Ways to Save on Full Time RV Travel
Stretch Your Travel Dollars Without Sacrificing the Adventure
Wow — it’s hard to believe it’s already been 7 months since we hit the road full-time! Time has flown, and along the way, we’ve learned a lot. One of the biggest lessons? This lifestyle is not a vacation — it’s real life, and we have to budget accordingly.
In the beginning, it was easy to fall into the trap of wanting to stay at the nicest RV resorts and book every tour and attraction. But that adds up fast, and unless you’re independently wealthy (spoiler: we’re not), it’s just not sustainable. After overspending in those first few months, we had to take a step back and get serious about managing our expenses on the road.
Campground Savings: The Power of Memberships
Campground memberships have made a huge difference for us. Programs like Thousand Trails and Harvest Hosts have helped us cut our nightly costs significantly.
Thousand Trails starts at around $600 per year and gives you access to a network of campgrounds with “free” stays (though restrictions apply). There were times we couldn’t get a site, but during our very first campground stay, the membership practically paid for itself. We recently upgraded to the Adventure Membership, which lets us stay up to 3 weeks at a time and go park-to-park — we’re already booked at several spots and can’t wait to use it more!
Harvest Hosts is another great option — about $100 per year gives you access to unique overnight stays at wineries, breweries, farms, museums, and more. We’ve stayed at several locations and loved the people we’ve met and the local products we've gotten to try. Get 15% off of your membership here.
Some RVers love boondocking (camping off-grid for free), and while we haven’t done that regularly yet (just a night here and there), it’s another great way to save.
Attraction Costs: How to Explore Without Overspending
Attractions can also get expensive, but we’ve found a few ways to reduce those costs:
America the Beautiful Pass – This gives you access to National Parks and more for about $100/year. If you’re a veteran like my husband, you may qualify for a free lifetime pass (which is an amazing perk!).
Reciprocal Museum Memberships – We purchased a membership through the Kern County Museum, which grants free or discounted access to hundreds of museums across the U.S. Some of our favorite visits have been the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY, and the Explora Children’s Museum in Albuquerque, NM.
Local Deals – Don’t forget to check Groupon or search for free things to do in each area. You’d be surprised how many great (and free!) experiences are out there.
Food: Our Biggest Expense (And How We’re Tackling It)
One of our top spending categories is food — and we’re still working on reining it in. Meal planning has been a game-changer. I’ve been focusing on buying groceries, cooking more meals in the RV, and packing lunches when we’re out exploring or driving on travel days. It helps cut down on those unnecessary snack stops and restaurant bills.
To make it easier, I even created a custom GPT tool, called Roadtrip Recipes, that helps you create RV-friendly meal plans for your family. It’s totally free to try — give it a try here. I'd love to hear your feedback so I can continue to improve it!
💰 Income on the Road
Have a passion for chatting with people and experience in the food industry?
If so, this could be the perfect business for you — a Charcuterie Cart Business!
I stumbled across this idea while scrolling Instagram and instantly thought it would be a fantastic business to run on the road. It doesn’t require a lot of supplies, looks like so much fun, and offers incredible flexibility. You could travel from event to event across the country, selling at local fairs, festivals, corporate retreats, rallies, glampgrounds, weddings — even campgrounds (with permission)!
The best part? There's even a course called "Launch Your Charcuterie Bar in 30 Days" to help you get started. (This isn’t an affiliate link — just a genuinely fun business idea I wanted to share!)
📝 Roadschool Report
Our new science curriculum just arrived for next year, and I’m so excited! My two youngest will be in 2nd and 7th grade, and we’ll be continuing with The Good & the Beautiful unit studies. I love how their curriculum is designed with multi-age workbooks, making it easy to teach all my kids together. Coming up this year: ecosystems, marine biology, and health & the physical body. Can’t wait to dive in!
🏕 Campground of the Week
This week, I’m highlighting one of our all-time favorite campgrounds—Myrtle Beach Travel Park in Myrtle Beach, SC! We've made it a tradition to visit once a year for the past four years, and it never disappoints. Just steps from the beach, it’s perfect for daily shoreline walks. In the off-season, you’ll enjoy a peaceful stay with access to an indoor pool, and in the warmer months, there’s a large outdoor pool and lazy river. With a playground, fishing, and a well-stocked (and reasonably priced) camp store, it has everything you and your kids need to stay entertained—no “I’m bored” complaints here!
📚 What I’m Reading / Listening To
I've been making a conscious effort to read more non-fiction lately, and this week I've decided to dive into The Purpose Code by Jordan Grumet. I discovered the book on one of my favorite podcasts, The RV Life Entrepreneur Podcast, where the author was a guest. You can listen to that episode here. Many people struggle with finding their purpose or feel overwhelmed by the pressure to uncover it. What I appreciate about this book is its insight that purpose is something you create rather than something you simply discover. Once you build it, you can connect with a community of like-minded individuals who share your passions.
Finding happiness has never been about creating big audacious goals that we may or may not be able to achieve. True contentment comes from filling our lives with enriching activities that lead to connection and, ultimately, legacy.
- Jordan Grumet
In line with that idea, I’m creating my own “little p” purpose by supporting fellow RVer’s with my new membership, The RV Mom’s Club, upgrade to paid now, to get access to a full year for only $40!!!
What’s Included:
🚐 RV Trip Routing & Itineraries
Pre-planned monthly routes with campground recommendations, must-see stops, and activity ideas
Options for both weekend warriors and full-timers
📖 Book Club for RV Moms
A curated monthly book pick (fiction or non-fiction)
Fun extras: themed recipes, decor ideas, or crafts tied to the book
💬 Private Community Access
Community of RVing moms just like you!
Live Q&A and Fireside Chats to talk about life on the road (RV biz, mom life, education, etc.)
Upgrade to Paid to get access to the RV Moms Club (only $40 for a whole year!)