Where to Live in an RV — Otherworld Travels

So you went out and bought yourself an RV? Or perhaps you're just toying with the idea for now. Finding a place to park your pretty new house can be a challenge, at least for us it was. It took us two months to find a place to live after buying Rhiannon. That's not exactly practical if you are renting an apartment or paying a mortgage.

We thought the difficult part of getting into this lifestyle would be the financing. Although that was a challenge (of which you can read about here) it wasn't the most difficult part for us. That came when we suddenly had an RV payment, insurance, and rent (Portland rent might I add).

We had to get creative.

RV Parks

First we tried the RV parks. These can be great if you have a newer rig, as most don't allow anything older than ten years. They are pricey and can be extremely difficult to get into. Depending on where you are and the time of year, they can run anywhere from $350-$1000+/month. Needless to say, we didn't go that route.

They can be nice, offering full hookups, laundry facilities, swimming pools, and other amenities that will make you think you're at a five star hotel. You will be living pretty close other RVers, so if you like privacy this may not be the best option.

Boondocking

This is what the cool kids do, y'all. Boondocking is simply camping for free on public land, such as BLMs and National Forests. The only catch is that you're without hookups. Though our rig is somewhat prepared for this i.e. a built-in generator, propane, etc. We were not ready to live this way, at least not until we have a composting toilet and a lot more solar...ah someday.

There are limits to how long you can boondock in a location, and that all depends on where you are staying. Wal-Marts and rest stops are also options, but only short term stays are allowed. Not that anyone is looking to post up at Wal-Mart for the next few months, but a night or two can be very helpful after a long drive. We used a Wal-Mart to move all of our stuff into the RV, because it wouldn't fit in our apartment's parking lot.

Camp Hosting

Loren and I hadn't a clue what camp hosting was when we started doing it a few months ago. I had seen camp hosts in parks, but just assumed they were selling firewood and you had to be retired to do it. Camp hosting jobs vary from park to park, but there are some really great perks that come with it.

It typically entails light work- cleaning campsites, selling firewood, stocking bathrooms, etc. We've found that there are many opportunities available for special skill sets, like carpentry, landscaping, and interpretive work. The positions are sometimes paid, but usually you get a free campsite with hookups in exchange for 20-30 hours/week of work.

Jobs usually last a few months, but this varies with different organizations. We've been hosting for about five months now, and have had the opportunity to work in the park gift shop, cleaning cabins, selling firewood, and maintaining campsites.

We've found this to be a great alternative to RV parks, because we are able to stay in one general area, have full hook-ups, and live in a beautiful park. An unexpected bonus is the community we're a part of. We've been lucky to work with great hosts and park rangers that are always ready to help out us newbies when we need it.

I'm not sure how long we'll be camp hosting, but it has allowed us to really change our lives. We can live on one income now, which is something we never thought possible. We've got the freedom to move whenever we want. To top it off, it's fun work that you can find almost anywhere!