1 – Buy a used RV
You could be shocked by the amount of cash it can save you your self shopping for an RV that’s even simply One yr previous, relatively than model new, RV’s depreciate fairly shortly, and with the latest surge in RV purchases, the dealerships know they’ll cost a premium for a model new one.
Here’s one other Pro Tip: DON’T simply store at your native RV supplier. Use the nationwide RV Reselling Sites, Web Searches and another nationwide device you will discover. When we bought the RV we moved into for Full Time Living, we drove from NJ To Indiana to choose it up. Why? Because we saved a further 10 Thousand {dollars}, AND it got here with the in-built Generator.
On high of the cash financial savings for purchasing a used RV, you’re going to almost certainly save your self a while. People commerce them in on a regular basis, as a result of after some use it seems it wasn’t an ideal match, or they discover one they like extra. If they introduced that unit in for any sort of guarantee work, or to have one thing tuned up, that’s time you received’t need to spend doing that very same factor together with your New unit.
2 – It’s Not A Full Time Vacation
Lots of people suppose that RV Living is simply tenting every single day. That couldn’t be farther from the reality.
Sure you might be at a campground. Sure you might be in an RV. Sure you might even resolve to wind down each night time with a beer round a campfire. But you LIVE right here. The RV is your Home. And each house has chores, and good days in addition to a nasty and boring.
When you first transfer into your RV and transfer into your first campground, you might really feel such as you’re simply beginning an infinite trip, and that’s superior! That degree of happiness is how you might be imagined to really feel and one of many important causes to be on this life-style.
Don’t overlook that there’s nonetheless everyday life stuff to be finished like dishes and laundry. If you bang that stuff out very first thing within the morning, the remainder of the day might be that infinite trip that you’re in search of.
3 – Get The Whole Family Involved
Lots of time we see an RV pull in, and and everybody stays within the truck whereas Dad attempt’s his finest to see every part and again it into the spot. Then he begins yelling as a result of there’s stuff in his blind spots, and the youngsters need to get their bikes, and everybody has been within the truck all day and needs to get out.
If everybody has a ‘job’ after we get there, it helps the entire course of. Even although the youngsters might not be capable to inform you which solution to reduce the wheel, they are often exterior the truck the place you possibly can see them, they usually can control that tree stump for ya.
Here is a Pro Tip:
Who ever is backing the camper in, name your Main Spotter on their cellular phone. Put your telephone on speaker telephone or use the Bluetooth by way of your radio so you possibly can hear them. This manner if you’re ready the place you possibly can’t see your spotter, you possibly can hear what they’re saying with out having to be That Couple yelling at one another whereas parking.
4- Slow Down – Stop And Smell The Roses
Don’t overlook that that is your life now. It doesn’t have to be one night time by the theme park, then one night time on the seashore, then one night time on the subsequent place. You can, and may, take your time in every space you go to.
Slowing down your travels could have a couple of benefits. You received’t burn as a lot gasoline each week,. You could have an opportunity to get that relaxed feeling earlier than leaping again on the highway. And you might even come throughout one thing that you simply didn’t even know you needed to do in that space.
5 – Pack important instruments
DO NOT suppose that simply because your RV is model new, and you’ve got a stellar guarantee, that you simply aren’t going to wish to carry instruments with you.
Your guarantee doesn’t cowl getting a flat tire, or needing to regulate the youngsters bicycle seat, or a myriad of different issues that ARE going to pop up throughout your travels. At a naked minimal you need to have a wrench or socket to suit each nut and bolt in your RV.
6 -RV Roadside Assistance, Triple A Isn’t Gonna Cut It
It doesn’t matter if you’re in a Motorhome or pulling a Travel Trailer, or hooked as much as a Fifth Wheel. Your commonplace Triple A protection that you’ve got had for 20 years is NOT going to be helpful midway throughout the nation.
There are a number of corporations focusing on RV Roadside Assistance and you need to undoubtedly contemplate having one among them in your again pocket. We are members of Escapees Camper Club, which is credited with being the primary one cease store for moving into RV Living.
