Have you ever thought of seeing the country yourself? At your own time? With no schedule at all? Or maybe you’ve considered buying a second home in the city you visit a lot of work out of? Might have even considered taking some time off to do a road trip and see the places you have always wanted to see?
You might be sitting on your retirement money and don’t know yet where to invest it.
Well, here is something you should consider…
if any of the above apply to you. Even if it doesn’t, keep on reading because this article might convince you to buy an RV anyways.
Recreational Vehicles or RV for short is the greatest invention since television, and let us tell you why.
It’s your cozy little home on wheels!
An RV has all your necessities on board like a comfy bed, your bathroom, a kitchen, and so on.
You can travel all day and night with no need to do any bathroom breaks. Since it has a bathroom on board for you to use at any time it’s way cleaner than the gas stations anyway.
It has a comfy bed you can quickly get used to, extendable sides to make it bigger once parked, and your own kitchen!
Depending on what kind of motorhome you get, it might even come equipped with some extensive luxurious upgrades. Anything from built-in TVs, full-size refrigerator, updated modern touches, and even a washer/dryer among many other features.
From top to bottom, here is a list of our favorite pros:
When it comes to listing out the topmost important pros of owning an RV, flexibility is number one in our opinion.
It gives you the flexibility to go on vacation at your own schedule. It takes out the hassle of dealing with airports, travel time, and the expense of finding rooms at your destination, which sometimes can be limiting.
Recreational Vehicles will motivate you to go on more camping trips. Regardless if you are going solo, or with a big group (big RVs can hold up to 8 people).
You will have the comfortability of your own motorhome if you don’t want to sleep in a tent. We would definitely classify this one as glamping ;).
Just imagine you and your loved ones leaving at whatever time you decide to go to the nearest or farthest campgrounds where you can simply park and enjoy.
The RV will also give you full protection against bugs, and a kitchen for you to cook your food without having to rely on making a campfire yourself. You will have a stove and oven to cook gourmet meals should you decide, which we know it’s impossible to do with a campfire alone.
If you are more of the roughing it type of person, don’t worry, the RV will be there just in case you need it. You still get to travel in style to your destination, park it, and go genuinely camping with your own equipment.
Another good reason to own one is if you are sick of paying a mortgage! Replace your big house for a smaller one on wheels.
The best part is that you can choose anywhere to live.
Monthly bills would significantly decrease, leaving you with more money to do other things like traveling around the country or invest it in anything you choose.
Seriously, who doesn’t want to go on a two-week vacation around the country? From Florida to Alaska, stop along the way to see all the natural beauties our country offers, as well as the artificial ones.
The United States is known for having the most beautiful routes for road tripping. You could take Route 66, which is one of the first numbered transcontinental highways in the United States connecting the Midwest to the coast.
It has many attractions and lodging along the way, making it extremely easy to navigate and hassle-free.
Illinois Route 66 worded it beautifully with this description of Highway 66, “The scale of the road corridor and its interface with the communities it connects allows travelers to experience the local sense of place in ways that superhighways cannot achieve.”
There are many other “less-traveled roads” you can take when you have time to do so. Going South/North or East/West, having an RV will probably guarantee you see all the national beauties each state has to offer.
We all know very well how expensive it can be to plan a trip, including hotels. You never know what the rate will be once you need one, and if not booked in advance, it could be sold out.
Owning an RV takes the hassle out of the planning process.
No more wondering when to book a room for the best rate! If you own your own RV, all you need is a place to park for the night. Once you arrive at your destination, find a campground with the proper connection for your RV, and you are good to go.
Have we convinced you yet? No?
Ok, well here is another excellent pro to owning your own RV.
Let’s say you currently reside in one town but have to travel hours away for work, paying for a hotel every time you have to go. You could simply invest in your RV, pay for a campground that lets you leave the RV year-round, and simply travel to your RV when you have to go to work.
It will save you money that you usually spend in a hotel, and you are guaranteed to have a little piece of home whenever you have to go to work.
It’s incredibly convenient as you will have a bed you are used to, will house all your necessities without having to drag it back and forth, and you have a kitchen to cook homemade meals rather than always spending money on restaurant food.
