Full time by a loose definition is considered living in your RV or recreational vehicle as your home. Many people choose to live in RVs as a cheaper way of life. Your RV is stationary and rarely moves. Website design By BotEap.comThere are many benefits to living in an RV. Housework is less time consuming, costs are lower, maintenance is less, and the cost of ownership is lower. RV owners have the same tax benefits as homeowners or what we call stick and brick owners. Website design By BotEap.comFor 12 years we were full time stationary campers. We lived and worked from our RV or had full time jobs in the local community. Daisy was a legal secretary and I was a Nokia database administrator with responsibilities for a global SQL Server network. You had sold our house and the RV became our home. With an income of over $100,000 a year, I don’t think we qualify as towing junk. In fact, we met many people who were professionals who had decided to live this lifestyle, including lawyers and doctors. Website design By BotEap.comfull time traveler
The common thought when people say they work full time is someone traveling across the country living full time out of an RV. These people have all the benefits of stationary RV ownership and the freedom to move whenever and wherever they want. Website design By BotEap.comThere are some additional costs to traveling full time and that is the cost of fuel and maintenance. Many full-time commuters also tend to stay in one place for several weeks or even months before moving on. You guys are full time travelers now, starting our new journey in June 2014. We spend about 3 weeks per location and then move to a new camp when time runs out. We spent this last winter in FL moving every two weeks. It was the most pleasant winter I have ever had. Website design By BotEap.comsnow birds
A snowbird is someone who travels to warmer weather in the winter and cooler weather in the summer. They can have a house in both places, they can live in an RV in one and a house in the other, or they can stay in an RV year-round. Many retirees are snowbirds who travel to FL in the winter months. Website design By BotEap.comseasonal
Seasonal campers are usually people who still work but love the camping lifestyle and have an RV at a campground full time, but only use it on weekends or holidays. They may or may not wear it for vacations. They are considered seasonal because they pay for the camping season lot. Camping season will vary depending on where in the country you are. In the Northeast it can be from March to the end of October. Some campsites may have two or more seasons with different rates. For example, winter and summer rates, like in FL. Website design By BotEap.comweekends
Weekends are campers who pack up the RV and hit the road, usually Friday afternoon, heading to a local campground and camping for the weekend. Sunday arrives they pack their bags and go home. These people are likely still working full time and not ready to pack up and leave the working world for an extended period of time. Website design By BotEap.comFinance
Whether you’re working full time or retired, finances will be a big factor in getting your RV. Financing an RV will be easier if you are working, however, there are places that will work with the retiree as well. But from a basic business standpoint, someone with disposable income will have an easier time getting financing than anyone else. Website design By BotEap.comOther financial considerations will be your budget. Your income-expense ratio will determine how often you can go camping or, if you want to travel, how long you can travel and what you can see and do while you travel. Website design By BotEap.comThere are many people young and old who travel full time and also hold one or more jobs. You know of couples who would now be considered snowbirds who work year-round as camp hosts. You have other friends who run businesses out of their RV and still others who trade their campsite fees for a few hours a week of camp work (workampers). Earning an income is possible while you’re on the go. However, making a comfortable living could be another story. Website design By BotEap.comAs you can see, there are many things to consider when looking at an RV. In many ways, this is like buying a house. You will be living in it for a period of time and may need the same amenities as in your house or apartment. Understanding how you will be using the RV and what you already have that can help tow it will help keep your expenses and expectations in line. In the next article I will talk about the different types of recreational vehicles.