The question I am most often asked is "How much money does it take to travel fulltime?" When we lived in a house no one ever asked how much money does it take to live in a house? But I don't mind the money question and I even put our actual expenses and projected budget on our website.

There is no correct answer as everyone's lifestyle and expenses are different. Some people in houses live on minimum wages or Social Security and get by just fine while others with six digit incomes struggle and build up debts. The same is true for fulltime travelers. I met a single man who had no savings and his only source of income was a $800 monthly check from a business he had sold. (He boondocked every night and never paid for a campsite.) I have met couples who fulltime on $1,500 a month and enjoy the lifestyle. One couple showed me their annual expenses and their budget of $6,500 a month and said they could not get by on one penny less. From the above we can see it takes between $800 and $6,500 a month to travel fulltime, but most fulltimers spend between $2,000 and $3,000 a month.

Habits and expenses follow people from living in a house (or apartment or condo) to living on the road. If you smoke, drink fine wines and play golf twice a week, you will continue doing those same things living in a RV. If you eat most meals at home and watch television on an antenna, you will continue doing those things in a RV. After talking budgets with many fulltimers I have found it takes about 80% as much money to retire and travel fulltime as it did to live in a house.

There are two BIG items that help determine how much money you need. First, if the RV and tow or toad vehicles are paid for you don't need as much money as someone paying $1,500 a month in payments. The second BIG item is health insurance. Some people are lucky (yea, they earned it) to have fully paid health insurance as part of retirement benefits while others pay $1,000 or more a month for health insurance.

From the above you can see why one couple can fulltime on $1,500 a month while others need $6,500 or more. There are many ways to reduce expenses and I will mention only a few.

1 - Travel less to save on fuel expenses.
2 - Stay a month in each campground. Monthly rates are often 50-67% of the daily rate.
3 - Boondock free on government land or in a relative's driveway.
4 - Eat at home often and eat in restaurants only once a week.
5 - Join Passport America or Happy Camper to get 50% off campground fees.
6 - Do repairs and maintenance yourself.

If you volunteer a few hours a week in a state or national park you usually get a free campsite with hookups. Volunteering three months will save you three months of campground fees and fuel. Many people workamp with their pay being a campsite, hookups and in some cases a small salary.

Before hitting the road fulltime take a good look at your finances and create a budget. Then project what your financial situation will be in one year, in 5 years and in 10 years. Lastly, have an exit plan. When you find you no longer want to travel fulltime or your health will not allow traveling, you need to have an exit plan with enough money to follow that plan.

Whether you have a net worth of $50,000 or you are a millionaire, you can enjoy the fulltimer's lifestyle. The most important thing is both people in a couple must agree and feel comfortable with the budget and plan. If one person is not comfortable - forget fulltiming.