10 Unique Ways Winnebago Owners are Using their RVs

10 Unique Ways Winnebago Owners are Using their RVs
Read about creative uses for your motorhome or travel trailer. 

By: GoLife Staff

For many Winnebago owners, exploring the great outdoors is only one way they use their motorhome or travel trailer – it is also a mobile workstation, a place to find inspiration for artistic hobbies, and so much more. Read about these unique uses for RVs and share any creative ways you have used your Winnebago in the comments!

1. Competition Base Camp

RV life has turned out to be a great fit for many professional athletes since it offers a comfortable, mobile base to rest, eat, and use a private bathroom between competitions. Abby Holcombe has been using Winnebago vans for many years as a place to reset and store her gear while touring for kayaking competitions. Amy David also found the Winnebago HIKE 100 FLX to be ideal as a base for her ski competitions.

Parents also enjoy having an RV to make sports meetup days more convenient. Sports competitors, like runners or cyclists, also enjoy the convenience an RV offers on race days.

2. Staying Comfortable During a Power Outage

Many RV owners have been able to find refuge in their RV during power outages. This article shares how one Winnebago couple used their RV to not only keep themselves comfortable but also to offer a way for neighbors to charge their phones and enjoy hot food and coffee until power was restored.

Another Winnebago owner, Jeffrey based in North Louisiana, was able to use his 2022 Winnebago Travato to power his home during a week-long outage. “With the large lithium power system, I was able to string a power cord and power our house for fans, refrigerators, lights, coffee pots, microwave, computers, and cell phones - everything but central air,” he shared.

3. Mobile Office or Classroom

It’s getting more and more popular to take work and schooling on the road. With Winnebago intentionally having desk space available in many RVs and the availability of remote internet access, it is easier than ever to create a mobile office.

For inspiration for creating your remote work setup, read these articles:

• How to Set Up an Off-Grid Office in an RV
• Van Workstation Mods Overview
• What Working from Home in an RV Really Looks Like

And for tips on taking your kids’ schooling on the road, read this helpful guide.

4. Traveling to Research Ancestry

With a love of history and passion for researching their ancestry, Winnebago EKKO owners Sherry and Doug have planned their RV travels around researching Doug’s lineage. They have even traveled the path of one of Doug’s ancestors and chronicled what they have learned through their travels in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. (so far!).

Read more about Sherry and Doug as well as others who are taking their passions on the road in this article.

5. Lending as a Prop for Films

Have you ever noticed a Winnebago when watching a movie or show? There have been quite a few RVs featured over the years. To see what goes into casting an RV for a film, read this article about the 1975 Winnebago used in The Leisure Seeker, starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland, and how its owner helped the cast better understand RVing.

6. Offering as a Rental or Guest Room

For RV owners who have extended times when they are not using their motorhome or travel trailer, using peer-to-peer rental programs is a popular way to make some extra income by allowing others to use their RV when they aren’t. Of course, you do need to take into account that damages may occur and be sure the program you choose has adequate insurance to cover any issues. 

Some RVers rent out their RV on their own property as more of a vacation rental in order to lessen the chance of someone causing major damage since they won’t be driving or towing it themselves. Others simply use their RV as an additional guest room when they have visitors. What a unique experience to get to try RVing while visiting a loved one!

7. Base for Volunteering

Programs like Habitat for Humanity’s Care-A-Vanners offers RVers the opportunity to combine their love for RV travel with their passion for volunteering. Spending time at a volunteering site is more convenient with an RV so you can have your own place to cook food, use the restroom, or change. 

RVs are also used to help support volunteer events where meals need to be provided, such as offering help for the Warrior Expeditions hikes.

Read this article for more inspiration on where to volunteer as an RVer. 

8. Mobile Crafting Station

Many RVers take their artistic hobbies on the road – whether they craft for fun or for profit. Setting up an area in your RV with all the supplies you need for your go-to craft may take some creativity, but artistic RVers don’t seem to have a problem making it work! Some popular RVer crafts include painting, wood carving, jewelry making, knitting, and scrapbooking.

Read this article for more ideas of how to take your hobbies on the road.

9. Convenient Base for Work Travel

The Winnebago team has heard countless stories over the years of owners using their RVs to make traveling for work more comfortable, convenient, and fun. From photographers using their RVs to scope out ideal locations to mobile workers using an RVs as a home base during their contract (for example, seasonal park rangers or medical staff).

We even shared this fun story of a movie director who lives out of his Winnebago Travato during filming!

10. Writing Inspiration

The freedom and solitude an RV can provide is ideal for writers, especially when traveling solo. Not only is an RV great to use as a mobile writing studio, but the ever-changing views also make for great inspiration if you are experiencing a little writer’s block. 

Our long-time GoLife contributor Sue Ann Jaffarian has found success and inspiration by taking her writing career on the road. She even has a new memoir that was inspired by her RV travels. 

As a way to stay focused and inspired, an owner of a vintage Winnebago traveled in his RV while writing his dissertation (see more of Wyatt’s story here). Of course, many other RVers enjoy journaling about their trips with no intention of sharing it which is also a rewarding way to document your travels to look back on down the road.

There are many wonderful ways to use your Winnebago and get the absolutele most out of the comfort and convenience RV life offers. Do you have a unique way you use your RV? We’d love for you to share about it in the comments!