10 Things to Consider Before Living in an RV Full Time

Living in an RV is, plainly stated, awesome. It provides freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to customize your lifestyle to fit just about any budget and travel desire. However, it does also come with important logistical, financial, and even legal considerations that you’ll want to think about before you take the full-time drive. From choosing a domicile state to securing insurance and managing mail  — and even just figuring out how to store all your stuff on the road — here are the 10 most important things to think about before you head out onto the road as a full-time RVer.

Full-Time RV Living Checklist

For starters, here’s an at-a-glance pre-road to-do checklist to help you ascertain whether you’re ready to hit the road as a full-time RVer.

• Choose your domicile state
• Set up mail forwarding
• Secure RV and health insurance
• Understand voting requirements in your domicile state 
• Plan for internet access
• Budget for real monthly costs
• Prepare for maintenance and repairs
• Consider long-term camping and parking options
• Downsize strategically
• Plan for emergencies

Don’t worry, we’re going to go over everything in detail below.

1. Choosing Your Domicile State

First things first: While you’re living (and likely traveling) in your RV, you’ll also need somewhere to “live.” That is, you’ll need to elect a domicile state (also known as setting up state residency) so that you have an official address for legal and logistical matters like taxes, vehicle registration, and insurance.

The thing is, some states are easier — and harder — than others when it comes to residency requirements and rules that affect full-time RVers. Popular states, like Texas, Florida and South Dakota, don’t charge a state income tax (after all, you likely won’t be home often enough to take advantage of state benefits anyway), and also have laws on the books that make it easier for full-timers to get their logistics situated. For example, in South Dakota, you only need to stay a single night to establish residency. 

Where you set up domicile also impacts your vehicle registration cost. Each state has its own calculation for determining the cost of registering a vehicle, and in some states, RVs can be substantially more expensive to register. The same is true, of course, for attaining health and RV insurance; geographic location has a major impact on the premiums you’ll pay each month. For all of these reasons, it’s worth doing your research ahead of time to figure out which states are cheapest in these regards. (Hint: South Dakota, Florida, and Texas are among the most popular states for full-timers to set up residency in for several reasons!)

2. Setting Up a Mail Forwarding Service

Once you have your state residency covered, a good next step is to set up mail forwarding. Maybe you actually own a home or property in the state, but many full-timers do not. That’s where RV-friendly mail forwarding services come in. 

RV mail forwarding will set you up with a physical address and periodically forward your mail according to your instructions. These can be low-cost, simple ways to get your hands on your mail, no matter where you’re traveling, but that’s not even the most important part of the service. Because your mail forwarding service will have a physical address, that means you’ll be able to get your driver’s license or other ID, register to vote, have an address for your bank account — all the things people need a permanent address for, logistically. Since even long-term RV campgrounds rarely allow campers to list their address as a permanent home address, that’s a pretty huge benefit. (You can also get a virtual mailbox as your residential address to receive letters, but these services usually scan and upload your mail to be read online rather than forwarding your mail physically, and you may not be allowed to use the address for licensure, voter registration and other logistics..)

Other options for handling your mail on the road include having a trusted family member or friend forward the mail — and perhaps supply a permanent address. You can also have packages delivered to the nearest postmaster general if your RV park doesn’t support delivery (you can check with the front desk).

3. Insurance: RV, Health, and Liability

If one thing’s certain in life, it’s that it’s full of surprises. Unfortunately, some of those surprises can come with hefty costs if you’re not careful.

That’s where insurance comes in. Even, or perhaps especially, while you’re gallivanting around on the road, you’ll want robust insurance policies to back you up in case the unexpected happens. (Or just so you can go get your annual physical.)

Keep in mind when you’re shopping for RV insurance that there’s a difference between recreational RV insurance and full-time RV insurance, which offers specialized, year-round coverage specifically designed for those who call their rig home. Just like you would as part of your homeowners or renters insurance plan, you’ll want your RV insurance to include liability coverage in the event that someone is injured or sustains a loss while in your RV. RV insurance might also cover, for example, damages that a campground sustains if a part of your RV blows off in a windstorm and damages the fence, as well as your personal property stored inside the RV.

Everyone knows why health insurance is important. But for travelers, checking that the Ts are crossed and Is are dotted becomes even more critical. Many traditional health insurance plans are designed for people who live in one place (since, after all, most people do). That means your coverage may be limited once you cross out of your domicile state’s lines if you’re not careful.

Fortunately, there are plans available on the ACA market that have national networks, but this is important to research before you choose a plan. Original Medicare combined with a Medigap plan can also work for RVers aged 65 and over. Either way, you may want to plan your travels such that your regular doctors appointments will happen in the state where you receive primary coverage, not only for insurance purposes but to establish continuity of care.

4. Voting While Living in an RV

People who travel the United States extensively are often exactly the people who most want to protect it. As citizens, voting is one of the most direct ways we can influence the future of this beautiful country of ours, and although it takes a little bit more pre-planning and footwork, voting is also possible for full-time travelers.

First of all, remember that your domicile state determines the state you’ll register to vote in, as well as whose local elections you’ll be participating in. As you travel, you’ll want to ensure you keep your voter registration current, and sign up for absentee ballots if you won’t be in your domicile state during the election season. (Keep in mind that some states require you to have an excuse to cast an absentee ballot, while vote-by-mail states like Hawaii, Colorado, and Oregon provide one automatically.)

