Anyone using a B for work travel?

[fullofdays]

I'm a consultant and travel weekly for work in a 1-2 state area. I'm considering a class b for a mobile base camp while I travel for work over bed bug infested hotel. I usually travel out Monday and am home Thursday night. Anyone doing this today? Am I crazy for considering a B? What do I need to know?

[avanti]

Sounds like a fine idea to me. The only real issue I can think of is having enough time in the mornings and evenings to get to/from a suitable camp site. I think urban boondockng would get old pretty quickly.

[BBQ]

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I have heard of people doing that.
I assume this is not a 9 to 5 type of job.

Depending on your territory.
If you can handle the extreme temperature on either side of the scale, you will like it.

[fullofdays]

I hadn't thought much of the daily commute. there are a few campsites I have googled not to far from various client sites.

[fullofdays]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

I have heard of people doing that.
I assume this is not a 9 to 5 type of job.

Depending on your territory.
If you can handle the extreme temperature on either side of the scale, you will like it.

Southeast territory so temp extreemes are doable.

[wincrasher]

Many campgrounds have a monthly rate - so if you paid for a couple and used them intermittently, you'd still save money over a daily rate. Also, you'd have guaranteed accommodations.

If your clients are industrial, many probably wouldn't care if you spent a night or two in their parking lot if you can boondock it.

[Davydd]

There are also weekly rates. I know KOAs have them when we got stuck in South Padre Island while the rest of Texas was going through a cold spell. Basically we got seven nights for the price of six.

[Keyne]

If I go back to the consulting travel lifestyle I would definitely do it.

If you wanted to keep the van in the campground instead of using it to commute, depending on the travel expense policy, you could use Enterprise rental cars delivered to your campground and then expense the rental car. It should be cheaper than the typical expenses of hotel, dinner out, rental car, flights, etc.

Also, having the van you could cook for yourself instead of eating out every night. Not to mention coming "home" to a campground and sitting outside under an awning would be so much nicer than a cheap hotel. Not to mention you can keep your "toys" with you which for me would include fishing, hiking, kayaking, biking, etc. Bring them along and use them early morning or after work. Really hard to do that as the road warrior every week. These benefits alone would make it worth it to me.

[wincrasher]

I've used an RV in my work life for many years now. I've found that a travel trailer works best, as I only need to move it every couple of years or so. They are quite happy to sit in one place, and having the extra storage space is convenient.

It really depends on your business though. If you could place it centrally, and go to your places of business each day, it could work out. Kind of a hub and spoke strategy.

If you have a long, circuitous route that you travel, then the van would be better.

[Scottbaldassari]

Originally Posted by fullofdays

I'm a consultant and travel weekly for work in a 1-2 state area. I'm considering a class b for a mobile base camp while I travel for work ...

I did this for several years with a low roof Sportsmobile Van, and occasionally a trailer. It worked fabulously! Perfect fit for me. I was a 30 something year old freelance artist, and on a very tight budget. There is absolutely no reason I can think of that this wouldn't work for you, AND I guarantee your living expenses would be substantially lower than "moteling it". I don't believe I could have made it work financially without the Van. In addition, I got to explore a lot of cool state parks and campgrounds. I covered 12 S.E. States, and would be out from 4 days to 2 weeks. My sportsmobile did not have a shower, and was a bit cramped, so I would usually do 3 days campgrounds, 1 day hotel. I remember several mornings of rain when it was nearly impossible to stretch out, and get ready for a day of sales. It's no fun to walk through a muddy campground to get a shower.

The only improvement I could have made was to have a van tall enough to stand up in (and a shower). ...OK.. well, a generator, an awning, a permanent table, more storage, a real stove, A/C, and solar would have been handy too (but I didn't have them, and didn't miss it). . I know it would be even better; easier, and more comfortable in my current Travato. I will be doing it again soon... and can hardly wait..

[Scottbaldassari]

Oh yes, and as others have mentioned, a trailer or bigger unit might be more comfortable for longer stays, but you indicated Mon to Friday, which would be perfect for a class B. I'm assuming Monday and Friday are travel days, which leaves 3 days for "camping".. Not worth the set up of a trailer, or inconvenience of driving, parking, and dealing with a larger rig (IMHO).

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Scottbaldassari

I did this for several years with a low roof Sportsmobile Van, and occasionally a trailer. It worked fabulously! Perfect fit for me. I was a 30 something year old freelance artist, and on a very tight budget.

