How To Fulltime RV in 2023
My favorite place: the Grand Tetons and the famous barn!
How to fulltime RV in 2023 might or might not be a challenge, depending on what your needs and wants are. I will be honest with you and say fulltime rving is not as cheap as others have said, especially on YouTube. Things have gone up in price, such as groceries, gas, campgrounds, basically anything we consume as consumers. Sometimes you may wonder if you can travel in a RV during these incredibly difficult times? I can understand as we are fulltime rving and have been challenged with these rocky times. But it is not just fulltime rving, it is for anyone living today living through these difficult times.
But for fulltime rving, it will take savviness, knowing what is important and not important to you and patience as we go through these wayward times together.
I have seen questions people have asked like, how they could fulltime rv, how it is even affordable for you and me? Can you even do this? Or do you have to wait till you are retired and collect retirement? I have compiled some answers based on our experiences and observances from others to help you achieve this dream of fulltime rving:
You will need income. We are on a fixed income and realized we needed to bring in more money to afford to travel. There are plenty of people in our shoes and maybe yours that need a little more cash to travel. This will lead me to:
Work camping. This is one way we earn money to travel. It has afforded us to travel within the area we are work camping. Our freedom to travel wherever we want may be limited according to the place we are work camping (like staying in the same state for about 6 months), but wherever we choose to work camp, we make sure there are plenty of things to do. Here is a link to a blog I wrote about Work Camping with lots of links to find your next opportunity! Another way to make money is to:
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway during the Fall season.
Remote work. Lots of people are doing this today. You just need a good internet signal and a computer and voila! Here is a link to a blog I wrote about the different internet choices. Or if you are currently working in a building, you can ask your employer if you can remote work. Show him/her your dedication to the job, the positive and negative (yes, negative) about remote work and how you can be an excellent employee for your company.
Camp in a campground and find work in the local town. Some people will do this to help with paying the monthly rent for a campground (some campgrounds may offer monthly rent that might be cheaper than renting an apartment or a house) and a little extra spending money as they seek adventures around the area.
Finding remote work for yourself. This will take some digging and researching as there are lots of scams out there for remote work. But it is not impossible. I have seen plenty of remote work on Indeed (again, research) and even job placement opportunities. I have not found success yet in this, but if you have, please share!
Reduce your expenses. Ah, yes, the not so fun part. It does not mean giving up on anything fun and sitting in your RV while others are having a blast. This could mean traveling less, staying longer at your camp site (if they have reasonable monthly rates), eating at a not so swanky restaurant but finding one that is budget friendly and has great food or cook for yourselves, holding off on big purchases if you can. PAY OFF YOUR DEBT!!! Also, take a look at your monthly budget and see where you can reduce or cut out some of your expenses, like do you really need to stream so many channels, changing phone carriers that are cheaper but still has good service, find a cheaper way to stay at a campground - like a mom and pop type of one, or try this:
Boondocking! Personally, this is my favorite as I like the privacy it affords and sometimes the views can be magnificent. Did I say I like the privacy??? Boondocking, or dry camping can easily save you $$$ while fulltime rving (you can have a mix of campgrounds and boondock). You can camp in the desert, the forest, at a county or city park, mainly BLM (Bureau of Land Mgt) or the National Forest Service. Camping at its finest. But it certainly has its positives and negatives, and here is a link where I talk more about boondocking with lots of links!
Part of the fulltime RV experience is driving in bad weather :(
When we first started fulltime rving, we had the intention of just going boondocking and enjoying the retirement life. Well, life got in the way, expenses went sky high, no matter how we tried to reduce, and we came to the conclusion that we needed to bring in more money. My husband is retired and receives retirement income but I am NOT, so that can bring somewhat of a hardship to our finances. Work camping is what we have chosen, and I can honestly say it is not what I thought it was, but it helps us to afford this lifestyle as our home in only on wheels.
Even though RV sales has slowed down, finally, campgrounds have not lowered their prices, but you have plenty of choices of where to camp and what to do in 2023. This is one of my favorite places to find camping places with reviews, honesty, plus with listings of dump and water, which are VERY helpful when boondocking: Campendium. It is free, but you can pay pay for an annual membership for more access to filters like a variety of maps, no ads and more. But the free one is fine and you can still find those incredible places to camp with the free version.
Driving towards home with cloudy and cold weather.
RVing in 2023 is definitely doable, with maybe a few more campground choices to seek as gas is still too high, and will require some research on your part to seek those destinations that will create waves of jealousy among your friends that are still stuck at home!