Tips for Optimizing your RV Travel Experience over the long run…
Quick update (September 2025) – Hernia Surgery: Done! Skin Cancer “Fix”: Done! I’m back “on the road” (again)
It’s been 14 years since I started full time RV life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, nor do I miss living in a “stix and brix home.” Of course, from the get-go, making the right decisions helps. This includes having a good quality camper; the right tow vehicle; choosing destinations and routes that minimize the chance of encountering trouble.
Departing Vernal Utah – Arriving in Saratoga Wyoming
I decided to take the “international” route, leaving the United States just 30 miles east of Vernal and returning (a few hours later) when I entered Baggs Wyoming. Inbetween? Colorado. ‘Nuf said! (Ask me about the MS13 “operations” on the western slope!!) I traveled on a Monday morning, so I figured I’d take the risk.
Back in Wyoming
It felt good to get back here. Yup, simply put, it felt good. As much as I like Utah, I prefer Wyoming!
Baggs Wyoming (population 407) amounts to a gas station, a restaurant and a turnoff to Wyoming-70, a state road that is only open less than half the year. It’s a good road, but connects two regions with near zero population and reaches about 10,000 ft. as you approach Encampment. Encampment (population 444) is an old mining town with a great eatery, the 307 Pub (excellent breakfast), and a historical site worth visiting (old mining equipment, etc.) Encampment is also truly the “end of the road” for half the year as there’s only one way in and out once Wyoming-70 closes for the winter!
Full Time RV Life and… Scare Tactics?! Let’s set the record straight.
I don’t watch many videos made by other RV’ers on YouTube. As you probably know, I produce my own content. Between that, my Concierge RV business, and daily activities and travel, I just don’t have time.
Regarding my own content, viewers and readers tell me that I offer straight talk and don’t hype things. I did however recently encounter two YouTube videos from podcasters that listed (something to the effect of) “7 reasons people are leaving full time RV life.” There are yet others who are “shooting for views and clicks” by promoting half-truths (and worse.)
I listened to these two videos and decided to create my own video (and this written post) that essentially counters almost every point they raise in their scare tactic videos. THIS is THAT post! So, let’s get into it.
My goal here is to provide numerous practical tips for those who spend their lives “on the road” or are considering such a move.
#1: Healthcare – getting healthcare while traveling
I’m limiting my comments here to travel within the United States. The “scare tactic” podcasters would have you believe that its difficult to get healthcare as a full time traveler. NOTHING could be farther from the truth! Allow me to approach the issue for two age groups: Healthcare for those under 65, and healthcare for 65+. I have had cause to need healthcare services as a traveler both before 65 and since.
Healthcare Before 65
As an educator, I used to have full medical coverage. After leaving full time employment, that coverage disappeared and thanks to changes over the past 20 years, full medical coverage for many (most?) is unaffordable.
In about 2011, I discovered a Christian Healthcare “insurer” named Medishare. They had (and still have) an affordable catastrophic (high deductible) plan. I enrolled and for several years didn’t need it, until… In 2019, I had a heart attack.
Medishare was GREAT to deal with. They are part of a “network” and under normal circumstances, you can get coverage anywhere across the nation – as long as the doctor you want to see is part of their (extensive) network. My heart attack was (of course) an emergency, and without any issues, they waived the requirement to stay within the network. After I met my deductible, they paid 100% and did so promptly. So, in 2023, when I reached 65…
Healthcare 65+
After enrolling in Medicare in 2023, I chose Medishare as my supplemental (medigap) plan. Now in 2025, have ZERO regrets. I even wrote a post detailing what I discovered as I approached 65 and was about to enroll in Medicare. Medicare for RV Travelers is a post (article) I wrote to share what I learned. Within my article, I offer you a personal referral should you wish to explore Medishare’s supplemental (medigap) plan for those on Medicare. If you’re approaching 65 or not sure if you made the best choice when it came to medicare and the supplemental plans, reach out to me after reading this post.
Bottom line: As I travel, I get medical care wherever and pretty much whenever I want. I don’t have a “network” to limit me, I don’t need referrals, and I can contact specialists DIRECTLY. There is a small annual deductible I must meet because Medishare absorbs MOST of the Medicare deductible.
Bottom line: So, is it hard to get medical care covered by your insurer as you travel? NO! Not before 65 and not since.
#2: Long Driving Hours – another MYTH
When I was younger, I used to drive straight through from Northern NJ to South Florida. Yeah, I was nuts! That is NOT how I travel with my camper.
Full time RV life? YOU CHOOSE your destination AND how long your travel is on your travel days!
