Top 5 Full-Time RV How-To Questions

We get mixed reactions when we talk about living full-time in an RV. Some people are envious, and say “that’s my dream”! These folks get it. Full-time RV life gives you the freedom to see the country while still earning some money if you need or want to, and many times (I would even say MOST times) is cheaper than owning a home. However, other people kind of give us a blank stare, and aren’t sure what to say. Therefore, we get a mixed bag of questions about full-time RV life – some that we wouldn’t expect, and others that we get almost all of the time. All of them are important things to consider and research before starting your full-time RV adventures.

How do full-time RVers get mail?

This is a great question, but it’s been surprising to me that this is the question that I get most often. Of all the things to consider and research when beginning full-time RV life, this one was a little lower on my list. I don’t get too much mail anyway, and I rarely get any mail that’s really important. Nonetheless, it is a problem to be solved – and there are several solutions to consider. To get started, take a couple of actions:

First, cut down on the amount of mail you are receiving. Sign up for electronic documents from your bank, investment accounts, etc. If you receive loads of junk mail, send emails to those companies asking to be removed from their mailing lists.

Next, decide how you want to receive your absolutely necessary mail. It can be scanned and sent electronically through a professional service(details below), forwarded to a family member who can sort through it and send you the important stuff, or sent to a temporary location near where you are camping, such as a UPS store or the post office general delivery.

Professional mail forwarding services will open and scan mail for you, so you can view it as a pdf. Then decide if you would like them to recycle it, shred it or forward the hard copy to you. A list of mail forwarding service companies is on our website, but we use Anytime Mailbox. These services can also set up a street address for you in your desired state so you can maintain residency or establish domicile there.

What do full-time RVers use for transportation in the nearby area?

I love when people ask this question, because they’re thinking about how wasteful it would be if we drove a big RV or truck for our daily errands or sightseeing. Currently, we have a fifth wheel that we haul with a Ford F250. We wouldn’t want to drive the big truck everywhere and waste all that fuel; it’s also not very fun to see the sights from a noisy truck.

Our decision to get e-bikes
After much thought and a bit of research, we opted to buy electric bikes. Now, we can pedal around to get exercise, and if we have too far to go or there are too many giant hills, we can turn on the pedal assist to give us a boost. We added cargo racks to the back, so we can take a picnic along with us or even do a little grocery shopping. Our choice was a Rad Power bike, as they have great reviews and really reasonable prices. Some detail about bikes and e-bikes is on our transportation page.

Choosing a vehicle to tow (dinghy)
If you have a large motorized RV, then you’ll most likely be towing a vehicle (known as a dinghy) to use for your day trips. Consider a fuel-efficient or hybrid car that will reduce your footprint (keep in mind here that there are limitations on what you can tow – see this article about towing). Some vehicles cannot be towed without use of a dolly or a trailer, without damaging the transmission. Before buying a vehicle, check with the manufacturer to see if it can be flat-towed, or towed with all 4 wheels down. The Ford Escape 2020 hybrid is a good choice, and can be flat-towed. You can still have bicycles or electric bikes as well!

Other Options
This isn’t the only option, however. A few other thoughts:

• Electric scooters for city transportation
Fairly compact and fun to ride – some are foldable. The drawbacks:
-You can’t really carry cargo
-They’re only meant for riding on paved surfaces
-Laws governing riding scooters on streets and sidewalks vary by city and state

• Bus
If you’ve got a longer distance to cover, a bus is the most eco-friendly choice. You will reduce your carbon footprint by at least 50%, even when compared to driving a hybrid vehicle.

• Train
If you’re taking a quick day trip away from your campground, consider a local train service. Amtrak travels to over 500 destinations from major U.S. cities, and can be a quick way to see the sights that are a little too far to bike or bus to. Local train service like the Metrolink in Southern California provide service to nearby destinations for a reasonable price.

• Other Electric Devices
One-wheel, skateboard, or hoverboards are all fun options for getting around. We haven’t tried these, but have seen people using them on trails and sidewalks. More details about these options on our transportation page.

Where do you put all of your stuff when full-time RVing?

The short answer: Get rid of it!

The long answer: Depends on if you’re keeping your house or selling it!
We sold 2 houses, which were both quite full of years’ worth of accumulated stuff (one of us had quite a bit more than the other – he knows who he is). Even if you’re keeping a house, it’s a great idea to minimize the amount of stuff you have in it. Trust me on this, it feels great to keep only the things that you need and eliminate all of that clutter. For the things you DON’T need:

1. Sell it
2. Donate it
3. Give it to a friend or family member
4. Recycle it
5. Call 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
6. Put it in storage (try not to do this one, but if you really must keep something….)