If you don’t work at a different town but always wished you had a summer home somewhere, maybe investing in an RV will be your most economical way to do so. It has lower monthly bills due to the size, and usually, the rate of a campground is cheaper than most community fees out there.
Now that we have listed the pros and benefits of owning a recreational vehicle, here are a few cons to consider before purchasing one.
Buying an RV could mean you have to invest a lot of money upfront or make payments, which would help you in the long run, but that would be an extra monthly bill for you to pay.
Depending on the size of RVs, you would be looking at anything from $10,000 to $300,000. Now, of course, you would have to choose the one that best fits your budget. There are so many different types and an array of the price range, so finding the one that suits you best is essential.
Although storage can be a con, we have the solution to make it easier.
Metal buildings are an excellent option for RV storage as we have explained in this article, “Wouldn’t you Love Having a Garage for your RV?” You have to assess and consider what kind of structure would better suit your lifestyle.
You have different options for storage: RV garage, carport, barn, and combination of garage and carport. Having a storage unit specifically for your RV is a necessity as RVs need protection from certain weather forces, bugs, theft, and so on.
After considering which style of storage you would like for your RV, that’s another expensive add-on, so depending on the structure you choose, remember to include that on the final budget you planned out for your motorhome.
If considering a metal building for your RV storage, maybe go with a structure that can be used for more than just storing an RV. Our metal buildings can be customizable to fit a variety of different things like cars, gym, or even your workshop.
Maintenance on anything isn’t always fun, and when you own such a big vehicle, cleaning can be a bit of a hassle.
Besides cleaning, well maintenance is essential if you don’t want to have big problems down the road. You need to keep it up-to-date so ignored issues don’t catch up all at the same time.
Another thing to consider is if something malfunctions. The cost of getting it fixed could be high depending on what breaks, so you need also to add this to the budget. If anything goes wrong, you want to make sure you have the money to fix it the right way.
Additionally, RVs have what they call “gray and black tanks”, which hold your dirty water and toilet waste.
Those have to be drained at least every week or when its two thirds full so they don’t back up and cause a significant problem.
It’s a good idea every now and then to sanitize those tanks so all build-up can be cleaned out. Although it might be a bit inconvenient, if you are willing to do it, it’s not all that difficult. You have to find a place where you can hook up your RV to be emptied, which is usually easily found.
Depreciation is not a fun word, especially when it describes such an expensive vehicle. When thinking of investing in an RV, such a thing needs to be considered. If you see yourself using it at least twice every six months or more, depreciation might be something that won’t play a role in the decision-making process.
Motorhomes can be hard to maneuver at times. RVs are quite large, so special skills are necessary when driving a motorhome. Some companies might even require you to go through specialized driving courses specifically for the type of vehicle you are driving.
On a positive note, for the state of Florida, you do not need a special driving license when buying an RV.
On the other hand, RVs are big vehicles so it might be challenging to find a parking spot at your final destination, or get around town if you want to explore. There are things you could do like renting a car or even bringing your own so you don’t have to drive around in your vast RV.
Remember too that some places have narrower streets which might not accommodate a motorhome.
If traveling to Savannah, for example, downtown might be a tight drive as the roads are narrow and have low hanging branches all over. Bringing your car or renting one might be a great idea. On a brighter note, if you decide to go with a trailer RV, you will have your truck to drive around once you arrived. Even if you go with a Class A recreational vehicle, you still have a hatch to hook up your car should you decide to bring your own.
Last but not least, gas is another variable. If you think that gas is already expensive for your SUV, it will triple in the price for your RV. Depending on how much ground you cover, you can plan on filling up quite a bit. Getting gas can be a bit of a tedious task, but if the reward is much greater, it might not bother you at all.
Now that you have most of the facts and fun of owning an RV, do you think we have convinced you to go ahead and get your own?
Remember, the most important thing is getting to do something you’ve never done before. Enjoy life a little bit more than you did yesterday.
Sources:
https://www.eversafebuildings.com/building-types/
http://rvtipster.com/index.php/rv-pros-and-cons
https://www.lazydays.com/rv-lifestyle/advantages-of-owning-an-rv
https://www.illinoisroute66.org/About-Route-66
18 Pros and Cons Of Owning an RV (Camper Trailer or Motorhome)