ballpark figure?

[steve206]

Hello folks,

I have looked through the search function for some info on what fulltiming might cost and have run aground.

My plan is for soloing in a 25 -28 AS. Looking to find an out of the way spot or two and spend summers and winters there. Not envisioning a lot of short stays.

I come from out west and have a desire to get back there. I am not presently thinking about national parks or large tourist areas.

Just looking at rates for rvs in California parks has kind of scared me away from the coast.

I ran into a guy who lived on his sailboat and his working plan was to have a small membership in a local yacht club and through reciprocity, gain a slip at other yacht clubs on his travels. He taught himself how to sew canvas and had a commercial machine on his small sailboat. He would pull into the marina and soon would have enough work to pay for the stay. Sure sounded good to me. Thinking that it might transfer to the road.

So, as I read and listen and learn, I would like to get a ballpark estimate from some of you who have done this kind of thing. {Not the sewing,,,}

Thanks ahead

Steve

[wkerfoot]

Steve,

Have you considered work camping: Workamper News

Bill

[AIR-Quarius]

I do airbrush and all kinds of sign restoration and keep a photo history online and in books so people can see what I do. Workkamping is alright and we belong to that...but I thought about how it would be to live where- when you wake up you are obligated to the whole park-everyday. IT would be great if you can dream up a form of self employment. Polishing airstreams is popular. (make about 50-100.00 per square foot) You could onvest in a cyclo machine and get business that way. Good luck

[Boondocker]

Full timing cost can vary widely. Camping can be free or you can pay $50 a day, food can be next to nothing and go up from there. Fuel cost will vary with the price of fuel and miles you drive.

I am a pretty frugal guy and diesel aside I can usually keep cost around $500 a month but I think most people would find this hard to do.

[overlander63]

We shopped around for a decent RV park that didn't charge an arm and a leg to stay there. When it was all figured out, the lot rent was $250 a month, plus electric. The park charged a 45% markup on electricity, but we still never had an electric bill over $100, running the air conditioner or electric heater. LP varied by use, it could cost us up to a 30 pound tank a week at $24 a tank in winter, when running the LP heat. We also had satellite television, which ran another $35 a month, but that could be optional, depending what park you stay in, some offer free cable tv and wifi. All together, it ran us less than $500 a month for everything, not counting, of course, fuel, food, and other things we would normally need even if not living in the trailer.

[FlashSilver]

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

I am a pretty frugal guy and diesel aside I can usually keep cost around $500 a month but I think most people would find this hard to do.

That's about right for us as well, although we only live aboard during the warm months. If you are coming out West, you can bookdock almost everywhere outside of the big cities. The only times we pay commercial fees for plug in campgrounds are when we visit our son's family in the S.F. Bay Area, and about 50% of the time in Mexico. You do have to move your camp about every 7-10 days or so when you boondock on BLM land, but I'm ready to move on and see something else by then anyway. The National forests charge about $6-$8 a night and have a time limit for stays as well. So $500 per month is about right, fuel included. That is expenses only, and does not include capital expenditures and one time expenses (like flying to Europe to go bicycling). We don't often eat in restaurants, or buy prepared food, for health reasons rather than cost. But I make up the difference with the purchase of booze. One must have his priorities right to make this work.