Questions about Motorhome living

Many parks have monthly rates that are considerably less than the daily rate. I would suggest you go to RV Park Reviews, select the desired state and then the city to see the parks there. You can then read on how well that particular park scores in user reviews, and realize those reviews are mostly by daily renters so their review may not apply to you. If you click on the Visit Campground Website link for the park it will take you to that park's website, if they have one. Most parks will have their rates on their website. If not there is a number you can call to find out.

Consider where you will be staying. Winter in a RV in the cold climates is difficult at best and may even approach the impossible, especially for new Rvers. Also look at RV park availability. You may find yourself with a 40 plus mile commute one way.

Considering the learning curve, I generally do not recommend a RV for fulltime use for new RVers, and this is coming from someone who lived full time in a RV for 5 years. Nothing wrong with the lifestyle, but it is not the same as pulling up to an apartment and unpacking your suitcase.

You also need to consider how handy you are with fixing things. Motorhomes are incredibility complicated, and if you are not handy with tools, you need to be handy with your checkbook.

In addition, google "RV travel nurse blogs". You'll find some bloggers documenting their experiences.

I second the rvparkreviews site. I have found that if you read all the reviews, you will find the good and the bad and will have a real good idea of whether you would like to be at the park.

As far as the Class A goes, my advice to buy used and buy quality. It is better to get a quality coach a couple of years older than a coach of lesser quality that is newer. If you are going to live in it, I would recommend bigger and with slides.

Thanks for the input everyone.

RV parks with full utility services might be charging any rate from $200 to more than $1000 a month, depending on location, an that rate may or may not include electricity or cable TV when you are monthly. Just as with stick and brick, it depends on property values and thus location. Moderate size urban areas will have rents higher than small cities, and RV parks may be further from the center of things, in lower rent neighborhoods. In major urban areas, you might find yourself out past the suburbs.

Not many urban RV parks are outdoorsy. For that, I usually have to find parks in resort areas, or actual campgrounds in public parks. Permission for long stays in public parks is not common, but sometimes available for work campers, providing a service inthe park. You might have to arrange the nursing job and work camping jobs to fit seasonal park schedules, if you were to take that approach.

The only other thing I might advise is about arranging the traveling jobs to be in moderate weather, climates in which you would enjoy being outdoors. Part of what makes living in the confined space workable is the outdoor living. Staying cooped up inside trying to be cool in torrid weather, or trying to stay warm in freezing weather, is not likely the experience you seek. If living at the weather extremes is part of the requirement, then you need to shop the RV carefully, as many struggle with hot days in the sun, and others simply are not meant to function as housing in very cold climates.

Tatest, our plan is to travel to where the weather is enjoyable for the season and we can be outside a lot. We were in San Antonio from Nov. thru May and loved it. We made the mistake of going to Houston in August and it was miserable for a few months. I really think we will enjoy the travelling in the motorhome as long as we can find reasonable park rates.

RV park rates all depend on what YOU want. There are some in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas that go for $300+. If you want a 'resort' then you'll pay lots more. You'll just have to call around to places in the states you're considering and do some homework. What someone likes in an RV park might not be what you would like.

The RV park won't be your only expense, however. Your big output will be buying the RV, then registration and insurance. You'll have fuel expenses and sometimes electric on top of the monthly fee. Full-time RVing can be very economical but it can also be very expensive. Again, it just depends on you and what you want.

Your day to day living expenses will be about the same. You'll cook or go to restaurants the same way you do now, any hobbies can be the same and extras such as movies, shows, etc. will be the same.

You might consider moseying over to the 'Fulltimers' forum on this site with lots of good information. Also, try to find some blogs from traveling nurses. They're out there! Good luck!

If you know well in advance when you will be in a certain area, One thing you might look into is becoming a camp host. Many campgrounds provide a place for you to stay. In return, you perform minor chores like taking care of bathhouses, assisting other campers, etc.

Since you are not sure if where you will be in the winter. Anything north of Orlando in the winter is cold for me. I would make sure that the RV that you pick has thermo pane windows. Some people will disagree with me that they are junk but they are a lot better than they have been in the past.