We started our full-time travel lifestyle in 2014 and since then we’ve both experienced a transformation in our careers. We started by transitioning to remote work, then establishing a business, and finally found ways to supplement our income so we could retire early.

Watch the video or read on to learn all about our approach:

Our Transition to Remote Work

I was able to transition my position to remote work before we even started RVing. I did this by developing a proposal for my employer explaining how I could perform my position remotely. I had a six-month lead time before our move and proposed a trial period with me telecommuting 3 days per week. Although my position was never intended to be fully remote, I had proven my value to the company over the previous 5 years and was able to demonstrate that I could be just as effective working remotely.

Sean was finishing up a 20-year military career and searched for remote work opportunities online. He used sites like Flexjobs.com, as well as researching specific companies. When he found a company he wanted to work for, he would go directly to their website to see job opportunities. Using this method, he secured a position managing the laboratory component of a medical research study that traveled around the United States. The position was not advertised as fully remote. However, it did indicate the availability of some telecommuting. During the interview and selection process, he was able to negotiate the remote work arrangement.

Want to learn more about finding legitimate remote work opportunities? Click here to sign up for a FREE masterclass to learn how to Find Remote Work in 90 Days (or less).

Starting A Business

Three years ago, we decided to start a business. We formed Chickery’s Travels as an educational and motivational website for others who are interested in full-time travel. Our business includes this blog, a podcast, and a YouTube channel. We quickly learned it takes a lot of time to create all that content, so I resigned from my full-time remote position to focus on Chickery’s Travels. I’m also a freelance writer for numerous publications (online and print), and Sean co-hosts a podcast, Beyond the Wheel.

While Sean is still working in his full-time remote position, we decided to take on a new branch of Chickery’s Travels, public speaking. We speak on a variety of RV-related topics at RV shows and rallies around the country. 

We’ve met so many people on the road who have started a wide range of businesses, from video production to consulting in their field of expertise, and everything in between.

In addition to making money, owning a business can help you save money as well. There are many tax breaks for small business owners, and you may even be able to write off some of your travel expenses.

What’s Next For Us

We’re both in our early 50’s and plan to continue working for ourselves and growing our business. 

Building a successful blog is not something that occurs overnight. Don’t be discouraged. Network with other entrepreneurs to help you stay motivated. The thing that helped me the most was working together with three other full-time RVers who are also bloggers. We shared successes, failures, and lessons learned with each other along the way. Now we are all earning an income through our businesses in different ways.

If We Can Do It, So Can You!

We were able to take our skills and experience and transform it into new opportunities that allowed us to continue to earn an income while realizing our travel dreams. I know that you can too! We wrote a book titled Full-Time RV Finance to help you learn how to earn an income, save money, and get control of your finances while traveling full-time. 

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We worked really hard to become debt-free, so we don’t take the use of credit cards lightly. However, there are times when using credit cards is a good option. If you are not careful, credit cards can be dangerous to your financial health. Keeping an eye on your budget and not charging more than you can pay each month is key to using credit cards successfully.

When It Makes Sense To Use Credit Cards

We like to use credit cards instead of debit cards because of security. We have had our debit cards compromised. If you have a significant amount of money in your bank account linked to the debit card, it could leave you with a gut-wrenching feeling.

Using a credit card instead of cash or a debit card requires discipline when making purchases so you can be sure that you have the resources to pay the full balance due each month. If you are able to do this, the benefits can be wonderful. You can accumulate rewards and have some special benefits. For example, many cards offer travel insurance up to a certain dollar limit along with other little-used benefits. You can select a card that offers rewards for something that will provide a benefit to you. You can get rewards for everything from cash to airline miles depending on the card.

1. Use it like a debit card

If you are going to use a credit card for purchases on the road, use it like a debit card. In other words, keep a budget of what you are charging on the card and do not exceed the amounts in your budget. If the credit card is used in this manner, you will never exceed your budgeted cash and can avoid paying any interest by paying the bill in full every month. If you do not have good credit card discipline, cut-up the cards and do not use them. Using a credit card at that point would be like telling an alcoholic they could have one drink and be okay. It’s not going to happen. It will end up costing too much money through interest payments.

2. Get a rewards card

If you can live with the first rule above, my recommendation is to get a card that has some type of rewards associated with it. We have two different rewards cards that make sense for us. One earns us Hilton Honors points when we make purchases with it. We have amassed almost 1 million points with the help of this card. We feel like these are good for us to have because if our house on wheels is ever in the shop for an extended period, we have the ability to stay in a hotel for very little to no money for quite a few nights. It is insurance for unfortunate situations. We also use it when we want to take a vacation away from the RV.

The other card gives us reward dollars in our investment account. This card provides a cash deposit in to our investment accounts after we charge a certain amount of money. Since we have stopped adding as much to our investment accounts until we pay off the RV, this helps keep a little cash going in those accounts. If you can, find rewards cards that suit your needs and do not charge an annual fee.

3. Find a card with no annual fee

We think annual fees are ridiculous. The banks are already making a ton of money on interest payments from people who carry a balance. Annual fees are just a way to get those of us who don’t, to pay for the rewards. It is possible to find rewards cards without an annual fee, but it can be difficult. There are a couple of ways to avoid paying the annual fee if the card you choose has one. The first, and easiest option, is to ask for the fee to be waived. Believe it or not, this works.  Another option is to ask for the non-premium version of the card. The rewards may be slightly less and you will have to do the math to see if the difference is worth paying the annual fee or not. The last way is to see if the fee can be paid out of the rewards. This avoids spending money on the fees, but causes a loss in rewards points earned. If the fee will not be waived, cancel the card and find another one.

4. Pay off the balance as soon as possible

Although we get a monthly statement for our credit cards, we usually send a payment twice a month. For us, this is a good practice because it forces us to look at the transactions online frequently, which detects any fraud faster, and we reconcile with our budget more often to avoid accidental overspending. Sticking to a budget was the main thing that helped us pay off $91,000 in debt in one year while traveling full-time.

5. Check the benefits

While searching for the best card for you, make sure to check the additional benefits available with the card. For example, the two cards we use have roadside assistance benefits. One is good for an emergency when we need assistance and cannot find another method. The other is better and will cover some towing, tire changes, 5 gallons of fuel, and many others.

When we’re flying we love to use cards for free tickets or upgrades. Our Capital One Venture Card also gets us free access to the Capital One airport lounges. This is such a great benefit when you have a long layover.

Many credit cards offer a wealth of additional benefits for travelers that are never used because the credit card holders fail to read the fine print that comes with the card. Those little booklets, that require a magnifying glass to read, contain information on all of the miscellaneous benefits that can be handy for those of us who like to travel. It is important to include these benefits in your selection of the best card for your lifestyle.

The Bottom Line

We hope these five tips will help you be on your way to using credit cards responsibly, while also earning rewards and other benefits. Using credit cards should not be taken lightly. Paying the bill to avoid interest charges and checking the statements regularly for fraud is important. We use credit cards almost exclusively and have not paid any interest in several years.

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