RV Lifestyle Tips: RVing Costs, Repairs, Living Off the Grid, Workamping & More!

This page contains links to all the articles we’ve written about the RV lifestyle, from what it costs to live in an RV to finding jobs, working and work camping on the road, to living off the grid and boondocking in an RV, to dealing with crises and major repairs while traveling, to the logistics and planning necessary to become a full-time RVer, to interviews with long-term full-time travelers we’ve met along the way, to choosing an RV, to describing what it’s like to RV full-time, to our discovery of what it actually means — and what it really takes — to “live the dream.”

You can find this page again under “RVing Lifestyle” in the menu.
Companion index pages are: RV Tech Tips: Upgrades & Maintenance and Product Reviews.

MONEY and FINANCES in the RV LIFESTYLE

• RV Budget, Costs and Expenses – A detailed look at what it costs us to live in our RV
• What is an RV Warranty, and Do You Need One? – How our extended RV warranty has worked out for us financially
• SELL or LEASE the House when RVing Full-time? – Pondering this dilemma reveals some interesting twists

GOING FULL-TIME

• Who Lives in an RV Full-time and How Do They make Money? – What we’ve seen in our lives on the road
• Becoming a Full-time RVer – How To Transition and Which RV is Best – Things to consider
• Full-time RVing Tips – The logistics involved in going full-time: Mail, Domicile, Insurance, Voting, $aving Money!
• Americas Mailbox – One stop shopping for mail forwarding, vehicle registration/insurance and establishing a South Dakota domicile

CHOOSING AN RV and INTERESTING RVs WE’VE SEEN

• Rigs We’ve Owned – From a popup tent trailer to full-time travel trailer to full-time fiver to part-time fifth wheel toy hauler!
• Go Cheap, Go Small, Go NOW! – Learn RVing in a Little RV – Splurge on a fancy RV once you know exactly what you want
• Motorhome vs. Trailer – Pros and Cons of Each – Both types of RVs are great…each excels in a different way
• The Most Important Features in a Fifth Wheel Trailer – Before you buy, take a good long look under the hood!
• Finding a Fifth Wheel Trailer or Toy Hauler to be a Full-time Home – Reflections on our search for a new rolling home!
• Trailer Cargo Carrying Capacity – Understand what this is and why it’s important before you sign on the dotted line
• Triple Tow or Toy Hauler – How to RV full-time with a RZR – What’s the best way to bring your big toys with you?
• Toy Hauler Life – What’s It Like to Live in a Toy Hauler?
• How Big an RV Do You Need? – Bigger isn’t always better…sometimes Less is More!
• Truck Camper Pros and Cons – The Good, The Bad and The UGLY!
• What Kinda RV IzZAT?! – We’ve seen some pretty crazy getups on the road. Here’s a cool one!
• Sisters on the Fly and Their Vintage RVs – Sporty and sassy vintage gals driving sporty and sassy vintage RVs!
• Polaris RZR 900 XC – A New Ride and a New Chapter! – After 11 years on the road, we mixed it up and bought a side-by-side!

RV LIFESTYLE TIPS and ANECDOTES

• Summer RVing Tips – How to stay COOL in an RV in summer
• Winter RVing Tips – How to stay WARM in an RV in winter
• How to Heat an RV in a Snow Storm – Different heaters for different situations
• More Cold Weather Tips – Link to an Escapees Magazine Article we wrote
• Mobile RV internet access and phone communications – A minimalist approach
• Mexican Dentists – Finding Affordable Dental Care in Mexico
• RV Dump Station Tips – Dirty little secrets from the RV dump station
• “Pink” Jobs at the RV Dump Station – What’s a Girl To Do at the RV Dump Station?
• RV Refrigerator Management Tips – Winning the Turf Wars!
• RV Storage Tips – Making Space and Getting Organized in an RV
• Staying Fit in an RV – Mountain Biking complements the boondocking RV lifestyle very well
• It’s Not About the Hair – Haircuts offer a chance to talk with a local person at length and can be an enlightening cultural experience
• Driving an RV in the Eastern States – RVing is easy out west. In the eastern states it’s another story.
• Coffee Kiosks of the West – Getting A Cuppa Joe On The Go! – A unique phenomenon of the Northwest
• Dog’s Life – Buddy’s Got It Covered! – A cute post for dog lovers!

REPAIRS and CRISES ON THE ROAD

• Fifth Wheel Trailer Axle Replacement – We bent the spindle in Nova Scotia and replaced it in Maine
• RV Refrigerator Replacement – Our RV refrigerator died “on schedule” in Kentucky after 8 years of service
• Faucet, Toilet, Fresh Water Tank and Window Leak Repairs – OMG – So many plumbing and leak repairs at once in Kansas!
• 5th Wheel Suspension Replacement – A massive failure driving cross-country left the tires almost rubbing against each other
• RV Toilet Replacement – The hand we’re dealt in Colorado is a Royal Flush!
• RV Roof Repair – Rubber Roof Patch & Holding Tank Vent Cap Replacement – Quick & easy!
• How to install RV Roof Vents (after hail damage!) – A step-by-step tutorial for this easy DIY job
• RV Awning Repair and Installation – A step-by-step guide for doing this tricky job
• One Nut From Disaster – Miles from Nowhere in New Mexico, a critical nut falls off and must be replaced…with what?
• Fifth Wheel Trailer Rollover Accident – It wasn’t us, but it happened to good folks in a very similar rig in Texas

