The Pros and Cons of Living Full Time in a Motorhome

Are you dreaming of swapping a traditional home for full time motorhome living? It's a big step, but it’s also a reality for many New Zealanders who embrace the freedom and unique rewards that come with it.

This blog explores the advantages and disadvantages of living full time in a motorhome in New Zealand — without being tied to one spot.

We cover campervan living costs in NZ, freedom camping rules, self-containment certification and the demands of off-grid living in a motorhome. We also look at working remotely from an RV, the growing community of full time motorhomers in New Zealand, and the joys and challenges of life on the road.

Benefits of living full time in a motorhome in New Zealand

Living in a recreational vehicle without a fixed address offers plenty of advantages, notably a unique combination of freedom to roam yet connection to people and places.

Newfound freedoms

Living in a motorhome allows you to choose where you want to camp — then change locations quickly for whatever reason. You can decide to travel to where the sun is shining, or migrate to avoid bad weather. For instance, if you’re a:

• Surfer — drive to whichever coast has the best breaks
  
  

• Sunseeker — head north during winter to reach warmer climates
  
  

• Hiker — target trails that make it easy to return to your cosy motorhome interior
  
  

• Golfer — book ahead at courses where conditions will be ideal.

Many full time motorhomers roam between the North and South Islands, spending the colder months in the winterless north and crossing Cook Strait when summer comes and days are longer.

You can follow seasonal weather to get maximum enjoyment out of your lifestyle. Should a tropical cyclone be on its way, simply drive away from the storm — something that’s more difficult to do with a boating lifestyle.

A lighter financial footprint

When you compare the costs of traditional home ownership with those of life on the road, full time motorhome living often reveals a surprisingly lighter financial footprint.

We've looked at the numbers to work out the cost of living full time in an RV. Your overall expenses will be heavily influenced by how much you drive and your choice of overnight stays.

Want to freedom camp rather than pay for holiday parks? Prefer not to clock up hundreds of kilometres? You could pay as little as $40 a night or $280 a week to fund your mobile lifestyle. In this situation, your main expenses will be fuel and food — though routine maintenance and unexpected repairs can increase your weekly costs.

However, if you need campground amenities, the average cost for a couple is around $60 a night or $420 per week — generally less than the average NZ rental property.

Camping prices can vary significantly based on location, season and amenities offered. Campgrounds usually lower their prices during off-peak times, like in winter when fewer tourists travel around New Zealand.

If you’re a homeowner with a mortgage-free house and ready to live a full time motorhome lifestyle, you may choose to sell or rent your home.

Sell your house to gain a substantial cash boost

Selling your house gives you a big cash boost. This means you can buy your ideal motorhome, maybe even a newer model or one with all the features you want — and without needing a loan.

You can then save or invest the rest of that money so it grows. The only catch is that you'll be letting go of your house, which may be worth more down the road.

Rent out your property to get a steady income

By renting out your house, you’ll get regular, passive income to fund your new motorhome lifestyle.

This option provides a reliable flow of money and lets you keep ownership of your valuable property. However, you may need to hire a rental agent or become a landlord yourself. You can always return to your house if your motorhome adventures end or don’t work out as planned.

Even if you don't own a house, living in a motorhome full time in New Zealand can often be cheaper than renting a regular home.

Learn how to buy a motorhome in New Zealand on finance.

Opportunities to earn while living in an RV full time

Full time motorhome living doesn't necessarily mean putting your career on hold. In today's connected world, there are many ways to earn an income while working remotely from a motorhome in NZ.

Before handing in your resignation, it's worth exploring options for casual or part time remote work with your current boss. Modern motorhomes can have excellent connectivity — whether via satellite or powerful modems.

This means you may be able to keep your current job or switch to a work plan that fits your new life on the road. Plus, many websites and online groups help people find jobs they can do from anywhere — making it easy to have work that travels with you.

However, it's important to consider how work and free time go best together. Imagine the sun is shining brightly outside your motorhome window while you're at the keyboard trying to meet a deadline. Finding the right balance between work and the freedom of the open road is the key to enjoying a long term motorhome lifestyle.

Another common way to work while travelling in a recreational vehicle is to help with seasonal harvests at orchards, market gardens or vineyards. These places often welcome motorhomers — and sometimes even provide campground-style facilities for their seasonal workers.

Connecting with nature

Motorhome life brings the natural world closer. Your daily view will be an ever-changing landscape, offering incredible opportunities to witness wildlife in its natural habitat. You may see native birds flying past your window or diverse marine life coasting along the shoreline.

A permanent campervan lifestyle also leads to a more active way of life when you have easy access to the outdoors. So, ensure there’s some quality all-terrain footwear stored inside your motorhome, the surfboard is waxed and the bikes are in tune before mounting them on their racks.

