Welcome to our video chat on ‘Realities of a RVing Nomadic Lifestyle’.
This was originally live streamed on March 7, 2013 at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/
The Archive on YouTube can be found below:
Here are some of the resources that we’ll be referencing during the chat:
- Pace & Kyeli’s post from 3/7/2013 outlining why they are selling their RV after 5 months of travel: http://paceandkyeli.com/
selling-our-rv-and-moving-to-po rtland/ - Our (Technomadia’s) monthly cost log: Our Monthly Travel Expense Log
And here are some of our past posts relevant to this topic:
- Full Timers Perspective on Fuel Costs
- Selecting an RV for Full Timing
- It’s Not an Extended Vacation
- Finding Camping & Boondocking
Other article that where mentioned in the Q&A session at the end:
- Mobile Internet Options (including a video chat)
- Lithium Ion Batteries for RVs (including a video chat)
- Chapter 14: Feeling Safe while Traveling Full Time
- Our Entire ‘No Excuses: Go Nomadic’ series
- Our Mobile Gear
- Our Campground Reviews on RVParking.Com
Thank you for joining in!
Thankyou for posting your experiences! Highly appreciated!
I have a question, and I’m hoping you could help me out.
My boyfriend and I are 19, and with the rent for our (horrible) apartment, we can’t afford to even pay car insurance. So we have a terrible studio, and no car. We are not happy at all.
We like to move around a lot. By the time we turned 19, we had lived in NJ, NY, VT, and CO. We are never happy in one spot for very long, and expensive apartment rent and leases are becoming a weight on our lives.
We were thinking about getting a strong pickup and a truck camper (most likely off craigslist), staying 3-8 months in an RV park at a time for 200-300/month. I saw some that had full hook ups and whatnot for that price. And if we are staying for months at a time, we can park our camper/house and take the truck into town for work, even if its at a mcdonalds or something. We are young and willing/able to do work that a lot of retired RV’s will not consider.
I also heard you say that prices like that are only available if you are away from the main hustle and bustle, away from the tourist areas etc. Well, thats exactly what we want. The further into nature, the happier we are.
My question to you is, do you think this would be possible? Are there things I have not foreseen due to my lack of experience? Do you think we would get stuck like the workcampers you mentioned in the video? Are there unforeseen expenses? Like propane? I dont want propane anything, I want all electric, but again i’m getting it off craigslist due to my budget so my options are pretty limited to what people feel like selling at the time.
The way I see it, we will be spending 600ish on car insurance and rent combined, plus food and cell phone. Right now our apartment is 655/month by itself leaving us unable to afford car insurance, and keeping us stuck in downtown so we can walk to work. I feel like a truck and truck camper would be an improvement. A place to live AND a car AND nature for the price we pay now for our studio. I dont know. Thoughts? Advice?
Hi Amber –
Anything is possible, and only you can decide what works for you and what you can afford and/or are willing to work for.
Here’s our monthly expense log, which goes over in detail some of the things to consider about the costs of living on the road:
https://www.technomadia.com/the-finances-how-to-afford-it/
Hope it helps.
Hi Cherie,
Now that I downloaded and read the book, my internet business is probably too small for you guys, at least right now, in terms of your credentials and my finances.
However, it would be worth a shot to see if you are interested and/or I can afford it, or suggested next steps. Software could greatly expand my income so I can buy an RV.
Also, I’m reading the part of the ebook now about the process of purging and cutting ties, and that was eerily familiar, like somebody else having my deja vu. Thank you so much for sharing, again.
How is it for full-timers in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area? Do you have any thoughts on my community in specific or how best to begin making myself available to the RV community?
I ask because I had huge new ideas about transitioning to mobile and maximizing my resources, and I’d like to go into a business supporting this lifestyle. It feels like I should be able to start swimming in the stream, so to speak, looking at my house as just another resource for travelers.
I need to get some money up to get an RV and tow vehicle, pay some things off, and do some things on the house.
So I’m wondering what it will take to make a proper RV space at the back of my lot and would like to start making that available. I’d also be happy to offer concierge type services aimed at full-timers, if the price is right. I think people who live in stick-built homes in the area would potentially use some of those services as well.
I notice that there are often RVs parked in the parking lot of a grocery store nearby. They must be on a web site; they’re always in the same spot.
My house is about 40 minutes’ drive from the above cities, near the amazing Jordan Lake Recreational Area.
What if I move into an RV and pay someone to manage the house I currently live in as a short-term furnished, i.e., extended stay? I have a perfect, amazing place for a single RV at the back of my property, primo. It’s 2 miles from a main highway, and there’s a gas station/convenience store 1/4 mile down the road. So I technically have two separate, very nice vacation rentals on my acre in the woods, and can arrange to find parking/hookups for however many other RVs nearby if need be.
Does that sound like an expanding proposition? It feels like it to me. It also feels like a very direct route to becoming a nomad starting from where I am right at the moment.
Anyway, please advise when you might be available for a Skype consult or phone call. Let me know how and when to contact you. I think you’ll quickly be able to tell me whether my web project/s are in your range.
Thanks!
Oh goodness.. I can tell you are brimming with ideas and excitement. Lots of questions here, and probably beyond the scope of continuing in blog comments. If you like, write us offline at contact@technomdia.com. We are starting to experiment with offering single session coaching/consult calls for folks to pick our brains beyond quick questions, and we can set one of those up if you like.
Thank you for all of the time and effort you have put in. The information in this video resonated very well with me, just what I was looking for.
I will be selling my house and hitting the road for the first time ever, as soon as I’m ready. But I have enough life experience to appreciate both of your comments about “not a permanent vacation.”
I’m already paying for my stick built house with online income. I’m better off getting an RV — within your excellent commonsense guidelines. So I have a million questions for you.
I find this new paradigm RVing very exciting, and specifically want to get on it in Colorado. I’ve never traveled in an RV before, but have slept in them. So your info has made a difference.
I like it that you don’t have propane — I don’t want it either. Like you, I need good internet to work. But I also need desk space, not bunks, and arrangements for my cats. I’d also prefer to have dry sewage, using saw dust/cat litter and maybe that gelling agent. I’m single, but I need not only a computer/papers desk with a printer, I need a studio room and storage for art supplies.
I’ll be watching your findings about how much solar you end up needing and how you do it very closely. I have a million ideas, and hopefully will be able to stay in touch as I go forward. I watched this video all the way through twice, and just now realize that you have a free how-to series. I really can’t wait. I’ll get a copy of your book, too.
Lastly, do I understand that y’all are software developers? If so, I may have some work for you in terms of getting to the next step in my current business. If you can make useful, affordable apps for my web site, then my finding you right now is very synchronous.
Artnunymiss
Well.. greetings! Mighty glad you found us here, and you’re able to make use of some of the content we’ve put together.
And yes, we are developers. Mostly focused on mobile apps these days, and some tech consulting. If that’s where your needs are, be in touch for sure.
Nice discussion. We like the “two day rule” for keeping the pace a bit more relaxed. Also, we had not thought about how it would be better to buy a used RV that was previously used on a full time basis rather than one that was used only a few times a year. Thanks for the tip on not letting the RV rock when stealth camping… that had us laughing!
We enjoy keeping up with your travels and are happy to see you are both doing well.
The chat was great. I missed the first half and part of the last questions as I had to answer a phone call. I hope you do another soon. Maybe I will look at the link above to watch what I missed. Thanks!