They assist with getting you lined up with all of the service suppliers you want like Mail Box providers, “Home Address” Domicile, and Roadside Assistance. There are many extra locations on the market that do the identical, however I’m a fan of 1 cease searching for these sorts of issues, as a result of its just one firm title to recollect once I must.
We use our telephone for every part nowadays. As a lot as I attempted to struggle it when sensible telephones turned a factor, I’m responsible of being on all of it day myself. We use it for every part together with a GPS to get us the place we’re going.
The downside with doing this in an RV, is that your telephone thinks you might be in a regular measurement automobile or truck. Motorhomes and RV’s might be WAY too massive for some again roads that your automobile would match on, or WAY too heavy for a bridge over a creek in some areas.
With an RV particular GPS, while you first set it up you possibly can inform it what sort of RV you may have, how tall it’s, how heavy it’s, and it’ll keep away from sending you down a highway you received’t match on, like that one with the lined bridge that’s solely half as tall as your Fifth Wheel.
Why the paper Atlas? It is MUCH simpler to take a look at a complete map, with topography when attempting to determine a greater route on your truck that has a tricky time towing up hill, like down a US freeway as an alternative of an Interstate. The different benefit is that the one we use has National Forests and Parks with Camping areas marked on it!
8 – Don’t Just Park And Set Up, Take a Look
We are all responsible of being in a rush to simply get out of the truck after a protracted drive. But add ‘take a look’ to your arrange examine listing for every new space.
It might sound easy or silly, however I don’t imply to simply look and ensure you are parked in the proper spot, I imply ensure you are within the RIGHT spot. Are your tires in your trailer in a low spot that may make leveling it twice as exhausting? Can ya again up two toes and be way more secure in half the time?
What in regards to the energy pedestal, is it in the way in which of your slides? Will your energy wire Reach the Pedestal? What about your backyard and sewer hoses? Are they lengthy sufficient to achieve?
9 – Traveling With Pets?
This brings its personal set of issues to maintain an eye fixed out for. Our canine LOVES the RV Lifestyle. There are every kind new grasses to roll round in, and fields to run in, and different canines to have enjoyable with.
Well, what if whereas working by way of that area, she steps on a snake? She doesn’t even know what a snake is, or to look for a rattle snake in Montana whereas working by way of that area.
The very first thing we do in every new space, sure actually, is lookup the closest emergency vet or animal hospital. JUST so we all know the place it’s. God forbid she really will get bitten by that snake, I do know which solution to begin driving after we don’t have cell service in the midst of that area.
Another factor we do is maintain 10 copies of her shot data within the glove field. Just such as you don’t have your regular docs workplace on the highway, neither do you pets. When it comes time for annual boosters, or an emergency go to you may have them helpful. We have even been to a couple campgrounds the place it was a requirement at examine in.
10 – Check Lists Are Your Friend
This might actually be our greatest piece of recommendation for the weekend warrior or a full timer. Have a guidelines for arrange, one for pack up, hell have one for journey day pre-trip stuff.
Even after a yr and a half of residing in our RV, I can’t inform you what number of instances we’ve each forgotten to lock the fridge earlier than driving down a twisting mountain highway and needed to clear up a dozen eggs which were cracked on the ground for the final 200 miles.
We every have ‘our stuff’ to do throughout every course of that’s second nature at this level, however one small hiccup within the course of can simply result in a missed step. There was sooner or later I used to be shifting faster than Loretta and determined to assist together with her listing whereas the RV was going by way of its auto degree course of, and since I used to be half taking note of the auto degree, hooked our backyard hose to the black tank flush and began filling our black tank. You need to discuss in regards to the quickest you’ve ever realized why, after which run to repair, the truth that there isn’t any water popping out of your sink faucet?
We had been solely about 15 seconds from that being a Really Crappy day… Loretta has a terrific article about these examine lists you need to learn subsequent.
Watch us FAIL at our first try at boondocking