Cost of RVing

Sandia Man wrote:
Funny thing was somebody recently asked what kind of mpg I was getting, I laughed and told them I never calculated in 3 decades of RVing. It would be simple enough since our tow vehicles and motorized RVs all have that feature available in addition to what our scangauge can report. I don't want to base my travels on mpg, rv park costs, or fuel prices, what's the use of having an RV if those factors weigh heavily on your mind. That's why we enjoy being fully self-contained, wherever we park we can utilized every amenity available as if connected to shorepower.

I guess overall we are lucky as we do the majority of our RVing in the four corner states where a few hours in any direction gets us where we are going, plus our NM state parks are just $14, so roomy with shelters and concrete or metal tables they are easily our top destinations. There are many private RV parks along I-40 in our neck of the woods that are under $30, mostly because Casinos charge $20 or less for their RV parks so they have to keep prices down to compete. I travel extensively for business and we do occasionally stay at hotels, speaking for my DW and I, we much prefer the comforts our coach provides without worrying if it is more economical to do so.

I calculated my fuel mileage at first so I could better plan out necessary stops, etc. I like to camp in forests. Some campgrounds require me to think ahead in regards to fueling.

If the campground I'm headed to is 60 miles from the nearest station and I get 10 mpg with a 30 gallon tank and the campground is 250 miles away, I know I will need to stop and fill up BEFORE I get to camp. If I don't stop before camp, then I won't have enough fuel to get to the closest station when I leave camp.

On the otherhand, if the round trip is 175 miles, I know I won't have to stop for fuel at all for that trip.

So determining fuel mileage isn't always about costs.

Now for me, I do budget my trips and keep track of what goes where. My first trip, I went to Hawaii and had spent all my cash halfway through the trip with no clue where it all went. I hated that feeling, so now I budget for the entire trip and keep track as I go. I overbudget on some things (calculate total fuel costs at a higher fuel cost than current, a lower mpg than expected, and a greater distance than planned for). As I travel and the overbudgeting starts showing, I will use that excess for splurges or unplanned activities.