Traveling In An RV Is Way More Expensive Than You Probably Think

Robert59 said:
Casey Bond

Casey Bond said nearly a month ago, I set off on an 8,000 mile cross country road trip from Los Angeles to Maine and back. With about a week left in my journey, I’ve racked up so many amazing experiences, photos, memories ― and credit card points.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rv-costs-expensive-travel_l_5f16259dc5b615860bb6384e
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My son's father in law bought an R. V. to end all R. V.s It is huge and accordions out into another room. It must cost a fortune to run and he pays a lot to park it when not in use. They go on more cruises than so called roughing it but just don't know what to do with their money.
 

We did it for 4-5 months a year for 10 years in a 39' fifth wheel, visiting 44 states, some multiple times. RVing isn't "cheap" but it beats staying at motels/hotels and having to eat all your meals out. You eat healthier because you can cook. You sleep in your own bed every night and you know how clean your sheets are because you're the one who washes them. You can take a bigger variety of clothing and recreational items along (sometimes we were in blistering heat and snow in the same week, heck, sometimes the same day...)
 
Many people who go RVing aren't doing it to save money. They enjoy the lifestyle.

We've had about 6 campers over the last 40 years.

Even though gas is cheap, it still costs a good amount to fill up the truck or motorhome. RV resorts typically cost $40-$80 a night and you have to have reservations.

There are many advantages to taking your home with you:
You don't have to pack and unpack clothes and other items.
No worries about bedbugs or fleas in your bedding or upholstery.
You can take all your favorite foods with you.
We have camped in some of the most scenic places in the world, especially in state and national parks. There's no way we could afford to stay in places with those million dollar views otherwise.
We've had some amazing experiences with wildlife through the years.
Camping with friends, now that we're all retired, is a wonderful experience. Since everyone has their own house, privacy isn't a problem.
Our friends take their little dog with them camping, which is easier for them than seeking accommodations that accept dogs, while traveling.
And Ty loves camping with his family. It enriches his life to not have to live in a kennel when his people travel.
Eating outdoors makes everything taste better.
Spending time outdoors makes falling asleep and getting a good nights rest easy.
Campers tend to interact with their neighbors more than when you travel staying in motels. You meet the nicest people in campgrounds.
 
Love the lifestyle, always have since my 1st camping trip about 55 years ago.... and was dog bit.....
The wife and I went camping on a date.... 5x7 pup tent beside a creek in the woods
Bought our 1st of 8 campers, a 1968 wards pop up tent on a trailer in 1985.
ended up living in it for 3 months when we moved to NC.
35 years later and we have been living in a 36 foot 5th wheel almost 3 years now.
Our smaller travel camper we have dragged about 10,000 miles over the last 6 years.
East coast so far....Fl to Maine, 19 states and a few nights in Canada...
35+ nights a year, mostly long weekends at state parks $20-35 a night
Last year we spent 3 1/2 weeks on the road to Maine, and paid to stay only 8 nights
and still use our tent on occasion too....
 
We love our 5th wheel, though we haven't been out since January. The article brings up some good points, as do the posts above.

Another advantage? Your kitchen and bathroom come along with you. Unlike some other RV setups, in a 5-er we have to pull over and park to access them, but it sure is nice to never be more than a freeway exit away from either.

Fuel expenses are mitigated by not needing to stop at restaurants for every meal. Lodging, even at $60 average per night, is far less than typical hotel stays, plus the comfort and convenience can't be beat. We rarely "boondock" and don't do overnights in parking lots or public streets, so we pay for RV sites every night. Some are pretty cheap though - under $30 - and always include water, power and sewer dump. For simple overnights we rarely bother to hook up the sewer though.
 
When I was in the US Navy (1968-72), most of the lifers ( those, who would spend at least 20 years in the service ) wanted to get an RV and travel the US, after they retired. I thought about it. And my buddy had 8 years in, and already owned his RV. These retired military is one of the reasons NASCAR grew in popularity. They would travel from race to race, while visiting attractions during the week. They got to know each other. It was like a continuous traveling party.
 
