Extend Your Travel Plans With Long-Term RV Camping
If you’ve ever traveled in an RV, chances are you felt your time living a life of freedom on the road was much too short. Why not take a break from the daily grind with an extended RV vacation?
Long-term RV camping for two to six weeks or longer can allow you to experience a destination you’ve always dreamed about. So book an RV and take the road to live your dreams.
What Does Long-Term Camping Mean?
You’ll usually pay a per-night rate for your space when taking a week-long vacation with an RV. Sometimes, the campgrounds will encourage longer stays by offering a free night after a specific number of paid nights. There’s often a limit on the number of nights you can stay in any particular spot, such as 14 days in any 30 days in most National Park campgrounds.
Many campgrounds let you book by the week, month, or season, so you can stay as long as you like. The longer you stay, the less expensive the rate is when you average your per-night cost. Other campgrounds only offer seasonal rates, ranging from one month up to an entire year.
Private campgrounds with long-term rental options tend to offer more amenities than those geared solely toward overnighters. Laundry facilities, larger spaces with privacy, pet areas, and clubhouses are some of the most common features at facilities geared toward long-term RV camping.
Can You Live Full-Time in a Campground?
When considering long-term RV camping, you might wonder whether you and your fellow travelers can live together in such a small space for two or more weeks. Many other RVers have felt the same way and found that the most enjoyable way to live harmoniously is to choose a campground that accommodates each person’s needs.
The fewer amenities a campground offers, the lower the price. Make a list of what’s most important to everyone sharing the RV with you, including pets. Will kids need fun activities to interest them and burn off some energy? A campground with a playground, pool, or clubhouse with game tables might be a top priority. Does your spouse like to golf? Consider a space near a golf course where you can park a golf cart to make it easy to get to and from the links.
Are you driving to see the nearby sights or heading onto the trails in an ATV? Check how many vehicles are allowed at your site. One amenity you should consider is sewer hookups. Direct hookups prevent you from repeatedly moving your RV to the dump station to empty your storage tanks and then settle back into your spot.
Settling down permanently
Paying rent space in an RV park can be much less expensive than maintaining a mortgage or lease, plus the cost of utilities for a standard home. This can make it tempting to purchase an RV outright and settle in a park.
Check out private parks that offer year-round space rental. Regulations vary, but you’ll usually be expected to pay separately for your utilities and the rent.
Get acquainted with long-term RV space rent laws for the state where you wish to rent an RV. For example, the Arizona Recreational Vehicle Long-Term Rental Space Act protects RVers staying 180 days or more by requiring a rental agreement in writing that spells out lease term, rent, and other details to protect both the RV owner and the RV Park.
What are the rules?
Rules for long-term camping vary depending on the type of community you’re staying in. Each privately-owned community sets its own rules within the broader county and state regulations. In addition, the rules for long-term campers are usually different in campgrounds that offer short-term and long-term RV camping. For example, you might be able to decorate your space with patio furniture, holiday lights, or other accessories you wouldn’t ordinarily find in a set-up geared toward week-or-less stays.
Long-term campgrounds may also have more flexible rules regarding parking vehicles. Where overnight campers might have a one-vehicle limit per space, long-term RV camping parks sometimes allow two or more. You might also be allowed to park your ATVs, golf carts, mopeds, etc.
What About Your Pets?
If you have a dog, check to ensure the size and breed are welcome, and get acquainted with state or municipal laws that regulate pet activities. In Tennessee, for example, municipalities can place restrictions on what breed you can own or require muzzling.
Make sure your pet is vaccinated against rabies, and bring a copy of your pet’s vet records with you. Acquaint yourself with any restrictions on the number of pets allowed. Christmas RV Park in Christmas, Florida, prohibits more than two pets per site without prior approval. In Arizona, Copper Mountain RV Park in Tacna allows up to four dogs, but charges an additional fee for the third and fourth dogs.
How long can you stay in most RV parks?
Every long-term RV camping park has its own set of limits. Generally, “long-term” RV camping is a month or more. However, campgrounds can have varying seasons based on the weather at their specific location or other factors.
“Seasonal” is another nebulous term that will vary from park to park. Lake Nottley RV Park in North Georgia’s mountain town of Blairsville is only open from April through November. You must reserve your lakeside space rental for the entire season when booking. At Sunset Farm Seasonal RV Park in Dandridge, Tennessee, the season lasts year-round, and you pay annually for your space.
Other parks let you choose how long you wish to stay. Desert Drums RV Resort in Camp Verde, Arizona, serves up a full menu of daily, weekly, and monthly rentals. Craig’s RV Park in Arcadia, Florida, has daily, weekly, monthly, and sliding scale rates for those wishing to stay up to six months.
Where Can I Park My RV Long Term?
It’s easy to find parks for long-term RV camping. Head to RV camping directory sites or RVParky, and sort your search results by communities offering monthly or seasonal rentals. Check the park’s website for the correct information, as some parks change their policies or offerings.
Arizona
Desert winters and famous Arizona sunsets make the state an attractive place to camp long-term. The Bureau of Land Management allows long-term RV camping from September 15 through April 15 at several Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVAs) in the southern part of the state near its western border. The area is ideal for enjoying the warm desert winter. You may be wondering: how much does it cost to rent an RV for a month or longer in Phoenix.
These long-term visitor areas (LTVAs) are best for fully-contained units as there are no water hookups, and not all areas have dump stations. However, one small fee allows you to park your RV for as long as you like in any of these LTVA areas. You don’t have to commit to staying in one spot, so you can move your rig from one to another should you choose to do so.
Florida
The state is a mecca for visitors wishing to spend a few months enjoying the warm climate, so there’s no shortage of private parks offering long-term RV camping. Want to fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves and wake up to a seaside view? Expect to pay premium prices for a beachside space.
Don’t forget about Florida’s many inland features, such as hot springs and theme parks. At Lake Okeechobee KOA, for example, you can walk to the lake less than a mile away and enjoy onsite amenities, including a 9-hole golf course, swimming pools, and community activities.
Georgia
Enjoy sea breezes, swimming pools, shuffleboard, horseshoe pits, and other activities at Coastal Georgia RV Resort in Brunswick. The park has waterfront sites, a fishing dock, and lakes. The area hosts multiple golf courses, tennis courts, and water sports, and the historic downtown is the second-oldest main street in the state. Here is how much it costs to rent an RV in Georgia.
Tennessee
Enjoy the natural beauty of long-term RV rental when you camp for 3 to 9 months at Land Between the Lakes in the northwestern part of the state. Hillman Ferry, Piney, and Wranglers Campground have 148 sites; Cravens Bay and Taylor Bay have 24. Apply online to reserve your space.
Texas
As the largest of the Lower 48 states, Texas offers long-term RVing experiences as diverse as its ten climate zones. South Padre Island is a popular spot for visitors to enjoy a warm winter. Book early to enjoy an extended stay at South Padre KOA and position yourself for months of fun in the sun, sand, and surf.
If long-term RV camping and settling into a community of RVers for weeks or months sounds like your dream come true, hop on to RVnGO and head out on your dream adventure!
Working While RV Camping
If you want to work during your long-term RV camping adventure, you might find a job right at your campground. KOA Campgrounds offers a Work Kamper program that matches your skills at one of the hundreds of KOA campgrounds across the U.S. Or you can work remotely for yourself or with your W2 job. Read this article to learn how to set up an RV mobile office.
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