Where Can I Park My RV To Live Long Term?

Last Updated on March 23, 2022 by Ted Mosby

Do you want to make your life adventurous? Do you want to leave all the worries behind and go to your favorite destination with your RV? Do you want to know about long-term RV Parking Places? Do you want to feel nature more thoroughly to soothe your soul? Do you get jealous when one of your friend post pictures about their travel on social media, and you wish you were the one posting those pictures?

If you have answered yes, this post is for you. I will let you know about places that you can pick as your next destination, where you can stay with your RV for a longer period for free or almost free.

The best place to park your RV to live in the long term would be KOA Campgrounds, Family-Owned, or Privately Owned RV Parks and Luxury RV Parks. Parking the RV for the long term would give you more power to negotiate a better price for the campground.  

Long-term RVing means you are ready to make the most out of your travel by exploring all of your favorite destinations more thoroughly. When planning an extended trip, the majority of RVers don’t realize that besides exploring favorite destinations, longer trips are also a cost-efficient tool.

How? Well, staying at an RV campground for an extended period of time, you can take advantage of the discounts that RV parks offer to their long-term staying guests.

However, it is also worth mentioning that planning a longer RV trip means you will stay on the road full-time, and it could be cheaper than staying at a fixed location. Longer trips also give you a life full of fun and adventures. And yes, you can really live for free or almost free when traveling for an extended period of time.

So, let’s get started!

How to Find Long-Term RV Parking?

Once you have selected an area you want to explore during your long-term trip, you have to locate a place where you can park your RV for the long term. In this regard, there are some resources that will help you to narrow down your search for long-term RV parking.

You can search online to find long-term RV parks or resorts. I recommend you to consider Compendium, which is an excellent online source that will surely help you in finding long-term RV parks.

However, by any chance, if you don’t want to use Compendium as your online assistance to find a long-term RV park, AllStays is another exceptional online resource loved by RVers that you can use.

Where Can I Park My RV to Live?

Most of the United States campgrounds and National Parks allow long-term RV parking. If you want luxurious and comfortable long-term RV parks with on-site amenities and adventure activities, then you should consider,

• KOA Kampgrounds.
• Luxury RV Parks and Campgrounds.
• Privately-Operated RV Parks.

Let’s discuss each of these long-term campgrounds in detail to clear the concept.

1. KOA Kampgrounds

KOA Kampgrounds of America or KOA are excellent locations with on-site amenities and luxuries that allow overnight stays and long-term RV parking. Not only are these campgrounds located in suitable locations, but they also have three types of RV parks to choose from – Resorts, Holiday, and Journey.

Moreover, the KOA app and website are extremely easy and user-friendly, where you can make your reservation right from your home through your phone or laptop. You can easily find a long-term RV parking place within a few clicks.

However, besides making an online long-term RV parking reservation, it would be an excellent idea to call the location to make sure you get the most accurate details regarding your extended stay, rates, and amenities.

If you are wondering How much does it cost to stay in a KOA Campground then check this in-depth article on it. 

2. Privately Operated RV Parks

Most of the family-owned RV parks and campgrounds allow long-term RV parking. They offer monthly rates for long-term RV parking even if their website doesn’t mention long-term RV parking.

If you ever see such a website of a family-owned RV park, it would be great to call them before you plan your trip.

3. Luxury RV Parks

Most of the luxury parks and resorts allow only long-term RV parking. However, the drawback of these parks is they may be heavily crowded. So, it would be an outstanding idea if you reserve long-term RV parking in advance at a luxury park.

Tips for Long Term RV Living

1. Plan Your Trip

Before you hit the highway for a longer trip, it would be an excellent idea to perfectly plan your trip. To do that, ask yourself,

• What part of the world do you want to explore?
• Are you looking forward to visiting some of your favorite national parks during your trip?
• Do you want to attend a festival, live concerts, and other events during your trip?

Picking a destination close to the things that you want to explore is essential. It is also called destination-based camping, which makes exploring a bit easier, and you don’t have to venture far from the activities and destinations that you want to explore or do.

2. Consider Weather and Seasonality

When planning a long-term RV trip, it is critical to consider whether and seasonality as well. If you are going to travel during winters, it would be great to travel south to the area that lies in the Sun Belt region of the US.

