Starting in January 2025

[chadslaytor]

Hey folks! My name is Chad. My husband, Jon, and I will be beginning our full time RVing adventure toward the end of January. We are currently in San Francisco and will be chasing the sun. We are still learning about all this. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I feel like there are a million things that we haven't thought of as we transition to this new life. Thanks 🙂 

[Janss]

Welcome Chad!  There are a multitude of tips we could give you about the world of RVing that could fill a book.  So it would be most helpful if you could narrow your inquiry.  Are you first looking for advice on which RV to buy?  Do you know if you want a motorhome (and if so, with or without a tow car), truck and trailer, truck and 5th wheel, camper truck, camping van, etc.??

You might want to consider buying a good well-taken care of used unit rather than brand new.  New units greatly depreciate as soon as you drive them off the dealer's lot.  Even the brand new ones have problems to work out as you use them.  Whereas hopefully, a slightly used unit will have had some kinks worked out by the first owner.

I would always recommend a newbie take a practice trip or two nearby home before getting rid of your home and starting full-time RVing.  You need time to learn about your RV while using it in a real-life situation at a campground before diving in to using it full-time.

There are a plethora of online resources to find campgrounds/RV parks.  There are private commercial parks, public lands (including Nat'l Parks, State parks, County/City parks, BLM, etc.), some Walmarts and Casinos to dry camp (without hookups), and more.  The public lands are usually peaceful...but you could occasionally run into some partiers...especially on weekends and holidays!  I've been in many many commercial RV parks that are also very quiet.

Hopefully you've researched full-timing and are good with the finances of it all.  The money outlay doesn't end with initially buying an RV, because RV's seem to always have one thing or another going wrong.  Sometimes it's just a little thing you can fix yourself, but other times you need professional help, and that costs money.

Since you are starting in winter, I'd say you should take a southerly route (like I-10, for example).  RVs are not necessarily built for all-weather camping.  For example, water could freeze and burst your inside piping, without taking proper precautions.  So always watch the weather forecast as you travel.  (Not just for cold, but tornados, hurricanes, etc. that you would not want to be involved in.)

Well, that's a few of my tips (without writing a book!).  I've RV'd for over 30 years and am still coming across new things/ideas/fixes!

[opnspaces]

Hi Chad, what's your and your husbands experience level? It will possibly help us with advice and suggestions. Do you already have an RV and experience using RV's and just looking for ideas where to go? Or are you complete newbies in the RV world?

[chadslaytor]

Hi! We are completely new! No experience at all. We are still looking for a RV. We've been researching and doing what we can but its always helpful to hear from others. Are there models to stay away from? We need something that is easy to drive, easy to learn to use. We are both autistic so we need to find places to stay that are going to be peaceful and away from cities, due to noise sensitivities. We will be leaving San Francisco towards the end of January and plan to eventually end up on the East Coast. Does this help?