[Ecky]

I have a friend who's looking to go nomadic for a few months/years, and she asked me my thoughts on how to minimize costs/do it economically. She's self-employed over the internet, and will probably need to get a portable hotspot regardless due to reliability of motel and campground WiFi, though careful planning might negate that.

We listed a few basic scenarios:

1. RV + campgrounds

2. Popup camper + vehicle big enough to pull it + campgrounds

3. Efficient car + motels / hotels

With the RV option, there are some cost savings associated with having a kitchen/fridge and the comfort of having one's own bathroom/shower, but you have the initial cost of the RV, need to tow a car behind it or do without one, and gas costs. (this seems the least reasonable option to me but I might be wrong)

A popup camper or travel trailor might be reasonable, depending on the circumstances, but I don't know enough about them. You would need a car large enough to pull it so she might not be able to get something like a used Insight (??) but I have no idea about the towing capabilities of cars, or what most popups need. The popup would need to have a fridge/bathroom or it wouldn't really serve its needed function, and I don't know what the premium is on those, nor do I know what the average cost of a site is. She might be in some places only a day, and weeks in others.

Going with something like a used 1st gen Insight and getting motel rooms along the way (supplementing with couch surfing) has a low initial cost but I don't know what the break-even point would be when you factor in initial cost, gas, food, site rental vs motel costs.

Something that might be a factor, she has a cat which will definitely be traveling with her.

I'd appreciate it if you guys could share your experiences with low-cost long-term traveling.