RVing on a budget

Rving on a Budget

Are you planning to embrace the ambitious and nomadic lifestyle of a full-time RVer? If you are, you might be questioning just how cost efficient it is to buy an RV, drive it, and live on the road. The simple response to this question is that you could make it as costly or as affordable as you want! It all hinges on your decisions with regards to the type of vehicle you want to buy and how you want to finance it, as well as your budget and the different expenses related to owning an RV.

The choice of expenses can be quite huge, so you’ll have to do the research and choose for yourself if you would like to live large or small while traveling in your RV.

A few Questions to Take into Account

Before venturing out, you’ll have to ask yourself and your travel-mate(s) a couple of questions. A great brainstorming session is going to rule out surprises and allow you to make a powerful plan for your adventure. You should ask:

Do you have an income flow that hopefully will support you while traveling or will you have to find work on the way?

Are you willing to travel endlessly or do you want to take a year off for the trip?

Are you going to be comfortable in a modest trailer or are you looking for a classy high quality motorhome?

Do you intend to stay in 5-star RV sites?

Are there certain places you would like to travel to or are you going to roam free?

The responses to all these questions can help you plan your trip and get an overall picture of what your travel mates’ needs and expectations are. As soon as you have this discussion, you can determine whether you are able to roll or need more preparation and reflection time.

Cost of Your Vehicle

The kind of RV you travel in would depend on your personal taste and your budget. If you have a huge sum of money to spend, then you can buy whatever you want and not be concerned about gas mileage or efficiency. However, if you are like the majority of RVers, you must take note of your budget. Nothing can take the freedom from an RV adventure like being short on cash.

Think about:

Motorhome vs. Trailer:

Motorhomes are the higher priced option of the two. In addition to being more expensive to purchase, they are the priciest to operate and maintain and they depreciate at a greater speed than travel trailers.

Trailers towed by your truck or SUV are usually more cost effective to buy and travel with. In addition, you could leave your trailer at your campground and drive your vehicle around.

RVing on a budget

Think about maintenance costs. Pop-up tent trailers will require significantly less maintenance than motorhomes loaded with luxuries.

Insurance:

Before putting your signature on the dotted line for an RV, contact your insurance agent to determine the cost of insuring the vehicle.

RV Budget Estimate

Even though you won’t know precisely what your touring lifestyle is going to be like before you start your trip, there is an effective way to estimate costs. It is a simple math formula: your new RV lifestyle expenses is going to be equal to your present household spending budget, minus the expenses of staying in your house, plus the expenses of living in your recreational vehicle. Looks pretty simple, right?

Jobs on the Road

When you don’t have sufficient cash to simply take off without working, you could possibly check out some on-the-road options for getting money. For instance:

Remote Employment:

Work for your present employer on the road. Most of today’s jobs can be taken care of through your computer and an internet connection from anywhere.

Work-camper:

Work-camping is also a great option. A great number of full-time RVers take short-term positions at campgrounds, theme parks, national parks, routine maintenance or retail positions.

Freelancer:

It is possible to freelance through the web with your laptop in many different fields, like:

Teaching online lessons

Content writer or paper reviewer

Once you’ve answered these pertinent questions to budget RVing – you are on your way to making your RV dreams come true!