Six Simple Strategies for Reducing RV Travel Costs

When we left our home and careers behind in 2012 with our restored vintage camper in tow, we had big dreams and some solid savings, but when gas prices topped $4 per gallon that summer, we started to worry. Living out our traveling goals while making enough income to support them really stretched our creativity.

But nearly 14 years later, we’re still on the road and have accumulated travel tales from all 50 U.S. states, 12 Canadian provinces and territories, every national park that you can drive to, reunions with old friends and family and more. We do it all on less than $10K in RV travel expenses each year!

Our tips for stretching every dollar apply to anyone seeking less expensive adventures in their RV even if they never plan to go full-time. These six strategies might just have you asking, “How much do I truly need to thrive?”

#1 Only Buy as Much RV as You Need

Those class-A diesel pushers with full-sized bathrooms and elevated decks are gorgeous, but if you are trying to save money while traveling, you may consider a different escape vehicle. The larger the RV, the higher the costs to maintain, register, insure, fuel up, heat/cool, camp and store. There are so many smaller and less expensive options, including a robust second-hand market.

We’ve been living, traveling, and working for nearly 14 years in a 72-square-foot travel trailer with a total purchase and renovation cost of $5,500, plus some good old-fashioned sweat equity. We can store all the gear and clothing we need for every season plus the toys we use to play outside—in addition to everything we need to run our growing mobile business. Our lightweight RV is easy to tow, park, fits into nearly every campsite and easily runs on solar power.

#2 Go Off-Grid for Free and Inexpensive Camping

RV camping doesn’t mean that you have to stay at an RV resort at $60 or more per night. Our solar-powered system with 600W of solar and 300Ah of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries, means we don’t need electrical service to power our lives. So we can camp off-grid and save thousands annually! We estimate that our $3,500 investment in solar has saved us over $225K in campground fees over 14 years, no gas generator needed.

But, let’s take our 2022 Alaska trip as a short-term example. Our five month trip at $60/night would have been over $9,000 in camping fees alone; instead, we only spent $900 on off-grid campground fees for the entire trip, because we didn’t need to plug in! We typically boondock for free on public land or camp in gorgeous, inexpensive, off-grid campgrounds in national parks, national forests, state forests or BLM areas.

Additionally, Harvest Hosts or Boondockers Welcome sites offer fun, safe and inexpensive ways to mix up our overnight experiences. We typically spend around $2,000 for the entire year, instead of over $20,000 (at $60/night) in camping fees. What an easy way to move the decimal point in the right direction!

#3 Drive Less and Deeply: Explore a Life List Region

Full-time RVing doesn’t have to mean full-time driving. Annually, we only put around 16K miles on one vehicle; for comparison, most American couples drive about 30K between two vehicles. It’s the everyday trips to work, grocery store that really rack up the miles, not necessarily intentional regional travel.

In 2025, we spent five months traveling through northeastern Canada, including Newfoundland and Labrador. We experienced more than we ever thought possible in 7,300 miles! We hiked, biked, kayaked and explored every major region, all while keeping up with our mobile business—a truly transformational experience!

Don’t pack all of your bucket list destinations into one RV road trip of a lifetime, rather make a lifetime of road trips. Deeply explore a cultural region in the U.S. or Canada by staying off the interstates and using backroads. Selecting “avoid highways”on your GPS navigation will lead you to many unexpected discoveries without the stress of interstate congestion.

#4 Leave the City Behind and Play on Public Lands

We travel through cities to visit friends and take in the culture that you can’t find along the backroads, but cities aren’t usually RV friendly. More often, we explore the rural, public areas around the country that offer camping for up to 21 days and opportunities to both play and work. Access to the surrounding natural areas is entirely free.

For just $80 per year, an America the Beautiful Interagency pass gets you (and several passengers) into every national park, as well as all other federal lands (national forests, BLM sites, etc.) that charge an entrance fee. If you are planning a national park road trip, this pass will pay for itself in your first three national park visits. Veterans, active military or people with disabilities (Access Pass) can receive a free lifetime pass. And if you are over 62, the Senior Pass is only $80 for the rest of your life. Both the Senior and Access passes qualify for a 50% discount at federally run campgrounds, too. You can also explore Canada’s national park system using their “Discovery Pass” which pays for itself if you spend at least seven nights in their parks within one year. We spend nearly every summer in Canada!

We always have our bikes, kayaks and backpacking gear along for the ride, helping us get into the forests, deserts, lakes, rivers and oceans that bring us so much joy and good health. Using outdoor toys costs very little, after the initial investment. But just like the America the Beautiful Pass, we consider it an investment in our health and future.

#5 Redefine Dining Out & Make Cooking Fun!

We love to challenge ourselves by cooking delicious gourmet meals, over a two-burner stove, campfire or wood-fired grill. Rather than a dull chore at the end of the work day, cooking can become a fun event, one that saves you a bundle over eating out. With a few key tools for our indoor and outdoor kitchen, we can simmer, saute, bake, grill, broil and flambé without an oven.

In addition to some basic pots, pans, quality utensils and an immersion blender, we have an OTZI Flame Flat Pack Grill, Banks Fry-Bake, a cast iron griddle and a Lodge dutch oven. With these items pulling heavy duty, we can make nearly everything you make in your home kitchen. Try out some of our tasty and fun camp cooking and baking recipes, and learn more about how to cook with fire!

While we do love to eat out at restaurants with friends, or when on the move, we limit these outings to once a week. We try to make the most of these indulgences by going out to brunch (by definition two meals in one) or getting large portions and saving some as leftovers – another twofer. AARP members can also get discounts at restaurants by using their accumulated points. These strategies stretch our food budget, allowing us to enjoy the occasional splurge!

#6 Volunteering Pays More Than You Might Think!

If you plan to hit the road for any length of time, a great way to save money is through volunteering or doing work-trade along the way. These opportunities (which often come with a free campsite for RVers) are truly endless: from volunteering with national/ state parks to working on small, organic farms with WWOOF.org. Join the Escapees RV Club DOVES program to help with disaster relief or the RV Care-A-Vanners to build homes for low income families. Food, music and balloon festivals are always seeking volunteers as well. These opportunities not only save money, they are a great way to learn more about the area, get a backstage look, enjoy many tasty potlucks and make lifelong friends!

Saving money while RVing isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t have to mean going without; it simply means deciding where to spend your money according to your own priorities. Click here for even more money saving tips! We’ve learned to slow life down and take pleasure in the things that give back more than they cost—like a stunning sunset, a walk on the beach, or a bike ride in the woods. We hope to see you on the road. Honk if you see Hamlet!