We are still planning our trip to Yellowstone at the end of May. We'll travel just over 4,000 miles round trip at a cost of about $2,000. Will it hurt? Sure it will, but I can not see letting our mh sit around not being use.
My wife will not fly and we enjoy the RV traveling lifestyle. This is one of the few activities that helps us keeps us from going crazy. This will probably be our last long trip out west for a few years.
Personally I feel fuel prices will level off somewhere between $5 and $6 at that point most of our travels will be here in the southeast. In a few years we'll look back on fuel being $4.50+ and think it is cheap. It will take time, but over the long run we'll adjust to these higher prices and get back to our normal long trips again.
BTW - this year we will make the most of overnighting at Walmarts and Flying-Js while we are traveling to and from Yellowstone. Right now I just can not justify spending $40+ a night for a place to park for only 6 hours. Once at our destination we'll be at a campground enjoying all its benefits and paying for those benefits. Doing this will help pay for at least one tank of fuel.
Why have rv equipment if you don't use it as you intended when you purchased it...We missed our western trip last year due to unscheduled medical problems but this year we are planning on going....about 5000miles roundtrip from Missouri to Glacier, Yellowstone, Tetons, Rocky Mountain National parks...we burn diesel, get about 10mpg when towing maybe a little better if I drive 60 instead of 65 or 70. We are figuring on 5.00 per gallon as of the 1st of June, that figures to 2500.00 on fuel alone.....total trip probably will cost 4000 grand...will be gone a month. Try going on a month long trip flying and staying in a hotel and eating out every meal and figure that cost....won't take you long to see that RV'ing is still a value!!!
Don't ever go on a standard cruise, and then c/o fuel prices for RV trips. Imagine how much fuel the 3-4K+ for the cruise will get you in fuel.
Figuring prices $ 1.75 more this year than last, it will cost you $500 bucks more for 3000 miles at 10mpg.
OP, no we are not staying home due to gas prices. You should not either -- unless you simply cannot afford to pull your rig around. Gas is only a small part of the cost of a vacation for us. Our major adventure this summer is 2000mi. This comes to 130 gallons of gas or $600 (estimate). We save much more than that by camping vs staying at a hotel/motel. It's not just the 15 nights of a room.
For starters, we'd still have to get to the attractions. Taking the Explorer without the popup saves me next to nothing. I could halve my fuel cost by taking the Focus, but that would be uncomfortable and we could not bring as much stuff. So we would be out eating all meals and buying all the stuff we left home. I think the money saved on a hotel/motel would be more than the cost of gas and I think to eat at restaurants like we do when we camp would be more than the cost of gas. Camping is a great deal (assuming you already own the camper).
So, if we are to go on vacation, the camper is not a big issue -- even if you only get 8mpg, it's not a big deal (IMHO). Even if moteling is cheaper, how do you compare a room and a pool to a campground, a beach, campfires, and smores?
Stay home? Or stay close to home? I guess that's an option -- especially for those who go to a lake or a campground to eat, sleep, and enjoy the scenery. We do that sometimes and I would not travel too far for that -- I never would, though, because I would rather spend my time camping than driving.
This year we are doing destinations, so that is not an option -- hershey, gettysburg, columbus, dayton, cleveland, canton, niagara falls, and cooperstown are not near my home.
And I can't see parking an expensive camper due to gas prices. If you can't afford the gas, you can't afford the camper. Things are not going to get better -- ever. If you are parking your camper due to gas prices, you might as well put a for sale sign on it or tow it to a seasonal campground.
One change I made was to take longer, multi-destination vacations. This is mostly because as my kids get older, our summers get shorter and we are better riders, but it also saves miles. Instead of taking three vacations, we will take one or two longer adventures then spend the rest of the summer enjoying our community.
Think things through. Gas is expensive, but should not keep you from enjoying camping. If it does, you can't afford to camp and should think about that. Nothing sadder than a tarp covered camper getting moldy.
Have no intentions of canceling. We will leave Ga. going West. Plan on doing a lot of dry wilderness camping which we love. Not moving around as much once we find some good fishing. Also added the Banks Power system to our Dodge which has totally improved our mileage also and staying around 55mph. All sorts of ways to cut corners to make this trip happen. On the road and now here at home.
no changes for us, we already have 45 nights planned for the year so far, which is above our total for last year. Actually many of our trips are a longer drive also.
No. We leave in two weeks for a trip to Oregon. Total miles about 1400. Fuel cost about $900.00. Campground fees of $350.00. Toal cost will be about $100.00 a day. We can't get a decent hotel room $100.00 a night. We have planned this trip since last fall. We won't stay home for a total difference of $200.00 compared to last years fuel cost of $3.50 a gallon. We also have another 30 days of weekend trips planned for the rest of the year.
I hate the prices too, but we enjoy camping too much. Camped for 18 nights so far this year with 71 more booked. Sorry to hear about so many people cancelling, the campgrounds will not be the same with out you.
Alan, Brenda, Kyle
Queen Creek, AZ
2007 F-250 XLT Supercrew V-10,w/tow command,4.30,Equalizer hitch, WD bars
2008 Jayco 26BHS
No just spending less at walmart we'll find other ways to cut back, not going to lose the one thing we enjoy the most if at all possible.
Buffy America-Land That I Love
Hubby, Wife and Daughter (U. S. Navy Hospital Corpsman)
2006 Suzuki Boulevard M109
2002 Honda VTX1800C
2000 Kawasaki Ninja 600
1999 Ford F350 Dually
2005 K-Z New Vision 36KX2 Toyhauler
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Not moving around as much once we find some good fishing. Also added the Banks Power system to our Dodge which has totally improved our mileage also and staying around 55mph. All sorts of ways to cut corners to make this trip happen. On the road and now here at home.
What Trailer?
we'll find other ways to cut back, not going to lose the one thing we enjoy the most if at all possible.
