Question Questions

[DustyNick78]

Idk ANYTHING about the FT motorhome life. Do you have to have a CDL license or another special kind of license (besides a regular driver's license?) What about insurance? Is there a certain kind of insurance especially for motorhomes? And how do you get electricity in one? And water? And, not incredibly important - can you get cable? How?
I greatly appreciate any information.
~Dusty~

 

[TheLooks]

Many people come to school at NRVTA in Athens Texas to learn in a class called Fundamentals. Everyone has to start there even people with solid RV backgrounds. Bored me to tears, as it did a few others. Jarod Gillis from the Youtube channel, All things RV, was here for a week and was in that class. It was just a big pr stunt for the school but promoted the school to people other then those becoming Techs and Inspectors. It isn't cheap, but may be effective rather then hit the road with no knowledge.

I think it can be done online as well.

 

[Old Bubblehead]

Dusty, Welcome to the forum. There are multiple answers to the questions you ask because in most cases is depends on the RV you choose to camp with.
Drivers Licenses are governed by the state you live in, once you know the type and size of the rig you want you can check with the agency in your state and verify requirements. There are companies that specialize in RV insurance. Almost all rigs have some onboard tanks for water and waste. Electricity is provided by battery or connections to power at the camping site (shore power). Solar is also an option for providing power to charge batteries and power onboard needs. Some campgrounds will provide cable, you connect your coach and get TV. Many RVs are equipped with satellite receiver antennas to connect to Dish or Direct TV.
There are small and large RV shows throughout the year, you can visit and walk-through RV's, see options, take seminars to learn, and dream about what could be. They have a huge one in Tampa in January.
You can also visit dealers and start kicking tires.
Most campers are friendly types, if you have any close by stop and chat them up.
And as in trying to learn just about anything, google search is your friend. bang in questions and see what shows up.

Best of luck.

j

 

[DustyNick78]

Thank you for all that information @Old Bubblehead !!!

 

[LMHS]

Go camping at a local public park. You can get a cheapie 2 or 3 man tent for $30 at Wal-Mart. Walk around and pay attention to what people are doing and what they are camping in. You can politely ask questions. Start out with a used camper/motorhome (be aware of the 10 year rule which mostly applies to monthly stays). And don't have one of the "dangerous dog breeds" for a pet. Although you CAN have one of the small dog breeds well-known for biting. Just not the "dangerous" ones.

BTW, I live in an rolling apartment.

There are two groups of full-timers. One group will tell you that full-timing means you move every few days or weeks. It is the most expensive way of full-timing. I class "snow-birds" as a subgroup within this group. This is also the group that is online. This group will likely allow you to look inside their RVs. These are the people who call themselves RVers. They apparently have a lot of disposable income.

The second group is generally people who work at a job that is not RV related or have retired and use campers/motorhomes as rolling, semi-permanent or permanent apartments. The first group does not like this group. This group is not often on RV forums. This group will stay for weeks, months or years in the same park. This group often has older campers/motorhomes. They do not consider themselves to be "RVers". Monthly stays are much cheaper than nightly or weekly stays in most cases. This group will likely not let you look inside their rigs. They aren't being rude, just private. They also tend to keep to themselves (often called "unfriendly" by the first group as well as by "weekenders" who this group doesn't care for). This group KNOWS who isn't picking up after their pets. This group KNOWS who trashes the bathhouse and laundry facilities. They don't really care for weekenders and overnighters. My current park is completely dark after 10PM with very few quiet exceptions but they mostly start leaving for work at 6AM. The first group doesn't like the ones who go to work in the early morning. I used to leave for work at 3:30AM.

I suggest that you read the reviews on campgrounds/RV Parks on sites like Campendium, RV Parky and others. This is to get an idea of the attitudes of various classes of people who are involved in this life as well as the common potential problems with campgrounds. Thru the reviews you will also learn about the potential pitfalls of certain types of campers.

Keep in mind that with a motorhome, you have an engine that can fail in your home. You will likely want a second vehicle to drive (to work, to town, sightseeing) rather than breaking camp just to go get a carton of ice cream or a loaf of bread.

With a trailer (aka camper) you have a vehicle you can drive while your "home" stays put. If you do much "remodeling" you can keep all that if the engine poops out simply by purchasing a new towing vehicle. I suggest that you avoid any camper with the canvas/vinyl bed areas that "pop out". These really are not a good choice when living fulltime. Also, remember, the weather isn't always perfect. It rains, snows and ices. You have high summer temps and low winter temps. The camper/motorhome shrinks in long stretches of bad weather. The common response to "winter" is often "follow the sun" meaning go to warmer areas in the winter.

Don't forget, fuel is expensive and you always need it. Tires have to be replaced every 5 to 7 years due to exposure, not wear. House batteries need to be replaced (all at the same time) every 5 to 7 years. LP needs to be refilled often and you don't get a discount on LP amounts on 100 LBs and under. Campers/motorhomes need to be repaired even if they don't move and the majority of campgrounds/RV parks will not allow maintenance to be done on site.

Insurance often does not pay off on full-timers unless you have specific (expensive) full-time insurance. Full-time living voids warranties as "recreational vehicles" aren't made to be lived in full-time. Recreation vehicles are made to be used a few nights per year.

