On my own

[dpalmer]

I am starting this adventure very late in life and need some advise on becoming a full time RVer. My questions are very general.

I have gone paperless for my bills so I know how much I owe and who to send it to so I do not think that will be a problem.

What is the best Truck and Travel Trailer insurance companies? When I was in the Navy and traveling state to states I was cited for the tri-state law, Driving in one state, registered in a another and insured in another.

What is the best way to get internet and TV service? I have been to a lot of the different company wed sites and they are , as expected, self serving.

Do you make you own road arrangements with stop overs at different RV parks each night? I have been told to sign up for Walmart parking passes but that is for boom docking only. I here there is a service like AAA that lays out your trip and provides information on all the RV parks along the way.

Thanks
Duane

 

[FL-JOE]

I am starting this adventure very late in life and need some advise on becoming a full time RVer. My questions are very general.

I have gone paperless for my bills so I know how much I owe and who to send it to so I do not think that will be a problem.

What is the best Truck and Travel Trailer insurance companies? When I was in the Navy and traveling state to states I was cited for the tri-state law, Driving in one state, registered in a another and insured in another.

What is the best way to get internet and TV service? I have been to a lot of the different company wed sites and they are , as expected, self serving.

Do you make you own road arrangements with stop overs at different RV parks each night? I have been told to sign up for Walmart parking passes but that is for boom docking only. I here there is a service like AAA that lays out your trip and provides information on all the RV parks along the way.

Thanks
Duane

Hey there Duane, welcome!

I will assume you are talking about becoming a full time RV traveler, and not just living in a RV full time while it remains parked stationary 12 months out of the year.

The most important first step is probably establishing residency. I can't tell what area of the U.S. you are from but I will tell you that Florida, Texas, and a couple other states are favorites for full time RVers. We picked Florida due to zero state income tax. Your residency will determine vehicle registrations, vehicle insurance policies, medical insurance and/or Medicare, personal tax liability, voting, and several other things. If you do a search online you can find RV mail services or other such services in almost any state. We are lucky because a good friend allows us to use her address down in Florida as our mailing address and legal address.

As far as TV reception. Whatever RV you have/purchase should come with a "local" air wave antenna. This will get you some local coverage while traveling to different areas. For satellite TV there is of course Dish or DirecTV. You can have anything from a $1,800 automatic dish mounted on top of your RV to a standard dish you have to set in the site and try to aim each time. Many campground offer sketchy internet service. We have a simple Verizon plan which allows us to use each of our iphones as hotspots. We seldom if ever run out of data.

There are a lot of different ways to trip plan and route plan. Some folks don't call ahead and just "forge ahead" when setting out each day. From day one we have always either pulled or driven larger RVs so I have always been more of a planner. I will tell you how we generally do it.

I start by using one of my iphone apps to locate possible campgrounds in areas we are headed to, RVParky being my favorite app to use. Then I look at the suggested route. If that campground looks okay I will use my iphone or computer on satellite view to see exactly what the place looks like. If it still looks good for my size then I will check my Trucker's Atlas to make sure all roads going to it will work for me. I don't want to be on some country road and come up to a 12' overpass when I am 13'4" tall.

You can dry camp at many Walmarts. The RVParky app I use will tell you which ones allow this across the country. You can also dry camp at most Cracker Barrels, Cabelas, and other major business. The common practice is to ask permission from the manager and only use their lot to sleep. In other words don't try to set up for a whole day and night, or pull your grill out and start a cookout.

Hope some of this steers you in the right direction. Have you purchased an RV yet? What is your timetable for starting the adventure?

 

[Neal]

Welcome @dpalmer. Great to have you join us.

 

[AbdRahim]

Welcome

 

[dpalmer]

Hey there Duane, welcome!

I will assume you are talking about becoming a full time RV traveler, and not just living in a RV full time while it remains parked stationary 12 months out of the year.

The most important first step is probably establishing residency. I can't tell what area of the U.S. you are from but I will tell you that Florida, Texas, and a couple other states are favorites for full time RVers. We picked Florida due to zero state income tax. Your residency will determine vehicle registrations, vehicle insurance policies, medical insurance and/or Medicare, personal tax liability, voting, and several other things. If you do a search online you can find RV mail services or other such services in almost any state. We are lucky because a good friend allows us to use her address down in Florida as our mailing address and legal address.

As far as TV reception. Whatever RV you have/purchase should come with a "local" air wave antenna. This will get you some local coverage while traveling to different areas. For satellite TV there is of course Dish or DirecTV. You can have anything from a $1,800 automatic dish mounted on top of your RV to a standard dish you have to set in the site and try to aim each time. Many campground offer sketchy internet service. We have a simple Verizon plan which allows us to use each of our iphones as hotspots. We seldom if ever run out of data.

There are a lot of different ways to trip plan and route plan. Some folks don't call ahead and just "forge ahead" when setting out each day. From day one we have always either pulled or driven larger RVs so I have always been more of a planner. I will tell you how we generally do it.

I start by using one of my iphone apps to locate possible campgrounds in areas we are headed to, RVParky being my favorite app to use. Then I look at the suggested route. If that campground looks okay I will use my iphone or computer on satellite view to see exactly what the place looks like. If it still looks good for my size then I will check my Trucker's Atlas to make sure all roads going to it will work for me. I don't want to be on some country road and come up to a 12' overpass when I am 13'4" tall.

You can dry camp at many Walmarts. The RVParky app I use will tell you which ones allow this across the country. You can also dry camp at most Cracker Barrels, Cabelas, and other major business. The common practice is to ask permission from the manager and only use their lot to sleep. In other words don't try to set up for a whole day and night, or pull your grill out and start a cookout.

Hope some of this steers you in the right direction. Have you purchased an RV yet? What is your timetable for starting the adventure?

Thanks for your time and knowledge. Very helpful and I will get started on the Apps for overnight stays.
As to your first statement about becoming a full time RVer. I sold my house in Connecticut and moved into a rental for year to decide what I wanted to do. My plan is to buy a travel trailer and head South. I will stay in parks to check out the area before continuing my search for a new home. Texas is where what is left of my people are so that is a definite area to checks out.

Thanks again
Duane

 

[FL-JOE]

Keep us posted Duane as you progress into your full timing adventure. Again, welcome!