BOONDOCKING and LIVING OFF THE GRID in an RV

• How to live off the grid in an RV – Boondocking RV lifestyle tips
• Boondocking (or Primitive, Wild or Dispersed RV Camping) – How to find boondocking sites
• Solar Power – An essential aspect of boondocking if you want to do it for long periods of time

LIVING the DREAM

• What Is Your Dream? – After pursuing and living our dream for a while, we realized that tackling that question is the key to fulfilling it
• What Does It Take to “Live the Dream?” – It isn’t “money” or “luck”
• Living, Loving and Perfecting “The Dream” – What if — gasp — you aren’t happy after you start “living the dream?”
• On the Road to Your Dreams, Stay the Course! – Downsizing into an RV can be so overwhelming you lose track of the goal
• Why Do It? – Why we left home and ran away in an RV — before “retirement” and in a rig we’d purchased sight unseen online (yikes!)
• Wise Words Found in the Clutter – While spring cleaning we find a beautiful quote that sums it all up
• Puppy Chow – Is There a DOG Living in Our RV? – After 10 years on the road we unexpectedly become a family of three.
• Alice Cooper Sells Us a Truck – We meet Mark’s rock star idol from decades ago and a long held dream comes true!

JOBS and WORKAMPING in the RV LIFESTYLE

• Work and Workamping Ideas – Like any job hunt, being creative gets the best returns
• Amazon Camperforce – Hard work but decent pay and comaraderie for RVers each holiday season
• Workamping with the Ancients at Tonto National Monument – Volunteer work with rich rewards for history buffs
• Volunteering for Fun – A free campsite can equate to good pay in the right location
• World Cruising Done Right – It’s posh living, although not in an RV, but what a way to see the world’s most fabulous destinations!

UNUSUAL FULL-TIME TRAVELERS WE HAVE MET

• Kay Peterson – Full-time RV Pioneer and Founder of Escapees RV Club – What an inspiration!
• Phil and Ann Botnick – Reliving their 30 years as full-time RVers reveals not only personal growth and but immense creativity
• Bernice Ende – A Lady Long Rider who has traveled on horseback for 12 years plus a pair of long distance cyclists
• Around the World in an RV – A French family and German couple travel the world in their RVs

RV FACTORY TOURS

• Casita Travel Trailers Factory Tour – Lots of RV in a Tiny Package
• Space Craft RV Factory Tour – “Totally custom” means “Anything you want!”
• Escapod Teardrop Trailers Factory Tour – Rugged Campers for Off-Road Adventure!
• Heartland RV Factory Tour – As RV sales crashed in 2009, Heartland was on the rise
• NuWa Hitchhiker RV Factory Tour – We were so impressed we bought one right then and there!

REFLECTIONS ON OUR LIVES as FULL-TIME TRAVELERS

We’ve written about our impressions of the full-time RV and cruising lifestyles at various stages during our adventure since we started this crazy life in back in 2007. Here they are:

• Lessons Learned in the RV Lifestyle – Tips & Ideas After 11 Years on the Road
• 10 Years of RVing and Sailing Recap – 1 – The Early Years: Running off in an RV and then buying a sailboat and cruising Mexico
• 10 Years of RVing and Sailing Recap – 2 – The 2nd Half: Ending our Mexico cruise and returning to live in our beloved RV full-time
• Camping World Video – RVing Is For Everyone! – Camping World hired a crew to create a video about our RV life on the road.
• 9th Anniversary of Traveling Full-time – Reflections on how it all began and how far we’ve come on our 9th anniversary
• 2018 RV Travel Summary – A new puppy delightfully changed our life and travels!
• 2017 RV Travel Summary – RVing the West + Flying to Thailand, Cambodia & Paris!
• 2016 RV Travel Summary – A Year of Touring the Great National Parks in America and Canada
• 2015 RV Travel Summary – A Thrilling Journey to the Eastern States & Provinces (Arizona to Florida to Nova Scotia)
• 2014 RV Travel Summary – A Year of Beauty (our first year back in our RV full-time after sailing Mexico’s Pacific Coast)
• What’s It Like to RV Full-time? – A one month snapshot: As the banking world collapsed in 2008, we were Living the Life of Riley

PUBLIC LAND

Spending most of our nights camping on America’s beautiful public land, we have become much more aware of its precious nature and the complexities involved in satisfying all the stakeholders who have an agenda for how it is best used and managed.

• What is Happening to our Public Lands? – Photographers’ rights get the press while big commercial developments are ignored
• Tonto NF: Copper Mines…NOT Camping!! – AZ land set aside by Eisenhower is sold to foreign interests while campgrounds close

MORE GOODIES

• RV Tech Tips – RV Upgrades – RV Maintenance + Buying an RV – Index of articles that get into the nitty gritty and require tools
• 50 RV Gifts – Excited to outfit your new RV or inspire a loved one to hit the road with you? Here are some ideas…
• 101 MORE RV Gift Ideas – Even more cute RV-related gift ideas for your loved ones and upgrades for your RV

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Our most recent posts:

Our most recent posts:

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• Lake Powell – Heart of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 05/10/24
• Quick Release Pull Pins for Fifth Wheel Landing Jacks – YES! 05/03/24
• Sheep May Safely Graze (in the Mountains with Dogs!) 04/26/24

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