The thought of vagabonding in this day and age is more alluring than ever. With the world as your oyster, you get to explore every crack and crevice contained within the Earth’s surface. You get to give up your inhibitions and try on a new lifestyle for a change. Best of all, you get to visit parts of the world that other people only see on TV or read about in books. Baker from Man vs. Debt is living the RV dream right now and he has a lot of great tips about how to pull it off.
Who doesn’t love the idea of traveling full-time? What a luxury it is to have greater control over your time, money, and choice of scenery. With that being said, living aboard a recreational vehicle is not for everyone so how can you tell it’s for you? Here are some things to ask yourself before you prepare for a life on the road in an RV.
- What will your expenses look like? Let’s face it. Gas isn’t cheap. That means that you have to have a plan if you want to get from point A to point B. Factor in the cost of upkeep and maintenance on your recreational vehicle as well. Campground fees, fishing licenses, insurance, and groceries are also realistic expenses while living on the road. Write everything you can think of down and come up with an estimate as to how much you will need to live on each month. You may be surprised how little money you need.
- What are you willing to cut back on or eliminate in order to make this dream a reality? How do you expect to make such a big change if you’re not willing to break bad spending habits? Will giving up your daily coffees and afternoon restaurant lunches help you get one step closer to your goal? Well, of course it will! You have to decide what is important to you and cut back on the things you don’t need. A few small sacrifices will go a long way over time.
- How will you make money along the way? Even the most frugal person requires some of the green stuff to get by. Will you live off of savings or will you do odds and ends jobs along the way? Workamping is a great way to gain employment while living on the road. You can sign up for their services by visiting http://www.workamper.com/optinnew/index.cfm. Or if you’ve set up an online business there’s a good chance you can work from a laptop anywhere you have an internet connection.
- Are there any places in particular that you want to visit? Knowing what part of the country you’ll be spending time in during what season will help you plan accordingly. Obviously, some places like Florida and California stay warmer longer. These are great states to visit when the rest of the country is frozen over with snow.
- What type of dwelling will accommodate you and your family or pets? RVs vary in size and function. Some have to be pulled behind a truck with a hitch while others can be driven and lived in. The size of your family and the amount of space you require to feel comfortable will determine which make or model best suits you.
If you find the though of hitting the road appealing, what’s stopping you? If it’s money that’s holding you back, find ways to sock more into your savings and buy a used RV and it may be more feasible. That’s what I plan to do. I have a price range in mind and I’m starting to put a little away each month to make my dream of full-time roadtripping a reality.
Author: Charissa
Charissa is into frugal living and saving money.
