Frequently Asked Questions About Full-Time RVing
We’ve been living in traveling full time in our home on wheels since 2018, and we’ve enjoyed documenting everything we have learned along the way. We aim to be a resource of information and also a source of inspiration for anyone who is interesting in RVing, whether it’s part time or full time.
There are some questions we seem to get over and over, so we wanted to compile them right here so you that can easily be found ini one spot!
FAQs for RV Beginners
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We tow a 2017 Coachmen Chaparral 390QSMB with a 2016 Ford F-350. It’s a smidge under 42 ft. long, and has 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, a large living room and well equipped kitchen.
Read more about our RV renovations and watch our RV tour.
We bought it slightly used from RVTrader.com and it’s the only RV we’ve ever owned! We all love it and think it’s a perfect fit for our family.
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It started off as an idea to take a one year trip to reconnect as a family, as our lives were becoming very busy.
Our kids were growing apart and we were finding that we had less and less time for the things we truly loved, including spending a lot of time together.
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Nope! We had to figure it all out as we went, so we:
1. Followed other families on social media who were RVing
+ Picked their brains & learned as much as we could
…and then only a short few months after the first conversation we ever had about it, we were on the road!
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Nope. We sold and gave away everything.
We found a renter for our house and I just figured I’d re-buy furniture when we returned instead of paying for storage.
Most of our stuff was second hand anyway, so it would’ve been more expensive to pay for storage!
We stored a box with a few photo albums and printed photos at my parents’ house.
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We focused on figuring out which toys were the ones our kids played with the most, kept those and got rid of the others.
They chose some stuffed animals, Lego, building blocks, cars and a few dolls. (They were 5 and 7). We also kept some favorite books.
We all tried to downsize our wardrobes to quality, key pieces we would wear over and over and would withstand lots of outdoor adventures!
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It’s always good to be prepared, but we aren’t promised tomorrow and if full time travel is your dream, go for it sooner rather than later!
A few suggestions if you are wanting to get started:
Do your homework and follow other families online who are doing what you want to do, but don’t overthink it or spend too much time trying to figure everything out or you’ll never do it!
Buy a used RV and vehicle.They tend to hold up better than brand new, and it’ll be a less financial hit upfront and if you want to sell in a year.
After you have done your research and followed/learned from other people, erase your expectations and enjoy the journey! You’ll have struggles, boring times, frustrations, etc., but it’s all a part of the journey.
FAQs About All The Regular Life Stuff & Financials
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No, we sold it after 2 years when we thought the market was at it’s height!
We don’t regret it though, because we were able to buy our dream lot in Mexico with the money, so we now live at the beach each winter!
Read all about RVing in Baja, Mexico.
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The first way is from the business we started when we launched- The Wanderpreneurs!
Ways we make money with the Wanderpreneurs are by:
Selling digital products we create such as our e-book about how to become a full-time RVer
Partnering with brands, services and destinations to help promote them on our website and social media
Affiliate commissions
Running an RV focus group, where companies pay us to send their items to our group members in exchange for feedback.
Managing social media accounts for several companies
Creating user generated content- which is photos and videos that companies can use for their own marketing.
Aaron owns his own company building websites and doing digital marketing and one of his biggest clients recently hired him onto their team for an official part time position, where he is their marketing manager.
If you’re interesting in learning how to get paid to travel and make money using social media and/or creating online content, you can watch a free webinar I co-hosted with my mentor, Christina.
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Now that we do more international travel (mostly in Mexico but also in Europe), simply using the cheapest discount carriers don’t work for us.
We use T-Mobile for our cell phone plan due to their high speed international data plans.
Thanks to their multi-network capabilities, pay-as-you-go plans, and ability to work in Canada and Mexico, we use TravlFi for our mobile hotspot.
Since we enjoy a ton of remote areas with no cell coverage, we also us Starlink.
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Each year looks a little different for us, as we are always trying new things and changing things up to keep it interesting!
Read about what we’re doing in 2023 or watch a little video.
Read about our 6 years of roadschooling
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My parents are kind enough to get our mail and text us photos when needed.
For packages, we can sometimes have them sent to campgrounds we stay at, or we can utilize Amazon lockers, USPS General Delivery or other similar services.
Read more about regular mail options for RVers
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You will have a domicile state even if you travel full time. You can choose this state.
Most people consider what the taxes are, how voting works, and what the homeschool laws are in each state to determine where to domicile.
