Are You Ready to Live in Your RV Full-Time?
What’s not to love about living in your RV full-time? You are free from the limitations and burdens of a typical home. 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.
On the other hand, it’s not for everyone. You need to have the right space, the right companion or companions and the right financial situation.
If you’re considering living in your RV Full-time, here are few questions to ask yourself that will help you decide if it’s really right for you.
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What would you have to give up to live in your RV full-time?
If you own a home, are you ready to sell it? Would renting it work for you?
Are you ready to downsize? RVs have very little storage. If you are going to be a full-timer, you will have to decide how you are going to dispose of many of your belongings, or be prepared to pay for storage.
Happily, you will get to replace some of those belongings with cool RV gadgets designed to make travel and RV living fun and efficient.
You may enjoy RV Gadget Essentials to Keep You Connected
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Speaking of expenses, are you going to need to earn money while you’re full-timing?
There are many ways to earn money, even if you change your location on a regular basis. The question is whether you can find a way to earn money that you enjoy. Or that you feel is worth doing in order to enjoy the RV lifestyle you have chosen.
You may have an idea for a virtual business. There are many full-time RV bloggers and authors. You can also take advantage of websites like Workamper where many seasonal jobs are listed all over the continent. You might be a hospitality worker for the summer in Alaska or pump propane at an RV park in Florida in exchange for a full hookup site and modest wages.
Explore your options. You might be surprised by the opportunities available to you. Work up a budget that includes money you may have coming in and expenses you will have to cover. RV-Dreams has created a very helpful set of budget and expense worksheets.
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Do You Have a Plan for Managing Your Obligations?
You can leave a traditional home behind, but you can’t escape obligations like taxes, insurance, and vehicle registration rates. You will still need to have an official state of residence. Make sure that you have a plan for receiving and sending mail. Most RVers select a reliable mail forwarding company.
Some mail forwarding companies will even help you with the paperwork involved in changing your state of residence. States with no income tax are popular states of residence for full-time travelers. A lack of state income tax helps make South Dakota, Florida and Texas the most popular states of residence for full-time RVers.
Don’t forget your RV Insurance. Our team of experts would be happy to consult with you on the best coverages at the right cost for you.
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Are You Healthy Enough for Live in Your RV Full-Time?
RV living can be a very healthy and satisfying lifestyle. But, if you need regular medical care, you may not want to be far from your favorite health provider. If that’s not a consideration for you, make sure you have access to health insurance that will allow you to take care of clinics and urgent care centers as needed without breaking your budget.
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What Kind of RV Would You Like to Live In?
You may think the living in your RV full-time will only be comfortable in a very large vehicle. This isn’t necessarily true. Part of RV life is exploring new and exciting locations. A smaller RV doesn’t have to feel confining when the world is your living room. Smaller RVs will also give you more flexibility when it comes to where you want to park. And they are easier to maneuver when you’re in more urban areas.
Before you invest in your full-time RV home, take a similar model for a test run. Rent an RV of similar size for a trip that will last several days and will take you to the type of destination you think you will be visiting on a regular basis as a full-timer.
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Are You Ready to Be Surprised?
Most full-timers discover pluses and minuses they never would have anticipated. For example, rather than leaving friends and family behind, the freedom of a full-time RV lifestyle allows you to spend extended periods of time near people who matter to you, without having to impose on them. You’ll also have more time to explore each place you visit and learn to live like the locals, especially if you work for a time in those locales.
Are you a full-timer? We’d love to know what you think are the best things about the Full-Timer Lifestyle…and the worst. But mostly we want to congratulate you on embarking on a great American Adventure!
