When is a good time to go full time? We decided to do a test trip. Our longest trip, so far, was 14 days – two campgrounds and a Boondocker’s Welcome. It was great! We went to a laundromat! And a zoo, and we saw dinosaurs, we saw moose, drove go-carts, visited the Stanley Hotel, and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Two years ago, I didn’t even know full-time RV life was a thing. I didn’t know anything about RV’s at all. Honeybunch suggested we buy a travel trailer, I started watching a lot of RV videos on YouTube, and now things have gotten out of hand. We invested in our first rig in 2021. I feel cool when I say “rig”.
The Test Trip is 35 days. Full-time travel would be more flexible, but since this trip has time and cost constraints, we booked as much as we could ahead of time. We decided to try RV Trip Wizard, by RV Life, to plan our route and stops. It was great for finding campgrounds and planning the drives from each location to the next, including identifying fuel stops, but you can’t really add all of the places you want to visit while camping at each destination. So we also used Google Maps to identify places we want to visit. Our Google Map for the Test Trip is embedded below.
Itinerary
Dallas, TX
Waco, TX
Carlsbad, NM
Tombstone, AZ
Tuscon, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Originally, the plan was to go to Nashville, but it’s further away than we thought – mainly because we don’t want to drive long distances in a single day. We want to have time to enjoy each stop, especially the overnight stays at Harvest Hosts. That said, we do have a few long drive days planned.
What are we testing?
Do we enjoy this?
The most important question – Is this what we want to do? Sell or rent the house? Roam the countryside for a while?
Fuel cost
We’re budgeting for $4/gallon. Our truck only requires regular gas and we plan to use a Pilot/Flying J gas card available through Good Sam. Walter gets about 9 mpg when towing.
Campsite costs
Harvest Hosts, State Parks, and RV Resorts. We’ll put all of the details in the Test Trip Recap.
Ability to work effectively
Meetings and conference calls. No extra computer monitors. General ability to focus and be productive.
Internet connection
We have Starlink for RV and we can also use our phones as hotspots. Should we purchase a dedicated hotspot?
Boondocking
How long can we boondock comfortably? Our Ford F-150 has a sweet 7.2kW generator built into the bed. More about that later. Our main limitation is our grey tank capacity, I think.
Wow Jeffrey (and Stephanie!) sounds so exciting and great use of your RV instead of having it sit for months at a time. You saw a moose!! I’ve always wanted to see one!! Sounds like you have it well planned, can’t wait to read the updates!! ❤️
Thanks, Brenda! We saw a few moose in Grand Lake, CO last July. One was just a few feet away from our trailer in Elk Creek Campground. Maybe you can rent a cabin next time we go there!
We are so excited for your adventure and dream!
Can’t wait for you to head east and reconnect with family. 🍀💚
Safe travels.
Thank you, Mom! We’re excited too!! Can’t wait to see you and catch up with everyone.