This guest blog was written by Kerensa Durr, from Escapees RV Club.
Once you hit the road as a full-time or part-time RVer, you’ll receive varied reactions from those around you. No matter if they are excited or a little wary, they often have the same questions. They’re the same questions many of us have when we start thinking about extended RVing.
- Aren’t you lonely?
While there are many days when it is just my husband and me, we actually enjoy this downtime. I think many RVers do enjoy this alone time, and it’s why we’re able to make living on the road work for us. But notice I said downtime. That’s because we are often attending events and meeting up with other RVers and friends along our way. With an assortment of gatherings held almost every month by Escapees RV Club and others, we often have to pick and choose which ones we can attend. We’ve met many good friends this way and enjoy seeing them at events.
In between official events, we’re often meeting up with friends to camp together. And if we’re not seeing them in person, we talk online through messenger apps, Instagram comments, and Facebook groups.
So the concise answer is no, I’m definitely not lonely. In fact, I think I’m more social now than when I was I was living in one spot!
- How do you get your mail?
This is often the first question we are asked. The routine part of life can perplex us when we take it out of context. After all, you need an address for governmental purposes along with receiving bills and other goodies. Even if you have a home base, you need someone or somewhere to receive mail while out in your RV.
Thankfully, this is easier than you would think. We signed up with the Escapees Mail Forwarding Service when we hit the road and received a mailing address in Texas. Later, we were able to move to Florida using the same service. Our standard mail all goes to the mail service headquarters where it is sorted and put in our mailbox until we request it. Because we opt into their mail scanning service, I rarely have to touch our physical mail. Instead, I read it then trash it right from my computer screen wherever I am. When we do request it, we often have them ship it to a campground, shipping store, or directly to the local post office. I may order packages like those from Amazon directly to these pickup locations, too.
- How do you make money?
There are more traditional avenues like work camping at RV parks and national parks or taking temporary jobs at different physical locations. There are also more opportunities for remote work with companies big and small. Many of the jobs today can be done from any location especially when computer- or web-based. I know people who write code, design products, are in sales and are dispatchers. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you’ll find yourself surrounded by like-minded people who use their talents and businesses to fund their travels.
There are dedicated publications and job boards like the RVer Job Exchange to help you find some of these opportunities to help keep you afloat while RVing. I’ve tried on a few hats while traveling, you just need to find what works for you.
If you had some of these same questions, I hope this has helped satisfy your curiosity. Full-time or part-time RVing isn’t difficult, just different. There are resources and people to help you along the way from attending events where you can meet other RVers, mail forwarding services to keep you informed, and resources to help you earn a living while you travel. I hope you take advantage of these as you set off to see the world.
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