Ways to Save Money While RVing

Often when I inform people of my family’s full-time traveling lifestyle, they respond by lamenting that they could never afford something so extravagant. The funny thing? We spend significantly less living and traveling in our RV than we ever did living in a house.

You see, it's really all about the choices you make, and by living in an RV, we open up a whole new world of choices for ourselves. If we wanted to, we could live entirely rent-free. Because we both work location-independent jobs, we could cook every single meal at home, and the fact that our home can move wherever we go just makes it even easier to do that.

We could do those things, but we don't. Instead, we make financial decisions that put us somewhere in the middle of the super frugal and insanely extravagant lifestyles. We try new local eateries, we go see and do things, and we are almost always in RV parks with full hookups, but we never spend more than $2000 a month.

Here are the tricks we use to have a ton of fun while still sticking to a rather small budget.

Buy Used

Perhaps the most important thing we did to keep costs low is purchase our rig used. Because it was used, we were able to pay cash for it and hit the road debt-free. On top of that, used rigs already have a lot of their initial kinks worked out, meaning fewer repairs than a brand new rig, and because the original depreciation had already occurred, this trailer will hold its value better than one purchased right out of the factory.

All in all, this was a financially smart move that I do not regret in the slightest.

Related Read: Buying a Used RV: What to Look For

Slow Down

Many people jump into the travel life with an urge to see everything all at once, leading them to travel quickly from one place to the next. What they quickly learn however is that it's incredibly tiring (and expensive) to travel this way.

By slowing down a bit, you'll lower your monthly gas expenses. You can also take advantage of monthly rates at RV parks, something that can save you hundreds of dollars. Lastly, you won't feel the need to sightsee every single day. Instead, you can see a couple of cool things each week, meaning your monthly entertainment budget will drop dramatically.

Invest in Campground Memberships

Besides buying a used rig, one of the best decisions we ever made was purchasing Thousand Trails and Passport America memberships. These have easily saved us thousands of dollars, and without them I'm not sure we could afford to travel full-time.

Related Read: Why All Roadschoolers Should Have an America the Beautiful Pass

Thousand Trails and Passport America are definitely the best memberships for our situations, but that doesn't mean they're ideal for everyone. Luckily, there are tons of options out there. Do your research and figure out which ones will save you money. You'll be super glad you did!

Work Camp

Another great way to save on camping fees is through “work camping”. There are almost always work camping gigs available, and while each one has different terms, most of them involve doing a small amount of work at a campground in exchange for a site and possibly some wages.

Some work camping jobs allow couples or families to work together, and the ones that pay are great for those who need extra income on top of a site to park in.

To find a work camping job that's right for you, check out this website.

Pick Up Reciprocal Cards

As I mentioned before, my family like to see and do things as we travel. Obviously, we'd go broke if we paid for entry to a couple of attractions each week, so we don't do that.

Instead, we avoid those admission fees by investing in reciprocal memberships. Currently, we are members of ASTC, AZA, NARM, ACM, America the Beautiful, and Time Travelers. Each one gives us free or discounted admission to a whole list of museums, zoos, and/or national parks.

If you'd like to learn more about reciprocal memberships, check out this post. It'll help you get a handle on how they work and which ones are best for you.

Look for Freebies

Another great way to save money while still seeing what each location has to offer is to keep your eyes peeled for free events and activities. Free festivals, library events, concerts, and even free museum days are all fairly easy to find, meaning you can have tons of fun without spending a single penny.

Not sure where to look for these free activities? The local library is an excellent place to begin. Facebook Events often has festivals and other community gatherings listed, and usually local coffee shops will have a bulletin board where community members can post info about upcoming activities.

Eat Out on the Cheap

My family likes or eat out almost as much as we like to go sightseeing. That said, we've gotten pretty good at eating out on the cheap, and often find excellent deals by using Groupon, watching for happy hours and/or “kids eat free days”, and keeping a close eye out for coupons.

Related Read: Where to Find RV Coupons and Deals

Other money saving tricks we employ include always drinking water, splitting larger meals, and sometimes even ordering kids meals for everyone in the family.

We absolutely adore our traveling lifestyle, and we are so happy we get to see so much of the country. This is why I've made it my mission to help others get out on the road, and most of the time, the first step toward that freedom is building a budget that works.

Hopefully these tips for traveling without spending a fortune help you get a bit closer to your goal of traveling full-time!