5. Budgeting for Full-Time RV Living

It’s true: Full-time RVing can be a great way to live on a budget. But it can also easily cost a lot more than you expect.

That’s why you have to take the word budget into your own hands and treat it like the verb it is. If you make a plan for your money ahead of time, you can benefit from the flexibility of this lifestyle by customizing it to your financial needs and comfort level.

Let’s start by looking at some of the most common costs associated with RV living:

• The cost of the RV itself, such as a monthly payment if you have one (or the cost of a rental, if you’re trying out the lifestyle before you buy in)
• The cost of insurance, including RV insurance as well as health insurance and other products
• The cost of where you’re parking, such as campground fees (although there are ways to minimize or even do away with this cost, like boondocking)
• Fuel costs
• Maintenance costs
• Internet service (critical for those working on the road)
• Other day-to-day expenses including food, supplies, and entertainment

As we said, the good news is, RVing really can make budgeting flexible. If you want to spend less money one month, for example, you might choose to travel less (and spend less on fuel); in another month, perhaps you’ll travel more but save money on campground fees by boondocking on BLM lands. And since your RV has its own kitchen, you don’t have to spend any money on dining out at all if you don’t want to.

As an example, here are two different full-time monthly RV costs broken down by category so you can see how the lifestyle can scale to your needs.

6. Reliable Internet and Connectivity

For travelers who are working on the road, a reliable internet connection isn’t a luxury. It’s a must-have. And even for modern travelers who are retired or don’t work online, you may simply desire a good connection.

There are lots of ways to get online on the road these days, since just about everyone needs to. Many campgrounds offer free wifi, but the connection may leave something to be desired or only be strong on certain parts of the property. Getting an RV wifi booster can help you amplify the signal, but many campers choose to use a Starlink or cellular hotspot to ensure they have signal no matter where in the world they are, even if it comes at an additional monthly cost.

7. Long-Term Parking & Campground Planning

So many full-timers overlook what can quickly become one of the most expensive parts of the lifestyle: parking your rig. If you’re exclusively relying on RV parks and luxury campgrounds, these costs can easily total well over $1,000 (or even several thousands of dollars) per month. 

If, on the other hand, you’re scrappy, and rely on state parks, discount long-term RV parks and boondocking, you can get away pretty darn cheap on this front. There are, however, often stay limits in place in lower-cost campgrounds (including BLM boondocking spots), and it may be more challenging to stay off the grid during a more challenging season (even if you normally rough it, you’re likely to want power and hot water during the winter). 

You’ll also want to think through any parts of the year when you may not be staying in your rig, because even then, you’ll need somewhere to park it. Long-term RV storage (or even shorter-term RV storage) comes at its own cost, and just like campgrounds, it’s a good idea to reserve early to ensure you won’t be stuck high and dry when the time comes.

8. Downsizing & Storage

Getting to travel with your literal kitchen sink is one of the best parts of RVing, if you ask us. Still, even the biggest RVs are far smaller than the average-sized home, and they do have weight limits. If you’re transitioning from sticks-and-bricks living to full-time RVing, you may want to downsize your belongings ahead of time, or consider finding a storage solution (like renting a storage unit) to keep your rig from getting too cluttered.

What makes the cut will heavily depend on what’s important to you in your travel lifestyle. Some people might regret taking every single pair of fancy shoes they own, but if dining out at Michelin-star restaurants is your favorite part of travel, maybe you wouldn’t. On the other hand, a serious snow bunny wouldn’t be caught dead without their skiing gear, but if you’re not actually that outdoorsy, bulky equipment is just going to take up space (even if you wish you’d use it).

Take hints from other full-timers to learn the secrets of efficient RV traveling. For example, keeping originals of important documents like birth certificates in safety deposit boxes keeps them from being at risk on the road, and you can digitally document everything to have a copy of it with you on your phone wherever you wind up.

9. Maintenance & Repairs

It’s just a fact of life. Things break down. Especially things that move a lot.

And even without emergency repairs, RVs, like any other vehicle, also require regular maintenance to keep functioning at their best. While you’re on the road, you’ll want to plan to keep up with routine inspections and maintenance milestones, and if you have a manufacturer warranty, it’s likely worth factoring these into your travel schedule so you wind up at a dealership where you’ll score your discounts. (Sure, it’s possible to find a service center anywhere on the road, but your options for coverage may be more limited.)

Additionally, budgeting ahead of time for repairs, including unexpected repairs, goes a long way toward avoiding a catastrophe at the last minute. We also recommend full-time RVers opt into a roadside assistance service. After all, your RV isn’t just your vehicle, it’s literally your home. You’ll want help to be affordably available when you need it.

10. Try Before You Commit

Full-time RVing is amazing enough that we’re pretty sure you’re going to love it. But it’s also a huge commitment, especially if you’re considering downsizing your belongings and selling your house.

Renting an RV for an extended period, like a month, can give you good insight into whether or not you’ll truly thrive in the full-time RVing lifestyle. Additionally, renting off a peer-to-peer RV rental platform like RVshare gives you the opportunity to try out different types of RVs, or different makes and models, so you can buy exactly the one that suits you best when you’re ready to set off on the road for real. 

Oh, and did we mention that many of our owners offer discounts for longer-term rentals? Search for your perfect try-before-you-buy RV today.

FAQ: Full-Time RV Living