Well the time has perhaps come. We have been on again and off again RVers for several years. Considering taking the real plunge and going full-time. I know a lot of questions are in there waiting to get out but the first being, what kind of monies do I budget for? Specifically parks and campgrounds. I understand diesel is based how much you drive and how much you stay. But no matter what you will be spending the night somewhere. So how much to budget for parks and campgrounds. Thanks and more to come I am sure. Charlie..

A lot of that depends on where you intend to go, how long you will stay, and what amenities you expect. I budget 400.00 per month. Out in Calif , I bump that to 650.00 per month. I stay at least a month as I am not out to see the u.s. in my Chevrolet. Up east, oh no, Ive been there , done that, so I don't budget for that. If you expect 5 star resorts, expect to pay for em.

Biggest expenses are diesel and site rent. We usually get diesel about once a month and spend $350-$400 doing so. We move locations every 5-10 days. We spend a lot on camp sites. We were just in the Lake George area for $79 a night. Was there for 12 nights. We have paid over $70 a night at a KOA before. I know many others pay much less, but we struggle to find parks that are big rig friendly, without extensive tree issues, etc. Wish we could reduce the nightly fees, but not sure I see that happening soon.

mark5w wrote:Campgrounds in PA run from $25 for state parks and for private campgrounds anywhere from $35 to $48 for EWS. Discount at some with Passport America, Good Sam's, AAA and military. At Rv shows you could get brochures or even easier check online for pricing. There is off season pricing also.I also have a Thousand Trail Zone pass for 1/2 the US. Cost $525 a year which gives you 30 nites free and $3 nites after the first 30. Check out Thousand Trails for info. We love it.

Charlie, your park fees are going to be dependent on a number of things: location, time of year, commercial or government parks, length of stay, and any membership discounts you may hold. I've stayed for 4 days at a RV park in Townsend, GA for $25/day. 6 months later, same park, I stayed a month for $325/mo plus electric @ $.13 per/kwh. I've been in the Keys at the rate of $90/night for a few days. Best to travel the popular area during their shoulder season. Currently, I'm in an adult park on the St. Johns river about 450 miles south of ya. The rate is $350/mo FHUs with everything included except the clothes dryers. Yep, the washers, cable, and good working WiFi are included...lol.State, City, and County parks in the east are running between $12-$28/night as a rule. The good State of Florida extends 1/2 price camping at SPs to it's residents at age 65. I got my Federal America The Beautiful "geezer" pass at age 62. It also provides me with 1/2 price camping at most Federal parks. The C.O.E. parks are outstanding. Last summer, I traveled from Thompson, Ga to Clemson, SC staying in C.O.E. parks along the Savannah River for 2 weeks at a time. Took me about 3 months to cover the 120 miles. With the "geezer" pass, my nightly fees ran about $11/night. I'm content with over-the-air TV channels in the government parks. I carry a monthly WiFi plan with Verizon and augment that with a campground WiFi if it's up to snuff. All said, I budget about $500/mo for camping fees. When I was younger, I didn't mind boondocking for 5 or 6 days and blacktop parking overnight while in route to a destination was a given. But, I'm getting a little long in the tooth to maintain those habits. Hope this is food for thought.

We average about $30-$35 per night unless we go to the Northeast or California. We use Corps of Engineers Parks, get them half price with America the Beautiful Pass. We use Passport America for half price camping. We do use KOA's pretty often which bumps up the price. Get their Value Card and you get coupons for free camping. If I can find a suitable campground in the area for less, we take it. It seems to average out. We move around a lot so monthly rates don't work for us. We do use weekly rates if they offer them. Some parks give you one day free if you pay for 6. In Florida in the winter the monthly rates go from $500 up to $800 or $900 per month and you pay your own electric. So depends on when and where you go.

Budget considerations.. Possibly taking the plunge

RoadLife
Explorer
Aug 14, 2013
Here in New Mexico you can buy a non-resident camping pass for $225. That allows you to camp in all state parks free for a year. Except for electricity - you will pay $4 a night and sewer (if available) - you will pay another $4 a night.

