Hey gang,I work in technology and my job is fully remote. My dream is to be able to travel from city to city (or thereabouts), staying for a few months at a time with some side-jaunts for vacation exploration, etc. I don't mind the idea of boondocking but it wouldn't be the primary goal. I'm also currently living in one of the most expensive cities in the country -- Washington, DC. Pricing out RV loans, I've realized that even with the costs of insurance, gas, tolls, and -- maybe -- park fees, I can save myself hundreds of dollars a month with this lifestyle compared to now. So, my plan is to get a used Class A, probably a diesel that can easily tow my car on a dolly, and make that my full-time residence, probably registered in Florida. My questions are:How much money have you found you can save yourself with, e.g., a solar panel installation to let you save on utilities and possibly boondock longer?What kind of hidden costs have you found start to really add up month by month?Is it common to find places to park for a month or two, that are reasonably inexpensive, close-by to major cities?It'll just be me doing this solo -- not even a dog! The reason I'm pretty sure I won't go crazy is that I have a number of friends to visit in most of the cities I want to visit -- I'd start in/around NYC, probably (likely in Long Island or Westchester), pop up to Toronto, out to Chicago and then out West from there.So. I throw myself at your mercy, folks :) What am I failing to think of?Thanks!!

Greetings. 99% of RVers do not look at it as reducing costs. Remember, RVs are depreciating assets, so at the end of a period of time thst used MH will be worth far less than what you pay for it. Getting a loan on a used RV could be problomatic depending on your credit score. Add no permanent address and you may find your self out of luck. Parking? Easy, lots of RV parks rent by the month. Depending on location and amenities monthly rent can run from 300 to a thousand dollars plus electricity.I guess one question you need to ask yourself is.... how much internet band width do you need a month? Do not rely on park wifi. The best solution for most folks is cell technology and if your a heavy data user can get very expensive.Motor home especially a used one could cost you thousands one time or another. 6 new,tires on a larger class A could cost you 3 grand easily. A transmission overhaul 5K could be a drop in the bucket. Do they fail often? No, but if your going to full time you need to have the cash available just in case.

Much of the time it is not less expensive to live in an RV overall than to rent an apartment. I won't go so far as to say that this is always the case, but RV living is not particularly inexpensive. RVs are not as energy efficient as houses or apartment buildings overall (particularly in relation to heating and cooling, due to comparatively poor insulation), though their small size can partly make up for some of that."Is it common to find places to park for a month or two, that are reasonably inexpensive, close-by to major cities?" I suppose the answer would depend on what you mean by "reasonably inexpensive," but I suspect generally the answer would be "no." Most campgrounds that have monthly rates are at least a few hundred dollars a month, and ones close to big cities are usually more expensive than ones out in the boonies.Most if not all long-term parking/storage lots would not permit living in the RV. Many short-term parking lots also don't permit living in the RV, for that matter. Many housing developments and neighborhoods have restrictions on parking RVs, so often crashing at a friend's house for a month is not permitted even if the friend does not mind.As Don mentioned, fast and reliable internet access in campgrounds is quite rare, and providing your own (via a cell phone or whatever) often gets quite expensive.

Thanks to both of you for replying so quickly!donn0128 wrote:Getting a loan on a used RV could be problomatic depending on your credit score. Add no permanent address and you may find your self out of luck.This is an important detail. As far as I can tell, having a credit score north of 600 means you're pretty much okay there. Is this not accurate? In terms of address - I'll have a permanent address when I apply for the loan. It's unclear to me how they would even know, or why they'd care, what my address was a month or two later. I'd plan on signing up for a mail forwarding/scanning service with PO Box in Florida anyway.Parking? Easy, lots of RV parks rent by the month. Depending on location and amenities monthly rent can run from 300 to a thousand dollars plus electricity.I have no issue with $300/mo. Even $1000/mo is basically breaking even, inclusive of RV payments, with how much I'm dropping on a tiny amount of space in DC right now -- splitting a two bedroom for $1400.I guess one question you need to ask yourself is.... how much internet band width do you need a month? Do not rely on park wifi. The best solution for most folks is cell technology and if your a heavy data user can get very expensive.This is happily not an issue for me as work pays for both a cell phone and a Verizon MiFi already. I went into this counting on not being able to count on park WiFi :)Motor home especially a used one could cost you thousands one time or another. 6 new,tires on a larger class A could cost you 3 grand easily. A transmission overhaul 5K could be a drop in the bucket. Do they fail often? No, but if your going to full time you need to have the cash available just in case.Yes, I've thought about this. I think with any savings I have from this plan I will put a bunch of cash into a growing maintenance fund for exactly this purpose.DrewE wrote:Much of the time it is not less expensive to live in an RV overall than to rent an apartment. I won't go so far as to say that this is always the case, but RV living is not particularly inexpensive. RVs are not as energy efficient as houses or apartment buildings overall (particularly in relation to heating and cooling, due to comparatively poor insulation), though their small size can partly make up for some of that.I'm an engineer, so this is an interesting engineering challenge for me :) I'm mostly a polar bear, so I plan on sticking almost entirely to Northern cities during the summer and the West Coast much of the rest of the time. But your point is well-taken.Most campgrounds that have monthly rates are at least a few hundred dollars a month, and ones close to big cities are usually more expensive than ones out in the boonies.Can you think of some examples here? Finding rates online is remarkably difficult. I also wonder how doable it is, since it would just be me, to pseudo-boondock much of the time, i.e., rely on my water and waste tanks, together with solar, and go to a dump station periodically. I don't know what the costs are for dump stations (also hard to find) and don't know how long I can expect to go before filling my black and gray water tanks, or running out of water in my reservoir tank. I tend to cook all at once and then save things for later. Power for a freezer unit would obviously be a concern there.I guess finding locations is part of what I'm curious about -- this site makes it sound not so bad, though, and again, cheaper than what I'm used to: ***Link Removed***https://rv-roadtrips.thefuntimesguide.com/living-in-an-rv/Is that link a bit too much pie-in-the-sky compared to reality?

