7 Tips for Comfortable California Living in Your RV
Home sweet home. That’s true whether you’re living in a 3,000-square-foot hacienda in Southern California or a 300-square-foot recreational vehicle in…wherever you happen to be. However, things can get a little more challenging when you hit the road in much smaller and more mobile quarters.
Don’t get us wrong. Living in your RV temporarily or over the long haul in California can be a fabulous experience. That’s especially true if you observe these 7 fairly simple tips to make your time on the road as comfortable as possible. One important tip is to make sure you have the right RV insurance coverage.
1. Do Your Research Before Hitting the Road in Your RV in California
What is RV life truly like? You might have all kinds of dreams and fantasies about the freedom of life on the road, but you could be ignoring a few of the blunter realities. If that’s the case, your dreams might be crushed the first time you park in a subpar community or experience that first breakdown on the road.
Before you leave the comforts of your conventional home, do an online search for “RV blogs.” There are a lot of them out there. Start reading. Look for the resources that give honest data and accurate information, the good with the bad and the ugly. This will give you a more realistic idea of what living in your RV might be like. You should also find online resources to help you decide how to find the right RV or camper to purchase.
The best authors will not only share their challenges but also show you what they did to troubleshoot those problems. The best sources will give you accurate information based on data and consumer reviews. You’ll find a lot of good information here, too.
2. Bring Along All the Comforts of Your California Home in Your RV (That Will Fit)
What do you enjoy doing around the house? Do you read? Watch TV? Start your day sitting around the breakfast table with a cup of coffee? You can do all those things and more in your RV.
Bring as much normalcy with you as you can. This will help you de-stress when life gets difficult (and it will). Make your RV look more like home by decorating it before you leave. Small touches, such as colorful pillows and a few pieces of whimsical art, can do wonders toward making you feel that you’re truly at home — not just in a vehicle.
3. Get to Know Your California RVing Neighbors (If That’s What You’d Do at Home)
Some of us are more outgoing than others. If you’re already missing your friends and neighbors, make new friends and neighbors. You’ll certainly find plenty of them at your California RV community, and you’re almost sure to find that they’re just as eager to meet you.
In addition to the obvious social benefits, you’ll pick up lots of help and good advice from nomads who’ve long adopted the RV lifestyle and have confronted every challenge. Many RVers make lifelong friendships with those met on the road.
4. Couples Need to Respect Each Other’s Need for Alone Time
The average interior square footage of a recreational vehicle is between about 325 and 400 feet. Even if you and your traveling companion previously lived in an apartment, it was probably more spacious than that.
The space can be misleading. Your new RV is huge compared to any other vehicle you’ve ever owned or driven. It seems as long as a football field — until you spend a few days in it. After you and your mate or family have bumped into each other a few times, you’ll see how cramped the space can sometimes feel.
That’s why it’s important to park at a location where you will want to leave the premises. You and your companions don’t always have to be together every single minute. Go take a walk — alone — on occasion and give everyone else a little much-needed space. Speaking of which…
5. Get Out and Explore Beautiful California from Your RV
As long as your RV insurance policy has you covered before you hit the open road and venture out, there are limitless possibilities for care-free adventures. Whether it’s mountains, valleys, forests, the pounding of ocean surf, or the buzz of a nearby city that made you choose your specific location, get out of your motorhome as much as possible and explore.
Take a hike, take a swim, or take a sightseeing trip to the big city. If you are living with a partner, the two of you might make a romantic jaunt of it, or maybe just one of you should go so the other can have a little alone time. Or mix it up by trying it both ways. Whichever works best for all parties.
6. Boost Your Sense of Security in Your RV
Whether you’re nestled into an RV community of total strangers or boondocking all alone on a seemingly deserted mountain pass, things can get scary. You’ll feel much more comfortable if you have interior and external security cameras, bear spray, strong locks and kingpins, and motion-sensing lights.
It’s not always a sinister situation that can leave your heart racing. Make sure you have a working fire extinguisher, smoke alarm, first aid kit, and fire suppression system for the everyday accidents. The more tools you have to stay safe, the better you’ll feel in your new California home away from home.
7. Make Sure You Have Affordable RV Insurance in California
You can’t possibly feel comfortable wondering if bankruptcy is around the corner after you’ve demolished your $100,000 RV in a roadside accident for which you’re at fault, or burned it to the ground trying to cook a simple meal.
You’ll feel a lot more at ease knowing you’re fully insured for anything that could go wrong, no matter how expensive. That’s why your first step, even before you’ve gotten your RV, should be to talk with your independent insurance agent about RV or motorhome insurance.
Your agent can answer all your questions and give you multiple tips for keeping your rates low, such as by bundling your motorhome insurance coverage with other policies for maximum discount.
The reason independent agents are so valuable is that they don’t work for just one insurer. They represent lines of coverage from several major carriers, so they can go shopping for the most competitive rates once they know exactly what you need.
Find Low-Cost RV Insurance in California Today
Your key to affordable RV insurance is your independent Cost-U-Less Insurance agent. Call Cost-U-Less at (800) 390-4071, or get a quick RV insurance quote online. We also invite you to find a Cost-U-Less location near you.