Time spent outdoors in nature will help you feel great and improve your physical and mental fitness.

A simpler life

Beyond the physical benefits of an active, mobile lifestyle, there are major advantages for your mental well-being. The limited space inside a motorhome means you’ll have to reduce your belongings to the essentials and a few special items.

Clearing out your things may be difficult at first. But soon, letting go of items you don't really need becomes a rewarding part of motorhoming — and a fresh break from always chasing new stuff.

When you make your life and your surroundings simpler, it can lead to a clearer mind and more freedom.

The fun of unplanned adventures

Hear the mountains calling you? Quickly pack up your motorhome and drive inland.

This is the real beauty of spontaneous adventure — the freedom and ability to change your scenery in minutes. It’s one of the most exciting parts of full time motorhome living.

Remember that unexpected tip from a fellow camper about a secret coastal spot half an hour up the road. You’ll likely be more open to meeting people and listening to ideas about where to journey next. The opportunities are almost endless when you’re living full time in your RV.

Joining a growing community

Connecting with a community reduces the chances of being isolated while living full time in a motorhome. The people you connect with may be a social group of like-minded RV owners — or a dedicated crew of Bürstner, HYMER or Carado fans.

Mobile life is a shared experience, and as soon as you meet other full timers in campgrounds, freedom camping spots and NZMCA sites, you’ll realise you’re living a shared dream.

Full time motorhomers regularly develop close friendships with each other, which leads to spending time touring the country together and meeting up at rallies, festivals and events.

Sharing each other's latest adventures only adds to the incredible benefit of living full time in a recreational vehicle.

Discover the Wilderness motorhome owners club.

Challenges of living full time in a motorhome in New Zealand

While the appeal of living on the road is strong, it's vital to be aware of the real-life challenges of living in an RV full time in NZ.

Limited space and storage

You'll quickly learn to be patient when living in a motorhome full time, because one of the first things to get used to is having less space and storage. Passing your travel partner when moving through the living area can take a little adjusting — but you’ll soon find a method that works for you.

No matter your motorhome's layout or size, it’ll always have less storage than your old house. As a result, you’ll need to:

• Decide which items are essential for your new full time motorhome life
  
  

• Find other storage places for valuable belongings that will only add extra weight to your RV — like framed photos and family treasures.

Downsizing and getting rid of things will likely be part of your life before your full time motorhome adventures, so having children or friends to pass items on to will help.

You may still be tempted to fill every tiny space. However, overpacking can lead to big problems, which include:

• Going over the motorhome's gross vehicle mass (GVM) — which is both dangerous and illegal, can affect handling and braking, and may result in a fine
  
  

• Further organising — as you begin to discover what you truly need.

Take plenty of time to identify the items you absolutely must have in your full time motorhome before driving off into the sunset.

If space feels tight after loading the motorhome with your must-haves, try a few clever strategies, such as:

• Storing smaller cookware and serving tools inside larger items — like frying pans and cooking pots
  
  

• Buying a few click-lock plastic containers to keep related items together — which will help your storage spaces and garage stay neatly organised
  
  

• Adding attachment points for longer objects — like hanging fishing rods and kayak paddles on the garage wall to free up garage floor space for larger items.

Learn how to maximise your motorhome’s storage space.

Maintenance and repairs

Small bumps and scrapes are likely to happen more often when you’re living full time in your motorhome. A stone may crack the windscreen, or an incorrectly inflated tyre could puncture while driving.

Parking areas are often the scene of little incidents — such as the top of the motorhome coming into contact with an overhead branch or the rear panel being reversed into an unseen fence post.

Accidents like these can change your travel plans as repairs usually need to be made — which can involve a drive to the nearest town.

Most motorhomes don’t come with a spare wheel. Instead, manufacturers usually fit a basic puncture repair kit that includes a:

• Can of tyre sealant — for repairing simple tread punctures
  
  

• Portable electric air compressor — to reinflate tyres.

This will get your motorhome on the road again in the case of small holes in the tyre, but won’t be enough to repair tyre sidewalls ripped by contact with a sharp rock.

The good news is that tyre blowouts are very rare — especially if you keep your tyres in good shape. These repair kits are mostly for getting you safely to the nearest tyre shop, not for driving long distances or at high speeds. Think of it as a temporary fix.

As a full time motorhomer, it’s smart to find space for a spare tyre and a tough vehicle jack in the garage — or subscribe to a roadside assistance service.

A spare wheel can take up a significant amount of your motorhome's precious space and add a lot of weight. On the other hand, a basic repair kit takes up very little room. So, you'll need to weigh up what's most important for your travels — having that spare on board or relying on roadside assistance service if something goes wrong.

Read our insightful blogs on choosing the right motorhome tyres and maintaining the correct tyre pressure.

