both passionate about driving, so it makes sense that we would choose to live and travel by RV, although we usually prefer more sporty rides when it comes to entertainment, as we both have a love for sports cars and convertibles.

What’s life like living and traveling around in an RV?

We just entered our fifth year on the road full-time as RVers, and we recently changed from a 2012 36’ gas Class A motorhome to a 1999 40’ diesel motorhome! We bucked the trend and went bigger (and older and cheaper, but much higher quality), and we’re actually doing a complete remodel of our RV this summer.

Traditionally, we spend about 80% of our time in campgrounds and about 20% dry camping, but we recently installed a big lithium battery bank and solar system on our RV, so we plan on spending a lot more time camping off the grid out in nature in the coming years. We try to spend 2-3 weeks in each location, but that varies on where we are, the weather, and what projects we have on our plates. We moved pretty fast in our first 3+ years, having visited all 50 states while still working full-time.

This year, we have so many big and exciting projects on our plates, we’re really feeling the need to slow down, catch our breath, and get caught up on our content! We tend to wing our plans a lot more than we used to, as we’re more comfortable and confident RVers now.
An average day depends on whether you have to work or not. We love that we no longer have a commute and that the views outside our windows change every week or so. Nature is a big part of our everyday life, so it can be easier to get in more walking, hiking, biking, or kayaking. We definitely get to see more sunsets — that’s a big thing for a lot of RVers.

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RV life is still life. You need to go grocery shopping, make meals, do laundry, pay bills, and do housework. Then there’s RV maintenance and repairs! There’s almost always something to do on an RV — tighten screws, replace parts, troubleshoot issues, check your tire pressure, fix whatever’s broken.

Upon arrival at a destination, it usually takes less than 30 minutes to set up. It may sound like a hassle, but if you’re staying a week or more, it becomes a small percentage of your time. And RV life can be as social as you like. We tend to mostly stay in campgrounds, so it’s not too difficult to meet new people. And we also go to RV rallies to meet up with our RVing friends, who we stay in touch with online. It can take a little time to build your RV community, but if you put yourself out there, it can happen pretty quickly!

Why RV living may be more affordable?

Somewhere, perhaps through magazine articles and online photos depicting luxurious RV resorts, a picture of the RV lifestyle has emerged; a picture rimmed with dollar signs. Add to that picture the high cost of gas or diesel, and it looks like an expensive lifestyle.
Let me create an accurate picture for you. The house that has been like a stone around your neck is finally sold. All the “stuff” of many years, sold or stored. The household utilities, canceled. The extra commuter car, sold. All the old toys, sold. This leaves you with a fat wallet and ready to hit the road full-time. New friends and adventures await!

In this example, you do not run to the nearest RV lot and roll out with the first RV the salesperson shows. Six months before the house is sold, you start a campaign to find the perfect RV, just like you did when you bought the house (at least I hope so).

Choosing the right RV: There is a huge savings right from the start if you choose a used RV. There are additional savings down the road if you choose the type of RV that most suits your travel plans. Pick a motorhome for adventure, or a fifth-wheel for resting a season in one location. Always hire an independent RV inspector to check it out before you sign on the dotted line, no exceptions. This is $100 well spent.

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Do your research on this. If you choose correctly, there is no need to start again with another vehicle a few years later (and pay the tax and interest again). If you pay cash, you start with a huge savings.
Housing and utilities: Chances are good that the RV you choose costs less than the house you sold. On the road, all utilities are paid by the RV park except electricity if you stay 30 days or more in one place.

 That means typically no bills for electricity and no bills for garbage, water, or sewer come due. And if you decide to park on public land and enjoy nature at its finest, it is free. I have many friends that boondock (primitive parking without utilities) half the year. What a savings!

RV parks and camping: While the average price for a camping spot has gone up, you can lower your costs by joining a half-price RV club like Passport America and/or a membership park system. (Some RV clubs have members who offer travelers a place to stay.) You can also boondock on public lands or overnight at Walmart parking lots or volunteer/work where you stay in order to receive a free or low-cost RV site.

