You bought your RV with the intent of using it to make camping more enjoyable. But did you know that your motorhome or trailer has a lot more potential? Camping two or three times a year is nice, but leaving your RV parked in storage the rest of the year seems kind of fruitless. What if you could turn it into a business asset?
It turns out you can. With a little creativity, a minimal amount of investment and a solid business plan, you can actually turn your RV into a means of making money. Whether you choose to do something part-time for a little extra cash or build a full-time business, opportunities abound.
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Advertise with Your RV
Have you ever wondered how those full-time RVers with regular blogs and video channels make a comfortable living doing what they do? A lot of them have sponsors. Sponsorships come in all shapes and sizes. In some cases, sponsors expect RVers to promote their products or services in their videos and blogs. But if you don’t do that sort of thing, there’s another kind of sponsorship that involves using your RV as advertising space.
Many companies are willing to sponsor RV owners in exchange for covering their trailers or motorhomes with a vinyl wrap. The wrap is essentially an advertisement with graphics and text. You could earn some money and promote one of your favorite RV products at the same time.
AirSkirts, a Connecticut company that makes a patent-pending inflatable RV skirting product, says companies in the RV industry love this sort of thing. It helps them get their message out utilizing RVs that go to the very places their customers are found.
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Get in on the Mobile Food Gig
Another option is to use your RV to get in on the mobile food gig. Everybody loves a food truck, right? Well, how about a food motorhome or travel trailer? You already have built-in cooking facilities. You can modify them to meet the somewhat different needs of commercial food service, or you can pull a trailer behind your motorhome. The trailer can house all your specialized equipment while you store the food and supplies in the RV.
The one caveat to this sort of enterprise is that your RV is going to get a lot more wear and tear if you run your business seven days per week. But if you are not using the unit to camp anymore, you might just as well get your money out of it with the mobile food business.
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Rent Your RV to Weekend Warriors
Finally, you can make money with your RV by renting it out to weekend warriors. Just know that doing this sort of thing requires a willingness to let go to some extent. Every weekend warrior who pulls away with your rig could be the last one. It is a risk you have to be willing to take.
As for how to do it, there are lots of possibilities. You can handle everything yourself from the comfort of your own home. Likewise, there are a number of mobile apps and online platforms that do for RV owners what Airbnb does for stick homeowners. You might even be able to make your RV available through your local RV sales center.
There are other ways to turn your RV into a money maker. The three described here represent just a few suggestions to get your mind working. Use your imagination. With a little business sense and some creativity, your RV can become a lucrative business asset.