This is a guest post series from Danielle of Roadschooling with The Frugal Navy Wife. She’s sharing her wisdom on RV traveling from her family’s adventures of homeschooling while on the road in an RV – how fun. Expect to see several upcoming posts in this new Roadschooling series here on FHD! Danielle will teach us tips for buying an RV, organizing an RV, ways to save at campgrounds, her thoughts on RV insurance and memberships, etc.
How to Find the Perfect RV for Your Family
Can you find the perfect RV for you and your family? An RV is a home away from home. I have to admit I didn’t think I could find one that worked for us. If there was enough sleeping space there wasn’t enough kitchen and storage. If there was a big enough kitchen and storage there wasn’t enough beds. Then we found the perfect layout but it was too heavy for our tow vehicle and out of our price range. But persistence pays off we found the perfect RV for us to live in full time! So check out my tips for finding the perfect RV.
Shop, shop, shop and in person. You will need to walk through the RVs in person. You can only get so much info from an add and pictures. I can’t tell you how many RVs I loved in person and hated the online picture and vice versa, I loved the online pictures and hated it in person. You need to be in the space, touch and feel and see how it will work for you and your family.
Shop with your family in tow. Yes it’s easier to shop for an RV and leave the kids at home. But if they will be in the RV with you, they really need them to shop with you. This way you can see how they fit and how the RV feels with all of you in it. Plus it gets the excited about your adventure!
Visit an RV Show. The shows have all kind of RVs from 5th wheels and travel trailers to motor homes (Class A, Class B and Class C), pop ups and more. Go to a show, spend all day and walk every RV. You will get an idea of what you like, what you hate and what you can’t live without. It will also give you an idea of the size you want, the brand, and where to start looking.
Motorhome or pull behind? This question can vary greatly in your search. When we first started looking at RVs we wanted a motor home so while we are driving the kids could be doing school work, go to the bathroom and we could make lunch without stopping. Sounds great right? Well consider the downsides. Less space, no separate room for the kids and when your RV needs work, you lose your whole home while it’s in the shop. This just wasn’t practical for us so we settled on a pull behind.
Budget. You have to take your budget in to consideration. That brand new toy hauler with the 3 bedrooms, huge kitchen and fancy living space, auto leveling jacks and window seat is nice but it had the $150,000 price tag to go with it. Is it really in your budget? To curb this kind of want for your RV I suggest only looking at RVs your can afford. My husband loved going to look at the big expensive RVs but I wouldn’t even go inside, I can’t know what I’m missing if I don’t know what they look like right?!
What’s the perfect RV for you?
More Helps for RVing
Affiliate Link: RV Buyers Survival Guide
Where You Can Camp For Free in the USA (with an RV)
Affiliate Link: The RVer’s Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Your RV
More RV Articles about Roadschooling
You might also be interested in these other posts about Roadschooling:
→ How to Find the Perfect RV for Your Family – this post!
→ Where You Can Camp For Free in the USA with an RV
→ What Vehicle is Right to Tow Your RV?
→ 5 Ways to Save Money at Campgrounds
**Post originally published August 2015.
Danielle is a mom of 4, Former Navy Wife, Homeschooling mom, frugalista and blogger at The Frugal Navy Wife. She and her family of 6 are currently setting out on their lifelong dream to travel via RV around the United States. They are documenting their journey on Roadschooling with The Frugal Navy Wife.
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