Like a lot of you, we have been trying to figure out where we stand on future vacations.
Should we fly to our destination, rent a car, do the motel/restaurant scene, AND pay for gas?
Should we use our vehicle that gets better gas mileage to road trip somewhere, doing the motel/restaurant scene, AND pay for gas?
Or, should we use our RV and gas-guzzling truck, pay $30 or less to sleep, eat our own food in our own kitchen, AND pay more for gas?
When I crunch the numbers the RV option begins to look more and more feasible.
I guess we could do "air-only" and not rent a car and stay with our kids. But, if airlines pass their increasing costs to us, which they MUST do in the face of rising costs, then the air-only option becomes less affordable.
Maybe the only people who can afford to travel in the future will be RV owners.
2000 Silverado, 6.0L, Longbed
2004 Cougar 276 EFS
One wife and a tumbleweed for a pet.
Maybe so... We travelled last weekend to an event with our kids and those that drove / stayed in a hotel were paying $135 / night for a Super 8! Ouch.
Even with the extra cost of fuel, our little $29 RV park fee and eating-in saved us about $150 in costs. However, when you weigh the cost of actually owning the RV over-time (cost of RV, insurance, etc...), the finances look less attractive.
What can I say, its a lifestyle we all enjoy and build memories around.
Happy camping!
Tim & Cindy
2008 Holiday Ramber Admiral 35SFD
Enjoy our travels and meeting new people
Still working FT as a professional (both of us)
Former Army (7 Years) and Persian Gulf Veteran
You're right about the cost of the RV. I am still paying about $6/day for it whether it's on the road or sitting. And, I have 10 more months at $16/day on the truck.
I usually 'crunch the numbers' before making a decision on a specific trip, but my general rule of thumb is that there must be at least 2 or more days at the destination for each day of travel (in order to make it cost effective). So - if it takes two days to get there and two days back, then I must spend at least 8 days there. So - for a few days in Las Vegas - get a cheap flight and bargain hotel. But if you want to travel to locations without major tourist facilities, then the RV is the only way to go.
The Rev - Retired
'88 Limited - an 'oldie', but everything we need!
(Click to see the best view of my rig!) That's Me - Going Away!
Chassis by Deere-Drive by Ford-Coach by Fleetwood-Security by Smith&Wesson.
Never Give an INCH until you can get a MILE!!
We just returned from a week on the road with our RV - It was wonderful.... Although it did cost us more for gas - it wasn't that much more. The price has gone up no matter which way you travel so why not enjoy the trip and travel the way you want to. For us - that is in our RV .... Hopefully we will be able to do much more travelling in our RV when we retire in a couple of years - really want to see this beautiful country we live in.....
We always plan vacations using the TT. Hotels will never be an option, even if they are cheaper. I want to be able to cook, use my own bed, have somewhat of a view, even if it is the back side of another RV, bring my kids and of course the pets. We used hotels for years when the kids were real young. We never will again. If a hotel is the only option for visiting a certain area, then we will pass on to something else. Unfortunately I can't get enough time off to make trips out west. So we will hang out up and down the east coast.
Don't like the view?? Then change it and Go Camping
Getting ready to take a trip in the RV next month, no way we could see all that via air. And for as many miles as we plan on taking, not a fun idea in a car if you ask me. Plus I like having my own bed and bath and kithen. At least I know its clean, and who's done what and where and when.
We didn't buy an RV because we wanted to travel cheaper. We bought it because we can dictate our surroundings. It's our bed, our utencils, etc., we're not at the mercy of a hotel cleaning person that could care less about our health, we have our own kitchen and our own food, we eat healthier, we can put it where we want, all of the activities we like are packed in it, etc. It's our home away from home. That's why we bought an RV.
outdoorsman2007 wrote: We didn't buy an RV because we wanted to travel cheaper. We bought it because we can dictate our surroundings. It's our bed, our utencils, etc., we're not at the mercy of a hotel cleaning person that could care less about our health, we have our own kitchen and our own food, we eat healthier, we can put it where we want, all of the activities we like are packed in it, etc. It's our home away from home. That's why we bought an RV.
Ditto. If I were worried about the costs, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. Of course, if the enviro-weenies never let us drill for our own oil, my dreams of retiring and touring the country someday may change. I will cross that bridge about 18 years from now.
Until then......CAMP ON! My stimulus check will more than fund my gas for the season.
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