Ways to Save on Camping Fees When RVing Fulltime
12-19-2018
Author: in Education
Full-time travel: This is the dream of a good many. After all, who wouldn’t want to go anywhere they pleased whenever they pleased? What could be better than experiencing the best the USA has to offer?
Unfortunately, most people who dream about RVing full-time never even take the first steps toward doing so. The vast majority of these individuals will tell you that finances are their main reason for staying in one place. They simply can’t imagine how anyone could afford to be in a perpetual state of travel.
The funny thing about this is that as full-time RVers, my family spends less on housing than we ever did when living in a sticks-and-bricks house. Wondering how this could be? Well, for one thing, we own our humble little home outright, meaning we have no RV payment at all. Yes, we do still have to pay camping fees. However, we never ever pay full price.
Read on and I’ll tell you all of our amazing tips, tricks, and secrets for saving on those fees, so maybe you can hit the road sooner than you ever thought possible.
As a full-time traveler, it is important to learn the value of long-term stays. Sure, you’re living in a home-on-wheels so you can see the world, but the world isn’t going anywhere, and you have plenty of time, so you may as well take it easy. This is beneficial for a number of reasons. Going slowly will help ensure you don’t become burned out on the travel life. It’ll give you time to really explore each area you visit, and will give you an opportunity to take care of the usual day-to-day activities.
All that said, the biggest benefit of long-term stays is a financial one. You see, staying weekly in a campground is almost always cheaper than paying the nightly rate, and if you stay a full month, you’ll probably get an even better deal. For this reason, we recommend staying a month in each location and using the money you save to see everything you possibly can in that area.
Want to spend even less on your camping fees than monthly rates allows? There’s always the option of work camping. Work camping is fabulous for many people. It allows campers to work at a campground doing housekeeping, maintenance, check-ins, or any number of other jobs in exchange for a site. Some of these deals even include hourly pay, making them an even better deal.
Related Read: Workamping- How to Go Where You Want
That said, there are some cons to work camping as well. One of the biggest drawbacks is the fact that this type of work tends to keep you in place for at least a season. Additionally, some campers feel that many work camping jobs aren’t fair and work out to be too little pay for the amount of work put in.
Still, it is something that’s worth looking into, especially if you can find a gig with hourly pay.
Of course, there will be times when you can’t stay for a month or more at a time. Maybe you’re on your way from one place to the next and need to stop for a few nights, or perhaps you’re visiting a friend and only intend to be around for week. In any case, it’s always good to have cheap short-term options available. One of the best options when it comes to short-term stays is to join a discount club.
There are a variety of different clubs out there, and all have their own set of benefits. Most people find that Passport America is well worth investing in, and some people join Good Sam Club or Escapees as well. All offer discounts on short-term stays at a variety of campgrounds.
An option that’s great for short- to medium-length stays is boondocking or dry camping. This option is especially wonderful if you happen to be on the west side of the country where boondocking opportunities are plentiful.
Related Read: Boondocking 101
For the most part, boondocking is completely free, but it does require that you go in prepared to camp with no hookups whatsoever. Therefore, you will want to fill your freshwater tank and conserve water in order to save space in your gray tank. Additionally, you may want a solar setup and/or a generator to recharge your batteries should they become low.
Not sure where to find boondocking camping spots? Check the the Mobile RVing camping finder for tons of options!
In addition to boondocking, we love to use state parks for short- to medium-length stays. The rates at these parks are nearly always affordable, and while they do tend to have some amenities, they also offer the peaceful camping vibe so many RV parks lack.
Finding state park camping is super simple. One of the best places to start is the MobileRVing campground finder. However, you can also use Google to help you out. Just be sure to make reservations if you can!
Finally, we must mention the benefits of campground memberships. There are several memberships out there, and each of them offers free or extremely low-cost camping at affiliated resorts to members of the club.
By using one of these memberships, you can camp for very little at various campgrounds across the country. The drawback is that you won’t be able to stay within the membership campgrounds at all times while still seeing the entirety of the United States. Additionally, the initial buy-in to one of these memberships can be quite high, making a membership unattainable for some campers.
Knowing these things about finding affordable camping is the first step to making your RVing dreams come true. Go ahead and start filling in the other pieces of the puzzle, and before you know it, you’ll be hitting the open road!
Comment
Is there an App for dump stations and where can you refill your water on the road? We have found some state rest areas have dumps but not potable water.
Author: Chelsea Barron
