Living in an RV or Boat: Navigating the Challenges of Addresses and Mail Management

Living in an RV (recreational vehicle) or a boat can be a thrilling and flexible way to travel and work from almost anywhere. However, one of the most common questions comes up when it comes to setting up a permanent address and managing mail. It’s nearly impossible to live in an RV without having a permanent address somewhere by law, but options like using a friend's address or a mailbox are not always feasible or easy to maintain.

Addressing the Legal and Practical Needs

The requirement to have a permanent address is a crucial aspect of living long-term in an RV or boat. Friend's addresses can be temporarily useful, but they are not sustainable for everyone. Similarly, mailboxes are only helpful if you have a fixed home address. Some RV parks offer fixed addresses as a service, but these places usually aren't ideal. Rental fees can be high, and the quality of facilities may be subpar, making it difficult to find a long-term solution.

For consistent and reliable mail management, many people opt for mail forwarding services. These services offer a unique identifier that you can use as an address, allowing you to collect all your mail from a central location. Once a week, you simply need to call the forwarding service and let them know where you are staying, and they will bundle and forward your mail to that location. This solution is both cost-effective and efficient, as it helps avoid the hassle of picking up mail from multiple locations.

The Pitfalls of Mail Forwarding

While mail forwarding services are incredibly useful, they do come with limitations. For example, you cannot use a mail forwarding address to open a brokerage account in the US due to the Patriot Act. Additionally, receiving certified mail with a signature requirement will not work. Another challenge is voting, which can be tricky in some states if you haven't been physically present for a certain period.

These limitations highlight the importance of having a residential address that aligns with the laws and regulations of your specific location. States like Texas, which do not have state income tax, are more lenient, allowing RVers to maintain their home states' addresses for various purposes. However, in states with income tax, being a resident is still crucial for compliance.

The Personal Story: A Decade of RV Living

I have had the privilege of full-time RV living since 1992, and I have experienced most of the problems associated with mailing and maintaining a formal address. As a couple, my wife and I lived in an RV and traveled for 7 years. Utilizing a mail forwarding service was a game-changer for us. We found that this solution perfectly balanced our need for a stable mailing address without the drawbacks of a fixed location.

Using a mail forwarding service, we were able to legally use that address as our home address, while still adhering to the laws and regulations of our current location. This meant paying our taxes using our forwarding address, even when it was our home state's address, not the state of the RV park we were staying in. Keeping our Arizona license plates was a personal choice, but many RVers prefer to use state plates to establish a home base.