My friend calls me crazy!

[Mick9064]

My friend calls me crazy for spending 70K for a motorhome. He makes the case that hotels and restaurants are a much cheaper way to vacation. I average 30 nights a year. Initial cost is 2 times more than a car. Gas 4 times more.

What is your thoughts?

Thanks,
Mick

[tpi]

Probably for most of us if you factor in depreciation and all costs, staying in hotel would be cheaper. But that is apples to oranges comparison-I'd rather use my RV most of the time.

Also, there are ways to get into RVing which is not expensive. Especially if you're handy with DIY. A used travel trailer which can be inexpensive. Even used motorhomes if you buy at the right price.

[jarata1]

Not to mention bodily fluids on hotel beds

[romore]

Your buddy is completely missing the point. You bought that mh to spend your time exploring, meeting new friends and having fun. Does he enjoy fishing or hunting ? It would be cheaper and easier to buy a filet of salmon or aside of beef at the supermarket but where is the joy in that.

[time2roll]

Some just focus on the money and a selfie at the destination. Others focus on the experience of the journey.

Tell friend the RV does not exclude you from using a hotel when preferred.

[mrubaum]

Good thing you did not buy a 3 million dollar jet or a 20 million dollar yacht. Your friend would say Southwest airlines is much cheaper as is Carnival Cruise lines.

[mabynack]

I have 6 dogs and 4 cats and 6 foster cats. If I have to evacuate due to a hurricane, I need my RV to transport all the animals.

I also find it much easier to control my diet if I eat in my RV, vice restaurants.

I sleep better in my RV than I do in hotels.

I've travelled a lot for work and I'm forced to stay in hotels most of the time. There have been a lot of times when problems at the hotel have made them less than acceptable. One trip to North Carolina, everyone but me ended up with bed bugs. One trip to West Palm Beach FL the fire alarms sounded a dozen times during the night.

I've had more problems with drunks and kids wandering the hallways and yelling at 1 a.m. than I wish to recall.

If I fly somewhere I end up renting a car. By the time you add up the cost of the car, the airfare, the hotel, and the restaurants you've paid more than you would for driving your RV. I used a spreadsheet to calculate the costs of driving and staying in a hotel, flying and renting a car and hotel, and taking my RV. It varies depending on fuel costs, distance, and length of stay, but there is a breakeven point where I calculate it's cheaper to take the RV than to fly.

[my440]

Ya but you wont have to deal with a chambermaid banging at your door for checkout. No miniature coffee pot with tiny bags of weak coffee.
Welcome to crazy...have fun.

[obgraham]

You should spend your money your way, and he should spend his money his way.

[2oldman]

My thoughts is that he's probably right...if we're just talking about money. Sometimes friends say insensitive things without even thinking about it.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

Not cheaper than hotels but much more convenient. When you stop you don't have to unpack the car, take in the luggage, bring luggage back out and reload the car the next day. Your own bed, you eat better if you cook or grill. You can park by beautiful scenery like mountains, lakes, rivers, streams in the woods. Also cleaner. Nothing like having your own bed and pillows!!

[nma33]

Our Motorhome is an investment into family time, not a way to save money, We also have Disney Vacation Club points and stay there often, Also an investment into our family, Not everything in life has to come down to whether or not it's cost effective, for me the outdoors and the family & friends time in the great outdoors far outweighs the costs involved. Everyone's financial situation is different, we all have to make decisions for what works for us. Having traveled extensively for years, I enjoy driving our class A, I love sitting around the campfire with my DW and 9 year old, I enjoy different experiences at a variety of campgrounds, It all works for us. If you can afford it it's a wonderful way relax and enjoy the family and friends!

[fourthclassC]

Tell your friend not to buy a camper and have a nice day.

[blangen]

Your bed, your pillows, etc, etc... much less chance of bed bugs or various other critters. And it's not just protection for a night... critters have been known to come home with you after a hotel stay. No, thanks! My bed trumps whatever hotel savings one might think they're getting.

[Cloughfam]

Well I travel for work, and stay in Hilton hotels. And when I camp with the family im in my camper. As previously said, the camper and the hotel are two vastly different experiences. I dont find a lot of hotel rooms in the middle of the woods where I can light a fire. There have been occasions where my camper has allowed my family to experience something for much less than hotels and restaurants would. Granted, I have a TT so my cost is lower than a class c, but none the less...

[klutchdust]

What's crazy is spending 70K for a car that you can't sleep in, eat in, shower in, poop in or enjoy a relaxing night under the stars in with your wife in a secluded, beautiful, campsite in AND be comfortable. 😉