9 Things You Need to Know Before Living Full-time in an RV
Let's be real, being a “nomad” in this day and age is not normal. Selling off most of our belongings and living in an RV full time can be a very hard thing to do. Some of your family or friends might even call you crazy. But that is fine. RVing full-time and traveling your country may not be a dream for all. However, if you are interested in planning full-time RV living, there are some tips you should know to make your life a hell of a lot easier.
Communication is The Key
If you are with your family, this is probably the most important tip for you. Always keep communication open. When you are living in a tiny house trailer, you are bound to argue, but you need to talk it out. Otherwise, the frustration will build inside of you, and you might end up exploding at some point.
If you have a family, assign tasks to everyone to avoid having arguments. If you have multiple drivers on board, then take turns so each of you can have a break and relax for a bit, and keep your heads clear.
Plan beforehand
Not everything can be in your control, but most of it can. You need to make a schedule and plan your trips accordingly. Set dates for arrival and departure for a particular area. List down the things that you will need there.
Also, consider making a pre-departure checklist for your camper van. Check its fuel, tire pressure, or if anything needs to be repaired. And if everything on your checklist is complete, you are ready to go.
Organize your belongings
Imagine you're living in a small trailer, with your kids or pets, with your stuff piled up everywhere, out of its place and you can't find anything you need - sounds pretty bad, doesn't it? To avoid that, bring stuff that is extremely important for your survival needs. Other than that, you can bring board games or craft supplies or stuff like that, but not too much. Don’t stress yourself with your possessions, rather, opt for minimalism to make your life easier and simpler.
Get to know about your RV
Firstly, buying an RV is a huge investment, so do your research and choose the best one according to your needs and budget. If this is your first time, you can visit RV dealers in states like Memphis, Arkansas, Alabama, or Louisiana, where you can try them out in campgrounds too.
Every caravan comes with a huge stack of instruction manuals. Read it! If you are looking to spend almost all of your time in an RV you must have in-depth knowledge of its features.
You will have to do regular maintenance or repairs all by yourself, so the more you know, the better.
Expect the Unexpected
When you are on road all the time, you are more vulnerable to threats, so be prepared for any emergency. It could be anything – Severe weather conditions, a medical emergency, or a flat tire. Keep yourself loaded for unexpected incidents like these. If there is a cyclone or a flood and you need to evacuate, all of your essentials must be accessible. Keep a toolkit and a spare tire (always). And most importantly, don’t panic. It can get very stressful at times, but if you are mentally prepared for any hazard, you will surely tackle it efficiently.
Get Insurance
There are a thousand things that can happen to your RV, but we don't want you to be constantly stressed about it. There are many RV dealers out there, but only some of them provide insurance, so be very careful while choosing an insurance policy for your vehicle.
If you have a pet, then get your pet insurance as soon as you can. If your pet is ill, you don't have to worry about paying its hospital bills, especially when you are on a tight budget.
Manage your Finances Efficiently
First of all, if you decide to go full-time RVing you will have to quit your conventional 9-5(if you have one) and find a remote job. Now I am not exaggerating when I say that there are hundreds of things you can do on the internet. You can become a freelancer, an affiliate marketer, start an online business, or whatever interests you, but you need to have a regular income to take care of your expenses.
Make a budget plan. I can't stress this enough. Assign budgets to different categories of expenses such as food, fuel, maintenance, etc. But don’t spend all of it. Try to save a little every time your money comes in so that you can use it later, maybe for a modification in your RV.
Always keep a fun fund aside. While you are traveling, you might see a fun thing that you always wanted to do but imagine how bumped you would feel if you had no money. To prevent that from happening, you should always have a specific amount of money in the fun fund.
Go back home every few Months
By “home”, we mean your home state or the place where your family or friends live. Go and meet them every few months to keep yourself connected to your roots. Visiting home every once in a while will also allow you to plan for your next trip.
When you depart for another trip, remember to meet all your friends and family and have a moment to say goodbye to them. If you wish, you can build a social platform like a Facebook page or a blog of some sort to keep your loved ones updated and connected with you.
Be safe
These are the same precautions that you may follow when you are living in a house. Keep your valuable items locked at all times. Make sure that your cameras are working and you have a properly functioning anti-theft alarm to keep robbers away. To ensure your safety, you can always keep a friend or a family member of yours, informed of your whereabouts. They can call regularly to check up on you, and if there’s something wrong, they will know.
Also Read: Most Common Mistakes to Avoid on Your First RV Road Trip
Whether you are going on an extended trip or have made the decision to live in a camper van, you must keep these useful tips in mind, in order to ensure the safety of your loved ones.