Fuel: Save money on fuel by traveling shorter distances and staying longer in one place. Take advantage of weekly and monthly rates and explore an area. You'll enjoy it more and spend less money.
Food: Food is a controllable expense if you use your RV's microwave oven. Eat out less.

Entertainment: Park your RV where you like to play. If you enjoy the outdoors, camping in national parks or forests allows you to open your door and step out for hiking, photography and exploring.

Clothing: Clothing is the smallest expense. The RV lifestyle is casual to the extreme. Space is limited so the quantity of clothing is limited, one item in, one item out. The budget-conscious can pick up nice jeans, shorts and shirts at used clothing stores, saving even more.
Gifts and purchases: The best use of space limits acquiring "stuff." There is simply no place to put it! Limit gifts to inexpensive but unique items picked up in your travels.

Staying in touch: If you need a second cell phone, a prepaid cell allows you to budget your calls. You can often find a free Wi-Fi signal at an RV park, library or coffee shop. Use the built-in webcam in your computer to use Skype or Facetime to stay in contact for free.

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Taxes: Choosing the full-time RV lifestyle allows you to choose the place to call home. Many RVers choose a no-income-tax state like Texas, South Dakota, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, Washington, or Florida. If you live on retirement income or income earned in one of these states, you do not pay state income tax on it.

Since you can adjust your spending on most of the categories above as needed, it allows you to live on any budget. If you overspend in one area, you can cut back for awhile in another. Visit RV Lifestyle Expert’s budgeting tool for more budget information and a sample worksheet.
How might you adjust your spending as needed? Suppose you have costly repairs… then stay in one place for a while, reducing your fuel costs. Or you might boondock on public lands for a few days, greatly reducing or eliminating your camping costs while doing so. If needed you could even add to your income by working at a short-term or temporary job.

Join me in the RV lifestyle! You too will find you can save a bundle living in your RV.

Things you should know before living in RV

Thinking of moving into an RV? If so, there are nine basic things you need to know before you make the leap from standard living to motorhome or camper living. You are going to need to do a great deal of research to make sure that doing this will be beneficial to you. For some people, it is great, but this is not true for everybody.
This article will provide the type of basic information you will need to help you find out whether changing the way you live will be the right thing for you to do.

Things you should know before deciding to live full time in an RV.

You may be dreaming of living year round in a recreational vehicle, but you need to understand that doing this can change your life in many ways, not all of which may be pleasant for you.
This is why you need to do some research before you make your move.
Is Full Time RV Living the Best Choice for You? is a good resource, so you might want to take a look at it. In the meantime, below is some information that will give you an overview of this lifestyle.

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Possessions

You must decide whether your possessions or your desire to live a simpler, less burdensome life is more important. Most people who become full-timers sell their homes and all but one of their vehicles (the one that either tows their travel unit or is towed by it).
They also shed themselves of furniture, artwork, anything that takes up a lot of space (such as hobby materials, holiday decorations, boxes of family photos, libraries, magazines, newspapers or collectibles), pets, unless they are very small, bulky electronics, excess clothing (especially bulky items), duplicate household goods (such as second sets of dishes and silverware), decorator items, heavy cleaning equipment (such as full-sized vacuum cleaners), duplicate tools and recreational equipment (such as kayaks, skis and clunky sports equipment).

Some people find it difficult to make the transition all at once, so they put their belongings in storage units they can rent by the month.
Those who are lucky enough to be able to place their belongings at the homes of family members or good friends buy storage sheds. In the long run, this is less expensive than renting a unit and is often more secure.

A one-time purchase of a shed will pay for itself in a year or so, and it can be sold later in the event people decide either to return to living in a house or sell off their belongings because they feel their new lifestyle works for them.

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Storing items makes people feel more secure and gives them an "out" if they change their minds. This also allows them keep their most valued items in a way that doesn't crowd them.

Your Coach

When you live in a limited amount of space, comfort and privacy are important.

