How to Save on The Road

July 31, 2025

How to Save on The Road

People often think 1 of 2 things when we tell them we live and travel full-time in our fifth wheel. They either think we are rich or poor. Lol. Some think, “oh, they can’t afford a house, that’s why they live in their fifth wheel.” Others think, “oh, they must have a trust fund to be able to travel fulltime at their age with two young children.” Truth is, we are neither of these things. We are simply a family that saw an opportunity to live a different type of lifestyle that we weren’t accustomed to and wanted to try something new. So now we are almost 5 years into our full-time RV journey, and we wanted to share a few ways we are able to keep this lifestyle going for our family of 4 without breaking our bank account.

Check our previous blogs on ways to save on campgrounds and resorts.

For this blog I’m going to share the day-to-day expenses that can be helpful to know when traveling.

  1. We try to eat at home more than eating out. Of course, it is very enticing to want to try all the local restaurants and embrace each location you travel to by visiting and eating at these great spots. But let me be the first to tell you that this will add up quickly to your budget. Personally, we try, and I do mean try to keep it to try 1 local restaurant at each city we visit. Sometimes it’s more and sometimes it’s less depending on the length of stay we are camping there. But this is our general rule to try and stick to.
  2. We try to choose more of the free and cheaper activities rather than always picking the more expensive tourist attractions per area. This means picking a state park to go and explore for the day rather than an amusement park. 

We also have memberships to save in the long run. We have an ASTC passport membership that costs us as a family of 4 $100 dollars a year and gets us into over 350 museums across the US for free. We have also done a similar pass called the AZA program that gets you into zoos and aquariums across the US for discounted prices. I highly recommend checking out both memberships if you travel and have kids.

Lastly, we do our research. This means taking the time to search for ways to save at some of these tourist attractions you want to visit. For instance, check if they have a homeschool day which are often very discounted prices from the original price. Check for days they may have special offers. Like buy 1 get 1 and such.

All in all, we have simply traded our mortgage for adventures. For us, we didn’t set out to live and travel full-time and save money while doing it. We also didn’t want this lifestyle to put us in any debt. It’s all about balance. We experience all we can while traveling and visiting all the amazing places, but we are just conscious of our decisions and our budgets. 

As always, happy camping and we hope our truths help you if you’re thinking of this awesome journey into RV life.

Austin & Tara – Livin Lite Lovin Life

Meet Livin Lite Lovin Life: Austin, Tara, Rudi, Arlo, along with their cherished dogs, Gertie and Pyper. In a daring move, they bid farewell to their house and possessions in September 2020, embarking on a transformative journey across the United States. Their trusty Fifth Wheel, "Roamee," towed by the dependable "Lady," carries them through this adventure. Livin Lite Lovin Life's engaging videos offer insights into full-time RV living with children and dogs, DIY RV projects, essential tips, and the exciting moments they share as a family. With a commitment to weekly updates, they invite you to embrace a lighter, more fulfilling life and follow their path as they inspire others to chase their dreams, encouraging all to "learn to let go to gain it all!"

Highland Ridge Ambassador: 2021 Open Range Fifth Wheels – OF371MBH

@livinlitelovinlife on Instagram and @LivinLiteLovinLife on Youtube

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