Camping in this economy

Might want to compute your ACTUAL use costs and see how very little they change by going camping. IF you're paying for the RV that continues whether you camp in it or not. Maintenance still is required even if it's sitting in the drive way. If you pay to store it, costs don't change just because you don't take it out. Insurance usually is about the same if you tow/drive the RV 20,000 miles a year or 20 miles a year. Campground costs actually SKYROCKET if you only go say once a year and amotize all of those other costs all into that one night.

If you OWN an RV and plan on continuing to own it, and don't go camping in it it becomes a VERY expensive hobby :)

I rarely travel more than 300 miles. To many good camping areas down here

Overheard some full timers this weekend talking about staying longer at campsites to cut down on fuel.

I would say this is the new norm for the economy. People get tired of staying home and by May the campgrounds are packed. Fuel is cheap, unemployment low, I doubt there will be any significant decline in camping in North America this summer.

ooo! ooo! ooo!...ME! Over here... I am. LOL. I left on a camping trip over 2 years ago and I don't have to go back.:B I don't know how far I'll travel this year. Maybe 9-12k miles. I'm a camper, not an OTR driver.

We don't worry about the distance, we just stay longer to take advantage of weekly or monthly rates, or we stay at cheaper campgrounds. We cut expenses in other ways like being careful buying groceries and not going out to eat in restaurants as often. We try to find the cheapest fuel.

I can go 20 miles and be in a wilderness, but I prefer public sites where I can meet the locals and bicycle riders. I am a loner, but do not need to BE alone.
My favorite day trip site is fishing access on a dam, with university student housing nearby. Lots of friendly foot traffic and fast food delivery available.

Driving it 2-3 days a week does not cost more than parking it and making insurance payments. The expense is paying to park 5 feet from other rigs full of loud drunks and kids. I do not do that.

For me anything past the driveway is "away". We do alot of local CG's with friends, It works for us. Happy Camping

Now that we are a 1 house owner couple again, our finances are not so tight. We'll be camping a lot more this year. Farthest trip will be from (near) Indianapolis to North Western Iowa (approximately 500 (plus) miles). That's the farthest we'll be going this year. But several week-end trips planned more local (all within Indiana - longest distance one way, about 150 miles).

It's not the distance you travel to go camping, it's what the purpose is for going in the first place. If all you want is a get-away, camp in your driveway and close the windows so you can't see out and pretend you're somewhere. However, if you are going to an event, visit relatives, or even for business, then there's a purpose. Of course recreation is a purpose also? Boating, canoeing, hicking, ATV's =, sporting events, all excellent reasons to go somewhere!

The older we get, we want to get "away" for a purpose. We live in the country and, as far as 'getting away' for the sake of just 'getting away'.... fact is ... we're already "there"! So, before we leave our solitude, DARK nights, peace and quiet, no traffic, no kids running through our campsite, cars blowing horns, and obnoxious people who have had too much "bubbly" next door, we've got to have a good reason to go somewhere now! So we are planning for a purpose now! Not just to "get away!"

No one ever said RVing was cheap...either suck it up and get out there and enjoy yourselves OR park the RV