That is a great reason to spend a season or two exploring the great state of New Mexico.
gatorcq
Explorer
Aug 13, 2013
rockportrocket , finances are different for everyone. If you happen to own a $1 million unit, you can afford 500 to $1000 a month for sites. Your lifestyle can/will be different then mine or anyone's else. I have known full-timers that only stay in high-end resorts and others who really love to dry-camp, yet will come into resorts for a short stay, and yes they are in great financial shape.
stickdog
Explorer
Aug 13, 2013
In 3 1/2 years fulltiming we average $2.00 a night campsite fees. That includes two summers in old growth Douglas Fir with a Pacific Ocean view, 6 mos in the Texas hill country, 6 mos in Palm Beach Co, 3 mos outside of Charleston SC and a couple other spots. Volunteering can really cut site fees.
Roads_Less_Trav
Explorer II
Aug 09, 2013
When we started in 2007 we spent about $!5/night for campgrounds on average.

During that first year we discovered the joys of boondocking and now spend $0/night.

Boondocking is camping on this nation's gorgeous public lands for free. Most of the western states have loads of places for doing this.

If we had to stay in RV parks we wouldn't go RVing... boondocking is that much fun and the views are that beautiful!

Here are some notes we wrote up with tips for boondocking:

Boondocking - how to camp for free
hitchup
Explorer
Aug 08, 2013
We budget $550 a mo. Mainly because we stay on a monthly rate. Driving between monthly sites, we may spend $17.50 one night and $36 the next. Depends on the discounts.

That's why we finally decided to buy an RV Lot in an area for retirement that we know we will be spending months at a time between travels. It took us over 7 yrs to decide on one or if we even wanted one. But since retirement is less than 5 years away, definitely feel comfortable that we have somewhere to park that won't cost us much more than an electric bill.
carp65
Explorer
Aug 08, 2013
We budget $40.00 per night but seldom have to pay that much. Usually try to
stay a week to get weekly rate and Good Sam discount helps, too. Are currently
in Phoenix, AZ paying $36.00/nite, water,sewer,50 amp electric, cable, concrete
pads. Monthly rate for winter in Florida is $525. plus electric and cable.
DianneOK
Explorer
Jul 26, 2013
pass the popcorn, rockport....
BarbaraOK
Explorer
Jul 26, 2013
rockportrocket wrote:
Wow, I guess I am under a wrong impression. Full timers moving every 2-5 days? That sure describes a vacationer to me. 50 bucks a night for parking? that's 1500 per month. How many can really fulltime with that kind of budget?

There are some people who move every night, lots who move from 3-14 days depending upon whether they are heading for a specific designation or just seeing things as they go. Even when traveling towards a target destination we try and stay at least 2 days at a stop. We do sit for 3-4 months in the winter to recharge our batteries and then we are off again, usually staying between 7 and 14 days at each destination before moving on.

There are as many ways to fulltime as there are people.

How can people fulltime paying larger amounts per night than you consider prudent, because they have the funds and have set up their budget to be able to do what they want to do. Fulltiming doesn't mean that one has to live a subsistence life - - everyone has different ideas of how much they can/want to spend on categories that are important to them.

Barb
rockportrocket
Explorer
Jul 26, 2013
LOL Lets check back in a year.
Devonm2012
Explorer
Jul 26, 2013
rockportrocket wrote:
Wow, I guess I am under a wrong impression. Full timers moving every 2-5 days? That sure describes a vacationer to me. 50 bucks a night for parking? that's 1500 per month. How many can really fulltime with that kind of budget?

Many places in Florida are $2,000-$3,000 a month. We want/prefer paved roads and sites, no tree issues, etc., so we are drawn to more resort type places. We see $35 on the very low end and $80 on the higher end, but we have paid more. Just depends on when and where. I can't even fathom $10 a night. Not in this lifetime!