i lived in a converted schoolbus for six years. we (my bf and i) went as far as the mexican border (from BC canada) twice. we love our bus!! we loved travelling, living off the grid... good points here so far. it's true, living in an RV park is much cheaper than an apartment and you can travel around. take a good look at the structure of most RV's. they are  cheap crap.. made out of pine frames and aluminum. we converted a schoolbus because they are the safest thing on the road. we have a diesel with disc brakes and power stearing, it drives like a dream, no special license.

the only downside is, maintenance, and i live in BC and when we couldnt afford to go south for the winters it was really crappy and cold. the small space can get on your nerves after a while, but we spent a lot of time outside... our motto was 'the world is our balcony'.

good times! we bought a house now and really love the space and warmth. we still love our bus though and haven't managed to let her go yet.

It's still an option.  I'm also half-thinking of getting a tiny office somewhere myself and sleeping there or out of the car and going to extremes to cut costs and maximize my freedom and free time.  The only problem is that some work I'm involved with right now requires me to be somewhat stable in my place and income, so I'm trying to balance a lot of factors.  But it still seems like an idea that might become worth considering in the near future.

One place we have been looking at is Canadream , http://www.canadream.com/ because we have used them a few times, the vehicles are clean and reliable, well serviced etc. The prices there look good to me. I'm sure there will be similar deals on vans in California.

You can get post delivered, wifi connections to the net, etc whilst mobile. Try looking at some of the RV forums, they give good tips and links to literature regarding full time RVing.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/winter_camping.html

http://www.gorving.ca/rvresources.asp

http://www.newrver.com/

We are also looking into doing the same thing at the moment, if the shit hits the fan, we want to be on the ground, running.

For a single bloke :  CAD 7900; (it would pay for itself within the first year!), then upgrade when you're ready to move on.

My husband's aunt and uncle do this.  They have a regular home in Missouri, but they spend 4 to 6 months out of the year in Texas with their RV.  They have friends that come back every year as well, so they even have "neighbors".

There are loads of people on the net who do this, so you could do quite a bit if research to determine if it's the life for you.  I think it would be fun if you could afford the initial cost of buying an RV.

There is this thing about caravans and 'trailer trash' - but once you are out there you meet some really nice folk, who live 'full time' at campgrounds, and thier homes are nicer than some of the traditional homes. They take a great pride and create a nice habitat, they are not all 'trailer trash'. Nice 'gardens' with plants and bushes, and usually in more scenic and nature'al' surroundings than  city folk.

I wouldnt do a motorhome, but a 5th wheel, giving more freedom (these things are hard to drive around small roads), plus you can have a bigger caravan, more room. The one thing I would say is, bathrooms tend to be very small, get one that one you can swing a couple of aliens in, and you should be OK.

Oh! and a shotgun, to shoot the seagulls that pitter patter over your roof.

I'm about to move back to southern California in the next month or so, into an area where studio apartments start at around $1100 a month and go up quickly from there.   A monthly RV space, conversely, goes for around $600 in many places here (still rather high, but that's CA for you), and that includes most utility costs.  In other areas of the country it's much cheaper, of course.   It seems that depending on what kind of RV somebody buys, this way of living can pay for itself in the first 3-5 years or so.  I really hate to just throw away money unnecessarily on rent.   At the moment, I'm quite interested in the "fifth wheels" which are standalone and hook up to a pickup truck; keeping the motor vehicle separate from the mobile home unit seems both convenient and practical in case of breakdowns or other trouble.   

I'm still  considering a lot of different possibilities, like renting a room again ( ugh ) or just paying the high rents for an apartment and being done with it.    But this seems like a very good possible alternative way of living, with the added "bonus" of then actually HAVING the RV to take on road trips and vacations, let alone for using as a primary residence.  In addition, considering the unpredictable and tumultuous times we are now living in -- especially here in the USA -- having one's home on wheels might come in VERY handy in case of unforeseen disasters, war etc. 

So, does anyone out there have any experience with living, traveling or even just camping in RVs?  What were the benefits and/or pitfalls you have dealt with?    I'm curious to hear your thoughts.