Therefore you must make sure that the unit you use for full-time living is big enough to serve your purposes and has everything you will need to keep yourself comfortable. Otherwise, you will be miserable.
Coaches are rated for living and traveling in various types of weather. It is best to choose an all-weather unit to ensure that it will hold up to temperature differences and be comfortable no matter its location.
If you join RV Consumer Group, you will be able to access books and magazines which provide this and other important information for any specific make, model and year of motor home or camper. It costs a good bit to do this, but can save you money and problems in the long run.

Setting Up a Home Base

Many people set up home bases by

• renting campsites on a long term basis,
• purchasing a deeded RV lot or
• purchasing and developing properly zoned land.
Doing this gives them a permanent address and provides a sense of security they might not otherwise be able to have. However, having a home base is not always necessary.

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Some folks just rent as they go. I this situation, you generally pay nothing but a nightly, weekly or monthly fee. Although this sounds simple, it can get pricey because campgrounds always charge more for visitors who don't stay for long periods of time.
On the other hand, people who choose this route can often camp inexpensively or even free in a number of places. What Is the Maximum Amount of Time Allowed for Campground Stays? and How to Live Rent Free in Your RV provide more information about this.

Children

It is probably not a good idea to full time with children because RV parks are not the safest places for them and rarely offer child-friendly amenities.

Also, too many bodies make for major discomfort, and more than two people living in even the largest unit definitely creates a problem. Children living in a coach translates to clothes, medications, special foods, special equipment and toys.

People do full time with youngsters on board, but it is not the most enjoyable way to live. Traveling is one thing, but day to day living is quite another.

Pets

Many people enjoy keeping animals with them in their coaches, but the truth is that this also can create problems.

They require special equipment, toys, medications and food. Some parks do not allow them or require residents who own them to camp in special areas and pay extra fees. There also are usually size and type requirements.

Furthermore, some pets can smell up an RV, dirty it, damage upholstery and cabinetry and leave hair, ticks and fleas everywhere. If they annoy other campers in any way or their masters do not pick up their waste matter, parks will terminate the lot rental, eject the perpetrators and will refuse to give refunds.

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The most successful pet situations I have seen are those where people keep very small dogs, wash and groom them regularly and take them out only to do their business.

People who travel with multiple animals, large dogs, pigs (yes, pigs!) and horses cannot possibly hope to do well with full timing.
Think carefully before including pets in your full time RV living plans.

Communicating

Keeping in touch for personal or business matters is important, but is easily managed these days. One only needs a cell phone, a laptop with wireless capabilities and sometimes a mail forwarding service.
Mail forwarding services are inexpensive (as little as $10 per month plus postage), safe and convenient. When you use them, you automatically become a legal resident of the state where the service is located. Therefore, it is important to choose one such as Florida or Texas where fees and taxes are much less costly than places such as New York or California.

Signing up is very easy:
1. Choose the service you wish to use.
2. Submit a formal change of address to your local Post Office.
The Post Office then sends all of your incoming mail to the service instead of to your old address, and the service keeps it until you call to tell them where to send it.

Mail forwarding services can generally be started or stopped as needed, but each company has its own rules, so it is wise to find out what they are prior to signing up. The best and most reasonable one I know of is offered by The Good Sam Club, but you may have to join in order to access this benefit.

There is always a delay when using this method, and it costs a bit to do because you must pay postage fees in addition to the monthly cost. However, if you have no home base or do have not made arrangements with someone you trust to handle your mail for you, it is the only way you can access your mail.

Insurance

Arranging for insurance coverage is much the same for full-timers as it is for everybody else. However, people without home bases must make sure that they carry health insurance policies that will cover them completely no matter their location.

HMOs and other limited service area policies will not provide coverage unless these folks happen to be in the same area as their mail forwarding services.

For those who travel a great deal, it is a good idea to purchase emergency coverage that will not pay medical costs, but will, under the appropriate circumstances, provide regional medical referrals and oversight as well as a means of getting travelers and their vehicles back to their home bases at no cost. Good Sam Club sells one that costs around $110 per year and covers all travelers.

Auto insurance policies generally cover travel units, but not all do, so ask before you buy.