Hey explorers, it’s Jessica with Exploring the Local Life. I am coming to you on this really, really wet day to talk about Pro tips for stationary full-time RV living.
So, you are in your RV, you don’t have a house, but you’re not traveling. This is going to apply to you whether you are doing this by choice because you wanted to save money or if you just ran into a situation where you have no other choice but to sell all your stuff and move into an RV. So, hopefully, this will help you guys out and make it a more pleasant experience.
My very first pro tip for you guys is to get a large RV. As most of you guys already know, we have a 26-foot travel trailer that is not very big. It has one slide, it doesn’t even have a separate room for the kids, it just has stacked bunks. It works well for us because for the most part, we’re stationary. We’re only stationary for about three months at a time and even towards the end of those three months, we’re like, “Oh my gosh, I wish I had a bigger unit.”
The reason that I recommend this is because if you’re not going to be moving around, you like park it and you stay somewhere for like a year or more at a time, the small space really starts getting to you. And I recommend this even if you had to sell your house and this is not your first choice, go out and get a used RV but get the largest one that you can possibly afford. Because when you’re going to be in that small space and not moving around doing your everyday life, it’s going to get to you. You’re going to feel the small space, you’re going to feel the smaller refrigerator, the smaller cabinetry. So, go as large as you possibly can and I recommend if you can do it to get a fifth wheel. The fifth wheels are more home-like, really. They’re going to give you that extra space that you’re going to need for this stationary life. Do not go over budget on that. Look very carefully, there’s lots of good used large RVs, but you’re going to need it because you’re not going to be travelling. Trust me on this one, get the larger one.
Okay, my second pro-tip for you, I’ve already said about the larger RV and I’m recommending a fifth wheel or a travel trailer if you have to. With that, typically, you’re going to need a tow vehicle, but I’m recommending that if you’re not going to be moving it around, that you do not buy a tow unit, a tow vehicle. You can get a dealership or somebody, there are companies out there that will take your RV to your location because that’s an extra expense of having that vehicle that costs more in maintenance and more if you had to finance it. If you already have a tow vehicle, then this doesn’t apply, but I don’t want you going out there and buying a tow vehicle when you’re not going to actually be towing.
Okay, guys, so either get somebody that you know that has a truck or get a hiring company. Sometimes, even the dealership will move it for you. There is a fee, but it’s going to be a lot less than going out and buying another vehicle.
My third pro tip: if you have two vehicles, keep them. Of course, I’m here talking to families. If you’re a single person, you’re probably just gonna have the one vehicle. Obviously, you’re not gonna be selling that, but if you’re a family, you have two vehicles, don’t sell that other one unless you absolutely have to for financial reasons. Because again, you’re stationary, you’re gonna be living everyday life if you continue to keep the children in school or if you guys have work obligations so you have to actually go to a building. You’re gonna need those two vehicles to make life better. It’s just gonna be less of an adjustment for you guys to move from a house – that’s RV and stay stationary. If you have the two vehicles, it will give you that flexibility and the things that you need to make the time in that small space a lot better. It gives you a lot more options of where you can go and when you can go. Of course, if you are in such extreme situation where you need the money, you know we did, we sold both of our cars, we ended up getting a truck. We got a very used truck that was a bit expensive, and we had a just the one for a long time, and you know it worked out. It was better when we were traveling, but when we are stationary again, we stayed sometimes three months at a time in one location, having the one vehicle was difficult, but we made it. You know, the one is a luxury, but I recommend if you can handle it to have the two vehicles. It’ll make this time this season of your life so much better.
My fourth pro tip is that you stay somewhere with amenities. If you can do it, Thousand Trails has like seasonal or annual sites, and that’s kind of like a lower discounted rate for an extended period of time. And a lot of RV parks have those types of rates where if you’re staying monthly either you can pay months a month or they have ones where you can stay longer and that’s gonna be discounted instead of like the daily rate. If you can swing it, try to get one that has a pool or a playground or something like that. Because again, it’s gonna make your tiny space even if you get the largest 5th wheel that you can possibly afford, having that outside time, having a pool right nearby where you can just you know the kids can go, you can go have a little hot tub, maybe it’ll just make that time so much better. I know the wind we have stayed for about three months at a time and we’re kind of at an RV park that doesn’t have those amenities. Again, it starts getting really if we become very aware of the fact that were kind of like stuck in a small space and it becomes a lot less fun. And if you’re doing that everyday like stationary RV living, having those amenities will make it so much better for you guys.
My very last pro tip, pro tip number five, is for you guys not to let other people make you feel guilty or bad or embarrassed or anything about this living arrangement. Whether you are choosing it because you want to save money or because you can’t afford your from your previous living situations or you just can’t afford housing, don’t let people make you feel bad about that. You’re making a good decision and doing something that you can actually afford. Then maybe if in the future you decide to either start traveling or you decide to go back into a home, they should be proud of you. But then some people just aren’t gonna get it and I just want you to not feel that guilt. You have enough going on, you don’t need that extra up just bad negativity going towards you. So please do not let people affect like that. Okay? Just if they say it, just remember why you’re doing it. Even again, even if you were forced into it as and you had to leave your home and this is not the situation you wanted to be in, still you’re making progress to get to the next point, wherever that may be. So keep that in your mind. Okay? Don’t let people bring you down.
Thank you so very much for watching. I hope that these pro tips really helped you out. Okay? If you have any questions or comments or if you have your very own tips that you’d like to share about station RB living, please let us know. Thank you. Thank you so very much. Oh, and something else, if you want a free checklist, okay go down into the description. So there’s gonna be somewhere where you can click it. You can get this checklist. It talks about the different things that you need to remember when you’re moving around. Okay? If you’re doing stationary living or like Jessica, how is this gonna help me? It may help you if you have to move for some reason or at the point where you’re like, you know what? The stationary life isn’t for me. Ready to move on to another site for whatever reason. This checklist will help you so you don’t forget. Cuz you’re not used to doing it anyway. They don’t forget to get that. Thank you so much guys and I’ll catch you guys later.
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