Can it be done?


Poppa

Member
Precious and I are seriously considering taking to the road for a few months to a year or so to see this great country of ours.

Two questions.
1. Can it be done on 600 a month regular bills not included?

2. Whats the chances of picking up a little extra cash or free stays on the road?

Help, John, Chelse come on help an old man out
 

TexasClodhopper

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

Guess at fuel costs:

Daily mileage: 300 miles
Fuel usage: 8 mpg
Fuel cost $3.00 per gallon

300 / 8 x $3 = $112.50 per 300 mile day (At $4 per gallon it goes up to $150 per day)

You could travel about 4 days away before you would have to wait for you next check! :eek:
 

Poppa

Member
Re: Can it be done?

The intent would be to putt around. staying at one campsite for a week or so then moving on down the road some to another interesting place. Just being lazy so to speak :laugh:
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

Poppa, It can be done with really streching the dollar and watching your expenses. Get a Golden Age Pass if you don,t have one. These will allow you half price in Corps CG. Not avalibale everwhere. Join one of the half price clubs for areas you know you will be in. You can also camp host for free site or bid on them in some cases for wages. As Tex said I don't think you will be able to move about to often. Cut the electricity off at home, telephone on vacation, water off at meter not disconected just in case off a leak. You eat food at home so thats no added expense.
 

USMC

Member
Re: Can it be done?

Here is what I have been thinking about with the prices getting so high at the camp grounds. I'm thinking about buying a quite Honda generator and that is all I need ha-ha and as I travel when I see a nice big friendly looking farm house, I'm going to pull in and ask them if I can park on there property for the night.

If I have a Generator and a sattelite for my T.V. and a full tank of fresh water and an empty black and gray tank what else do I need? Many of the rest stops have dumping stations any more so use your head, it could cut the cost in traveling a lot.

I was in a Wal Mart in Wisconsin a couple years ago and asked this young lady as I checked out if she knew where a camp ground was close by, and she offered to let me park at her house free, some times you only need to ask and you would be surprised how many nice friendly people you will meet.
 

s.harrington

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

There are a lot of ways to travel and earn money too. There are organizations which can get you jobs at rv parks, you can get your name on the list to host state and federal campgrounds, and you can always make a buck washing motorhomes and travel trailers.
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

We live in our RV and have now for about 7 1/2 years and we rarely pay for an RV site. Our record for fewest nights paid for was 9 and our average is about 30 or so. We do this by spending time in locations where we volunteer our services a few days per week and in return we get our site, most utilities and usually access to laundry equipment. Sometimes we get other extras as well. The numbers of hours we work varies but we usually spend most of them doing things that we enjoy doing anyway. We love our lifestyle and take great satisfaction from the things that we accomplish and we get to learn new things and have many new experiences. We have done things from leading tours, building things, mowing grass, banding birds, operate a tractor, and even spent tow months as keepers for two baby alligators! We have a page on each of our 19 volunteer locations on the website in our signature. Doing this does not pay any money but it sure makes a cheap way to live.
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

I would think that about the lowest cost you could achieve paying for Rv parks, fuel and food along the way would be about $40/day x 30 days/month = $1200.
 

onthecoach

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

I agree with all that has been said. We have been Full-timing for 2 years and have seen the prices for gas, food, RV parks, laundry and all other aspects of life go up like crazy!! We are in NJ now, and a gallon of milk is $4.99!!!

If you are really interesting in working on the road, you need to subscribe to www.Workamper.com. Their website provides all manner of jobs all over North America!!!

Good Luck!!
 

Poppa

Member
Re: Can it be done?

You know if BIG Brother would be honest and fair (and keep hs hand out the pot) :clown: All of us ole hmmm Americans that have worked our behinds WOULD be able to kick back and enjoy this great country of ours without working
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

Poppa, Big Brother didn't expect us to live this long. I can stay in our Core Of Engineer parks cheaper than at home. Turn everthing off at home, telephone on hold, water off at meter. Food is same you gotta eat, medecine that the docs says we can't live without is same so as my dad always said "watch the pennys and the dollars will take care of themself". Go and see the free sights that the good ole USA offers and leave the tourist traps for the tourist. :)
 

rjann

New Member
Re: Can it be done?

amen to Chelse on avoiding tourist traps. I suggest avoiding all restaurants as well, unless that's how you live at home normally. Eat a lot of cheese, fruit, salads, and other goodies you don't have to cook. The extra cost of travel is the gas you wouldn't have bought at home, extra oil changes, tires, etc. Nothing much else.
 

rivver

New Member
RE: Can it be done?

Well, if you get a diesel RV and run it off waste vegetable oil you could easily do it... It would take a conversion to the gas tank-- (adding another and a special tank heater) to do it-- but it is possible to drive pretty much for free....
 

rivver

New Member
Re: Can it be done?

Oh yeah--- if you aren't too picky about "what" you do for money, I'm sure you can find things-- just ask at the local diner during breakfast-- sit at the counter rather than a booth... there is always much more conversation at the counter... Good luck!
 

JanetG

New Member
Re: Can it be done?

If you don't work or volunteer, won't you get bored to death anyway? You can only play so many rounds of golf (which ain't cheap) and shuffleboard...eating out is expensive but entertaining. We found we had to do something. We worked with Nomads doing mission projects. Meet a LOT of great people there. www.umcnomads.org Camping for 3 week sessions is provided by the host agency. Some projects feed you lunch, but not all.
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: Can it be done?

How can you get bored on a 365 day vacation. The only way you can get bored is if you stay in one place too long. The greatest aspect of full-time RV'ing is the ability to keep moving. We have traveled around the U.S. about 4 to 5 times now and never get bored since we keep moving around. Just observing what take place in different places is fun. We don't golf or go to anyplace that charges high $$$ to enter. If it ain't free or cheap, we don't go. We still get to see lots of things and go lots of places. The only thing that costs $$ is diesel fuel. Yesterday we went to the International Park in Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada and toured the summer cottage of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's. Then we went to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse and observed Finback Whales feeding off shore in the Bay of Fundy. It was free. What more can you ask for. The only cost was fuel and eating. We have to eat no matter where we are. :laugh: :) :cool:
 

sushidog

New Member
Re: Can it be done?

If fuel is going to be your primary expense, why not consider a fuel efficient rig? On my last vacation I enjoyed 22.7mpg towing through the mountains. I have a Aliner LXE hard-sided, A-frame, pop-up with all the bells and whistles. It's towed by a modified Chevy Cobalt SS 4cyl. It's got plenty of power to tow up the steepest grades I've encountered and stops great on the downhill (with trailer brakes) too. Unladen, I routinely average over 30mpg, and can even get 25-30mpg towing on level ground!

Compared to tent camping, it's got all the amenities: a fold-out king bed, a/c, 3-way refrig/freezer, stove/microwave, cassette toilet/inside shower, etc. It tows easily and sets up in 30 seconds (ok, 5 minutes including leveling and hook-ups).

Why tow your house down the road when you don't really need to? I bought it after hurricane Katrina for an emergency bug-out camper (yup, I live just north of New Orleans). Since you can full-time out of it if neccessary, it's deductable as a second home too.
 
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