 

[DustyNick78]

@LMHS
Hmm ... you've got me kinda rethinking the FT motorhome life.
- thinking -
~Dusty~

 

[Kevind]

Wait. Full time RVing is only as expensive as you make it. We own our 5th wheel and truck. We sometimes move every 3-5 days. We rarely drive more than 200 miles. Almost all sites we stay in are under $35 a night. Yes, the insurance for my truck and rv is more than your car, but less than insurance for a house & car. I don’t pay any property tax other than for my vehicle tags. I pay no income tax because our domicile is Florida. which costs me about $500 a year because I pay Good Sam for my home (a small mailbox and shipping my mail occasionally).

I would say one of my biggest expense is food because we eat out multiple times per week, but we did that when we had a house.

There are expensive RV parks (>$200 a night) and cheaper ones, you get to choose. I wake up on the coast overlooking the ocean some days. I’m hanging over the edge of beautiful rivers some days. I wake up in forests some days. I wake up in average RV parks some days. I wake up in parking lots some days. But I get to choose.

Do you research and decide for yourself if you want to join the lifestyle.

 

[Kevind]

@LMHS
Hmm ... you've got me kinda rethinking the FT motorhome life.
- thinking -
~Dusty~

Oh, and I have full-timer insurance. My one year warranty did cover the initial stuff that was wrong. 5 years later I still find an occasional thing they built wrong. But I lived in a house for 20 years that still had things that were built wrong. I do have internet almost every night unless I’m way away from civilization.

 

[ARD]

@LMHS
Hmm ... you've got me kinda rethinking the FT motorhome life.
- thinking -
~Dusty~

Lawd, reading @LMHS’s response would make me think twice too. That was a whole lot of negativity and some misinformation. You definitely can get fulltimer’s insurance. It will cost more, but it is available.

I think what might be fun for you is to go to an RV show and explore all the options and become more knowledgeable. Then you will be more prepared to consider whether fulltiming is for you.

Also, read some of the blogs online.

Good luck and happy adventures.

 

[DustyNick78]

I agree @ARD

 

[LMHS]

I've been in campgrounds since 1979. Lived fulltime in them twice (my second time of full time since 2005).

Don't forget that blogs, just like FB is only the "highlights" and bad times are usually made light of. "Every one has such an exciting life and mine is so boring" said a co-worker of my daughter's after she had been reading all her "friends" posts on FB. My daughter had to explain that she is only seeing the highlights.


And RVers simply aren't as nice as they would like you to think. As evidenced by most forums and the posts on many of the articles on rvtravel.com Like any cross section of the general public, you have some nice people, some that are just middlin' and some folks who take a perverse delight in other people's misfortune. It just seems to me that the last group seems to be growing. I think the "social media" is responsible. Many folks will post something from behind a computer that they wouldn't risk face to face. But they get comfortable posting those things and then they start saying those things.

Campground Crowding: Gone are the days of campgrounds being 'rustic getaways'

RV sales have skyrocketed and more people than ever are taking up RVing. The result is campground crowding like never before! In this weekly blog, RV

www.rvtravel.com

"In general, do you believe RVers are friendlier than the general public?"
In general, do you believe RVers are friendlier than the general public?

Read the posts at the end of the article AFTER you check out the poll! Such NICE people! (NOT) Don't judge an RV, or RVer, by its cover

 

[LMHS]

Living in an camper is DIFFERENT. I love it. Others hate it. It's not wonderful all the time. Sometimes it can be downright horrible. Go into it with a clear head. And you haven't touched on the legalities of not having a "real" address either. The Patriot Act has made some things a lot more difficult. There is more to this than worrying about where to get electric and if you need a CDL (Recreational Vehicles are exempt from requiring CDLs , it's buried deep in the rules, many people don't read that far). There is a lot of bad information out there, even by "experienced RVers". It's mostly because what works in one state, may not work in another. And things are changing much faster than it used to change.

 

[AbdRahim]

Well, fir balance. I have been at this for only seven years. Most campers I have interacted with are friendly. But, there is a growing number of campers who are not camping.

Many with expensive rigs may have high stress jobs, and are not at the campground to meet or hang out with new people. They actually may be there to get away from people, or may. be working on a project, etc. That does not make them unfriendly, just in a different mindset. Yes I get very annoyed with people who exhibit bad behavior (drunkenness, trashing bathrooms etc.), but that is not limited to camping.

Overall, I have made many long term friends, while camping, and I cannot get enough of it. I am a long term camper, seldom less than a week, ussually a month, or more. I hang out with weekenders, long term campers, seasonals, permanent residents, etc, everybody is welcome at my campsite.

Are there boring days? Yes. But there are at the S & B, as well. Are there trips where there are mostly weekennders with families, not looking to expand their social circle, of course, but this lifestyle is largely what you make it.

The Bible gives good wisdom when it says, if you want friends, show yourself to be friendly.

Read, talk to campers and all types of RVers. Then forge the life you want. It is all out there for the taking.

Like anything you won’t know if you will like it until you try it. Go to RV shows, sit in and experience all kinds of RV’s. It is not a bad idea to rent different one’s and take some short trips to see if you like it.