Some ways to reduce RV lifestyle expenses are to plan your route around affordable campgrounds, travel during the shoulder seasons, and explore free and low-cost overnight options. Don't forget to take advantage of camping memberships and discounts as well.
Affordable RV living offers freedom to live in the way you want, where you want, and with the people that you choose to travel with. It can be the best thing for those folks who are tired of living the traditional life and want something a bit more unique. You can embrace the full-time mobile lifestyle or just go traveling on the weekends.
It's your choice. The one thing you do need to be cognizant of is that when you use a lot of campgrounds to park your RV in, the fees can truly add up. If you are trying to go RVing because you want to keep things affordable, then it's time to start learning some tricks to reduce accommodation costs while living on the road.
Plan Your Route Around Affordable Campgrounds
If you are the spontaneous kind of RV traveler who just wants to go to a random campground and set up camp without thinking too much about it, it's time to change your habits and personality to become a bit more anal about setting up your travel route.
It's time to start planning your route a bit more before you set off on your travels. It does take a bit more effort on your part, but it's well worth it, as you can save a ton of money in this manner.
Before leaving home, research campgrounds along your intended route and compare their:
- Nightly prices
- Amenities
- Location
- Additional charges
A campground slightly farther from a major attraction may offer substantial savings without making sightseeing inconvenient. If you are travelling with a car as well as an RV, then you won't have to worry about how far you are from the sights. You can just hop into your vehicle and be there in a jiffy.
Consider public campgrounds as well as private ones, because they can be cheaper, even though they do sometimes come with fewer amenities. It can be worth it, though, if you end up saving on accommodations, as you can travel for longer or spend that extra cash on a nice dinner or hotel somewhere along the way.
Travel During Slower Seasons
Everyone wants to go traveling during the RV high season, when everyone else is out there. It might be more fun to go RVing that way. You meet more people and the vibes are more energetic.
However, if affordable RV living is your thing, you will want to start traveling during the shoulder seasons instead, that is, during late spring and early fall. Most people are out in their RVs in the summertime, school holidays, or long weekends. That's also when the campgrounds jack up their prices to account for the increased demand.
Avoid the campgrounds during these periods if you don't want to pay exorbitant amounts just for a few nights of stay.
Explore Free and Low-Cost Overnight Options
Paid campgrounds aren't the only options out there for RVs to camp overnight. There are loads of free options as well, and we don't only mean Walmart or Target parking lots.
Some public lands permit dispersed camping, which generally means staying outside developed campgrounds in designated or permitted areas. These locations may have few or no amenities, so travelers should arrive prepared with:
- Sufficient water
- Food
- Waste-storage capacity
- Reliable power
If you are going to park in a business parking lot, then make sure to contact the business and ensure that they are allowing you to do so. You don't want to end up being towed or trespassed in the middle of the night, while you are trying to get a good night's sleep.
Take Advantage of Memberships and Discounts
Most campgrounds come with memberships attached to them, which can make staying with them extremely affordable. Check out Thousand Trails Memberships for sale, for example, where you can access a membership-based network of campgrounds and RV resorts across the United States for quite reasonable rates.
It's roughly a network of 80+ core Thousand Trails parks plus an additional 120+ parks available through the Trails Collection add-on program. With this membership, you can pretty much travel anywhere in the US and have a campground to stay at.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can You Reduce Costs by Staying Longer?
As with every kind of accommodation, if you stay longer at a campground, you end up getting quite a discount on your stay. For example, you might pay $100 a night if you stay three nights, but $70 a night if you stay a whole week.
The campgrounds want people to stay for longer, as it means they don't have to have an empty spot sitting around costing them money. Take advantage of this by asking the campgrounds you are going to if they offer discounts for longer stays.
How Can You Manage Your Everyday RV Lifestyle Expenses?
Your biggest expenses while RVing are going to be gas, transportation, and everyday costs of living. These include:
- Groceries
- Maintenance
- Laundry
- Entertainment
- Campground hookups
Do what you can to reduce your expenses in each of these categories. For example, you could buy your food in bulk, so you don't spend as much on groceries. You might choose items of clothing that don't need to be washed as often, so you can save on laundry.
Affordable RV Living Starts By Being Creative
The minute you start thinking outside the box is the minute you start saving money on your RV living. Campground fees don't have to be such a huge part of your RV budget. Affordable RV living starts when you consider discount camping options, memberships, low-season travel, and more.
Don't let high campground fees be a deterrent to your long-term RV living. It's time to start living the dream without spending all of your savings on it.
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