City hopping

[Cubey]

I tried this topic over on RV.net and got the impression I wasn't very welcome there. Someone in PM linked me to this forum so let's try it here! ....<br><br>I am slowly reaching my goal of full timing by selling almost all my stuff on ebay, craigslist and in garage sales. I would like to begin full timing before the year is out but it's not set in stone. It might not be until early next year.<br> <br> Last night I began thinking about how I will afford get from here (Arkansas) out to the west coast states on my limited monthly income. While I am setting myself up for the ability to be fully self contained with my little Class B motorhome, I am wondering how much I will be able to do it seeing as how I will likely have to go a maximum of approximately 500 miles per month, assuming 10-12 highway MPG.<br> <br> After I blow through $200 in gas, my best bet will likely be to find an RV park for $350/mo tops to park at for the month. This actually comes out to only about $11/day to park the van. May seem like an oxymoron to have a fully self contained unit, complete with a generator but then pay for an RV park but considering the rig will likely get 8-9 city MPG, plus the cost of gas for the generator and needing to dump the tanks, it makes good sense.<br> <br> So I am thinking I will city-hop as I can. For example, from where I am now, it is approximately 500 miles to Amarillo TX. Not my ideal place to stay for a month, but you do what you gotta do. Plus there seems to be lots of good attractions there. I will be hauling a 96mpg scooter on the back of my van for a daily driver to help offset the van's poor mpg and having to pay for an RV park. Plus a city like Amarillo has a city bus system should I decide to go take the bus instead of drive the van or the scooter.<br> <br> It's far from what I'd like to be able to do really. I'd rather be able to drive straight through and make a few stops along the way, but since my first ultimate destination is about 1,800 miles away from where I am now... and assuming my van gets 10-12 hwy mpg.... it's going to take me 2-3 months to get there due to my budget!<br> <br> When I tried full timing in 2008 with a car and tent, I made the mistake of staying one place too long (a campground in Oklahoma) and I got badly depressed and gave up after 6 nights (despite paying for 7 nights). The fact I was in a leak-prone tent (which I had to tarp over) and it was raining almost every day didn't help! At least this time around, I will have all the creature comforts at my fingertips and a little more between me and the outside elements than a thin piece of material.<br> <br> And too, unless the destination has lots to see, I won't be spending a week there if it's a rural area unless I'm just flat out broke for some reason. In which case, hopefully I'll be able to find somewhere with good free WIFI to keep me busy. I will be carrying some favorite DVDs along to watch on my laptop if nothing else. Or just play some PC games on the laptop (I got a new good one for gaming). It's easy to trade in DVDs for others at game stores or pawn shops if I get sick of watching something.. or rent from redbox if it's feasible to return it the next day.<br>

 

[sl1966]

Welcome Cubey! Remember what Mickey said, If at first you don't succeed, try try again! You've come to the right place. Lots of different people with lots of advice. Something here will most definitely fit you!<div><br></div>

 

[Cubey]

I will probably have to make another topic about this for more in dept discussion on the appropriate forum but I'll mention it here too I guess since it's related to this topic.<br><br>Since my van is far from being stealthy&nbsp; with it's roof AC, appliance vents, etc... but not as bad as a Class A or C in terms of size. it blends in a little bit better since it doesn't take up as much space height wise. The bigger something is, the more it stands out.<br><br>On the other hand, that can sometimes be a good thing. People KNOW what you're up to as opposed to a strange cargo van. It's hit or miss if they'll notice your out of state plates unless it's a cop. Even so, they may be tempted to know what's going inside of a cargo van more than a motorhome. A motorhome from out of state likely has someone traveling. An out of state cargo van could be full of stolen merchandise or drugs.<br><br>It would be nice to be able to barely move the van daily (less than a gallon of gas) if at all for free overnight parking but I have a feeling that's a pipe dream. Better off finding a dirt cheap RV park in my case since my van lacks stealth and is far from fuel efficiant. <br><br>If I could find a Wal-Mart or truck stop near a city park... that could work. City parks tend to be open during daylight hours only. Go to the park during the day and go back to Wal-mart or truck stop for the night. But even doing that would get tiring after a few days.<br>

 

[judycmomx6]

Cubey, have you ever thought about getting one of those passport america thingy's or something of that sort? They are usually about $40.00 for a year and you can get into an RV park for usually half price. It might be worth looking into if you are thinking that you will have to stay in a park. Also, if &nbsp;you happen to be disabled you can get a pass to stay in the national parks for half, or sometimes as little as a few dollars. I'm not real sure what the exact names are of those passport places but maybe someone else here could tell you. You would probably still have to find someplace else on the weekends cause they usually only give the discount from mon. to thur. Anyway something else to think about.

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Welcome.&nbsp; Lots pf places to park for free for a few weeks at a time.<br><A href="http://cheaprvliving.com/Boondocking.html" target=_blank>http://cheaprvliving.com/Boondocking.html</A><br>

 

[Wild_E]

I see lots of the camper vans around nobody bothers them at all! In another thread someone said they chatted with some cops and they cops indicated they prefer the camper style people as they know what they are up to, versus the stealth ones.<div>just a thought</div><div>plus lots of people park their camper vans everywhere, on streets, parking lots etc, and nobody pays them any mind at all</div>

 

[Cubey]

Cubey, have you ever thought about getting one of those passport america thingy's or something of that sort? They are usually about $40.00 for a year and you can get into an RV park for usually half price. It might be worth looking into if you are thinking that you will have to stay in a park. Also, if &nbsp;you happen to be disabled you can get a pass to stay in the national parks for half, or sometimes as little as a few dollars. I'm not real sure what the exact names are of those passport places but maybe someone else here could tell you. You would probably still have to find someplace else on the weekends cause they usually only give the discount from mon. to thur. Anyway something else to think about.

<br><br>Passport America parks limit how much discount they'll give. They won't discount monthly rates by half unfortunately. They might do a maximum of 1 or 2 nights is all. Only good if you stay in parks nightly as opposed to monthly or weekly.They might give a modest discount on monthly rates depending on the park. I never got because as I recall, the discount for monthly wasn't worth it at the park I lived at in 2008.<br><br>I am disabled and have been using half price rates at fed and some state campgrounds for years. I also have the half price card for CA state parks which I mailed away for years ago. It cost about $3 at the time so it will more than pay for itself with just one use when I get around Santa Cruz where they really hassle you for overnight parking.<br>