I'm writing this because I wish someone had been this honest with us before we sold the house and hit the road. Maybe it would've changed our approach. Maybe not. But at least we would've gone in with realistic expectations.
Karen here. Solo RVer now, but I started this journey as part of a couple with what we thought was a solid financial plan.
The plan: sell the house, pocket the equity, buy an RV, and live cheaply while we figured out our next chapter. The math looked great on paper. No mortgage, no property tax, no utility bills. How expensive could RVing be?
Very. Very expensive as it turns out.
The RV itself was $85,000. Already more than we budgeted because we "needed" the floorplan with the bigger bathroom. Then $18,000 for a proper tow vehicle. Then insurance. Then the first repair — a slide-out motor at $1,200 — three months in.
Within eight months our "savings" were bleeding. Within fourteen months the relationship was done — unrelated to the money but the financial stress didn't help.
I downsized to a smaller Class C, got serious about boondocking, and now I actually do live cheaply. But it took a painful expensive lesson to get here.
My advice: whatever you budget for full-time RVing, add 40%. And dont sell your house until you've tried RVing for at least 3 months. Learn the real costs before you burn your bridges.
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This is so helpful — wish I had found this article sooner.
We learned most of this the hard way. Nice to see it written out clearly.
Well written and to the point. Appreciate real-world experience.
Never thought about it this way before. Good stuff.
We learned most of this the hard way. Nice to see it written out clearly.
Thanks for the kind words! Means a lot.
Adding this to my trip planning list. So many good ideas here.
Adding this to my trip planning list. So many good ideas here.
This is exactly what I needed to read today! Going to try this on our next trip.
Thanks so much! Glad it helped.
Interesting take! Has anyone tried this in cold weather too?
YES. This is why I keep coming back to RVParks.
good read. sharing with friends
can confirm this works. tried it last month
Going to research this more. Thanks for the starting point!
Great stuff as always. Keep these coming!
this is underrated advice honestly
Our travel trailer is our escape from the work week. These tips make it better.
Good practical tips here. The basics matter more than people realize.
Old school approach but it works. Dont fix what aint broke.