MagillaGorilla wrote:
Cost is cost. Round trip to see my mother in Florida is 2400 miles.
If I fly:
$250 per person for air travel ($500 total)
$200 for a park, stay, fly hotel near the airport.
$75 for dinner and drinks the night before we fly
$10 tip for shuttle to airport
$40 for drinks at the airport
return trip
$40 for breakfast at the airport
$10 tip for shuttle back to car
$30 gas to and from airport
Total spent: $869
If I take the MH @ 7.5 MPG I am looking at $896 in gas. Plus I have an oil change and general wear and tear on the MH. Then you add in the food and drink in the camper and it will cost me about $1000-$1100.
It is cheaper and quicker to fly. So if price or time are the main concerns then taking a MH is not your best option. If you don't want to fly and like the adventure of road trips then a MH is an option.
You change your oil on every trip?
This really depends on the length of stay and cost of a hotel. I can't imagine spending less than $100/day in a hotel if not more. Is the $200 hotel just for a day? That would get you close to a week at a CG. Food is another consideration. When camping you can take all your food with you and unless you eat out, that is decreased to cost of groceries. Minimal compared to restaurant dining. And lets not forget about baggage. 1 bag on a plane vs whatever you want to take along in a MH including a car. And things you can't put a price tag on, like enjoying the journey and stress of airlines, security and being on your own schedule, sleeping in your own bed with your own sheets, with your own bathroom. There is no more comfortable way to travel.
For us with a family of 3 it's much more cost effective to take the MH. Airline tix and hotel would exceed MH fuel and CG every time.
That and I HATE to fly. I use to fly for work and it has become miserable and scary. MH travel is so much more relaxing.