I know in Austin, trying to live in a RV park would be very difficult, because they have been pushed well outside of the city, so you would have a 45 min commute minimum.However, I've worked with one guy who has a class "A" on a seasonal site in Bastrop. He goes into Austin with a class "B" which normally is towed behind his "A". This way, he can park somewhere (a few garages have high top van parking), but when he isn't pressed, he can go back to the RV park to resupply.I wouldn't recommend this though. In fact, I'd recommend finding work outside of Austin and other hot spots, because you may make less, but with the cost of rent or real estate, you have to spend far less to keep a roof over your head.

ctilsie242 wrote:I know in Austin, trying to live in a RV park would be very difficult, because they have been pushed well outside of the city, so you would have a 45 min commute minimum.However, I've worked with one guy who has a class "A" on a seasonal site in Bastrop. He goes into Austin with a class "B" which normally is towed behind his "A". This way, he can park somewhere (a few garages have high top van parking), but when he isn't pressed, he can go back to the RV park to resupply.I wouldn't recommend this though. In fact, I'd recommend finding work outside of Austin and other hot spots, because you may make less, but with the cost of rent or real estate, you have to spend far less to keep a roof over your head.No commute concern for me -- I work fully remotely. The plan would still be "live in the Class A, tow my car," too -- the idea being that I leave the RV wherever I decide to park it for my duration in that metro area, and use the car (or bike) to get around town.

Want to Full-Time as a Tech Worker, City to City

DrewE
Explorer II
Mar 02, 2017
Much of the time it is not less expensive to live in an RV overall than to rent an apartment. I won't go so far as to say that this is always the case, but RV living is not particularly inexpensive. RVs are not as energy efficient as houses or apartment buildings overall (particularly in relation to heating and cooling, due to comparatively poor insulation), though their small size can partly make up for some of that.

"Is it common to find places to park for a month or two, that are reasonably inexpensive, close-by to major cities?" I suppose the answer would depend on what you mean by "reasonably inexpensive," but I suspect generally the answer would be "no." Most campgrounds that have monthly rates are at least a few hundred dollars a month, and ones close to big cities are usually more expensive than ones out in the boonies.

Most if not all long-term parking/storage lots would not permit living in the RV. Many short-term parking lots also don't permit living in the RV, for that matter. Many housing developments and neighborhoods have restrictions on parking RVs, so often crashing at a friend's house for a month is not permitted even if the friend does not mind.

As Don mentioned, fast and reliable internet access in campgrounds is quite rare, and providing your own (via a cell phone or whatever) often gets quite expensive.
donn0128
Explorer II
Mar 02, 2017
Greetings. 99% of RVers do not look at it as reducing costs. Remember, RVs are depreciating assets, so at the end of a period of time thst used MH will be worth far less than what you pay for it. Getting a loan on a used RV could be problomatic depending on your credit score. Add no permanent address and you may find your self out of luck.
Parking? Easy, lots of RV parks rent by the month. Depending on location and amenities monthly rent can run from 300 to a thousand dollars plus electricity.
I guess one question you need to ask yourself is.... how much internet band width do you need a month? Do not rely on park wifi. The best solution for most folks is cell technology and if your a heavy data user can get very expensive.
Motor home especially a used one could cost you thousands one time or another. 6 new,tires on a larger class A could cost you 3 grand easily. A transmission overhaul 5K could be a drop in the bucket. Do they fail often? No, but if your going to full time you need to have the cash available just in case.

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