Lewkat said:
My son's father in law bought an R. V. to end all R. V.s It is huge and accordions out into another room. It must cost a fortune to run and he pays a lot to park it when not in use. They go on more cruises than so called roughing it but just don't know what to do with their money.
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Well, no ship cruses now.
 
When our sons were teenagers , we bought a used slide truck camper.
Did some traveling & camping with the sons.

Fast forward to when oldest son bought an ATV & enclosed car hauler.
We soon by purchasing an ATV, too.

That lead to traveling "out West to ride the trails.
Unload the ATVs,, set up cots in trailer,, bought our food & cooking gear with us.
that was our first taste of boondocking.

Hubby thought it too away too much time to 'set up camp' .
I found an older big RV with the expanding living /dinning area which we bought.

Older rigs are nice for boondocking as you get into the forest,onto rough roads.
As long as something doesn't break, its fine.

Always carry tooks with you ,, travel with another RVer,, .
;)Auto service memberships are handy.

Only problem is I didn't get away from cooking , caring for living quarters.
The plus side we got to see parts of this country from an ATV that interstate travelers don't see.
 
Our camper is a toy hauler. Last trip we carried a golf cart and two electric bikes. Mine's a 3 wheeler, so it takes more room to haul.
The RV is big enough to carry the Miata, if we ever want to.
 
In Pa there is limit on length,, I think we just come under the limit.
Ours is a gas engine & hubby says not enough gears for climbing the mountains.

So its a real 'treat' to guide him into a gas pump.
He installed a tank on the trailer for spare gas .

Tires blowing have been our worst problems.
Nothing says,,'o_O ,O' than hearing,, BANG!

One Summer it was always the inside tire of the double tire set up that blew.
Turns out the extra long valve stem was the problem.
 
Sliverfox said:
In Pa there is limit on length,, I think we just come under the limit.
Ours is a gas engine & hubby says not enough gears for climbing the mountains.

So its a real 'treat' to guide him into a gas pump.
He installed a tank on the trailer for spare gas .

Tires blowing have been our worst problems.
Nothing says,,'o_O ,O' than hearing,, BANG!

One Summer it was always the inside tire of the double tire set up that blew.
Turns out the extra long valve stem was the problem.
Click to expand...

One summer we had three blowouts in five days. We still had the Goodyear "Chinese bombs" on that came with the 5er and they all decided to detonate at once, it seemed. After buying two tires to get us going, we finally got five new sooper-dooper big truck tires on. Never had another problem.
 
Duster said:
Many people who go RVing aren't doing it to save money. They enjoy the lifestyle.

We've had about 6 campers over the last 40 years.

Even though gas is cheap, it still costs a good amount to fill up the truck or motorhome. RV resorts typically cost $40-$80 a night and you have to have reservations.

There are many advantages to taking your home with you:
You don't have to pack and unpack clothes and other items.
No worries about bedbugs or fleas in your bedding or upholstery.
You can take all your favorite foods with you.
We have camped in some of the most scenic places in the world, especially in state and national parks. There's no way we could afford to stay in places with those million dollar views otherwise.
We've had some amazing experiences with wildlife through the years.
Camping with friends, now that we're all retired, is a wonderful experience. Since everyone has their own house, privacy isn't a problem.
Our friends take their little dog with them camping, which is easier for them than seeking accommodations that accept dogs, while traveling.
And Ty loves camping with his family. It enriches his life to not have to live in a kennel when his people travel.
Eating outdoors makes everything taste better.
Spending time outdoors makes falling asleep and getting a good nights rest easy.
Campers tend to interact with their neighbors more than when you travel staying in motels. You meet the nicest people in campgrounds.
Click to expand...
While I’m not on RV’er I would think that people who do this aren’t doing it to save money. If that were the case they’d be camping at regular camp sites.
 
RVs are like houses, if you want to live big, it will cost you. When we lived in a retirement community in Arizona we belonged to an RV club with 400 members. Some had motorhomes that cost twice what we paid for our house. We had the smallest rig in the club, a 17' Casita trailer. We got to go on all the same trips as the others, and sit by the same evening campfires. We even led a few of the caravans.
Over the years we have gone north as far as Nova Scotia and south to Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas on different trips, visited 20 National Parks.
I was a road warrior for 20 years. I have seen more than my share of hotels and restaurants.
 

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