RVs are a lot of fun and many people see the benefits of having both a house and an RV while others opt to live on the road. There are many types of RVs and plenty of ways to explore in an RV.
If you're looking for a guide to RVing and living life on the road, we're here to help. Continue reading this article to learn the best tips for RVing and exploring the world on the road.
Hope for the Best and Plan for the Worst
When you're on the road in an RV, you're not likely to be around friends and family all of the time. That means if something goes wrong, you need to fend for yourself and hope the local repair shops do a good job.
The best way to avoid disaster is to always hope for the best and plan for the worst. Keep plenty of supplies and extras of everything you need. You'd be surprised how quickly something can disappear right when you need it most only show up a week later right where you thought it was.
Choose the Perfect RV for Your Needs
There is no perfect RV. There is only the perfect RV for you.
If you haven't been RVing before, it might be challenging for you to even know where to start. What are the driving ones called? Is my truck big enough to pull one of those big ones?
There are a lot of things to think about when you're buying an RV and here are some of the top ones to consider.
How Many Does the RV Sleep?
Keep in mind that an RV salesperson might tell you one number and you might find out no one would be sleeping comfortably if you set it up the way they suggest. Instead of trusting a salesperson or a sales paper, go look through the RV and see how many it sleeps.
If you have little kids in your family, it won't be as difficult to find something you can easily sleep in but if you have grown children, it might be a little more difficult fitting everyone in the assigned sleeping spaces.
Keep in mind that a lot of RV sleeping spots might be hidden. Look for jackknife beds, folding bunks, tables that convert to beds, and more before you assume there isn't enough sleeping space.
Is the RV Within Your Budget?
Before you start looking at an RV, make sure it's within your budget. You're sure to find a lot of nice RVs, but the problem is that they might be out of your price range.
The more options you want to add to an RV, the more it is going to cost when you tally it up. If you don't need a lot of bells and whistles, you can save some money and get a nice model RV.
How Will You Get Around Without the RV
Once you park the RV at an RV park, how are you going to get around? Do you want to have a driving RV and pull a vehicle behind it or do you want to tow your RV and use your tow vehicle to get around?
Know How You're Going to Make Money
Some people already have their money situation taken care of, but that's not everyone. Whether you're a young family with kids that are ready to see the US or you're a retiree couple that wants to travel around and see the sights, you have to support your lifestyle.
There are a few ways to make money when you're on the road. You can choose to work camp, choose to work remotely, or find seasonal work where you're headed traveling.
Depending on your travel style, any one of these ways to earn money could work for you. This is something you want to get sorted out before you head out on the open road though. RV life isn't very fun when you're running low on cash.
Learn Your Travel Style
Not everyone travels the same way. Some people love to have everything planned out. They know where they are going to stay 6 months out or even a year out.
On the other hand, there are people that are very fly by the seat of their pants type of people. They don't want to make plans because it makes them feel tied down.
When you learn your travel style, you can find out what works for you and plan accordingly. Keep in mind that there are ways to save money RVing if you don't mind staying places for a week or a month at a time.
As you're traveling, you'll learn different ways to save money with memberships, your length of stay, and more.
Plan Fun Activities
When you're traveling in an RV, it's easy to get into the swing of things, but you can get complacent. Plan fun activities and teach your kids about camping and nature if they're with you. Or maybe you have your grandkids with you and you want to make sure they're having a good time.
There are lots of things to do when you're traveling. You can look up different festivals in your area, see what activities the campgrounds are having and much more.
When you're camping with family, there are limitless opportunities for fun no matter where you are.
Figure Out How You'll Stay Connected
When you're RVing, there is so much to do and see, but you still want to stay connected. If you can't stay connected with friends and family, it can be very disheartening. While there are some places that have decent internet when you're traveling, that isn't always the case.
You want to make sure that you are the one that is in control of your internet and there plenty of options. Some of these options are more cost-effective than others.
If you don't use too much internet, you can use your cell phone's hot spot to stay connected to the internet. Some cell providers even allow for unlimited internet, but the problem is they will throttle your internet after so many gigabytes of usage.
Finding a freestanding internet device that provides you with unlimited internet is the best bet for you if you want to ensure you're connected all of the time.
Learning How to Use Your Black and Gray Water
This part isn't the most fun part to talk about, but it is important that you learn about it. Your black water in your RV is your sewage. Your gray water in your RV is your used water like from showers and washing dishes.
Keep in mind that you can't dump your gray or black water anywhere except for in designated dumping areas. If you want to be prepared to live on the road full-time, then you need to know where you're going to dump.
There are certain gas stations that will allow you to pay to dump your water. You can also dump at most RV parks. Having a list of places where you'll stop to empty your tanks can help take the stress out of RVing.
You can even find apps that will help you find places to dump your tanks and camp, but no matter what, you should never dump either of your tanks on the ground.
Keeping Your RV Smelling Good
When you're living the RV life, you're enjoying the outdoors and lots of great smells, but things might not always smell rosy inside the RV.
If you start smelling your sewage, there are some things you can do.
The first thing you need to do is get a product used to digest what is in your tank. You should also keep your tank emptied as much as possible. The fuller the black tanks are, the closer they are to the top of the toilet, which means more smells.
If your RV has a backwash system, make sure you use it to get any toilet paper that is stuck around the sides of the tank. Stuck toilet paper can greatly increase the odor in your RV bathroom.
Using This Guide to RVing
Now it's time to use this guide to RVing and hit the open road! There are so many places to see and lots of fun to be had; take our advice to heart and have your adventure.
Do you want to learn more about the great outdoors and how you can make more plans to breathe life in? Browse our blog for the best articles on all things outdoors.
