One of the most common reasons people give when they talk about taking up RV travel is that it’s an incredibly budget-friendly and frugal way to live. And while it’s totally possible to live frugally on the road, it’s also easy to spend way more than you bargained for.

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On top of basic expenses like food, motorhome rental prices, and any vehicle loan payment you may have to make, you also have to account for RV maintenance, which is unavoidable and expensive, and campground fees, which can be quite pricey — try $75 per night in high-traffic areas at peak season! Oh, and don’t forget that your rig uses lots of gas. And you were still hoping to have some fun money, too, right?

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Of course, if you eat cheaply, ditch your cell phone, and spend most of your time camping in the woods, all of those costs go down. That’s one of the best things about RVing, actually; although your expenses don’t disappear entirely, you do have a lot more control over them than you would at home. You can’t just pick up a regular house and drive it to a spot with a lower monthly mortgage payment, after all.

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As with many other major purchases we make in life, it’s tempting to conclude that bigger is always better. You have more storage space, more amenities, and more room to stretch your legs. What could possibly be wrong with that picture?

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Well, for starters, you’ll also have a higher fuel cost to contend with, and less accessibility to smaller wilderness campsites — and even some developed ones. Your large RV will also be more difficult to drive, and backing up or tight turns may be treacherous. Finally, all that extra storage room simply means you’ll find more stuff to store, which defeats the minimalist camping lifestyle that draws so many of us to RVing in the first place. Spend your time and energy on experiences rather than things. You’ll be a lot happier… andhave less stuff to dust.

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For many, RVing immediately conjures a cute, old couple who’ve been married for decades and have likely already retired, spending their “golden years” completing the grand tour of the country they’ve been imagining since they were kids together.

And while that couple does exist, they’re not the only people you’ll meet at the campground. Far from it, in fact!

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As remote working options become more and more accessible, young people are taking advantage of their location independence to take on full-time travel — and RVing is a great way to do so. Young couples, solo adventurers, and middle-aged families all take advantage of the unique flexibility of RV living, and help create a rich and diverse camping community to interact with while you’re on the road. So don’t think you’re not eligible to start camping if you haven’t yet celebrated your sixty-fifth!