There aren’t too many things you need for your RV. Think : clothing, towels, grill, some tools, dishes & pans, emergency supplies like a battery-operated radio and a first aid kit, maybe some wine….

RVs really do have quite a bit of storage space. I have to admit, I was worried about cramming all of our remaining items into this tiny space, but with some careful planning and a few storage bins, we’re actually fairly organized.

For more tips and inspiration on down-sizing, see our web page on minimizing.

What Do Full-time RVers Do For Health Insurance?

Chances are, when you are traveling outside of your state, your health insurance policy will only cover emergency services. Routine and non-emergency care require you to be in your home state in order to get coverage.

So how do full-time RVers get health coverage?

Age 65 and over: If you’re in this age group, you already have Medicare, and don’t need to worry too much because you are covered anywhere in the U.S. The only advice on our health insurance page is to avoid Medicare Advantage plans, which require you to be in the plan’s coverage area. Instead, get a Medicare supplement plan, known as Medigap.

Under Age 65 with employer coverage: Chances are, your employer-provided coverage will only pay for service in your area or home state. Check with your employer or contact customer service for your plan to find out what’s covered when you are out of state.

• Short-term Plans – Shop around for short-term insurance that has nation-wide coverage. These policies are good for 3 months – 3 years, and then must be renewed. Most of them will not cover you if you have a preexisting condition, and you must qualify for coverage each time your policy is renewed.

• Fixed Benefit Plans – The coverage under fixed benefit plans is nationwide, and there is a very large network of providers. They are flexible plans, and can be customized to fit your budget. A fixed benefit plan, however, only covers a set amount for each service/procedure, regardless of how much the actual cost is. They also do not cover preexisting conditions. I have a fixed benefit plan to supplement my Wisconsin plan, and it includes a telemedicine plan, allowing me to set up appointments via phone call or online meeting. The cost for these plans is fairly low.

Under Age 65 without employer coverage: If you have a preexisting condition or qualify for a health care subsidy, shop for an ACA (Affordable Care Act) plan. To see if you qualify for a subsidy, see https://www.healthcare.gov/lower-costs/qualifying-for-lower-costs/. Most, if not all, of these plans are HMO or PPO plans, requiring you to obtain care within the state. You will still need a supplemental plan in order to have nationwide coverage. Still – this is a start, and you can schedule your routine health care for when you are in your home state.

If you do NOT have a preexisting condition or qualify for a subsidy, it most likely will be cheaper to obtain a plan directly through an agent, outside of the ACA marketplace.

Supplement your plan with either a short-term plan or a fixed benefit plan, both of which are explained above, and also in detail on our health insurance page.

How Do Full-time RVers Get Good Internet Service?

The answer to this question may vary a little, depending on whether or not you are going to be working remotely and need your internet connection for work 8+ hours per day. However, for the most part the basic answer will be the same.

1. Get the phone service -Verizon or AT&T
We have asked many fellow RVers about the service they use, and
the consensus is that Verizon really has the best nationwide coverage.
AT&T is a close second; however, we have heard from others that
have AT&T that there are some areas where they had trouble getting a
signal.
2. Use your phone as a hotspot
If you have a good cell phone plan with lots of data, and don’t need to be online all day long (like for work), you may be able to get by just using your phone as a hotspot that other phones and devices can connect to. Go to your phone’s settings and turn on the hotspot setting; instructions on how to do so will depend on what phone you have – PCMag has some basic instructions here.
3. Campground WiFi
Many campgrounds include free WiFi – and who doesn’t love to get
something for free? We have had mixed experience with the WiFi
offered at campgrounds, but the bottom line is that you don’t really
know until you get there and try it if it’s going to work for you or not.
It really depends on the quality of the service that the campground
has, and how many people are using it at the same time. If you are
working remotely, do not count on campground WiFi to work for you.
Refer to #4 on this list instead! In order to use the free campground
WiFi:
• Ask for a site close to the camp office
• Use internet during “off” hours – if many people are using the WiFi, it may be slow
• Get a WiFi range extender. These work by amplifying the existing
WiFi signal and then transmitting the boosted signal.

4. Get a mobile hotspot
Why do you need a mobile hotspot device when you can already use
your phone as a hotspot? If you use the internet all day, like remote
workers do, this is the best option.

• They can support more devices than your phone
• Your phone’s battery won’t be drained
• They can connect to better antennas than your phone has available
• They can be on their own separate service plan

We use the Verizon Jetpack MiFi 8800L. Verizon has several data plans that are fairly reasonable, with up to 150GB of high-speed data per month and unlimited data after that. Check their “Business Unlimited” plans.

Other mobile hotspot devices are rated here at PCMag.

We’d love to hear what questions you get asked the most about RVing! Let us know your comments below!