More dependent on good weather

When Neil Finn of Crowded House wrote the lyrics everywhere you go, always take the weather with you he could have been writing a song about full time motorhome living.

Times of bad weather are comfortable enough to experience in a motorhome — if they only last a few days. However, it can be a different story when you get back-to-back weeks of poor weather.

This is because most motorhome designs are set up for enjoying the outdoors. They usually have an awning and outdoor lighting — and sometimes an exterior gas outlet for your barbecue.

Place your outdoor furniture on an artificial grass mat under the awning, and you may feel like you’ve doubled your motorhome’s living space. Being unable to use that extra space due to a long period of bad weather can make your RV feel crowded.

Keeping track of water, gas and power

Looking after your motorhome's water, gas and power requires regular checking — much more so than in a regular home. Together, they let you camp for several days without needing to plug into power.

The ability to freedom camp for consecutive days is essential for saving money while living on the road — and the size of your toilet cassette often decides how long you can stay.

Many motorhomes have a ten litre cassette that needs emptying at a dump station every three or four days. Long term motorhomers sometimes carry a second cassette to extend their stays at freedom camping sites.

Cassette size is therefore something to consider when selecting a motorhome for full time living — as some have larger cassettes.

To manage water, gas and power well, your full time motorhome life will frequently include:

• Visiting dump stations — to safely empty the black and grey water tanks
  
  

• Replenishing your onboard freshwater tank — to use for drinking and washing
  
  

• Refilling the LPG tanks — for cooking and heating.

As you begin living off-grid, you'll become familiar with how much power you use and will understand when to recharge.

Full time motorhome living costs

The money you spend each day living full time in a motorhome won't be quite the same as your regular house bills. These main costs to be aware of are:

• Travel — moving from one place to another means paying for fuel, and road user charges (RUC) if your motorhome runs on diesel
  
  

• Maintenance — like any vehicle, motorhomes need regular maintenance such as oil changes and tyre checks
  
  

• Internet connectivity — budget for the cost of setting up, and the ongoing expense of maintaining, reliable internet access in your mobile home
  
  

• Commercial campground fees — you’ll sometimes have to stay at campgrounds or holiday parks for amenities like powered sites, laundry facilities and social hubs
  
  

• Vehicle testing — motorhomes over 3,500kg need a certificate of fitness (CoF) every six months, which is more frequent and costly than a standard car warrant of fitness (WoF)
  
  

• Annual water ingress checks — new motorhome warranties require annual water tightness tests, which add to your yearly maintenance expenses
  
  

• Self-containment certification — there are regular costs for keeping your motorhome certified self-contained (CSC) every four years, or ten if you’re an NZMCA member.

View our guide on certified self-contained motorhomes in New Zealand.

Another important motorhome living cost is insurance premiums. They can be similar to what you pay to insure a house, especially for more expensive RVs.

It's essential to tell your insurance company that you'll be living in your motorhome full time — as this is different from just using it for holidays. Because you'll be on the road more often, your insurance may cost a little more than if you only use your RV for occasional trips.

See our guide to motorhome insurance in New Zealand.

The risk of feeling isolated

It’s important to stay connected while enjoying a mobile lifestyle — to ensure your well-being on the road.

Letting go of a permanent house and address makes it hard for government agencies to reach you by post. A street address is necessary for social welfare applications, getting a new passport or becoming a registered voter.

Receiving mail can also become trickier. For instance, internet shopping may require you to stay in one place until your package arrives.

You may also feel lonely on the road, and your circle of old friends may lessen. However, new friends with whom you can share your motorhoming experiences will likely fill these gaps.

A few tips for staying connected, building a mobile community and avoiding feeling isolated include:

• Embracing campground culture — these are natural hubs for meeting people just like you, so don’t hesitate to start conversations with camp neighbours and participate in social events
  
  

• Interacting with the online motorhome community in New Zealand — through forums and Facebook groups like those for Bürstner, HYMER or Carado
  
  

• Engaging in local activities — find clubs, groups or volunteer opportunities that align with your interests when settling into a new location, such as hiking groups or community gardens
  
  

• Being open and welcoming — starting conversations with people you meet can go a long way towards striking up new friendships
  
  

• Offering assistance — to fellow motorhome full-timers when they need a hand, as shared experiences and acts of kindness can help build strong friendships.

You may find that full time motorhome living is the best thing ever — or you may enjoy it for a short while before moving back to a more traditional lifestyle.

It’s unlikely you’ll have any regrets about giving full time motorhoming a go. You’ll learn valuable life lessons and understand better how living more simply relieves stress and improves your state of mind.

If you think full time motorhome living is for you, the first step is to find the right RV. Check out our guide to buying the right motorhome in New Zealand.