I made some money in high school as a seasonal sign and scene painter. I would paint in store windows on the inside at Christmas time so the light would shine through at night. So I had to paint backwards. There was a sign painter guy in a pink school bus who made his rounds at strip shopping centers who took notice of my activities and wanted to set me up in another school bus and tried to talk me out of going to college. He lived in his school bus and generally parked and lived in the back of those shopping centers. Most of his signs were just temporary sales signs on the outside of windows. This was circa 1960. I didn't even know RVs existed then.

[RNYC]

I'm in the middle of my first week of full-time work in a class B. I would say that the most difficult parts are:
1. Set up and break down daily - which I'm getting down to a science by unhooking from water the night before, only filling up and dumping when necessary and with minimal amounts of water.
2. Where to stay - I constantly have to search for the next overnight spot and that can be a pain. I'm finding that I have a positive opinion of the KOA's thought they aren't cheap.
3. Not a lot of down time after working 8 hours

With that said, I love it. It's super cozy and you don't have to eat fast food!

[wdijames@aol.com]

I'm considering a B+ for work travel. How is your time going staying in your B?
I was thinking I would go unplugged using the generator would this be doable? I will be in Florida so mild weather

[RNYC]

I worked from my Rialta for 6 weeks, 8 hours a day and drove from LA to Tampa after work and on weekends. It was excellent. I work remotely so I used a Verizon hot spot and had minimal issues. In fact, it works way better in the middle of nowhere Texas than in NYC.
I often asked for a late check out so I could work all day and when I didn't want to do that I worked from the parking lot of the closest strip mall or from a Starbucks.
Florida is supposed to have great parks, so that would be cheaper. And the weather is decent (minus super hot in the summer and hurricane season).
I tend to plug in rather than use the generator. I also have a second propane stove to cook outside. It's convenient when it's hot or I don't want my clothes and RV to smell like last dinner.

[ClassB4Me]

Originally Posted by fullofdays

I'm a consultant and travel weekly for work in a 1-2 state area. I'm considering a class b for a mobile base camp while I travel for work over bed bug infested hotel. I usually travel out Monday and am home Thursday night. Anyone doing this today? Am I crazy for considering a B? What do I need to know?

What expenses do you plan to document for reimbursement or tax purposes (if any)? Using a car rental service and / or staying in a hotel makes it easier to incur traveling expenses with little to no eyebrow-raising from the employer or the IRS.

[RNYC]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

What expenses do you plan to document for reimbursement or tax purposes (if any)? Using a car rental service and / or staying in a hotel makes it easier to incur traveling expenses with little to no eyebrow-raising from the employer or the IRS.

I spoke with my tax guy and he will be deducting the cost of the RV, price of campground/RV park and gas. I keep receipts and list everything in a spreadsheet. I also use a credit card for all RV related purchases (and get miles).

[GigaGeek]

Yes, the travel trailer option is an excellent one. I've been using it myself for work travel. It's easy to unhook and set up camp somewhere and have your mobile hotel room/office to return home to at night. I'm currently pulling a Rockwood Geo Pro 19FBS, which weighs about 3000 lbs dry and has a considerable amount of room inside with a full dry bath shower. It came equipped with a WiFi Ranger, Solar panel, dual batteries, dual propane tanks, MaxxAir fan, etc. My tow vehicle is a 2017 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD rated at 5000 lbs for towing and gets 20 mpg in the city and 29-32 on the highway.

Although I plan to upgrade to a Class B or B+ motorhome in the future, for my current work travel needs, this setup suits me well. Roughly the interior space of a small B+.

The attached picture shows us Wal Mart camping behind a +/- 34' Class A.

Originally Posted by wincrasher

I've used an RV in my work life for many years now. I've found that a travel trailer works best, as I only need to move it every couple of years or so. They are quite happy to sit in one place, and having the extra storage space is convenient.

It really depends on your business though. If you could place it centrally, and go to your places of business each day, it could work out. Kind of a hub and spoke strategy.

If you have a long, circuitous route that you travel, then the van would be better.

[GigaGeek]

For finding places to camp, especially on short notice, I use the RV Parky app. It works well.

Originally Posted by RNYC

I'm in the middle of my first week of full-time work in a class B. I would say that the most difficult parts are:
1. Set up and break down daily - which I'm getting down to a science by unhooking from water the night before, only filling up and dumping when necessary and with minimal amounts of water.
2. Where to stay - I constantly have to search for the next overnight spot and that can be a pain. I'm finding that I have a positive opinion of the KOA's thought they aren't cheap.
3. Not a lot of down time after working 8 hours

With that said, I love it. It's super cozy and you don't have to eat fast food!