It’s rare for me to travel over 200 miles in any given day. And… once I arrive at a destination (like where I am now), I stay for a week (or longer.) In other words, I control where I go and how long I stay there. AND… thanks to the weak economy, there’s almost always space any RV park I choose to stay with.
A related myth to the long driving hours…
#3: Lack of Real Social Interaction
My travel has enabled me to make friends in many places. St. George, Saratoga, Casper, McCall, Jackson, Vernal and several others are towns where I’ve developed friends and acquaintances.
Stay as long as you like and move on when you get restless! So, I’d call lack of social interaction another MYTH!
#4: Lack of Storage Space
This is probably the dumbest scare tactic yet! I travel with all I have (and need.) I have a bike (actually a recumbent trike), an inflatable kayak (and paddle), and 3 pairs of skis (and poles and ski boots.) What more do I need?!
Seriously, we Americans simply have too much crap! If I really needed more, I guess I could rent a storage unit OR get a cargo trailer to pull behind, but really, how much do YOU really need?
#5: Lack of Camper Quality
Ok, this is a HOT topic with RV’ers these days – and – I maintain it is LARGELY a “self-inflicted wound.” How’s this? Many buyers are attracted to “bells and whistles” and floor plans. They do not look over build quality. To me, this is THE primary issue. The end result? They buy a nice, fancy looking pile of junk!
Incidentally, this is precisely why I created my Concierge RV Buying (and Selling) Service – to help “would be RV’ers” avoid buying junk!
**Buying a Camper? Want a “guide by your side, who also has your back?” – Through my Concierge RV Buying and Selling Service, I serve YOU as a consultant, advisor, find campers for you AND negotiate on them, and stick with you through the closing (and frankly beyond!) Click the image below to learn more…**
Speaking from 14 years experience on the road and having owned 4 campers (two prior to full time RV life), some (a few) are built well, and many are built poorly. The well built campers create a minimum of “mischief” as you travel. Certainly, issues arise but not with a much greater frequency than if you own a home!
#6 & #7: Maintenance and Repairs – Long waits on parts
As I noted in the prior section, if you buy “right”, maintenance and repairs are not daily occurrences. I’ve owned my Glacier Peak Outdoors RV 5th wheel trailer for nearly 8 years now and on a typical day it requires nothing in the way of maintenance and repairs. I know plenty of other full time RV’ers with similar stories to tell – and of course even more with nightmare stories that lead to “scare tactic” videos like those I encountered.
A BIG RV LIFE TIP: Keep spare parts “on hand.” I keep the parts for my furnace and refrigerator that are most likely to fail. Further, I always have a spare water pump. This way, even if supply lines break (when could THAT ever happen?), all I need is someone who knows how to troubleshoot and install.
ANOTHER BIG RV’ing TIP: Keep up on maintenance! I’m writing the last of this post in Casper. I just posted about my travels from Saratoga to here – and experiencing a “blast from the past” along the way. You can check that post HERE. While here in Casper, I have a friend and former colleague performing some routine maintenance (I will detail his actions in an upcoming post.) Remember, taking action(s) to prevent water intrusion is CRITICAL to keeping your camper a healthy place to live!
Further, I wrote this post in 2023. It talks about what I travel with in case of a “grid down” scenario. In it are many tips to ensure you still have power, lights, heat, a working fridge, potable water and more. Here is my post addressing how to survive and THRIVE in a crisis.
ONE MORE RV Travel and RV Camping Myth…
“There’s no space in the RV parks.” This *MAY* have been true shortly after the scamdemic – but – thanks to many factors, it is (generally) no longer true. Yes, there are certain areas (like RV parks in and near Yellowstone) that fully book months in advance AND in the “tourist traps” (Jackson, West Yellowstone) charge obscene fees to stay BUT across most of the nation? I’ve noticed this summer, open spaces abound!
You ALWAYS have the option to BOONDOCK (dry camp.) Those areas are almost never filled up. I use Allstays for much of my campground research. Further, I wrote an article on how to dry camp on a budget. Lastly, joining a discount membership program – I wrote about two that I maintain and use HERE.
Full time RV life concluding thoughts
As I travel from place to place, even those I’ve been to before, I pinch myself asking “am I really here?” I had that experience on Wyoming-70 as I crossed the Sierra Madre mountains (nearly alone) from Baggs to Encampment. Incidentally, the road crosses the Continental Divide at about 10,000 ft. elevation – and again is only open from May through October.
It’s RV’ing season… NEED ACCESSORIES?
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