This is the state you will register your vehicles in and pay taxes to. We chose the last state we lived in, since we already had our vehicles registered there, were registered voters there (and could vote remotely) and the homeschool laws were easy.
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Not exactly. We are members of a health care organization that isn’t insurance, but does offer some help gif any unexpected healthcare bills come our way.
It’s called Christian Healthcare Ministries. You pay a monthly payment and the money is shared among members when needed.
We have never needed to use it, so our monthly “gift” goes to others who need it.
Read more about Christian Healthcare Ministries.
We are a healthy family, and to stay on top of our health. We visit a dentist for cleanings once a year in Mexico, and pay a fraction of what a US dentist would charge.
We also get annual bloodwork done directly at a lab without paying the middle man (a doctor) through a website called jasonhealth.com.
You can simply choose the tests you want to get and go directly to the lab and have them done! You get the results emailed to you.
FAQs About RV Travel and Planning
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Many ways! We make lists of places we want to visit and we also ask our friends where they will be and make plans to meet up and travel with friends often.
Since we’re now in our 6th year, we tend to stay put in areas longer, as it fits our families needs better now.
Every fall, we settle down in one area and let our kids play organized recreational sports!
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Staying in Thousand Trails parks is a great way to find other families if you’re looking for families with kids.
Don’t be shy, strike up conversations, hang out in common areas like the pool, hotub, clubhouse, etc. and just be friendly!
When you really connect with someone, stay in touch and plan to meet up again.
Sometimes initial connections are made over social media and then you plan to meet up in person!
Once you meet up multiple times and have multiple campfires under your belt, that’s when the real friendships start. You have to be intentional. Make those plans to travel together and meet up over and over.
Our kids have more friends now than when we lived in a house. This lifestyle has been very social and fun for all of us because of the people we’ve met!
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That’s a tough one to answer because there are so many!
Off the top of my head I (Lauren) always say Southern Utah, Southwestern Colorado and sooo much of California are the most beautiful in my opinion.
All around Lake Michigan, the Oregon coast, Idaho, and so many National Parks make the list too.
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Our favorite membership and the one that has saved us the most money is our Thousand Trails membership.
We have a lifetime membership and stay at their parks for free! (We do pay an annual maintenance fee)
We have met almost all of our road buddies in these parks, as tons of full time RV families have this membership.
Our buddy Aaron Massa can give you info on all the membership types and current pricing and/or specials. Tell him The Wanderpreneurs sent ya! Aaron Massa- 360-489-4407 Aaron_massa@equitylifestyle.com
We also love Harvest Hosts, which gives you access to unique overnight RV stays at over 2,800 Wineries, Breweries, Farms and more.
Boondockers Welcome is another membership we’ve used a good bit in the past years, where locals offer up their property for RVers to stay overnight.
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YES! And boy, do we love it.
Our property in Mexico is completely off grid, so we boondock for months at a time down there, as well as many other places around the country.
You can read about our boondocking setup and boondocking tips here!
FAQ about Living in an RV
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Our home on wheels is pretty large at 400 sq. ft. and our kids are older. (Teen/pre-teen).
We all have learned to vocalize when we need some space or alone time. We have 2 bedrooms with doors that shut, and anytime anyone needs to have some time, they know they have a place for some quiet time and privacy.
We also spend a lot of time outdoors, so we don’t ever feel cooped up inside. When the world is your backyard, you often feel more free than you ever did in a house with a fenced in backyard :)
We have always made a point to set the kids’ bedtime several hours before we go to bed, so we have time together each evening.
Another benefit to having older kids is that they can stay home alone when we go on date nights whenever we want!
When they were younger, we would often swap date nights with families we travel with and were close with, or families with teens could come over and babysit while we went out.
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Managing work and play can be tough. Especially when you’re traveling with friends that may be retired, not work as much, or have kids with different school schedules. Finding balance is something we’re always working on.
The second biggest challenge has been staying flexible and being ok with the unknown. Things are always changing, and you have to make plans with a grain of salt. Things break, repairs take longer than expected, life happens… and sometimes you just have to either pivot, be patient, or come up with a plan B.
This lifestyle is so much better when your mindset is that FLEXIBILITY is key. It’s smart to always have a backup plan or option B.
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Do we have to?! Until we have a reason to, we have no plans to! We passes each person in our family’s needs and preferences regularly with open communication and for now, everyone is still completely on board with full time travel.
We feel RVing and travel will always be a part of our lives in some capacity and for now and for the foreseeable future, it’s our LIFE!