It is also worth highlighting that the Sun Belt region is popular among full-time RVers.

People love traveling to warmer areas during winters because of the weather. It also means that camping in warmer regions during winters will not only keep you comfortable, but you will also be able to bypass freezing temperatures.

3. Off-Season Long-Term Camping

Off-season camping means you will be able to avoid the crowd, but for that, you are required to have an all weather friendly RV. Off-season camping also means you will also be able to see the breathtaking middle to northern parts of the US.

Moreover, another benefit of camping in the off-season means you will easily find a space for long-term living since off-season RVing demand is low. However, you might have to put more effort to find parks that don’t close during off-season RVing.

How to Live Long-Term for Free or Almost Free in an RV?

Running on a tight budget and want to find a place for long-term RV parking that is free or almost free?

Don’t worry, I have got you covered. Here are some camping ways that will help you.

1. Workamaping

Is this a new word for you? Well, workamping means camping while working. People who work at a campground get benefits or compensations as a reward for the time they spend helping out at a campground.

For instance, a person who works voluntarily at a campground can get benefits from a free campsite. It includes free power, hookups, propane, etc. as a reward for their time.

It means you will get a free campsite and free utilities while living in your RV and working at a campground.

2. Boondocking

Boondocking means you don’t mind living without amenities that are otherwise offered by a campground. In the west, there are public lands that allow free boondocking opportunities, which means free long-term RV parking.

If you are considering traveling west boondocking on BLM/public lands, means you are all sent to minimize your monthly living costs.

However, since these free lands don’t have any amenities, you have to arrange water, a filtration system, and electricity (generator/solar panels).

3. Camping in National Parks

If you are going to stay and want to park your RV for the long term at a National Park, you will not get entirely free but cost-efficient camping. However, if you want to reserve a National Park popular campsite for long-term RV parking, you will be required to make a reservation in advance.

Moreover, you should also get information regarding how long you can park your RV calling them before you hit the road as some National Parks allow only a limited stay.

4. Local/State Parks Camping

Staying at a local or state park, such as city parks, is another way to get low-cost camping. These kinds of parks sometimes offer utilities and may also limit dry camping.

However, there are also some state/local parks that allow you to stay for free.

5. Camping with Memberships or Clubs

RVers who want to minimize their long-term RV parking and living costs tend to move towards memberships or clubs. There are discount clubs for people who want to reduce their long-term RV living costs. Some of the well-known discount clubs, such as Good Sam, offer members-only perks, such as overnight discounts, member parks, etc.

Besides the Good Sam Club, other well-known membership clubs, include Thousand Trails (TT) and Passport of America which also allow RVers to live in member parks at reasonable costs. However, they have membership categories that determine the cost, maintenance costs, etc. in the majority of the club parks.

5. Campground Long-Term Stays

Do you love staying at a campground and want to extend your stay for a week, month, or entire season? Most of the campgrounds offer cheap rates per night, and the longer you stay there, the cheaper per night cost becomes.

Moreover, these campgrounds also offer utilities for long-term RV living at reasonable rates. Utilities, such as electricity, water, etc. that you will get will be included in rent.

6. Purchasing/Renting Land for Long-Term Living in RV

Staying for long-term in RV at a campground or resort is not always a good idea. Although boondocking is an option, not all RVers are ready to live long-term in the RV off-the-grid. This is where purchasing/renting a land idea comes in.

If you want to find RV-deeded land, local paper, or RV Property resources can make it easier for you. You will easily find private lands that you can rent or purchase.

Extending your search a bit more means you might find an open lot, which is great for both permanent and long-term RV living.

7. Campground Card Discounts

Many RV campgrounds offer card discounts and memberships to RVers. These membership cards are also great to take benefit of campground discounts.

Some well-known memberships, such as AAA or Good Sam, offer discounted long-term RV living stays at particular campgrounds.

Some club members may also take benefit of up to 50% weekly or monthly stays discount.

Wrapping Up

No matter whether you are on the road for the long-term or short-term, the final result will be fun-filled and adventurous, and that is exactly what you want in your everyday boring life.

Above, I have discussed everything related to long-term RV living, how can you plan your long-term RV trip, and what are the ways of living long-term in your RV for free or almost free.

If you want to share any queries or suggestions, you are always welcome to leave a comment below.

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